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THE ANTYESTI SAMSKARA

(THE FUNERAL CEREMONIES)

Introductory

The last sacrament in the life of a Hindu is the Antyesti or the Funeral with which he closes the concluding chapter of his worldly career. While living, a Hindu consecrates his worldly life by performing various rites and ceremonies at the different stages of his progress. At his departure from this world, his survivors consecrate his death for his future felicity in the next world. This Samskara, being post-mortem, is not less important, because for a Hindu the value of the next world is higher than that of the present one. The Baudhayana Pitrmedha-Sutras say, 'It is well-known that through the Samskaras after the birth one conquers this earth; through the Samskaras after the death the heaven". Therefore the ritualists are very anxious to have the funerals performed with meticulous care.

1. The Conception of the Soul after death

According to the primitive belief, death did not cause the entire annihilation of man. The usual theory of the process of death was the separation of the soul from the body. The soul may separate from the body before death as in dreams. Sickness was frequently held to be such a separation. The distinction between such a separation and that of death was that the latter was final. Thus, the deceased, though disembodied, was supposed to be still living.

2. The mixed feelings of Dread and Love

The survivors cherished mixed sentiment towards the dead. First, there was the sentiment of dread. It was believed that the deceased had still some kind of interest in his family property and relations, whom he would not like to quit and, therefore, was lingering about the house. It was also supposed that because he was alienated from the survivors by death, he might cause injury to the family. So attempts were made to avoid his presence and contact. Formal farewell address was given to him. He was asked to depart and even actual barriers were put between the living and the dead. Besides, he was provided with food and other articles necessary for a traveller, so that he should resume his journey to the next world. The next sentiment was of affection and love towards the deceased. The natural blood-relation still existed between the dead and his relations. The survivors were solicitous about the future welfare of the departed. They thought that it was their duty to help the dead in reaching his destination after death. The corpse was disposed of by means of fire, so that the dead, being purified, may be allwed to enter the holy place of the Fathers. Articles necessary in the journey were supplied to him, so that he may not suffer from want. As the next world was believed to be a replica of this world, every thing necessary for starting a new life was presented to him. For examble, the Anustarani or old cow or a goat was sent with him to serve as a guide in the way; daily food was offered; in later times, and even now the Vaitarani or a cow is given to help the dead in crossing the river lying in the way to Yama. Formerly these things were consumed in fire with the dead. Now they are presented to the Brahmans, who are supposed to send them to the realm of the dead through some mysterious agency.

3. Physical Needs

In addition to the above sentiments, there was the physical need of disposing of the dead body and the subsequent performance of ceremonies and observances. The decomposition of the corpse made it impossible for the relatives to keep it in the house for a long time. So, like other refuses, it was also removed, though with reverence and care denied to them. Moreover disease and death of the dead caused pollution and contagion in the family. In order to remove them many observances and taboos arose.

The main objects of the proper disposal of the corpse and the performance of all the rites and ceremonies connected with it are to free the survivors from the pollution of deah and to give rest to the dead. Until these rites and ceremonies are duly performed, the soul of the man is not finaly dismissed to its place in the next world; it does not find place in the company of the fathers, it is not elevated to its due position in the cult of ancestral worship and it continues to be Preta, haunting its relatives unpleasantly. This belief was current in all the ancient peoples and is universal in the lower culture even at present. The funeral ceremonies were as significant among the ancient Greeks and Egyptians as among the Hindus.

4. Different Kinds of Disposal

The earliest literary mention of the funeral ceremonies is found in the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda. The mode of the diaposal of the dead depends on the religious belief of the people concerned and their general culture. The society presented in the Vedoc hymns is sufficiently advanced, so the primitive forms of disposal are not to be found in them.

We have no record of the cave burial also in the funeral ceremonies of the Hindus. It seems that it was not a recognized form of disposal. Water burial or to fling a dead body into a sea or a river is one of the easiest ways of getting rid of it. That doubtless is the reason for thus disposing of the corpses of slaves or common people in various places. But it does not account for every case of water burial. In some cases the object is not merely to get rid of the body, but to prevent the deceased from returning to plague the survivors, for water is usually regarded a barrier to scare away evil spirits. The practical utility of water burial is recognized in Hinduism in the case of those who have no survivors, to perform their funeral ceremonies.

Cremation or burning of the dead body is the most recognized mode of the disposal of corpse among the Hindus from the time of the Vedas up to the present day. This mode evolved at a high stage of the human civilization, as it is the most scientific and refined.

After a man died, it was thought necessary to send his body to heaven. This could be only done by consigning it to Agni. After the body was consumed by it and reduced to ashes, the dead could receive a new body in the world of Yama and join the Pitara and his ancestors. This seems to be the most powerful idea underlying the custom of cremation, and this idea was essentially a religious one.

There was another religious belief also which seems to have been instrumental in introducing the custom of cremation. It was believed that the evil spirit mostly originated from the wicked souls of the dead persons buried in the earth. So the people thought it necessary to restrict their number in the terrestrial region by wiedely introducing the customof cremation and thus sending the dead to the regions of Yama or Nirrti, there to receive the reward or punishment of their actions. The Hindus even now regard cremation as absolutely necessary for the welfare of the souls of the dead, excepting those of the infants who are sinless and pure, and of the holy medicants or Sadhus who are supposed to have overcome evil tendencies during their life-time, and are, therefore, accorded a burial as perfectly harmless. But in the case of ordinary men and house holders, want of cremation is looked upon with horror, retarding the progress of the souls in the other world (Sadgati). The Hindus call the cremation ceremony Aurdhvadaihika-kriya or the ceremonies that release the soul from the body for its upward journey to heaven. Unless the ceremony is performed, the departed soul is believed to linger about its late habitation and hover without consolation, and in great distress as a Preta.

