The Law Code of Yājñavalkya 3.1: athāśaucaprakaraṇam

The regular and occasional duties of householders have been stated. And the duties based on specific qualification of a particular householder endowed with qualifications such as royal consecration have been shown. Now, an exception to these is set forth by means of establishing ritual impurity, which serves as the cause for the restriction of their qualification. And by the word 'impurity' (āśauca) is meant a certain inner state belonging to a person, which is to be removed by time, bathing, and the like, and which serves as the cause for the injunction of offering water and rice balls and for the exclusion from recitation and the like—not merely the lack of qualification for ritual acts. For lack of purity is stated in such passages as "All relatives are impure" (MDh 5.58), and in the usage of learned elders, the word 'impure' is not applied to everyone merely disqualified, such as one who has not established the sacred fires or an initiated sacrificer; and the understanding of word-meaning is grounded in the usage of learned elders. Furthermore, if, seeing the prohibition of giving gifts and so forth for impure persons, their unfitness for that were assumed to be the referent of the word 'impurity', then, seeing the injunction of offering water and so forth, their fitness for that would also have to be the referent of the word 'impurity'. That would involve the flaw of positing multiple meanings; therefore, this view must be rejected.

Thereupon he first states what must be done by those affected by ritual impurity, such as sapinda relatives:

One should bury a child under two years of age; thereafter, he should not offer water. / Having accompanied him up to the cremation ground, the other, surrounded by kinsmen,

muttering the Yama hymn and chants, with secular fire / should be cremated. If he has undergone sacred thread initiation, [it is performed] according to the ritual of one who has maintained the sacred fires, as far as relevant.

One who has not completed two years of age is 'under two years of age'; one should bury that deceased child, meaning one should place him after digging a pit in the earth, and not cremate him. Nor should he perform post-mortem rites such as the offering of water enjoined for the deceased by verses such as "They pour water once" (YDh 3.5). And he should be buried outside the village, after adorning him with perfumes, garlands, unctions, and the like, in pure ground other than a cremation ground, devoid of bone collections. As Manu says:

"Kinsmen should deposit outside a deceased child under two years of age, / having adorned him, in pure ground, without collecting bones.
Neither cremation rites should be performed for him, nor the water rite. / Having abandoned him in the wilderness like a piece of wood, they should remain [impure] for only three days." / Thus. (MDh 5.68–69)

The meaning of “abandoning like a piece of wood in the forest” is this: Just as people become indifferent toward a piece of wood after abandoning it in the forest, so also, after abandoning [a child] under two years of age in a pit in the earth, they must remain indifferent toward it with regard to post-funeral rites such as śrāddha. By this analogy, the absence of śrāddha and similar rites that might be obtained through customary conduct is indicated. And that [child] should be laid down, having been anointed with ghee, by those reciting Yama-hymns,

"One should bury a deceased child under two years of age smeared with ghee in the earth, / singing chants to Yama and recollecting the Yama hymn,"

because of this traditional text of Yama. 'Thereafter' means after that child under two years of age; 'the other' who has died having completed two years of age should be accompanied, followed up to the cremation ground by kinsmen, that is, sapiṇḍa and samānodaka relatives, led by the eldest. From this very statement it is understood that accompanying one under two years of age is not fixed. And having accompanied him, while muttering the Yama hymn beginning with "He who has departed" (RV 10.14.1) and chants dedicated to Yama, he is to be cremated with secular, unconsecrated fire if there are no fire-producing sticks. But if they exist, he is to be cremated with fire produced by churning them, not with secular fire, because its production is meant solely for the purpose of the action to be effected by fire. And secular fire should be taken from places other than Caṇḍālas and the like,

"Fire of a Caṇḍāla, impure fire, and birth fire under any circumstance, / fire of an outcaste, and funeral pyre fire are not fit to be taken by the cultured,"

because of this traditional text of Devala. And Laugākṣi has stated a specific rule here:

"Silently indeed should one offer water, and silently perform the cremation rite / for all whose tonsure has been performed; otherwise too, both [may be done] at will."

