ABSTRACT
THE coercion of the kudrat or śakti of a saint is practised in much the same way by the Muhammadan as by the Hindu, and their ways of coercing the power of a tree do not differ. A piece of paper is folded and tied round the neck of the sick and then thrown before a saint with the words, ‘The cure has begun, you must finish it When stones are placed on tombs or at the roots of trees; when branches of trees are weighed down by stones; when knots are tied in the coverings of tombs or pieces of cloth are tied in the branches of trees there is ample evidence of words being uttered which imply that the intention is to coerce the power of the saint or tree. The driving of nails into trees or the tying of thread round trees are also methods of coercing power.
