Lives of Alcyone

eing called Uma Himavati, or often Uma Mai--a kind of earth -mother like Ceres, who was
supposed to give good harvests to her votaries.
But from this exclusive worship of a goddess came the curious fact that at the temples
there were no priests, but only priestesses. As the people were Brahmans, each man performed
his own household ceremonies; but as far as the outer public worship went, it was supposed that
Uma Mai would be served by own sex only. This gave the women a unique position and power in
this civilisation; especially as it was of the essence of the faith that the goddess frequently inspired
her priestesses, and spoke through them to her devotees. As a matter of fact there was a good
deal of inspiration, but it chiefly came from Mahaguru, who was making use of this peculiar
arrangement to bring about religious reform on a large scale.
The wives of these royal Governors were ex officio the Chief Priestesses of their
respective provinces; and naturally the elder sisters Jupiter and Mercury, who had married the two
heir-apparent, took the principal position. But after his eldest daughter Mercury, and his heir Mars,
came in the family of Herakles the twin sisters Naga and Yajna, who speedily became celebrated
for the frequency and accuracy of their inspirations, so that people came from a great distance to
consult them. These twins, though bound together by the strongest ties of affection, differed so
greatly in disposition that their views on any subject were usually wide apart--yet not so much
divergent as complimentary. As their husbands Sirius and Leo held offices which obliged them to
keep in constant touch with each other, these ladies worked together at the same temple, and it
became their custom both to speak on the same subject from their different points of view. Yajna
was full of questions, seeking to define everything by analysis and by differentiating it from other
things, and appealing chiefly to the intellect of her audience, while Naga took always the
synthetical view, sought to understand everything as an expression of the Divine Love, and
appealed always to the higher emotions and to the intuition, which she called the voice of the
goddess within the heart of man.
So these two superbly handsome women presented always the two sides of any subject,
yet without the least feeling of opposition or disputation, each understanding perfectly the position
of the other, for the inspiration of both came from the same source--limitless wisdom and love of
the Mahaguru. Naturally their husbands were intensely proud of them, and they were all
exceedingly happy together.
The husbands joined their forces to build upon the slope of a hill just above their town a
magnificent temple for their wives--a temple on so grand a scale and with such splendid
decorations that it was regarded as one of the finest in India, and soon became a goal for
pilgrimage from distant parts of the country. Its consecration was a wonderful ceremony, for the
Mahaguru Himself overshadowed Naga, and delivered through her a sermon so exquisite that all
who heard it were profoundly touched and impressed, and great permanent effects were produced.
Not only did many of the audience devote themselves thence forward entirely to the religious life,
but a distinctly higher moral tone was introduced into the daily life of the town and district. The
building so auspiciously inaugurated was known as the Temple of the Twin Sisters, and it remained
as a venerated shrine for many centuries.