The meaning is this: immediately after the tonsure rite, the offering of fire and water is obligatorily to be performed. In other cases as well, after the naming ceremony, even when tonsure has not been performed, both consisting of the offering of fire and water may be performed silently at will, desiring the welfare of the deceased, not as an obligatory rule—this is an optional alternative. Manu too has indicated a specific rule here:

"The water rite should not be performed by kinsmen for a child under three years, / or they may perform it for one whose teeth have appeared, or when the naming has been done." / Thus. (MDh 5.70)

The mention of 'water' is also an indirect indication of the cremation rite, owing to association, because of the statement "not for one under three years." Even if tonsure is postponed in consideration of family tradition, the obligatory rule of offering fire and water is understood after three years. From the statement of Laugākṣi, it is to be discerned that the rule of those two applies even before three years to one whose tonsure has been performed. 'If he has undergone sacred thread initiation,' that is, if he is initiated, then 'according to the ritual of one who has maintained the sacred fires,' by the method of cremation of one who has maintained sacred fires as established in one's own Gṛhya and other texts, he must be cremated with secular fire alone. 'As far as relevant' means having a purpose. The meaning is this: if an established purpose in the form of an action by means of cremation is possible for him, such as examining and sprinkling the ground, that is to be adopted. But that whose purpose has vanished, such as the arrangement of sacrificial implements, ceases. Similarly, because their purpose is removed by the rule of secular fire and by the rule of cremating an initiated person who has not maintained sacred fires with the domestic fire, the āhavanīya and other fires also cease. And the rule of another fire has been stated by Vṛddha-Yājñavalkya:

"One who has maintained sacred fires should be cremated according to the rule with three fires; / one who has not maintained sacred fires with one; another person with secular fire." / Thus.

And the carrying of fire, wood, and the like to the cremation ground must not be done by a Shudra,

"He for whom a Shudra brings the fire, grass, wood, and sacrificial offerings,
remains in a state of a ghost forever, and he is tainted with unrighteousness."

This is from the traditional text of Yama. Likewise, the cremation must be performed after bathing [the corpse],

"One should burn the deceased bathed with fragrant perfumes and adorned with garlands,"

according to this traditional text. Pracetas also stated:

"The bathing of the deceased, as well as adorning with garments and the like, [is to be done] by sons and others;
one must not burn a naked body; one should leave behind something to be given."

"Something to be given" means that one should leave behind a portion of the shroud to be given for the sake of the cremation ground dwellers. Likewise, Manu has pointed out a distinction regarding the carrying of the deceased:

"When his own [kinsmen] are present, one should not have a dead Brahmin carried by a Shudra;
for that offering would not lead to heaven, being defiled by contact with a Shudra." (MDh 5.104)

And here, "when his own [kinsmen] are present" is not intended to be restrictive, because the defect of not leading to heaven and the like is stated [generally].

"One should carry out a dead Shudra by the southern, outer gate;
but the twice-born by the western, northern, and eastern [gates] respectively." (MDh 5.92)

Likewise, Hārīta also says: "They should not carry the deceased facing the village." When, however, in death abroad the body is not obtained, then, having made an effigy with bones, or in the absence of those as well, having made an effigy with palāśa leaves and kuśa grass according to the manner taught in the domestic manuals of Śaunaka and others, the rite of cremation is to be performed. And ritual defilement in this case lasts ten days and the like, according to the traditional text of Vasiṣṭha: "If a keeper of sacred fires dies while away on a journey, having performed the rite again, there is ritual defilement just as for a corpse" (VaDh 4.37). For one who has not established sacred fires, however, it lasts three nights,

"And he is to be burned with fire [in an effigy made] of well-ground [barley flour] mixed with water,
his relatives having said, 'Svāhā to this person for the heavenly world.'
Having thus burned the effigy of leaves and grass, one remains impure for three nights,"

according to this statement. And hence this is the meaning: prior to the name-giving ceremony, there is only burial, and no offering of water and the like. After that, up to the third year, the offering of fire and water is optional. Beyond that, up to the sacred thread initiation, the silent offering of fire and water is mandatory. Even prior to three years, [this applies] to one whose tonsure ceremony has been performed. Beyond the sacred thread initiation, however, having performed the cremation according to the procedure for a keeper of sacred fires, the entire funeral rite must be performed. But this is the distinction: for an initiated person, cremation is to be performed with ordinary fire; for one who has not consecrated sacred fires, cremation is with the domestic fire, and the placement of sacrificial implements is to be done as far as possible. || 3.1 || 3.2

Next he states what is to be done after the funeral rite:

The kinsmen, up to the seventh or even the tenth [degree], approach the water,
facing the direction of the ancestors, with the verse: "May our sin be consumed..."

