History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.152

v5.c74.152

On pp. 243-244 above it has been stated that the Viṣṇu Dh. S. and other works recommend the casting of the ashes or charred bones of a cremated body in the Ganges at Prayāga, Kāśī or other holy place and the rites accompanying the casting of ashes have been there set out. A few words are added here. The same verse¹³⁴⁶ (with slight variations) about casting -ashes in the Ganges occurs in several works. The-Agnipurāṇa observes 'the deceased man benefits if his bones-are thrown into the Ganges; a man stays in heaven as long as (even a particle of) his bone remains in the waters of the Ganges. No rites for the dead are performed for those who commit suicide or who are *patita*; but even in their case the fall of their bones in Ganges water is beneficial to them.' The Tīr. C and Tīr. Pr. quote two verses and a half from the Brahma-purāṇa¹³⁴⁷ which set out a briefer rite of throwing ashes than the one in the Nirṇayasindhu. The verses mean: "The man carrying the ashes should take a bath, sprinkle *pañcagavya* over the ashes, should place on them a piece of gold, honey, ghee and sesame; then he should deposit them in an earthen vessel; he should then look in the southern direction, say 'salutation to Dharma,' enter the waters (of the Ganges), utter, 'may he (Dharma or Viṣṇu?) be pleased with me' and then cast the ashes in the water; then he should bathe in the river, come out of it, cast a look at the Sun and then give a present (dakṣiṇā) to a brāhmaṇa; if he does so, then the state of the deceased person will be like Indra.' Vide Skanda, Kāśī-khaṇḍa 30. 42-46 where a little more elaborate procedure is prescribed. The importance of casting ashes in the Ganges probably owes its origin to the story of king Sagara's sons who were reduced to ashes by the wrath of the sage Kapila and who were saved by the ashes being washed in the waters of the Ganges brought down from heaven by Bhagīratha. Vide Vanaparva chap. 107-109, Viṣṇupurāṇa II. 8-10 for the story. The Nārradīya makes not only the throwing of calcined bones a source of benefit to the departed but even his nails and hair when cast in the Ganges confer the same benefit. It is stated in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa that those who, while standing on the banks of the Ganges, praise another tīrtha or do not think very highly of the Ganges go to hell.1347a The Kāśīkhaṇḍa further provides that there is special and -excessive merit in Gaṅgāsnāna on special days e. g. the merit of bath on New Moon has one hundred times as much merit as on an ordinary day, a thousand times on a saṅkrānti, one hundred thousand on the eclipse of the sun or moon and unlimited times when a bath is taken on moon eclipse on a Monday and on sun eclipse on Sunday.¹³⁴⁸