History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.12

v5.c72.12

Mediæval digests like the Śuddhiprakāśa (pp 151–152) state that when a person is moribund, has half closed his eyes and is taken down on the ground (from a bed-stead), his son or other relative should make him give one or more of ten gifts viz of cows, ⁴²⁶ land, sesame, gold, clarified butter, clothes, grain, jaggery, silver, salt These gifts are superior even to a śrāddha performed at Gayā or to even hundreds of Aśvamedhas. The saṅkalpa (verbal declaration of the gift) is made in the words 'I shall make ten gifts for the attainment of heaven (*abhyudaya*), or for the removal of all sins'. After the ten *dānas*, a cow with a calf should be donated if possible ⁴²⁷ (this cow being called *utkrānti-dhenu* 'a cow donated in view of death') and then another cow called Vaitaraṇī with gold (or two pieces of cloth &c) should be donated. The Antyeṣṭipaddhati and the Śuddhiprakāśa (pp. 152-153) set out all the mantras (not vedic) that are to be recited at the time of making the several gifts, which (mantras) are passed over here for want of space. The Antyeṣṭipaddhati, the Antyakarmadīpaka and other works prescribe that when a person is near death, his son or other relative should make him perform Vratodyāpana, sarvaprāyaścitta and the gift of ten *dānas* or if the dying man is unable to do these himself, the son or the other relative should perform these and give the merit thereof to the dying man. A person often resolves upon observing certain *vratas*, but fails to carry out all the details of those vratas to the end. The Vratodyāpana for the dying man is meant to cure all such unfinished vratas. The A. K. D. (pp. 3-4) has a long note about the performance of *vratodyāpana*. Briefly it comes to this. The son or other relative having brought about the purity of the dying man's body by a bath or by sprinkling it with holy water (*mārjana*) or by making him drink Ganges water, having himself taken a bath and performed his daily duties (of *sandhyā*), having lighted a lamp, having bowed to Gaṇeśa and prayed to god Viṣṇu, having placed before him the materials of worship and having repeated the usual saṅkalpa (see note ⁴²⁸), he should honour a brāhmaṇa already invited and should give to him the gold (or silver) set apart for the purpose and the brāhmaṇa should pronounce the words "May all vratas be fulfilled! May there be the attainment of the fruits of *udyāpana* (accomplishment of vrata)". In the sarvaprāyaścitta the son approaches 4 or 3 learned men or one man knowing *adhyātma* (metaphysics) and offers the substitutes (of gold &c.) for sins that involve penances for 6, 3 or 1½ years or makes a declaration and performs the prāyaścitta, after the days of impurity.