History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.36

v5.c72.36

Before setting out the rites of cremation contained in the Śrauta sūtras, Gṛhya sūtras and later works, it would be best to give here a translation of the five hymns from the Ṛg. (X. 14–18)⁴⁴⁰. The verses in these hymns are employed by most of the sūtras and are used even now in the cremation rites and most of them occur in the other Vedic Saṁhitās. Varying interpretations have been given of some of these stanzas by Indian and Western commentators and critics Only a few of these have been mentioned in the notes. Besides some stanzas are employed for different details of the cremation rites by the different sūtras All such differences cannot be set out for want of space. The five hymns are so placed that they follow the order of the stages in which the funeral ritual proceeded in fact and is performed even now to a great extent. Vide Appendix for the text of the Ṛgveda hymns without accents.⁴⁴¹