History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.113.1

v5.c72.113.1

In modern times the procedure of cremation is generally on the lines of that described in the Aśv. gr. cited above and the procedure described in the Garuḍapurāṇa II. 4. 41 ff. The following is a summary of the procedure set out in the Antyeṣṭi-paddhati of Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa which is generally followed by Ṛgvedins in Western India. The dead body is washed with water, is decked with a *tilaka* on the forehead, is clothed in a garment, is covered with a paste of Jaṭāmāmsī and a garland of *naladas* is placed round its neck. Then the performer washes his own feet, sips water, performs prāṇāyāma without Vedic mantra, then makes a *Saṅkalpa* (as in note 500),⁵⁰⁰ he wears his sacred thread under the left shoulder (and on the right shoulder) and prays to the earth with the mantra 'upasarpa' (Ṛg. X. 18.10), he then thrice goes round the place dug up (for cremation) and sprinkles water with a śamī branch at the end of the mantra 'apeta' (Ṛg. X. 14. 9). This mantra is repeated thrice. Then. he draws three lines on the ground with an iron piece or kuśa roots saying 'I draw a line for Yama, the lord of cremation,' 'I draw a line for Kāla, lord of &c' 'I draw a line for Mṛtyu, lord of &c' Then he throws into the dug-up ground pieces of gold and sesame and water mixed with sesame in the middle of the dug up spot for Yama, to the north for Kāla and to the south for Mṛtyu (each being associated with pitṛs, the formula being 'Yamāya dahanapataye pitṛbhyaḥ svadhā namaḥ').