The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v2.c35.29

v2.c35.29

The Rigveda¹⁰ expressly refers to the burning of a goat which is the share of Agni, and to the use of the flesh of a cow to protect the body against the flame. In the ritual texts details of the use of the flesh of the cow are given: the omentum is placed over the face, the kidneys in either hand, to satisfy the dogs of Yama—like the honey cake for Kerberos—and the skin is put over the whole. A goat is also tied to the pyre so loosely that it can easily break the cord. The pyre is then lighted or the three fires are directed towards it, and Agni is invoked to take the dead uninjured to the Fathers. Other prayers and offerings seem to have been addressed to Yama, the Aṅgirases, and Sarasvatī;¹¹ the sense of the ceremony is shown by the words of the prayer, not recorded in the Rigveda,¹² ‘From him thou art born; may he in turn be born from thee.’