Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v1.c6.143

v1.c6.143

² Jul. von Negelein, “Die Reise d. Seele ins Jenseits,” *Ztschr. d. Ver. f. Volksk.*, Bd. II, p. 16 ff., 149 ff., 263 ff. shows the widespread belief: (1) that the soul stands in relation with the body even after death; (2) that it stays on at first in the neighbourhood of the body, but for a very variously estimated time; (3) that in the body, so long as it has not decayed, there abides a potential life. As to the last point mention might also be made of India: “So long as even only a bone is there, the dead man enjoys glory in the world of heaven.” Cp. Caland, *Toten- u. Bestattungsgebräuche*, 107, 109. That it was thought in certain cases at least that the soul was still in the dead man’s body is well seen, too, from the custom of splitting the skull with a coco-nut, that the spirit of life might escape. But it is not true to say with Negelein: “According to the teaching of the Vedic ritual books the soul of the dead man stays along with the body for a time” (pp. 22-23), and to bring forward so confidently as proof Hillebrandt, *Rituallit.* 90 and (seemingly taken from Hillebrandt) Oldenberg, *Rel. d. Veda*, 555, and Caland, *Ahnenkult*, 22. The last-named citation is moreover some mistake in Hillebrandt. But Caland, *Toten- u. Bestattungsgebräuche*, 166, perhaps means to say that at the time when the body was buried the dead man’s earthly wrapping was still looked on as the abode of his soul. Our passage in the Epic is particularly worthy of note on this point, and also Markaṇḍeyapur., x, 70 f. :