The rites of cremation are denied to babes and children under the age of (initiation or puberty). Children are generally buried. In some cases at least, and possibly in all, this is done with a view to securing their rebirth. Persons dying of epidemics are generally cast away in water. It is due to the superstition that the evil spirits that bring these diseases will be infuriated if their victims are burnt. Persons held in reverence are also not burnt, as their sacred qualities set them apart from the rest of manking. Women dying in pregnancy or childhood also are not accorded the rites of cremation.

5. The Approach of Death

The scriptures do not fully record all the customs followed and ceremonies observed before death. But from the tradition we know a number of them. When a Hindu feels that his death is near he invites his relatives and friends and holds friendly discourse with them. To promote his future weal he makes presents to the Brahmans and the needy. When the dying hour draws near, the patient is placed on a cleansed spot on sandy soil. The dying couch is prepared in proximity to the three fires or, if he preserves only one, near it, viz., the domestic fire. Here the deceased is laid down with his head turned towards the south. Sacred passages from the Vedas of one´s own school are chanted in the ears. At present verses from the Bhagvadgita and the Ramayana are recited to a dying person.

6. Pre-disposal Ceremonies.

The first mantra given in the Aranyaka refers to the performance of a homa just after death. But this rule is binding only on the death of one who, in his life-time, had maintained the sacrificial fires. According to the Baudhayana, four offerings should be made, while touching the right hand of the dead man, to the Garhyapatya fire, with a spoon overflowingly full of clarified butter. Bharadvaja, however, prescribes that the offerings should be made to the Ahavaniya fire; he is silent whether they should be fourfold or not. Asvalayana recommends that the offerings should be made at a subsequent stage. With the decline of the sacrificial religion among the Hindus, this prescription has lost its force and is followed in a very few orthodox families. New Pauranic and popular customs have taken its place. They pour some drops of water with a few leaves of Tulasi in the mouth of the dying person. A very strange custom has evolved in Bengal. According to it, the dying person is carried to the riverside and the loser half of the body is immersed in water at the moment of death. This ceremony is called Antarjali and forms a very offensive part of the modern ceremonial in Bengal. With a flourish of rhetoric it is called Ghat murder. That this custom is not ancient will be evident from the following observations. All the scriptures referred to above take it for granted that death has happened within the house, if not near the place where the sacrificial fires are kept. Considering this negative evidence against the custom, its total absence in other parts of India and the oldest authority on the subject being the most recent of the Puranas, we can fairly conclude that it is of modern origin. None of the authorities usually quoted, enjoining it as a positive duty, belongs to a time earlier than the sixteenth century A.D. It has come into existence probably since the date of Raghunandana and his contemporary writers on ritual.

7. The Bier

According to the Grhyasutras, after the homa, a cot made of udumbara wood (Ficus glemarata) is to be provided, and having spread on it a piece of black antelope skin with the hairy side downwards, and head pointing to the south, the corpse is to be laid thereon with the face upwards. Under the present practices, however, the cot can be made of bamboo and the antelope skin is dispernsed with. A son. A brother, or other relative, or in their absence whosoever takes the lead, should next address the corpse to give up its old clothing and dress it in a new suit: "Give up the clothes thou hast hitherto worn; remember the Ista and the Purta sacrifices thou hast performed. The fees to Brahmans thou has given, and those gifts thou hast bestowed upon thy friends." The body is then covered with a piece of unbleached uncut cloth, having fringes on both sides, the operation being performed while repeating the mantras, "This cloth comes to thee first." The dead is required to change his or her old shabby clothes and put on pure and new ones for entering the next world. Then the corpse, being wrapped up in its bedding, is to be borne on its cot to the place of cremation.

8. The Removal of Corpse

The removal of the corpse, according to some authorities, should be made by human carriers, according to others, on a cart drawn by two bullock. The mantra for the purpose says, "I harness these two bullocks to the cart, for the conveyance of your life, whereby you may repair to the region of Yama, to the place where the virtuous resort." This indicates that the most ancient custom was to employ a cart and not men. The Asvalayana Grhyasutra suggests only one bullock to beemployed. Any how, the ancient Sutrakaras evince none of the repungance to the employment of the Sudras for the removal of the corpse of a Brahman, which the modern Smritis entertain on the subject. According to the latter, none but the blood relations of the dead should perform this duty and the touch of others than that of one´s own caste is pollution, which can be atoned for only by the performance of an expiatory ceremony. This prejudice first manifested itself in the time of Manu. He says, "Let no kinsman, whilst nay of his own class are at hand, cause a deceased Brahmana to be carried out by a sudra, because the funeral rite, polluted by the touch of a servile man, obstructs his passage to heaven." The subsequent authorities are equally emphatic on prohibition of a Sudra´s touch.

9. The Funeral Procession

The funeral procession is headed by the chief mourner, generally the eldest son of the dead. In many localities, the man leading the procession carries a fire brand in his hand which he has kindled at the domestic fire. The chief mourner is followed by the funeral bier and the latter is followed by the relatives and the friends of the deceased. The Grhyasutras enjoin that all the Sapindas should join the funeral procession of the dead who are older that two years. The order of the mourners in the procession is according to age, the elders being in front. In ancient times women also went to the ground of cremation with loose dishevelled hair and their shoulder besprinkled with dust. But not this custom is stopped. The following verse is repeated by the chief mourner at the time of start: "Pusa, who knows the road well, has well-trained animals, to carry you, and is the protector of the region, is bearing you away hence; may he translate you hence to the region of the Pitras, may Agni, who knows what is meet for you bear you away."

