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Possession by a deity is not uncommon in India. At many Hindu festivals, members of the community become entranced and start to dance erratically through the crowds. They speak as oracles, giving direct messages to individuals, deciding disputes and dispensing justice.
The time and place of a trance is unpredictable. It can take place in the middle of a puja, while singing devotional hymns (bhajanas) or experiencing darshan with a deity during a temple festival. Typically, the devotee begins to shake or roll on the ground or dance uncontrollably. He or she may mumble incoherently, or cry out the name of the deity again and again. Divine messages, often very wise, are sometimes delivered in a strange voice. The trance may last minutes, hours or even days. Onlookers who witness this transformation feel like they are in the presence of the Divine and their lives are enhanced by the experience. Those who are possessed usually claim great insights and inner peace.
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