Prior to the seventh day, or from the tenth day, relatives belonging to the same gotra—sapiṇḍas and samānodakas—facing south, approach the water with the mantra: 'May our sin burn away' (RV 1.97.1–8). By 'approaching' [the water], what is indicated is the act of approaching characterized by the water offering which is its purpose, since immediately following, an extension of the water offering is seen in the words: 'So for maternal grandfathers and teachers.' And this is to be done on uneven lunar days, in accordance with the Smṛti of Gautama: 'The water rite is performed on the first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth [days]' (GDh 14.40). Moreover, this should be done after bathing, in accordance with the Smṛti of Śātātapa: 'Having consigned the body to the fire, not looking back, they approach the water.' Likewise, an additional detail has been shown in this matter by Pracetas: 'Relatives of the deceased, having entered the water in order of age, should not sprinkle each other with water; on the edge of the water they should pour it, with sacred thread and garment turned to the right side, facing south for a Brahmin, facing north and facing west for a Kshatriya and a Vaishya.' In another Smṛti, however, repetition of the water offering is enjoined for as many days as there is ritual impurity. As Viṣṇu says: 'As long as there is ritual impurity, so long should they offer water and a piṇḍa for the deceased' (ViDh 19.13). And likewise, it has been stated by Pracetas as well:

'Day after day, full double-handfuls should be offered for the sake of the deceased; / an increase must be made so long as the [offering of the] piṇḍa is being completed.' / Thus.

The meaning is that an increase in double-handfuls must be made every day until the tenth piṇḍa is completed. Even though the injunction of the scripture is accomplished by adopting either of these two alternatives—the heavy or the light—nevertheless, since undertaking the heavier alternative would not make sense on account of its involving great trouble, it must be inferred that there will be a superior benefit for the deceased; otherwise, the scriptural recording of the heavier alternative would lead to pointlessness. A specific detail was also stated by Vasiṣṭha: 'They should perform the water rite with both hands, the left placed above' (VaDh 4.12). || 3.3

He states the extension of the water offering, which is characterized by qualities such as the [mention of] name and gotra and which involves pouring once as will be mentioned, to those of a different gotra such as the maternal grandfather and others:

So is the water rite for deceased maternal grandfathers and teachers; / optional water is for a friend, a married female relative, a sister's son, a father-in-law, and officiating priests.

Just as water is offered to the deceased who are sapiṇḍas of the same gotra, so the water rite must obligatorily be performed for deceased maternal grandfathers and teachers. 'Friend' means a companion; 'married female relative' means married daughters, sisters, and the like; 'sister's son' means the son of a sister; 'father-in-law' is well known; 'officiating priests' means those who sacrifice on one's behalf. For these deceased persons—friend and others—optional water is to be made. 'Kāma' means desire. 'Kāmodaka' means an offering of water through desire: water is to be offered when there is a desire for the deceased's spiritual progress; when there is not, it is not to be offered; thus there is no transgression in not performing it—this is the meaning. || 3.4

He states a qualitative rule regarding the offering of water:

Restraining their speech, they pour water once, with name and gotra.

And that offering of water is to be done in this manner: kinsmen connected by funeral cake and those connected by water libation, remaining silent, reciting the name and gotra of the deceased, saying: "May the deceased named so-and-so, of such-and-such gotra, be gratified," should pour out water only once, or thrice, according to the traditional text of Pracetas: "They should pour out water thrice, saying, 'May the deceased be gratified.'" The daily increase of handfuls of water has already been explained. Likewise, this distinction also was stated by the very same [author]:

'Then, having gone to the bank of a river and performed purification properly, / one should first cleanse one's garment, and then take a bath. / Then, having bathed with one's clothes on, pure and controlled in mind, / taking a stone, one should offer ten double-handfuls for a Brahmin; / one should offer twelve for a Kshatriya; fifteen are prescribed for a Vaishya; / thirty are to be offered for a Shudra; then one should enter the house; / then bathing must be performed again, and one should cause purification of the house to be made.' / Thus.

He states the prohibition of the water offering for certain individuals among the sapiṇḍas:

Students of the Veda shall not make water [offerings], nor fallen persons.