10. The Anustarani

A most important member of the funeral procession in ancient times, was an animal called Anustarani or Rajagavi. The journey from the house of the dead to the cremation ground is divided into three parts, and the funeral procession stops at every halt where special rites are performed. The Yamasuktas are repeated in the way. The general practice at present, however, is to repeat the sacred name of Hari or Rama while carrying the corpse. The majority of population dispense with the ceremonies in the way and the recital of the hymns dedicated to Yama.

11. The Cremation

After the arrival at the cremation ground, the next operation is to select the ground for arrange the pyre and digging a trench. The Aranyaka does not allude to the items of the ceremonies preceding the burning of the corpse at the cremation ground which shows that these were formerly performed without the aid of any mantra. But the Grhyasutras contain special regulations, particularty as to its orientation. The rules prescribed for the selection of the ground somewhat resemble the same regarding the place of offerings for the gods. The plot duly selected is purified and a formula is chanted to scare away demons or ghosts. The trench, according to Asvalayana should be twelve fingers deep, five spans wide and as long as the corpse with its hand uplifted. The kind of wood used, the size and the orientation of the pyres, and other things related to them are regulated by the sacred texts and nothing is left to the shims of the mourners. In the opinion of some writers the corpse should be disembowelled and the cavity filled with ghee. The idea underlying this operation was to purify the corpse and to facilitate the cremation. Later on, however, this custom was regarded repulsive. At present, the pairing of hair and nails of the dead body and washing it with water are thought to be sufficient for purification. The corpse is now laid on the pyre, the threads that bind the thumbs are loosened, the cords that hold the bier together are cut off and the very bier is either flung into the water or placed upon the pyre. The corpse in its hands should have a piece of gold if it is of a Brahman, a bow if of a Kshattriya, a jewel if of a Vaisya. In the Vedic and the Sutra periods, when everything was done according to the rule, the Anustarani cow, as already said, was either slaughtered or let loose. Not this prescription is dropped altogether.

During the times when the sacrificial rituals were followed regularly, the sacrificial vessels which the dead used to employ in his ceremonial rites were, now, to be placed on the different parts of his body. And so were the different members of the cow if she was killed; if not, they were substituted by cakes and by imitations of her organs made of rice and barley. These articles were burnt with the corpse, so that the dead might get them in the next world.

12. Cremation a Sacrifice

When the preliminaries are finished, the cremation begins, which is regarded as an offering into the Sacred Fire, conducting the corpse to heaven as a sacrificial gift. When the pile is ready to be lighted, a fire is applied to it with the prayer, "Agni, consume not this body to cinders; nor give it pain, nor scatter about its skin or limbs! O Jatavedas, when the body is fairly burnt, convey the spirit to its ancestors." The prayer is followed by an address to the organs of the dead which runs as follows: "May the organ of vision proceed to the sun; may the vital air merge in the atmoshpere; mayest thou procveed, according to the virtuous deeds to heaven or earth or the regions of water, whichever place is beneficial to thee; mayest thou there, provide with food, exist in corporeal existence." This is a touching scene when the survivors send off their dead relative to the next world for ever but with every solicitude for his or her future happiness.

Among the followers of some Vedic schools, a knee deep trench is dug, in which a certain water plant is placed. In the opinion of A. Hillerbrandt it is 'Clearly an ancient superstition, the purpose of which was to cool the heat of the fire.´ The tradition explains this custom in this way. "The dead man rises from the trench and ascends along with the smoke to heaven."

According to the practices of other Vedic schools, the mourners leave the funeral pyre to burn itself aways, and the chief mourner excavates three trenches to the north of the pyre, lines them with pebbles and sand and fills them with water brought in an odd number of jars. The people who joined the precession are now requested to purify themselves by bathing in the trenches. This being done, a yoke is put up with the Pasa branches stuck in the ground and tied at the top with a piece of weak string. The mourners are made to pass under it. The chief mourner passes last and plucking out the yoke offers a prayer to the sun.

13. The Return

Then the funeral party moves off without looking around. The mourners are asked to restrain themselves from any expression of grief, and go forward with heads bent down, entertaining one another with consoling speeches and virtuous tales. "Many tears" it is said, "burn the dead." We learn from the Mahabharata that Yudhisthira was rebuked by Vyasa for bewailing the death of his nephew. For the purpose of driving away the sorrows of the survivors the story tellers are engaged.

14. The Offering of Water

The next ceremony is called the Udakakarma or the offering of water to the dead. It is performed in a variety of ways. According to one authority, all the relatives of the dead down to the seventh or thenth generation bathe in the nearest stream and purify themselves by it and offer a prayer to Prajapati. While bathing, they put on only a single garment and the sacred thread hangs over the right shoulder. Many authorities prescribe that the hair should be dishevelled and dust thrown upon the body. The mourners turn their face towards the south, plunge under the water and calling upon the dead person by name offer a handful of water and calling upon the dead person by name offer a handful of water to him. Then they get out of the water, put on dry clothes and wringing those that they had on before, they spread them out towards the north. The present day custom enjoins a very interesting items after the Udaka-Karma. Just after the bath some grains of boiled rice and peas are scattered on the ground for the crows. It recalls the primitive beliefs according to the dead were supposed to appear as birds. This supposition is confirmed by the comparison of the Maruts (an offshoot of the pitaras) with the birds.

