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CHAPTER II, 46-56.
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undergo ablution inside the unclean house is all nonablution. 53. And whoever goes into it needlessly, his body and clothes are to be every time thoroughly washed, and his sin is one Tanäpuhar; and when he goes in needfully it is neither good work nor sin?
54. And this pollution is all in the sharp account (tikhak amår) when the life departs 8; the only thing which amounts to polluting is contact with the flesh, and even with the hair and nails. 55. Of the contact which is stated in the Avesta“, the account is that it is from one side, and it ever cleaves to one ; the curse (gazisn)which is stated in the Avesta advances from all four sides. 56. Sôshyans said it is, until its exhibition to a dog, just as it becomes at the time when its life departs ? ; a priest, a
1 That is, the ceremonial ablution (pâdîyâvih), or washing, with water, the hands and arms up to the elbows, the face as far as behind the ears, and the feet up to the ankles,' whilst a certain form of prayer is recited (see AV. p. 148, note).
* Here again, as in $ 38, the strict letter of the law is relaxed in case of necessity.
Meaning, apparently, that any pollution is taken into account, as a sin, in the investigation the soul has to undergo upon entering the other world. Much of this paragraph will be found in Pahl. Vend. V, 107.
• Referring to Vend. V, 82-107, which gives an account of the number of persons through whom the pollution of a corpse or carcase will pass, which is in proportion to the importance of the dead individual. The statement here made is that the infection, passing from one to the other, enters each person only on one side, but the demon of corruption attacks them on all sides.
• Meaning, probably, the Nasūs, or demon of corruption (see & 1). who is said to rush upon all those polluted as detailed in Vend. V, 82-107.
• See Chap. I, 3.
? That is, until seen by the dog the corpse remains pervaded by the demon of corruption and hazardous to approach (see $$ 1-4).
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