The Evil Eye and other Malefics

“Aha” exclaimed a friend while a few of us were at lunch, “You are wearing a Turkish eye. To ward off the evil eye?” she asked.

“What evil eye for old me?” I queried and added, “My son brought me this pendant and a couple of smaller ‘blue eyes’, which I gifted. He bought them while on a visit to some Aegean islands. He said it had protective properties but I wear it as it goes with anything blue I put on.”

My friend then sent me an article titled Turkey: envy, superstition, and the ‘Evil Eye’ from a Culture Travel journal. Interested, I probed Internet further and even gathered new info.

The evil eye is defined by Wikipedia as “Supernatural belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glare. It dates back to more than 5,000 years and predates Greek civilization.” We in Sri Lanka have had belief in the evil eye and evil tongue too – aeswaha and katawaha – for centuries past. They were strong beliefs in our Kandy milieu and constant were the ‘thu thus’ spat out if someone said a baby looked nice and chubby, a girl beautiful or the papaw tree is laden with fruit.

To ward off the evil eye, babies had huge black pottus on their little foreheads. Richer ones had gold coins with special markings on them, called panchauda, hung around their little necks. Nursing infants at the breast and other feedings; also many minor daily tasks were carried out in secrecy: fear of the evil eye.

The evil tongue was warded off by not inviting a woman who was supposed to have a tongue that exuded jealousy and wished others ill. In Buddhist parlance: had no muditha – joy in others’ wellbeing. How did you recognize such a one? Gossiped warning and if seeable – black spots on her tongue.

Belief in the evil eye exists in many nations among various peoples and is within the religions of Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. Buddhists believe in spirits roaming around which are unborn life forces which could manifest themselves as ghosts, but not in superstitions. So a truly devout and knowing Buddhist would not subscribe to the adversity of evil eyes, evil tongues and other malefic visitations.

Thousands more beliefs of a supernatural nature, inexplicable though binding of the vulnerable, exist in our country, with variations according to location. They are, however, fast loosing adherents as practicality and non-superstition get stronger; also belief in the true Dhamma. The “chuck chuck” of a gecko, the cawing of a crow, and worse: the descent of a gecko on one’s body are fearful omens.

I remember in such an eventuality as the last, when we were kids, Mother would consult the Epa litha and find out whether the gecko or his tail deposited on the head or body was malefic, inauspicious or not to be heeded. Seeing a Buddhist monk as you step out to leave your home is very bad but a woman with a full pot of water on her hip is propitious. Mercifully our lives now are minus these impediments.

I learnt a few facts too; such as African voodoo being not merely black magic but an ancient religion practiced by some 30 million people in West African nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana. Its correct name is Vodun and has countless deities to propitiate, animal sacrifice to perform and spirit possession, “It is one of the most misunderstood religions around the globe.”

The Blue Eye or Azure eye, named Nazar Boncugu in Turkey, which abound on sale, display and used to ward off evil, come in the form of a cobalt blue bead or in varied shapes and sizes. Hand crafted from glass, they are composed of two primary colours: blue and light blue; blue being the colour of protection, radiating positive energy. They are used to decorate crockery; jewellery and amulets; T-shirts and key rings; hung on house walls and in the back windscreen of cars. The article I speak of had pictures of a leafless tree overhung with hundreds of ‘eyes’. The ‘eye’ is thus embedded in Turkish culture. The belief is that to be at the receiving end of the evil eye results in misfortune, hardship and disaster. Honour , shame, revenge and envy are at the core of the moral and ethical behaviour code; however, it is envy or greed that is most commonly associated with the evil eye.

The belief in the evil eye and its talisman – the nazar – has fostered much study and research in fields as varied as folkloric studies, the classics, sociology, psychiatry, religion, philosophy and anthropology. Hence this blue stone or bead is not a mere ornament or a preventive of the results of a glare of an evil eye; it is the basis of research too.

