I would like to express my gratitude to the participants in this discussion for their valuable inputs. 

My thanks go to Nagaraj Paturi, Tyler Williams and Danuta Stasik (off list).

Dear Daniela - 

are you already at Kamakhya Devi? Would you please ask the priests there about the legacy of Ismail Jogi?

Artur Karp
Polska

2017-06-04 22:05 GMT+02:00 Tyler Williams <tylerwwilliams@gmail.com>:
Dear Artur,

This is a slight corruption of a caupaī (16+16 matras). The correct reading for the first diptych should be:

kāmaru desa kamacchā devī / jahāṁ basai isamāīla jogī 

At least this is the only reading that I have been able to find in any source. (See Das, Hindī Śabd Sāgar)

The other lines also suggest that they are taken from a caupaī, even though the third line is hypermetrical and the last two are 15-matra variants of the caupaī (which is allowed).

Nagaraj ji's reading is good, and I agree with him that in this context, Ismail jogi would not be at all contradictio in adiecto. On Muslim yogic adepts and such in Eastern India, Tony Stewart's articles are a good source. Such local saint figures are common in the region, and combine aspects of Islamic and Hindu charisma and occult powers.

Ismail Jogi and Lona Chamarin appear to both be part of a narrative involving the enchantment of flowers that are then used to cause others to fall in love. A quick internet search revealed popular spells that invoke Ismail Jogi and his use of such flowers in mantras used to cause someone to fall in love with you (i.e. with the person who uses the mantra to enchant the flowers).

My reading:

Oṁ namo | Oṁ and obeisance
kāmrū des kāmākhyā devī | In the Kamarup country of the goddess Kamākhyā
Tahāṁ base ismāil jogī | There dwelt Ismail the Yogi
Ismāil jogi ke tīn beṭā | Ismail the Yogi had three sons
Ek toṛe ek pichoṛe | One he plucked/tore, one he winnowed/plucked,
Ek śīt tijārī goḍe | One [was] fever(ish) in the womb.

Since this doesn't produce a consistent sense, let me suggest the following: the mention of "śīt tijārī," specifically a type of fever that is marked at its onset by chills, is the target of the spell, as Danuta has suggested. However, the "three sons" is probably a confused reading, because in other variants of the spell, Ismail Jogi plucks three or more flowers and does different things with each. "ke tīn" is probably a corrupt reading, and "beṭā" is probably "baiṭhā" ("Ismail the Yogi sat"), which comes at the end of the third line in other variants. In other words, the wording of a spell used to catch a lover with flowers has been used in a spell to ward of fever.

This is, however, conjecture at best. In case, the language is the trans-regional bhāṣā of devotional texts in the North, that is often referred to as Brajbhasha.

Best,
Tyler





On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 2:09 PM, Nagaraj Paturi via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
Oṁ namo kāmrū des kāmākhyā devī
Tahāṁ base ismāil jogī

Ismāil jogi ke tīn beṭā

Ek toṛe ek pichoṛe

Ek śīt tijārī goḍe

------------------------
Let us try the outward meaning:

Om Namo (Well known beginning of such rituals, spells etc. ) (Om, the Vedic syllable, namah, literally, bowing =obedience) , expression of worshiping attitude
----
kāmrū des kāmākhyā devī 
(Let me remember, focus on , concentrate on ) kāmāmākhyādēvī of kāmrūp region
Note: In the magecian's /spell-healer's patter/formulaic recitation, mention of the Devi forms , particularly of nearby region is a convention. 
In south India, such rural rustic practitioners usually mention kāmākṣī of kāñcī, mīnākṣī of madurai, viśālākṣī of kāśī (vāraṇāśī) as a beginning of their ritual /spell event. They may add a few more Devis. 
-------
Tahāṁ base ismāil jogī

= Ismail Jogi who lives (base) there (tāhām)

------

Ismāil jogi ke tīn beṭā

There are three sons to Ismail Jogi


-------

Ek toṛe ek pichoṛe

Ek śīt tijārī goḍe

This part of the riddle, I give up. Ek =one śīt = cool , cold 

----?????----



On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 6:13 PM, Nagaraj Paturi <nagarajpaturi@gmail.com> wrote:
Artur-ji,

Spells that you mention belong to the category of Shaabara mantras, sometimes called siddha mantras or Shaabara Siddha mantras. These are not in Sanskrit. They are usually in regional Indian languages (including south Indian languages), particularly their rustic dialects.

Sharing the snapshot of a Hindi article. (Since you know Hindi, you should be able to follow). There are books and articles about these in regional Indian languages. 

You called hem mysterious. They consider them to be encryption.  


----------------------------------

You say Ismail Jogi is contradictio in adiecto. To those who are aware of several different 'Hindu'-Islamic syncretisms in India it doesn't appear to be contradictio in adiecto.

Close to my native town, there is a Veerashaiva-Islamic math. Bham Bam BAba math


watch


Sheik Abdul Baba, the founder of the math, composed songs with content both from Islam and 'Hinduism' in Kannada and Telugu.

There are Muslim Vaishnavas. Sharing a snapshot from

The Foundations of the Composite Culture in India

By Malika Mohammada

From here.

Street magic performers, spell healers and other such practicing groups are not water tight compartments. There is a big section of this type of illusion art-supernatural practitioners who are muslims. All those who studied these cultures through direct close observation know that Muslims among these use 'Hindu' deity names, 'Hindu' occult material and pooja material like Turmeric and Kumkum powders etc. Their 'clients call using them names such as Swami, Jogi etc. also alongside names such as Baba etc.

The spell you quoted belongs to this kind of cultural complex where Islamic Jogi is common place, not strange and not at all contradictio in adiecto.

.............................

I do not know the language used in the spell to the level of being able to give word for word meaning to it.

----------------------------------

Some movement after five years of your waiting ?






On Tue, May 9, 2017 at 9:42 PM, Artur Karp via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
Five years ago I sent to the List this question:

<< Mantras in popular Indian magic books - of indrajala type - invoke often two mysterious personages: Ismail Jogi and Nuna/Nona/Luna/Lona Chamarin. 

Has anyone written a paper on them. A monograph - perhaps?>>
​There was no answer. 

One such mantra runs as follows:

Oṁ namo kāmrū des kāmākhyā devī
Tahāṁ base ismāil jogī

Ismāil jogi ke tīn beṭā

Ek toṛe ek pichoṛe

Ek śīt tijārī goḍe


I am not sure about the meaning of this mantra. 

Ismail Jogi (contradictio in adiecto) had three sons:

one aborted (?), one retarded (?)

one coolly (?) in your (?) womb.


I would be grateful for your comments,


Artur Karp (ret.)
Chair of South Indian Studies,
University of Warsaw
Polska



​


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--
Nagaraj Paturi
 
Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.


BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra

BoS, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Veliyanad, Kerala

Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies
 
FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education,
 
(Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA )
 
 
 



--
Nagaraj Paturi
 
Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.


BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra

BoS, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Veliyanad, Kerala

Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies
 
FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education,
 
(Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA )
 
 
 

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