15. Regaling the Mourners

After the bath the relatives of the dead retire to a clean and pure grassy spot. Persons conversant with the Itihasas and the Puranas regale the mourners with praises of the deceased and consoling stories from lore. They do not return to village till the sunset or the appearance of the first star. In the opinion of some, they do not go home before sunrise.Then the young ones walk first and the old ones last- a procedure reverse of that followed when the procession goes to the cremation ground. When they arrive at their home, they touch, by way of purifying themselves, the stone, the fire, cow-dung, grain , til-seed, oil and water before they step in. According to the other authoroties, at the door of the house, they chew leaves of Pichmanda or the Neem tree, rinse their mouth, touch water, fire, cow-dung etc. or inhale the smoke of a certain species of wood , treadupon a stone and then enter. The magical performances symbolize the severance of relation with the dead, and thearticles used in them are supposed to serve as barriers against the inauspicious spirit of the dead.

16. Impurity

Now the period of Asaucha, pollution or defilement, begins. The death of a person entails a condition which can be adequately expressed by the Polynesian word, "taboo" which means "setting apart a thing or a person as shunned for a religious or a semi-religious reasons." A corpse is everywhere regarded as a taboo and the greatest care is taken in approaching or dealing with it. It is not quite clear what is this taboo due to. Is the corpse feared in and for itself , or as a vehicle of death, or is it dreaded owing to its connection with disembodied spirit? Whatsoever may be the religious or sentimental motive underlying the taboo, one thing is evident that , to a great extent, it was based on the contagious nature of the corpse. So the survivors ,owing their contact with the dead person during his sickness and with his corpse after his death, are severed from the society on the sanitory grounds. The prohibitions consequent on a death, however, reach far beyond the person who have been compelled to perform the last offices about a corpse. They extend to the whole house, the whole family, the whole clan, the whole village, nay, to the very fields and even sometimes to the heavens. But generally speaking; though the whole village attends the cremation, it is more particularly the near relatives who are defiled by death pollution than distant ones.Moreover, the period of muorning and therefore of taboo varies among different peoples according to the relationship of the mourners to the deald or their various circumstances, from a few days to many months.

The period and the scope of Asaucha differs according to the caste, age, sex of the deceased. The Grhyasutras do not make any distinction between the periods of Asaucha for the Brahmans and Ksatriyas, the common period being ten days. But they fix fifteen days for the Vaisyas and one month for the Sundras as the periods of defilements. This distinction was mainly based on the observance of the rules of purity and cleanliness in the different castes. Option was, however, allowed for people of different circumstances. "Impurity caused by death lasts for three or ten days." This Sutra text is explained by Jayarama with reference to a verse from the Parasara-Smriti: "A Vipra(Brahman), who regularly performs Agnihotra and remains engaged in the study of the Vedas, is absolved from defilement in one day; one who studies the Vedas only , in three days; and one who neglates both, in ten days . The later Smritis permits even exception from Asaucha altogether. "Persons engaged in conducting a sacrifice, one initiated in a sacrifices, those performing similar ceremonies, men performing long sacrifices or undergoing some observances, students ,one who has realized |Godhood, artisans, artists, medical practitioners, maid-servants, slaves, kings and their servants become instantly purified ." The exception is entirely based on the social convenience. At present the period of defilement lasts for ten days for Brahmans, twelve days for a Ksatriyas, fifteen days for a Vaisya and one month for Sudras.

The periods as prescribed above are in the case of death of grown-up persons. The death of a child causes less impurity. According to the Grhyayasutras, the death of a child under two inflicts defilement on parents only, for one night or three; the rest of the family or the clan are untouched. The Smritis, however , enjoin three days defilement for all the Sapindas. "By the death of a child, whose teeth have come out and whose tonsure ceremony has been perfomed, all the Bandhavas become impure." If a child dies before Its naming ceremony no impurity is involved.

The sex of the deceased is also a determining factor for fixing the period of defilement . This distinction is not known to the Grhyasutras, and most probably it arose during the Smriti period. The death of a boy after his Upanayana entils full-fledged defilement, but a girl before marriage is still regarded a child and her death causes defilement for a period of three days only; if she dies before her tonsure, her death causes only one day´s defilement. Impurity caused by the death of one´s mother ends with the defilement caused by the death of one´s father which takes place earlier, but such is not the case when the death of the mother takes place earlier than the death of the father, because in this case impurity begins from the latter occurrence.

The observance of the rules of defilement for relatives and friends is optional in the Grhyasutras. "It depends on one´s wish to observe the rules of Asaucha on the death of a family priest, the father-in-law . a friend , other relatives(matrimonial) and sons of the sister," But the Dharmasutras and the Smirits make it encumbent and the lengh of the periods differ according to the closeness of the relations with the dead.

The rules to be observed during the Asaucha are of two kinds negative and positive. The negative rules require the mourners to forego the many pleasures and comforts and even oridinary business of life and thus exhibits the feelings of grief and sorrow. They forbid certain things, such as the cutting of the hair and beard, study of Vedas, Grhya offerings etc. The positive rules have also their origin in the aggrieved feelings of the survivors. They enjoin , for a period of three days , to observe continence, to sleep on the ground, to live on begged or purchased food, to eat only in the day time etc.

