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BURNING OF HINDU WIDOWS.
301
Bharadwaja and Áswalayana, wherein they specify the rites in which many of the verses of the tenth Mandala quoted by you are to be respectively cited as Mantras, you will at once see what you rightly guess that the verse in question has nothing to do with the concremation of a Satí; it is directed to be chaunted on the tenth day after the burning of the dead, when the relatives of the deceased assemble on the Smaśána to perform certain ceremonies, on the conclusion of which, the Adhwaryu takes butter with a new blade of kusa grass, or clarified butter between the thumb and ring finger, and applying it, as collyrium, to the eyes of Sadhavás, recites the seventh hymn in question, the moment they are directed to depart towards the east.
Now, as the text, which has been supposed to authorize Sahamaraña, clearly appears to be appropriated to quite a different occasion, the argument based upon its interpretation proving it to discountenance concremation, necessarily falls to the ground.
The succeeding verses (to wit, the eighth and ninth),
उत्तरस्मादथाग्निमुपसमाधाय पश्चादस्यानडुहं चर्मास्तीर्य प्राङ्गीवमुत्तरलोम तस्मिन्नमात्यादीना रोहयेदारो हतायुर्जरसंवृणाना इति इमं जीवेभ्यः परिधिं दधामीति परिधिं दध्यादन्तर्मृत्युं दधतां पर्वतेनित्यस्नानमुत्तरतो ऽनेः कृत्वा परं मृत्यो अनुपरेहि पन्थामित्यादि चतसृभिः प्रत्यृचं हुत्वा यथाहान्यनुपूर्व भवन्तीत्यमात्यादीनीक्षेत । युवतयः पृथक्पाणिभ्यां दर्भतरणकैर्नवनीतेनांगुष्ठोपकनिष्ठिकाभ्यामाज्येनाक्षिणी आज्य पराच्यो विसृजेयुरिमा नारीरविधवाः सुपत्नीरिति अञ्जना ईक्षेत । अश्मन्यतीरयिते संरभष्यमिति ॥ Aswaliyana's Grihya Sütra, Adhyáya III.
