History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.193.1

v5.c72.193.1

The Śāṅ. Śr. IV. 15.10, the Āśv. gṛ. IV. 4.17-27, Baud. P. S. I. 12.10. Kauśikasūtra 82.33-35 and 42-47, Pār. gṛ. III 10. Āp. Dh. S. I 3.10.4-10, Gaut Dh. 14.35-36 Manu V. 73, Vas. 4.14-15, Yāj III. 16-17, Viṣṇu Dh S 19.14-17, Saṁvarta 39-43. Śaṅkha 15.25, Garuḍapurāṇa (Pretakhaṇḍa chap. 5 1-5) and others lay down several rules for those (both men and women) who have lost a near *sapiṇḍa* by death to be observed immediately after they return from the cremation and for three more days ⁵⁴⁷ The Śāṅ. Śr. provides that they should sleep on the bare ground (not on a cot), they should subsist on sacrificial food, they should give up the performance of their usual religious duties (except in relation to the vedic fires) for one night, three nights or nine nights or till the day of the collection of the bones. The Āśv. gṛ. (IV. 4.17-24) provides these observations viz. 'Let them not cook food during that night, let them subsist on bought food or on food received from others, let them eat no mineral salt or ordinary ⁵⁴⁸ salt for three nights, let them optionally avoid for twelve nights the distribution of gifts and the study of vedic texts if one of the principal gurus (father, mother or the teacher who performed upanayana and taught the whole Veda) dies. Pār. gr. III. 10 adds that they should remain chaste, eat food only once in the day and that they should not repeat Veda study, and should give up the daily obligatory duties except those connected with Vedic fires. Manu (V.