History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.402

v5.c72.402

The rules about āśauca for several days do not operate in five classes of cases, viz certain persons are exempted altogether, certain activities of certain persons who would ordinarily be untouchable owing to āśauca are allowed without causing pollution, certain articles can be taken by anybody without fear of pollution from those who are affected by āśauca, no asauca is to be observed for certain deceased persons owing to their faults, in the case of certain persons *express texts* say that no āśauca need be observed for them These five classes will briefly be dealt with in order In the principal texts these five classes of cases are rather mixed up. In the Viṣṇupurāṇa III. 13 7 it is provided that there is sadyaḥśauca on the death of a child, or of a person dying in another country, of a patita, or of an ascetic or on the death of a person committing suicide by water, fire or hanging Vide also Gaut 14 11 and 42 and Vāmanapurāṇa 14.99.