The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v2.c35.57

v2.c35.57

The departure from the place of the erection of the memorial is followed by many rites to prevent contamination, the use of fire, of the Apāmārga plant, the obliteration of the footsteps, the crossing of pits filled with water, and so on. The placing of a barrier of some sort between the dead and the living is a rite recorded in the Rigveda⁴ itself, whether the object is stone or some piece of earth.