Cults of mostly Sri Lankan politicians

A touted condition of fame is that the well recognized, be they famous or notorious, have to accept the fact they live in glass menageries, subject to the stare of the public and a source for their gossip. Hence when a politician, especially the white cloth and tunic wearer of the pohottu kind, rises to speak or sits behind a mike and pontificates, I look at his fingers and wrist. Most have more than one ring, oversized and carrying a large gemstone. I wonder whether it is a sign of prosperity (don’t know what to do with so much money which cannot be legitimately banked or declared); a santhosam received for a favour done; or a talisman to ward off evil. Wrists of most are heavily covered with pirit nool of various colours and weaves. What do these indicate? Most definitely egotism, fear for self and cringing for supernatural protection.

Some go a step further and physically move themselves to pray at devales, kovils and to persons supposed to have supernatural powers. Remember the several occasions when Mahinda Rajapaksa, even recently, traveled to South India, to receive the blessings and protection of Hindu gods. We recall with violent blushes how the floor of a particular Hindu place of worship was scrubbed and scoured because a Roman Catholic entered and was within the holy precincts. That was when Mrs. Rajapaksa accompanied her husband on a pilgrimage seeking self protection.

Time was when people, men mostly, wore amulets (sure) around their necks usually hung on thick gold chains. The amulet contained special oil, often chanted over several days, claiming protection from the natural and supernatural. Now they have other modes of protection, like the bauble that Mahinda R used to clutch tight.

Which brings me to the return of ex Prez Gotabaya R to Sri Lanka and a recent query at a hen’s meeting over lunch as to where and how Gnana Akka is. Will she return to the limelight with once again recurrent consultation with her? The mention of her name, which perhaps sent shivers of apprehension down the spines of those who believed in the occult, was sacrosanct. Then came Hirunika wanting a consultation with her being refused by police guards surrounding her palatial abode in Anuradhapura. Gnana got her due share of arson by angry mobs. She, though propitiated so regularly, failed to confer prosperity on the powerful person who promised prosperity along with splendour to all Lankans; or were the promises only for Sinhala Buddhists – a convenient coinage to denote supremacy and majoritarianism. I hope fervently that misnomer will disappear with the defeat of the Family.

It is a fact that certain women are endowed with supernatural powers and can see with, perhaps a third eye, problems placed before them. Often you need not spell out your problem. The god-entered-woman knows it and gives you solutions. I accompanied a friend who went to such a possessed person in a suburb of Kandy, with a husband problem. The girl was young, innocent looking and spoke when divining problems or advising, in an entirely different voice. She knew what was wrong and suggested a remedy to my friend – hiding a bit of something in the man’s pillow to make him forget his extra marital fascination. My friend refused the remedy which I was glad about. I had heard of a case where the remedy boomeranged on the person who resorted to it and had his child, whom he wanted to protect from an unsuitable liaison, meeting with an accident.

Of course there is much that we know not of; beliefs and facts that go beyond the normal realm. Anjanag eli is reported to be a marvelous divining medium, where in a blob of oil one sees how a theft was carried out or even a murder executed.

Be all that as they may; the wise and sensible course to take is steer clear of dabbling in the supernatural and believing in such. Invariably there is a cheating, a reversal of all the glory and prosperity promised. Did not Shakespeare demonstrate this fact with the double speaking witches boosting Macbeth’s ambitious nature and leading him on with quibbling promises of kingship and greatness to utter ruination and tragedy?

Did President Premadasa, who resorted to such protections very diligently, save himself? Did all the charms and rites performed protect him from a suicide bomber? And yes, Gnana Akka, hasn’t she failed? Hopefully yes, since we do not want another promise of prosperity and splendor resulting in disaster to the entire country and its people.

Let us just have normalcy and freedom, and governments that are incorrupt; truly serve the people, I strongly feel leaders who do not resort to the esoteric, who veer away from the occult, superstition and such like, are sensible, not self serving and do much better by the country. They are unafraid of losing it all, hence no resorting to the occult and charms and mediums.