17. Asthi-Sanchayana

The ceremony that follows the cremation is the Ashi-Sanchayana or the "Collection of Bones." It is the remnant of the ancient custom of burial. During the Sutra period, a compromise between the burial and the cremation was introduced. According to the then current custom , the dead body was burnt , but, in order to preserve the old tradition, the remains began to be collected and buried after a few days. The Grhya-Sutras contain a very detailed account of the ceremony. According to Asvalayana the Asthi-Sanchayana ceremony should be performed on the thirteenth or fifteenth day of the wane, while Baudhayana enjoins the third, fifth or seventh from the day of cremation. First of all, the cinders should be besprinkled with milk and water and the heap should be striken with an Udumbara staff to separate the bones. The cinders should be then collected and thrown towards the south side leaving the bones behind. Three oblations should next be offered to Agni. According to the custom of the Taittiriyas, the duty of collecting the bones was performed by women, preferably by the senior wife of the deceased. Baudhayana enjoins that the women must attach a fruit of the Brhati plant to the left hand and with a dark blue and red thread, mount upon a stone , wipe their hands once with an apamarga plant and with closed eyes collect the bones with the left hand. The following verse was recited: "Arise hence, and assume a new shape . Leave none of the members of your body. Repair to whichever place you wish; may Savita establish you there. This is one of your bones; be joined with the third in glory; having joined all bones be handsome in person; be beloved of the gods in a noble place." The above formula is an appropriate commentary on the purpose of the ceremony. It shows that the dead were supposed to take a new shape in the other world for which it was thought necessary to send every part of the material body to the next world either by burning or burial.

The bones, then, were washed and deposited in an urn, or tied up in piece of black antelope skin. The pot containing the bones or the bundle was to be hung from the branch of a sami tree. The bones of a person who had sacrifices were, however burnt again. The bones of others were accorded a burial. For this purpose, an urn was absolutely necessary. Asvalayana recommends an urn with spout for females and one without it for males. The urn which was closed with a lid, was placed in a trench prepared in the same way as the ground of cremation, or it might be laid under the root of a tree. According to other authorities grass and yellow cloth were placed in the trench and the bones were thrown in.

During times, people had no regard for the custom of burying the bones of every individual. The sanctity of rivers increased. The cremation began to take place generally on the bank of some river. The burial ceremony of the remains was simplified. From the later period we have an account of how the chief mourner, just after the cremation, puts the remains into a small earthen pot and throws them into the water, if there be any at hand, or if not, into some lonely place or desert. Now it is regarded very meritorious for the dead to collect the bones on the day of cremation and subsequently throw them into the Ganges or other sacred rivers: "The virtuous one, whose bone floats on the water of the Ganges never returns from the Brahmaloka, to the world of the mortals. Those, whose bones are thrown into the Ganges by men, live in heaven for thousands of Yugas."

18. Santi-Karma

The next ceremony to be noticed is called santi-Karma or the pacificatory rites for the well-being of the living. The formulas uttered during it have regard to life and adverting of death. Effective measures are taken toward off evil and to return to ordinary way of life. The mediaeval and the modern Smritikaras enjoin the shaving and pairing of nails and bathing. But the Grhya-Sutras prescribe a very long procedure. The ceremony should be performed on the morning following the ninth night after death, i.e; on the tenth day. Asvalayana, however, recommends that it should be performed on the fifteenth of the wane. In the opinion of some authorities, the ceremony should taken place at the burning ground, while the others leave it with the mourners to select any place out of a town, whether it be the burning ground or not, that may be convenient. The relatives by blood, both male and female, having assembled at the selected place, a fire should be kindled and they should be requested to sit down on a bullock hide of red colour, spread on the ground, with its neck side facing the east, and its hair directed towards the north. The relatives should be requested in the following words:

"Ascend on this life-giving skin, as you wish to live to a decrepit old age. According to your seniority, attempt carefully to abide on it. May the well-born and well-adorned fire of this ceremony bestow long life on you. Even as days follow and seasons are attached to seasons, even as the young forsake not their elders, may Dhata so prolong the life of these people according to their age.

In the modern ritual the females are not required to attend this ceremony as they perform it separately from the males and the bullock-skin as a symbol of life is not utilized, because in modern Hinduism it has become repulsive. The party having properly seated, the chief mourner should offer four oblations to the fire. The relatives should rise up and recite the Mantras, while touching a red bull. In ancient times, the women were asked to put on collyrium with the following words:

"Let these women, who are widowed, who have good husbands, apply the collyrious butter to their eyes; without tears, without disease, worthy of every attention, let these wives enter the house."

At present, this item has been dropped, as the women do not participate owing to the Purdah system, and the popular currency of widowhood among the twice-born castes, which forbids any rejoicings on the part of the widow. Then the assembly should proceed towards East, leading the bull with the words:

"These men, forsaking the dead, are returning. This day we invoke the gods for our good, for success over enemies, and for our merriment. We proceed eastwards having well sustained long lives."

The Chief mourner then recites another Mantra, and with a Sami branch, effaces the foot-marks of the bull that precedes the party. On the departure of the last man, the Adhvaryu should place a circle of stones behind him as a wall to prevent death from overtaking those that have gone forward, praying, "I place this circle of stones for the living; May we and others not go beyond it in midlife; may we all live a hundred autumns, driving death away from this heap." The party then should repair to the house of the chief mourner. The fire that served the deceased is removed of the old. Now a feast takes place and the survivors follow the course of ordinary life.

