History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.190

v5.c72.190

After listening to the philosophical discourse of elders the relatives return to their house, placing children in front and standing at the door of the house, they with minds under control bite the leaves of the *nimba* tree, perform *ācamana*, touch fire, water, cowdung, white mustard; then they should enter their house after slowly (firmly) planting their foot on a stone. According ⁵⁴⁵ to Śaṅkha the relatives should touch the tendrils of Dūrvā, fire and a bull, should offer a *piṇḍa* to the departed at the door of the house and then enter it. Baijavāpa⁵⁴⁶ q. by Śuddhitattva prescribes the mantras to be recited in touching *śamī*, the stone (*aśmā*), fire and provides further that a cow and a goat should be touched holding fire between themselves and these animals: food should be purchased or obtained from another's house, it should be of one kind only without salt, that they should for one day eat only by day and stop all actions for three days. Yāj III. 14 prescribes that the actions prescribed by him in III. 12 for relatives (viz. biting *nimba* leaves up to entering the house) must be done by others who, though no relatives, carried the corpse or decked it &c.