﻿OF THE IIIXBUS, &C. 261 



furniture is brought, and the giver sits down near 

 the Brahman a, who has been invited to receive the 

 present; after saying, "salutation to this bed with 

 its furniture, salutation to tliis priest to whom it is 

 given," he pays due honour to the Brahman'a in 

 the usual form of hospitality. He then pours water 

 into his hand, saying, " I give thee this bed with its 

 furniture ;"'tJie priest replies, " give it. " Upon this 

 he sprinkles it with water, and taking up cus'a gvds%, 

 tila and water, delivers them to the priest, pouring the 

 water into his hand with a formal declaration of the 

 gift and its purpose, and again delivers a bit of gold 

 with cus'a grass, &c. making a similar formal de- 

 claration. 1. " This day, I, being desirous of ob- 

 taining celestial bliss for such a one defunct, do give 

 unto thee, such a one, -a. Brahmnn'a, descended from 

 such a family, to whom due honour has been shou'n, 

 this bed and furniture, v, hich has been duly honour- 

 ed, and which is sacred to Vishx'l'." 2. '' This day 

 I give unto thee (so and so) this gold, sacred to fire, 

 as a sacerdotal fee, for the sake of coniirming the 

 donation I have made of this bed and furniture. " The 

 Brahman' a hot\\ times replies, " be it well." Then 

 lying upon the bed, and toucliing it with the upper 

 part of his middle finger, he meditates the gdiiatri 

 Avith suitable prayers, adding, " This bed is sacred 



to ViSHX'u." 



With the same ceremonies, and Avith similar for- 

 mal declarations, he next gives away to a Brahman a 

 (or more commonly, in both instances, to a married 

 couple,) a golden image of the deceased, 01 else a 

 golden idol, or botlf, with clothes and various sorts 

 of fruit. 'Afterwards he distributes other presents 

 ' among Brahma?i as, for the greater honour of the 

 ' deceased ; making donations of land, and giving a 



* chair or stool, clothes, v/ater, food, betel leaf, a 

 ' lamp, gold, silver, a parasol, an orchard of fruit 

 ' trees, wreatlies of flowers, a pair of shoes, another 



* bed, another milch cow, and any other presents' he 



S 3 " ' mav 