Even when kinship exists, students of the Veda up to their formal return home, and fallen persons who have forfeited the authority for the rites of the twice-born, shall not make offerings of water and the like. But after the period of Vedic studenthood, one must indeed perform the offering of water and observe ritual impurity for sapiṇḍas and others who died previously. As Manu says:

'One under a vow shall not make a water [offering] until the completion of his vow; / but upon completion, having made the water [offering], he shall be impure for three nights.' / Thus. (MDh 5.88)

'One under a vow' means a student of the Veda; he is called a student of the Veda because of the connection with the injunction of vows such as: 'You are a student of the Veda; sip water; do your duty; do not sleep by day' (ĀśGṛ 1.22.2). And he will state that this is with the exception of the father and others, in the verse: '[Except for] teachers, fathers, and instructors' (YDh 3.15). But the teacher here, on the other hand, considers thus: by the word 'one under a vow', one who has commenced a penance is spoken of; this prohibition of the water offering and the like applies only to him, and the rule regarding the water offering and ritual impurity applies to the time after the completion of the vow in the form of a penance. Likewise, being an offerer of water is prohibited for eunuchs and others, in accordance with the Smṛti of Vṛddha-Manu:

'Eunuchs and the like shall not make a water [offering], nor thieves, apostates, or those opposed to duty; / nor women who injure a fetus or a husband, and those who drink liquor.'

Thus. || 3.5

Having thus stated the prohibition regarding specific performers of the water offering, he states the prohibition by reason of specific recipients:

Heretics, those not belonging to an āśrama, thieves, women who murder their husbands, unchaste women and the like, / women who drink liquor, and women who commit suicide are not entitled to ritual impurity or water offerings.

Wearing a human skull and the like, which are insignia outside the Vedic tradition, is heresy; those who possess that are heretics. The unaffiliated are those who, despite possessing the qualification, have not undertaken a specific life stage. Thieves are those who steal gold and other precious goods. Husband-slayers are those who strike against [their husbands]. Licentious women are unchaste wives. By the mention of "and the like," those who destroy their own fetus and slayers of Brahmins are included. Female drinkers of spirituous liquor are those devoted to drinking that spirituous liquor which is prohibited for them. Female suicides are those who destroy themselves by poison, fire, water, hanging, and the like. These—heretics and the rest—do not become recipients of the ritual defilement to be mentioned [later], "for three nights or ten nights" (YDh 3.18), or of the funeral rites such as the offering of water. "Recipients" [here] means that they do not make [others] partake—that is, they do not become the occasion for ritual defilement and the like for kinsmen connected by funeral cake and others. Therefore, this statement is dedicated to demonstrating that upon their death, offerings of water and the like are not to be performed by kinsmen. And here, in expressions like "female drinkers of spirituous liquor," the feminine gender is not intended to be restrictive,

"Gender, grammatical number, place, time, and this fruit of an action:
those skilled in Mīmāṃsā call these the pentad of non-prescribed [elements],"

because it pertains to what is not an object of prescription. And this applies to cases of deliberate intent. As Gautama says: "And for those who seek [death] by starting on the great departure, fasting, weapons, fire, poison, water, hanging, or jumping from a cliff" (GDh 14.12). Starting on the great departure means the final journey toward death. Fasting means abstaining from food. Jumping means falling from a mountain summit. Since the qualifying word "for those who seek" is employed here, it should be understood that there is no fault in an accidental act,

"Now, if someone should die through accident by fire, water, and the like,
for him ritual defilement must be observed, and the water ritual must be performed,"

according to this traditional text of Aṅgiras. Likewise, there is a prohibition of ritual defilement and the like on account of a particular manner of death:

"Death caused by a Caṇḍāla, water, a snake, a Brahmin, or even lightning,
and by fanged beasts and animals, belongs to evil-doers.

Whatever water and funeral cake is offered to such deceased
does not reach them at all; it perishes in intermediate space."

This too pertains to suicide with prior intent, because Gautama's text states the prohibition of ritual defilement and the like only for one killed by water with prior intent. Here too, because of the association seen in "from a Caṇḍāla, water, a snake," its intentional nature is definitively established. Therefore, for one who goes to kill a Caṇḍāla or the like out of arrogance and is killed by them, this prohibition of funeral cakes and the like is caused by transgressing the injunction, "One should protect oneself by all means." Likewise, it should be borne in mind that this prohibition applies also in the case of death when going arrogantly to confront vicious fanged beasts and the like in order to seize them. And this prohibition of ritual defilement pertains to that delimited by a period such as ten days,

"For those killed by kings, cows, and Brahmins, and for suicides, immediately [there is purification]" (YDh 3.21),

because immediate purification will be stated. Likewise, cremation and the rest also must not be performed for them:

"No ritual defilement, no water, no tears, and no cremation or other final rites;
and for those struck by the Brahmin's rod, one should not perform the carrying on a bier."