19. The Smasana

Another funeral ceremony of the Hindus is the Pitrmedha or Smasana, i.e., the building of a mound over the remains of a dead person. Burial of the dead is a custom whose origin can be traced back to the very early period of Aryan history. It must have proved a great incentive for erecting a mound or tomb over the grave. Even at present, among the Christians and the Mohammadans, where burial is the universal custom, some kind of elevation is made over the body of the dead, and in the case of rich and notable persons tomb or mausoleum is built. Though the Indo-Aryans gradually abandoned the custom of burial, they were still fond of perpetuating the memory of their departed relatives by building a mound over their remains. In the Vedas we have no reference to this custom. But the omission is not a sure proof of its non-existence. The Brahmanas that are mainly concerned with rituals refer to it. In the Satapatha Brahmana there is a detailed description of the Smasana ceremony. Not all the Grhyasutras describe it, which shows that it was not a adopt the procedure of the Satapatha Bramana with some modifications. Among the Buddhists, however, the custom of raising a mound was very popular and the Hindu Sastrakaras reserved this honour for great saints, monks and Sanyasins only. The Paddhatis make this custom optional and allot it a very insignificant position amidst the funeral ceremonies. In modern Hinduism, the Raising of a mound is almost stopped and the building of the Samadhis or Stupas is limited to a few religious celebrities.

The question for whom and at what time the smasana should be performed have given rise to ritual discussions and have been variously answered by different schools of ritual. The lapse of time after the death, the season of the year and the presiding constellations are all considered, and preference is given to the new-moonday.

After the spot is properly selected, on the day preceding the ceremony some plants are rooted up at that place. To the north of these plants earth is dug up and from this bricks, from six to twenty-four hundred, are made for building the mound besides the number employed for packing. Now the urn containing the ashes of the dead is brought and placed between three Palasa twigs driven into ground and a hut is erected over it. If the bones are not found in the trench where they were deposited, a very quaint procedure is followed. Some dust is taken from the spot or the dead man is called upon from the bank of a river, and creature that happens to fall upon an outspread cloth is regarded as the representative of the bones. Over the Palasa twigs a vessel with many holes is placed, through which sour milk and whey trickle upon the urn.

The ceremony proceeds with the trumpet blast and the sound of the lute. The company circumambulates the spot, striking the left thigh with hands. The relatives assembled there fan the urn with the skirts of their garments. Some authorities prescribe songs and dance of females also. Variations and modifications of the above description are found in different schools.

The Samsana ceremony proper should take place during the first, the middle or the last part of the night. The party goes early in the morning to the place selected for the purpose. The spot must be cleared and surrounded by a rope supported by wood stakes. Its surface should be covered with small stones. On the ground furrows are opened with a plough drawn by six or more oxen and various seeds are cats into them. In the middle of the ground a hole or made, into which gravel or saliferous earth is cast. Some quantity of milk from a cow whose young one is dead should be placed in the hole to serve as food for the dead person. A piece of reed is immersed in a trench dug to the south of the hole evidently to serve the purpose of boat to the dead. Next the darbha grass is arranged in the figure of a man and the remains are laid upon it and covered with an old cloth. Then, the vessel containing the ashes is broken and over the bones a monument is built according to a fixed plan. Where the monument is erected up to a certain height, food for the dead is enclosed within the walls. After the structure is completed, earth is piled over the Samsana and water is poured over it from the jars which are destroyed after their use. The mound or Stupa thus built is the symbol of death and many devices are used to separate the world of living from that of the dead. The line of demarcation between them is drawn by means of lumps of earth, stones and branches of tree. Some formulas are also uttered to meet the same end.

20. Offerings to the dead.

The last item of the funeral ceremonies of the Hindus comprises those offerings to the dead which are made during the Asaucha period. The dead is regarded as still living in a sense. The efforts of the survivors are to provide him with food and guide his footsteps to the paramount abode of the dead.

During the Vedic periods, the Father were invited to partake the offerings in general, but an individual invitation was hardly met with. This literary omission, however, does not negative the supposition that the offerings were made to the dead as the custom is prevalent in all religions of the world. The Sutras have got positive rules on the topic. They prescribe that a Pinda or a "ball of rice" should be offered to the dead on the first day. The ball was called "Pinda", because it was supposed to constitute the body of the Preta. With the ball of rice water for ablution was poured out for him in the open air with the words, "Bathe here." Perfumes and drinks were also offered as well as a lamp to facilitate his progress through the utter darkness that enshrouds the road to the city of Yama. A feast, which contained dishes of meat also, was given to the Brahmans on the eleventh day.

The Paddhatis on the funeral ceremonies have fully developed this part of the ceremonies. They prescribed for every day after the cremation up to the twelfth, a particular kind of offering for a particular purpose. According to them, on the first day, should be offered a rice ball, a jar of water and food articles for satisfying the thirst and hunger of the dead and building the veins of the would-be body of the dead. Darbha grass for sitting, ointment, flowers, perfumes, and lamps should also be set out for the dead. On the second day, offerings are made for constituting the ears, eyes and nose of the dead; on the third day for neck, shoulders, arms and breasts, and so on up to the ninth day when the whole body of the dead is supposed to be completed. On the tenth day the hair, beard and the nails of the survivors are pared and the Pindas offered to the dead and yama for ending the Preta-state of the deceased. On the eleventh day follow a large number of ceremonies. In the beginning ablutions are offered to the dead and Lord Vishnu is prayed to for the salvation of the Preta. It is quite a new feature in the funeral ceremonies where heavenly blessings are substituted by salvation. The most prominent item of this day´s procedure is the Vrsotsarga or letting loose a bull and a heifer. Both the animals are bathed, adorned and branded with a discus and trident. The following verse is uttered in the ears of the bull; " The four-footed Lord Dharma is Himself well-known as Vrsa or bull; I adore Him with devotion; may He protect me." Then they are married by fastening a piece of cloth to them, with "This husband, the best among all, has been given by me; the most charming among all the wives, this heifer, has been given by me." After this the pair is let loose and driven to the Southern direction "for ending the Preta-condition of the dead and enabling him or her to cross the ocean of mortality." The ceremony terminates with the feast to brahmans, who are called the Mahapatras and are eleven in number. They receive ample Daksina and all sorts of gifts that are supposed to be transported to the next world through them for the future felicity of the deceased. The provision of food is made for full one year, as the dead is believed to reach the abode of Yama in one year.

