Grim Grimoires: Pragmatic Ritual in the Magic Tantras

Magic tantras, despite their ubiquity in South Asia, have been woefully ignored by Historians of Religions in South Asia. Magic operations or pragmatic rituals, as opposed to transcendental rituals, reveal the lives and anxieties of medieval South Asians. I identify three categories of rituals that constitute a typology of magic in the tantras: (1) six-results rituals (ṣaṭkarman), (2) fantastic feats and enchanted items (kautukakarman, indrajāla), and (3) conjuring (yakṣinīsādhana). I focus primarily on the six-results in this dissertation: tranquilizing (śānti), subjugation (vaśīkaraṇa), immobilization (sthambhana), bewildering (mohana), dissension (vidveṣaṇa), eradication (uccāṭana), attraction (ākarṣaṇa), and murder (māraṇa). No matter having six, nine, or ninety-nine constituents, these are called the six-results. Three scholars have written on the six results previously: Teun Goudriaan, Hans-Georg Türstig, and Gudrun Bühnemann, though only Bühnemann describes the six results without proposing a universal structure and system of magic throughout South Asia, a proposal that is ultimately non-existent. Magic existed prior to the tantras in the form of (1) aggressive lethal magic (abhicāra); (2) ritual enhancements, often child-bearing (abhicāra); (3) conjuring dreadful female witches (kṛtyā, kṛtyābhicāra); and (4) herbal magic pertaining to erotics and sorcery (mulakarman, auṣadhi). I explore these techniques in the Atharvaveda, Manusṃṛṭi, Arthaśāstra, Kāmasūtra, and the Mahābhārata. While the language and many of the techniques found in these pre-medievel sources are echoed in the magic tantras, there is no coherent, unified ritual system that stretches from earlier ritual cultures into the magic tantras. I located a battery of six results rituals in the Uḍḍīśatantra edited and glossed by Tripathī that is reproduced in two other Uḍḍīśatantras; those other two are edited, glossed, and commented upon by Śivadatta and by Śrivāstava. I present each category as described by Tripathī, translating the full operation including mantras, ingredients, ritual actions, and results. I add to Triapthīs description any unique rituals from the other two tantras. I conclude each treatment of the six results rituals by presenting Śrivāstava's lively Hindi-language interpretations of these techniques in contemporary times. A full translation of Tripathī's Uḍḍīśatantra is appended to this dissertation. But magic was not unique to Śaiva sources. Two circa tenth-century Digambara Jain tantras from Karnataka describe all the six results procedures, namely the Bhairavapadmāvatīkalpa and the Jvālāmālinīkalpa. The two Jain tantras represent a curious backwater of medieval Jain ritual culture in which pragmatic rituals for aggressive, martial, and even erotic ends are prescribed without concern for normative Jain ideology on non-violence and asceticism. Titular goddesses Padmāvatī and Jvālāmālinī are Jain deities suited for the agonistic, medieval world in which Śaivas, Buddhists, and Jains competed to secure royal patronage and vied for popularity in contentious religious marketplaces. Presenting six results lore in these texts uncovers a Jain tradition of magic that has never been thoroughly studied and demonstrates contiguity with Śaiva tantra traditions, especially Śrividyā. A full translation of the Bhairavpadmāvatīkalpa is appended to this dissertation. Finally I depart from Śaivism and Jainism and turn to the Buddhist Bhūtaḍāmaratantra, whose main ritual concern is conjuring, the third constituent in my definition of magic. The tantra opens by describing Buddhist Vajradhara/Vajrapāṇi dominating Maheśvara, forcing to Śaiva god to convert to Buddhism and to support Buddhism, to support Buddhists, and to protect all those who practice the rituals in this text. After the conversion narrative, the text describes numerous sequences of goddess spirits who are dominated via spells, hand gestures, and ritual exertions. When presenting conjuring materials in this Buddhist text I note parallels deities and practices, especially yakṣinī spirits and yoginī sādhana practices, that are found throughout the magic tantras. A partial critical edition of the Bhūtaḍāmaratantra created from Nepali manuscripts is appended to this dissertation; its contents are either translated or glossed in the body of this final chapter

Vitamin E and selenium plasma concentrations in weanling pigs under field conditions in Norwegian pig herds

BACKGROUND: The status of α-tocopherol (vit E) and selenium (Se) has been shown to influence disease resistance in pigs, and may be important for the health of weanling pigs. METHODS: Plasma levels of both vit E and Se were followed in weanling pigs under field conditions in six Norwegian pig herds. Plasma vit E and Se were measured in 3 sows from each herd and 4 piglets in the litter of each sow at the day before weaning (day -1); and in the same piglets at days 4, 8 and 18 after weaning. RESULTS: Mean plasma vit E was 4.0 μg/ml in the sows and 2.6 μg/ml in the piglets at day -1, fell to 1.6 μg/ml in the weanling pigs at day 4, and remained low. Mean plasma Se was 0.22 μg/g in the sows and 0.08 μg/g in the piglets at day -1, rose to 0.10 μg/g in the weanlings at day 4, and continued rising. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that vit E and Se supplementation to piglets and weanling pigs in Norway may still be suboptimal, but that levels of the two nutrients partially compensate for each other in the weaning period

Blood dynamics of mercury and selenium in northern elephant seals during the lactation period

