1870.] On the Funeral Ceremonies of the ancient Hindus. 245 



Governor of Bengal, proposed the removal of the Hindu dead of 

 Calcutta by the Mutlah Railway to Gariah, the strongest opposition 

 was offered by the people, on the ground that it would involve a 

 most serious pollution and loss of caste, to allow a corpse to be 

 touched by other than its own caste men. They quoted a number 

 of texts in support of their opinion, including those given above, 

 and had no doubt custom — a greater authority than written laws — 

 to plead in their favour ; but the most revered and most ancient of 

 their S'astras was opposed to them, for it recommended for the 

 Brahman dead a bullock cart as the most fitting conveyance, and 

 a Sudra slave as its substitute. 



The road from the house to the burning-ground used to be di- 

 vided into three stages, and at the end of each, the procession used 

 to halt, deposit the body on its cot on the ground, and address a 

 mantra. A's'valayana says nothing about the division of the road 

 into stages, nor of the mantras to be repeated, but recommends the 

 procession to be headed by the eldest member of the family. The 

 first mantra in the Aranyaka runs as follows : " Pusha, who knows 

 the road well, has well-trained animals, to carry you, and is the 

 protector of regions, is bearing you away hence ; may he translate 

 you hence to the region of the pitris. May Agni, who knows what 



hand, cause a deceased Brahman to be carried out by a Sudra ; since the 

 funeral rite, polluted by the touch of a servile man, obstructs his passage to 

 heaven." Chap. V. ver. 104. The following are the subsequent authorities : — 



-. ^ ** 



" T lie Brahman (dead) should not be removed by a Sudra, or a Sudra (dead) 

 by a Brahman. Vishnu. 



"Whoever causes fire, grass, wood, and ghi to be brought by a Sudra (should 

 perform an expiatory rite). Tama. I shall now relate to you the mode of puri- 

 fication as ordained by Manu, from the pollution caused by a dog, Sudra, an 

 outcaste and the low dying in the house of a Brahman. Ten nights for a dog, 

 month for a Sudra, twice that time for an outcaste, and twice that for the 

 low. The house should be forsaken in the case of the lowest, says Manu. 

 Vrihanmanu. A house becomes purified in three days after the death of a 

 Brahman ; the courtyard outside of the house is purified in one day by the touch 

 of fire, and by smearing it with cow dung. Yama. 



