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OF THE HINDUS.
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be sprinkled over it. Áśvaláyana mentions nothing about this, but only enjoins that grass should be strewed upon the pile; that the hide of the black antelope, the fur outside, should be spread over it; and that on this the corpse is to be placed, so that it lies north of the Gárhapatya fire, and with the head toward the Ahavaniya fire. His wife' is placed to the north of her husband. If he be a Kshatriya, a bow also is placed there. The wife is then to be led away as already stated, and in respect of the bow, that also is to be removed by the same persons, with the repetition of the following Rik:
As this is a critical passage, I subjoin the ipsissima verba of Ásvalayana and his commentator.
उत्तरतः पत्नी ॥ Com. ततःप्रेतस्योत्तरतःपत्नी संवेशयति । शाययंतीत्यर्थः । चितावेव उपशेष इति लिंगात् ॥ एतावद्वर्ण त्रयस्यापि समानं ॥
धनुश्च क्षत्रियाय ॥ Com. प्रेतः क्षत्रियश्चेद्धनुरप्युत्तरतः संवेशयंति ॥
तामुत्थापयेद्देवरः पतिस्थानीयोऽतेवासी जरदासी वोदील नार्यभि जीवलोकमिति ॥ Com. अथ पत्नीमुत्थापयेत् कः । देवरः पतिस्थानीयः । स पतिस्थानीय उच्यते । अनेन ज्ञायते पतिकर्तकं कर्म पुंसवनादि पत्यसंभवे देवरः कुर्यादिति ॥ अंतेवासी शिष्यः । स वा। यो बहु कालं दास्यं कृत्वा वृद्धो ऽभूत स वा ॥
की वृषले जपेत् ॥ Com. जरद्दास उत्थापयितरि की मंत्र ब्रयात् । अन्यदोत्थापयितैव मंत्रं ब्रूयात् ॥ "धनुर्हस्तादाददानो मृतस्येति धनुः ॥ Com. धनुरित्यूचा धनुरुत्थापयेत् । अपनयेदित्यर्थः ॥
The last word, "apanayet” (he may lead away), as an explanation of “utthápayet" (he may lift up), which is applied to the bow and the wife, leaves no doubt that, according to the intention of the sútras, the wife is to be removed from the pile, and not to be burned with the dead.
