History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.207

v5.c72.207

The Viṣṇudharmasūtra (19. 11-12) and Anu. 26.32 state that the collected bones should be cast in Ganges water, since as many particles of the bones of a man remain in Ganges water for so many thousands of years he dwells in heaven. It was provided in the Purāṇas that a virtuous son, brother or daughter's son or a relative on the father's or mother's side should cast the bones in the Ganges, that one not so related should not do it and that if he does it he has to perform cāndrāyaṇa prāyaścitta. Even in modern times many Hindus take the charred bones of their parents or other dear relatives to the Ganges at Prayāga (Allahabad) or some other holy river554a or cast them into the sea. The Nirṇayasindhu (p. 587) quotes an elaborate rite of casting the ashes in the Ganges from Śaunaka It is briefly as follows: The performer should go out of the village, bathe with clothes on, sprinkle the earth where the ashes are deposited with the Gāyatrī and the other mantras usually repeated over pañcagavya. With the four mantras 'upasarpa' (Ṛg. X. 18.10-13) he should respectively pray to the earth, then dig it, take out the earth, and then the bones. Then he should bathe and purify the bones by touching the bones again and again and repeating the mantras 'eto nvindram stavāma śuddham &c' (Ṛg VIII. 95. 7-9). Then he should bathe with pañca-gavya and become pure. Then he should bathe ten times with cow's urine, cow's dung, cow's milk, curds, clarified butter, water in which kuśas have been dipped, ashes (of sacred fires), earth, honey and water. Then he should sprinkle (with kuśas) water on the bones with the mantras, viz. Ṛg. I.22 16. Ṛg VIII. 95.7-9,⁵⁵⁵ Ṛg VII. 56.12-14, Ṛg. X. 126 1-8, Ṛg. X. 119.1-13, Ṛg. IX. 1.1-10 (called Pāvamānī verses), Ṛg. X 128.1-9, Ṛg. I. 43.1-9 (a hymn to Rudra); then he should offer a *hiraṇya śrāddha* for the deceased, offer *piṇḍa* to him and perform *tarpaṇa* with sesame. Then he should cover the bones in seven ways viz. by deer-skin, woollen blanket, darbhas, cow's hair, hempen cloth, birch leaf and palm leaf. He should cast among the bones pieces of gold and silver, pearls, coral and sapphire for the purification of the bones, then he should offer into fire 108 oblations of clarified butter and sesame with the hymn beginning with 'udīratām' (Ṛg. X. 15). Then he should cast the bones in holy water; thereby he does not incur the fault of touching an unclean object. While answering the calls of nature or performing *ācamana* one should not hold the bones.