242 On the Funeral Ceremonies of the ancient Hindus. [No. 4, 



not considered as an essential part of that class of rites which is 

 comprehended under the name of Sams7c6ra" Such, however, does 

 not seem to be the case ; for the whole of the funeral ceremonies, 

 including those required to be observed at burials, are given in 

 detail in the sixth chapter of the Aramjaha of the Black Yajur 

 Veda, aphorised by Baudhayana and Bharadvaja in their Sutras, 

 and commented upon by Sayana A'charya. I find that Hiranya- 

 kes'i also has written on the subject, but I have not his work at 

 hand to refer to, nor has Sayana noticed him. A hand-book for 

 the performance of funeral ceremonies, professing to be founded on 

 the rules of Hiranyakes'i, exists in the Society's Library and is 

 entitled : — Siranyahes'yanteshti^rayoyamani ; but it is a compilation 

 by a modern author, Abhayarikara Bkatta, and does not correspond 

 with the rules of the other Sutrakaras. It treats of the whole of 

 the rites due on the first thirteen days after death, but it does not 

 anywhere quote the rules of Hiranyakes'i, and so simplifies the 

 operations detailed in the works of the early writers that it cannot 

 be accepted as a trustworthy guide to the most ancient ritual. 



The A'ranyaka describes the ceremonies under the title of Pitri- 

 medha, or rites for the welfare of the manes, and gives all the man- 

 tras required for the ceremonials of the first ten days after death, 

 leaving the srdddha, or the rites meet for the eleventh day, altoge- 

 ther unnoticed. The mantras are taken mostly from the Rig Yeda, 

 and arranged in consecutive order, but without any clue to the par- 

 ticular rituals for which they are intended. The two Sutrakaras 

 supply this deficiency, and as they point out several peculiarities 

 not to be found in As'valayana, I propose to give here a summary 

 of the subject. The bulk of the mantras and the rules are the 

 same as given by As'valayana ; but as that author's work, lately 

 published by the Society, has already been commented upon by 

 Dr. Max Midler,* it is not necessary to notice it in detail. 



The first mantra given in the Aranyaka refers to the perfor- 

 mance of a homa immediately after the death of a man who had 

 always maintained the sacrificial fires in his house. According to 

 Baudhayana, four offerings should be made, while touching the 



* Vide passim Grimm's Essay on the Burning of the Dead, and Dr. Roth's 

 article " on Burial in India." 