—because of this statement in the smṛti of Yama. "Those killed by a Brahmin’s staff" means those killed by the punishment of a Brahmin. The word "litter" (kaṭa) refers to the means for carrying the dead body, such as a cot. Nor should it be doubted that, because it would entail the loss of the disposal of the sacrificial fires and implements enjoined by revelation—according to the rule, "They burn the maintainer of sacred fires with his sacred fires and sacrificial vessels"—this prohibition in the smṛti against burning and other rites does not apply to an āhitāgni killed by a Brahmin or the like. For in another smṛti, an alternative disposal of the sacrificial fires and implements belonging to an āhitāgni killed by a Caṇḍāla or the like is enjoined:

"One should throw the śrauta fires into the waters, and the domestic fire at a crossroads,
but one should burn the vessels in fire when the sacrificer dies in vain;"
thus.

Likewise, an alternative disposal of his body too has been stated:

"For suicides, as also for the fallen, there are no funeral rites;
yet for them as well, deposition in the water of the Ganges is beneficial;"

—because of this smṛti text. Therefore, the prohibition against burning and the like applies to all without distinction. Hence, if one transgresses the prohibition out of affection or the like, a penance must be performed:

"Having offered fire, water, a bath, touch, carrying, speech,
cutting the rope, or shedding a tear, one is purified by the taptakṛcchra;"

—because of this smṛti text. And this should be understood to apply individually to an intentional act. But in the case of doing it unintentionally:

"He who carries or burns any one of these corpses,
having performed the rite of the litter and water, should observe the sāntapana kṛcchra;"

—this statement of Saṃvarta should be recognized. Moreover, regarding the rule:

"If he has merely touched that corpse or shed a tear,
if he has not done the aforesaid acts, he shall fast for one night;"

—this fast stated for touching or shedding tears applies to one unable to perform the kṛcchras. Likewise, Sumantu stated, "eating alms for a month and three daily ablutions for cutting the bonds or burning"—eating alms also applies solely to one unable. In this manner other smṛti texts on this subject are also to be reconciled. Furthermore, this prohibition against burning and the like applies to cases other than decrepit forest ascetics and the like who are incapable of performing regular duties, because permission for them is observed:

"An old man, devoid of memory of purity, whose treatment has been given up by physicians,
who brings about his own death by a precipice, fire, fasting, or water—

for him, impurity lasts for three nights; on the second day is the gathering of the bones;
having offered water on the third, he should perform the śrāddha on the fourth;"

—because of this smṛti text.

Thus, while suicide is permitted by the scripture under certain specific conditions, when suicide occurs by a means other than those, and śrāddha and other post-death rites are prohibited, what then should be done for them? In response to this inquiry, Vṛddhayājñavalkya and Chāgaleya have stated:

"A Nārāyaṇabali should be performed by men out of fear of public condemnation;
only thus will their purity be achieved, not otherwise, so said Yama;
therefore, food accompanied by a fee must indeed be given for them;"
thus.

Vyāsa also stated:

"Whatever is given intending Nārāyaṇa or Śiva
becomes an act producing purity for him; it cannot be otherwise;"
thus.

Thus, because the Nārāyaṇabali, by means of bringing about the purity of the deceased, generates eligibility to be the recipient of śrāddhas and the like, all the post-death rites must certainly be performed. For this very reason, permission for post-death rites is seen even in the Doctrine of the Thirty-Six:

"And for those killed by cows or Brahmins, as well as for the fallen,
after one year, one should perform all the post-death rites indeed;"
thus.

Thus, only after one year, having performed the Nārāyaṇabali, are the post-death rites to be performed.

And the Nārāyaṇabali is to be performed in this manner: On any bright eleventh day, having worshipped according to rule Viṣṇu and Yama the son of Vivasvat, having remembered beside them the deceased in the form of Viṣṇu, having recited the name and lineage of the deceased, facing south, having offered on darbha grass pointing south ten rice-balls mixed with sesame and drenched in honey and ghee, having worshipped them with perfumes and the like, and having carried it up to the immersion of the rice-balls, he should cast them into a river; he should not give them to the wife and others. Then, on that very night, having invited an odd number of Brahmins, having fasted, the next day at noon, having performed the worship of Viṣṇu, having completed the sequence from washing the Brahmins' feet up to the question of satisfaction according to the rule for a rite dedicated to a single ancestor, having performed silently the sequence from marking out the ground up to the washing of hands according to the procedure of the piṇḍapitṛyajña, having offered four rice-balls to Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Śiva, and Yama along with his retinue, having remembered the deceased along with his name and lineage, and having recited the name of Viṣṇu, he should offer a fifth rice-ball. Then, having satisfied with fees the Brahmins who have sipped water, and remembering in their midst one most meritorious Brahmin with the thought that he is the deceased, having abundantly gratified him with cows, land, gold, and the like, then, having caused water with sesame and the like to be offered to the deceased by the Brahmins with pavitras in their hands, he should eat together with his kin.