The effects of reproduction and maternal investment (i.e., milk transfer) on trace element levels remain poorly understood in marine mammals. We examined the blood dynamics of mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) during lactation in the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), a top predator from the North Pacific Ocean. Total Hg and Se levels were measured in whole blood and milk of 10 mother-pup pairs on days 5 and 22 of lactation. Both Hg and Se were transferred to offspring through the milk. Results suggested that the maternal transfer of Se was prominent during lactation, whereas the Hg transfer was larger during gestation. The lactation period affected Hg and Se levels in the blood of elephant seal mothers and pups. Physiological processes and their relationship to body condition should be considered carefully when interpreting trace element levels in the framework of biomonitoring.Peer reviewe

Activity patterns of free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) revealed by accelerometry

An understanding of koala activity patterns is important for measuring the behavioral response of this species to environmental change, but to date has been limited by the logistical challenges of traditional field methodologies. We addressed this knowledge gap by using tri-axial accelerometer data loggers attached to VHF radio collars to examine activity patterns of adult male and female koalas in a high-density population at Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia. Data were obtained from 27 adult koalas over two 7-d periods during the breeding season: 12 in the early-breeding season in November 2010, and 15 in the late-breeding season in January 2011. Multiple 15 minute observation blocks on each animal were used for validation of activity patterns determined from the accelerometer data loggers. Accelerometry was effective in distinguishing between inactive (sleeping, resting) and active (grooming, feeding and moving) behaviors. Koalas were more active during the early-breeding season with a higher index of movement (overall dynamic body acceleration [ODBA]) for both males and females. Koalas showed a distinct temporal pattern of behavior, with most activity occurring from mid-afternoon to early morning. Accelerometry has potential for examining fine-scale behavior of a wide range of arboreal and terrestrial species

Effect of lactation stage and concurrent pregnancy on milk composition in the bottlenose dolphin

Although many toothed whales (Cetacea: Odontoceti) lactate for 2–3 years or more, it is not known whether milk composition is affected by lactation stage in any odontocete species. We collected 64 pooled milk samples spanning 1–30 months postpartum from three captive bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus. Milks were assayed for water, fat, crude protein (TN × 6.38) and sugar; gross energy was calculated. Ovulation and pregnancy were determined via monitoring of milk progesterone. Based on analysis of changes in milk composition for each individual dolphin, there were significant increases (P<0.05) in fat (in all three dolphins) and crude protein (in two of three), and a decrease (P<0.05) in water (in two of three) over the course of lactation, but the sugar content did not change. In all three animals, the energy content was positively correlated with month of lactation, but the percentage of energy provided by crude protein declined slightly but significantly (P<0.05). At mid-lactation (7–12 months postpartum, n=17), milk averaged 73.0±1.0% water, 12.8±1.0% fat, 8.9±0.5% crude protein, 1.0±0.1% sugar, 1.76±0.09 kcal g−1 (=7.25 kJ g−1) and 30.3±1.3% protein:energy per cent. This protein:energy per cent was surprisingly high compared with other cetaceans and in relation to the growth rates of calves. Milk progesterone indicated that dolphins ovulated and conceived between 413 and 673 days postpartum, following an increase in milk energy density. The significance of these observed compositional changes to calf nutrition will depend on the amounts of milk produced at different stages of lactation, and how milk composition and yield are influenced by sampling procedure, maternal diet and maternal condition, none of which are known

Demography and Life Histories of Sympatric Patas Monkeys, Erythrocebus patas, and Vervets, Cercopithecus aethiops, in Laikipia, Kenya

Mortality patterns are thought to be strong selective forces on life history traits, with high adult mortality and low immature mortality favoring early and rapid reproduction. Patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) have the highest potential rates of population increase for their body size of any haplorhine primate because they reproduce both earlier and more often. We report here 10 yr of comparative demographic data on a population of patas monkeys and a sympatric population of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops), a closely related species differing in aspects of social system, ecology, and life history. The data reveal that 1) adult female patas monkeys have significantly higher mortality than adult female vervets; 2) infant mortality in patas monkeys is relatively low compared to the norm for mammals because it is not significantly different from that of adult female patas monkeys; and 3) infant mortality is significantly higher than adult female mortality in vervets. For both species, much of the mortality could be attributed to predation. An epidemic illness was also a major contributor to the mortality of adult female patas monkeys whereas chronic exposure to pathogens in a cold and damp microenvironment may have contributed to the mortality of infant vervets. Both populations experienced large fluctuations during the study period. Our results support the prediction from demographic models of life history evolution that high adult mortality relative to immature mortality selects for early maturation

Kualitas Hidup Pasien Diabetes Melitus Tipe 2 di Puskesmas Se Kota Kupang

Diabetes Mellitus is well known as a chronic disease which can lead to a decrease in quality of life in all domains. The study aims to explore the diabetic type 2 patient\u27s quality of life and find out the factors affecting in type 2 diabetic mellitus patients. The cross-sectional study design is used that included 65 patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus, in 11 public health centers of Kupang City. Data were collected by using Short Form Survey (SF-36) that assessed 8-scale health profile. Independent sample t-test is used to analyze the correlation between the factors affecting and the quality of life. the study showed that the QoL of DM patients decreased in all 8- health profile including physical functioning, social functioning, mental health, general health, pain, change in the role due to physical problems and emotional problems. The Study also showed there was a relationship between gender, duration of suffering from Diabetes mellitus, and complications to the quality of life. Male perceived a better quality of life than female