21. Sapindi-Karana

The ceremony of Sapindikarana or 'uniting the Preta with the Pitaras´ takes place either on the twelfth day after the cremation, at the end of three fortnights or on the expiry of the year. The first day is prescribed for those who maintain the sacrifical fire, the second and the third for the rest.

The soul of the dead person does not reach the world of the Pitaras at once. It remains separate from them for a time as a Preta or Spirit. During this period special offerings are presented to it. But after certain time, the dead man passes into the abode of the fathers through the instrumentality of Sapindikarana.

On the dates prescribed for Sapindikarana the Sodasa Sraddhas are performed in the beginning. Then four pots are filled with sesame seeds, perfumes and water. Three of them are offered to the Pitaras and one to the Preta. The contents of the Preta-pot are poured into the Pitr-pot with the words, "These equal etc." and the ceremonies are over.

22. Special Cases

Besides the normal ceremonies attendant on the natural death of an individual, many special cases are recorded in the Grhyasutras and the Smrtis. In the Vedic hymns the regular funeral ceremonies are `described without any distinct reference to abnormal cases. Verses 2,3,4 and 35 of the Atharvaveda (xviii), however, may be assumed to point out such cases. The first of the above verses runs; "O Agni, bring here all the Fathers, buried, cast away, burnt or exposed to enjoy the offerings." The most popular method of disposing of the dead in Atharvavedic times was cremation , so the other cases mentioned above might have been abnormal. The burial, here, may refer to the burial of children and ascetics, custom known to later literatures on funeral; casting away may be the casting away of mandicants dying in a forest which is mentioned in the Chandogya-Upanished, or it may refer to merely depositing dead bodies in a Samadhi as recognized in Buddhism; and the exposure may have been the exposure of the dead on trees as it is recorded in the Satapatha brahmana. These cases cannot refer to very primitive method of casting away or exposure of the dead and disabled persons providing a burden on the family, as it is supposed by some scholars. Rather they represent a special ceremonial in abnormal cases. This assumption can be supported by the fact that in the above Atharvavedic verses the fathers are invited very affectionately and not remembered as cast away refuses. Coming down to the Brahmanas, we find that the satapatha Brahmana, as already pointed out, mentions the exposure of dead bodieson trees, a custom certainly followed in the cases of homeless ascentics and beggars who did not leave heirs behind them to perform their funerals. The Taittiriya-Aranyaka speaks of the rite of Brahmamedha, performed at the death of a Brahman who had realized Brahmanhood. From the Chandogya-Upanished we know that sometimes dead bodies were left uncared for and no funeral ceremonies were performed specially in case of those who had entered into forest and pursued Brahmavidya and went to Brahmaloka from where there was no return.

The most systematic treatment of the abnormal cases has been given in the Grhyasutras, where, after a through classification, the ceremonies were codified. Baudhayana in his Pitrmedhasutras has described almost all the irregular cases of funeral ceremonies. The Smrtis do not develop the ritual but prescribe different types of Asaucha to be observed and the Prayogas follow the ritual described in the Grhyasutras, though these have evolved a few new ceremonies e.g. the Jivachhrraddha not found in the earlier literature.

The first special funeral rite was of the Ahitagni or the householder, who maintained all the three Fires. He distinguished himself from the rest if the society by his religious regularity. So it was thought necessary to accord him special funeral. According to Baudhayana, Homas should be performed before and after his death and his sacrificial utensils should be burnt on a separate pyre with his effigy made of Kusa grass. It should be noted that Asvalayana prescribes the burning of sacrificial vessels with the dead body itself in a normal funeral. He, undoubtedly, records the earlier practice, when the sacrifices were offered more regularly. The Smrtis differentiate between the cremation and Asaucha of an Ahitagni and of an Anahitagni. Vrddha-Yajnavalkya says, "The Ahitagni should be burnt with the Three Fires, Anahitagni with one and the rest with the Laukikagni." In the opinion of Angira, the period of impurity in the case of an Ahitagni should begins from his cremation (which may be postponed for certain reasons), but that of the Anahitagni from the day of his death. In modern practices, however, the distinction is not well preserved as the sacrificial religion has declined and only a few Agnihotrins maintain the Three Sacred Fires at present.

Another special rite is that of children. They are not full men, so their funeral must differ from that of the adult. Their tender body should be spared the fierce flames of fires; their innocent life neither inflicts so much impurity upon the family nor it requires so much purification as the worldly life of the householders. Children do not also require in the next world all the necessities of the terrestrial life, because they are not accustomed to them in this world. These ideas underly the special rite accorded to children. Baudhayana says that Pitrmedha should not be performed in the case of the uninitiated boys and unmarried girls. According to him, in the case of abortion, the abortive child should be buried and the performer becomes instantly purified after a bath with clothes on.

In the opinion of Paingya, however, the abortion entails empurity for a period of ten days upon the mother. A child, whose teeth have not come out, should be buried with the recitation of Parnava denied to the abortive child. A child before two, Paraskara says should be buried without cremation. Manu differs from the above authorities and prescribe that "the relations of the dead child below two should take it out of the village, should decorate its person with garland and clothes and leave it in open air (or bury it beneath the earth); collection of bones should not be done in this case. Neither the child should be cremated nor it should be offered water oblations." But he allows an option in the case of a child whose teeth have come out, and Baudhayana even recommends cremation if desired by the relatives. At present the burial of children is performed in some localities, but in the majority of cases they are thrown away into rivers and no impurity is observed.