In the case of one killed by a snake, however, there is this distinction: having performed the worship of the serpent on the fifth tithi for a full year according to the procedure stated in the Purāṇas, when the year is complete, having performed the Nārāyaṇabali, he should give a golden serpent and a living cow. Then he should perform all the post-death rites.

And the specific nature of the Nārāyaṇabali has been stated in the Vaiṣṇava [Purāṇa] as follows:

"Having reached the eleventh tithi of the bright fortnight, / one should worship the god Viṣṇu and also Yama, son of Vivasvat. // Restrained and facing south, one should offer ten rice-balls smeared with ghee, / accompanied by mantras and mixed with sesame seeds, upon darbha grass. // Fixing Viṣṇu in mind, one should then cast them into river water; / there, uttering the name and lineage, worshiping with flowers, // and offering incense and lamps, as well as exceptional foods to chew and eat, / one should invite Brahmins—either five, seven, or nine— // who are rich in learning and asceticism, high-born, and attentive. / When the next day has arrived, having fasted until noon, // having performed the worship of Viṣṇu, one should seat those Brahmins / facing north in order of seniority, meditating upon the form of the ancestors. // Fixing one's mind upon Viṣṇu, one should perform everything unwearied; / whatever is prescribed beginning with the invocation, one should perform with the gods first. // Knowing then that the Brahmins are satisfied, having asked after their satisfaction according to rule, / with the very sacrificial food and side-dish, along with sesame and the rest, // one should offer five rice-balls, meditating upon the divine form: / the first he should offer to Viṣṇu, to Brahmā, and to Śiva; // the fourth rice-ball he should release for Yama together with his attendant; / having commemorated the deceased in mind preceded by the lineage, thereafter, // taking the name of Viṣṇu, he should cast the fifth as before. / Having appropriately sipped water, he should honor the Brahmins with sacrificial fees. // He should honor one oldest Brahmin with gold, / with a cow, garment, and land, mentally remembering that departed spirit. // Then the Brahmins, with hands accompanied by darbha grass, / should cast water with sesame, having fixed the name preceded by the lineage in mind. // Attentive, they should offer to him the sacrificial food, perfume, and sesame-water. / Afterward, keeping silence, he should eat together with friends and servants. // Abiding thus by the instruction of Viṣṇu, whoever offers this for a suicide / rescues him swiftly; no doubt should be entertained here."

The gift of a golden serpent in the form of an effigy on account of a snakebite has been stated by Sumantu in the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa:

"Having fashioned a serpent made of a bhāra of gold, and likewise a cow, / and having given them according to rule to Vyāsa, one attains freedom from debt to one's father." // 3.6

Having thus described the offering of water along with its exceptions, he states what must be done immediately thereafter:

When they have offered the water, emerged, and settled upon soft green turf, / having bathed, they should dissuade them with ancient narratives.

"When they have offered the water"—those by whom the offering of water has been made; bathed, properly emerged from the water, and well seated upon soft green turf—on a piece of ground covered with freshly sprouted clumps of grass—the elders of the family should dissuade those sons and others with the ancient narratives about to be related; they should enlighten them with words capable of dispelling grief. // 7

He describes the nature of the narratives capable of dispelling grief:

Whoever seeks substance in human existence, / which is void of substance like a plantain stalk and resembles a water bubble, is thoroughly deluded.

By the word "human" is indicated the fourfold aggregate of living beings—womb-born, egg-born, and the rest. Its condition is human existence. In that [existence], which has the nature of cyclical transmigratory life, which is devoid of inner substance like a plantain stalk, and which is perishable in an instant like a water bubble, whoever seeks—searches for—a substance, something permanent, is thoroughly deluded, his mind utterly disordered. Therefore, this should not be done by you who understand the true nature of cyclic existence. // 3.8