1885.] 
of Religion in the Himalaya. 
13 
pramitanam tydginam kulabhagindm uchcJihisJita-bJidgadheydndm darbhe- 
slm vikirdsanam. It is then cast on the ground near the pindas and is 
called the bihira-ddn. 
Then kneeling on the left knee with janeo reversed a pinda is taken 
with kusa, sesamnm and water in the name of the father of the deceased 
with the prayer that the earth here may he holy as Gya, the water like 
that of the Ganges, and the pinda be like amrita, and is placed on the 
altar. Similarly a pinda is taken and dedicated to the grandfather and 
great-grandfather of the deceased respectively. The last is dedicated 
to the spirit of the deceased that he may cease to be a disembodied spirit 
and become enrolled amongst the ancestors. Next follows the usual gifts 
with dedication. The celebrant next divides the pinda of the deceased 
into three parts with a golden skewer and attaches one part to each of 
the pindas of the ancestors with the mantra :— Ye samandh samanasah 
pitaro yamarajye, tesham lokah svadha namo deveshu kalpatam , ye samandh 
samanaso jivd jiveshu mdmakah , teshdm srir mayi halpatam asmin lake 
satam samdh. The spirit thus becomes an ancestor and ousts his great¬ 
grandfather in the line of the parvana. Water is then presented and the 
pavitra is thrown away ; rice is next sprinkled over the three pindas with 
the mantra :—Om namo vah pitaro rasaya namo vah pitaro jivdiya namo vah 
pitaro sukhaya namo rah pitarah pitaro namo vo grihana pitaro dattam 
sado vah pitaro pitaro vdsah. The same mantra is repeated whilst 
laying three threads on the pindas to represent their janeos. Next 
water, sesamum and kusa are presented with a dedication. Milk is 
then poured through the hand over the pindas whilst the preceding mantra 
is repeated. All now march round the altar whilst the celebrant recites 
the mantra: — A'mavdjasya prasavo j agamy am deve dyavdprithivi visvarupe 
dma gantdm pitaramatard chdrnd somo amritatve j agamy dm. Then the 
celebrant gives himself the tilaka with the mantra :■—Om pitribhyah 
svadha ebhyah svadlid namah pitdmahebhyah svadha ebhyah svadha namah 
prapitdmahebhyah svadlia ebhyah svadha namah akshana pitaro mimadanta 
pitaro ’titripanta pitarah pitarah sundadhvam. Next the dsis or benedic¬ 
tion occurs in which with hands clasped the celebrant prays for the 
increase in prosperity of his family, their defence in time of trouble, 
&c. The pinda of the father is then removed from the altar and in its 
place the figures of a conch, discus, &c., are drawn with sandal and on 
them a lighted lamp is placed and saluted whilst rice is sprinkled 
over it. The mantra used is :— Om vasantdya namah , om grishmdiya namah , 
om varshdbhyo namah , om sarade namah , om hemantdya namah , om sisiraya 
namah —forming an address to the seasons. The pinda is then restored 
to its place on the altar and the bundle of kusa which represents the 
Brahmans at the northern altar is opened out and one stalk is thrown 