The next special rite is that of a Garbhini or a pregnant woman who dies in her pregnancy. Baudhayana says that she should be carried to the cremation ground. After saving the child she should be burnt properly with the additional gift of an Astakadhenu, a Tiladhenu and a Bhumidhenu. The ceremonies following cremation should be the same as usual. At present in such cases no attempt is made to save the child and it is burnt with mother, and the funeral ceremonies are the same as in the normal cases. The modern Paddhatis prescribe special ceremonies for a woman dying in her confinement or monthly course. According to them, her body should be bathed with waterfrom a jar, in which Panchagavya is mixed. It is, certainly, done to purify her body which is contaminated with the impurity of the childbirth or the menstural flow. Then the Prajaptyahutis are offered and the body is covered with new clothes and burnt. But the cremation is distinguished by not burning the corpse entirely.

The funeral of the Parivrajakas, retired ascetic and mendicants form another class by Itself. They are the persons, who have given up all worldly attachments and have realized the Brahman or the Universal Soul. Their goalin life is not the attainment of the Pitrloka nor of the Svarga, but the acquirement of Brahmaloka or salvation. Therefore, both socially and religiously, they are above the ordinary householders. Hence their last sacrament must be different from that of those, who are after worldly pursuits and heavenly pleasures. The first mention of funeral of a realized brahman is made in the Taittiriya Aranyaka where it is called Brahmamedha. The Baudhayana Grhyasutra describes the funeral ceremony of a Parivrajaka as follows. The dead body should be laid in a ditch and begging bowl placed on his belly with the appropriate verses. Then his Kamandalu should be filled with water and put on his right hand. Next the ditch should be covered with earth and a mound should be raised on it to save the corpse from the carnivorous animals. The performance of this duty to the Parivrajakas is regarded very meritorious. The post-cremation ceremonies are prohibited in the case of a Sanyasin.

This custom is still followed in certain sects of the ascetics. But after the transition of |Hinduism from Vedism or Brahmanism to Puranism and Trantraism, Sanyasa came to be regarded as Kalivarjya. Though Sankaracharya broke this prohibition by his example, Sanyasa never become popular in Hinduism again. The modern Sadhus belong to different sects, following |Jnanamarga or Bhaktimarga, and they cannot be properly called Sanyasins. Some of the sects practise burial but the majority of them prefer water-burial and their last offices are completed with a grand feast to the Sadhus and the Brahmans. The present custom of breaking the skull of an ascetic is based on the Upanisadic belief that the soul of a brahmajnani escapes through the Brahmarandhra or a hole on the top of head. So the skull is broken to facilitate the departure. The Sanyasins are not cremated, because being purified by the fire spiritual knowledge and merged in brahman, they do not require material fire to sanctify their body and covey the soul to the next world.

Men, dying in distant lands away from their homes, form another category. Here too Baudhayana is the first Sutrakara who describes the ceremonies in detail. The relations, when informed of the death, should bring the dead body, if preserved, or the bones for the proper funeral. In the latter case, thirty three bones should be selected from different limbs, as the man was supposed to consist of thirty three. But when the bones were not available and only the direction was known, the Preta was called by name from that direction, an effigy of the man was made on the black deerskin, sacificial vessels were placed on it, Kusa grass was scattered on these articles and the cremation was performed. When no clue of the person gone abroad was found and he was believed to be dead, his funeral ceremonies were performed as described above. In such cases, sometimes, a few of the supposed dead persons came back home. They had got to be revived again with the proper Samskaras, from the Conception to the Vivaha, as they were socially dead and no body would keep contact with them. At present the same ritual is followed but the people do not evince any hurry about the funeral of missing persons, and their Antyesti performed when the possibility of their return is over.

A peculiarly novel practice of Jivachchraddha has come into existence in modern time. By an orthodox Hindu it is believed that his proper funeral is essential for his Sadgati, (heaven or salvation). In case he has got no sons, or when he is doubtful whether his Antyesti will be properly performed by his children or not, he becomes anxious to see that it is duly done in his life-time. His person is represented by an effigy and the entire ceremonies are performed as usual. There is, however, a popular superstition that persons, whose Antyesti is performed in their life time, die very soon. So only a few dare to do so.

Those who die of accidents are also treated as special cases. According to Budhayana, those, who die of wounds caused by weapons, administration of poisons, choking by a string, drowning in water, fall from a mountain or a tree etc., do not deserve a funeral. Most probably they were thrown away into water or cast away into forests. At present, however, they are accorded funeral ceremonies after performing certain Prayaschittas. The idea underlying the denial of funeral in this case was that these persons could not be admitted into the Pitrloka; therefore it was futile to undergo the botherations of tedious ceremonies. But the Gautama Dharmasutra says that the survivors could perform the Udakakarma etc. if they liked. The majority of the Smritis, however, prohibit the observance of Asaucha and performance of ceremonies, as no impurity is caused by their death.

The patitas or fallen are also recorded as special cases. According to Manu, an apostate, a man born of Pratiloma marriage, a suicide, a Pasanda, and adultress, a woman causing abortion, or hating her husband etc. should not be given a funeral. Yajnavalkya includes thieves also in the same class. The reason behind this prohibition is that these people are lost to society on account of their unsocial habits and, therefore, they are not entitles to the social privilege of deriving benefit from a Samskara. At present such cases are not detected or publicly accepted, and many of the fallen pass as ordinary householders.