Verse 5.73

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

संनिधावेष वै कल्पः शावाशौचस्य कीर्तितः ।
असंनिधावयं ज्ञेयो विधिः सम्बन्धिबान्धवैः ॥ ७३ ॥

saṃnidhāveṣa vai kalpaḥ śāvāśaucasya kīrtitaḥ |
asaṃnidhāvayaṃ jñeyo vidhiḥ sambandhibāndhavaiḥ || 73 ||

This rule regarding Impurity due to death has been described in reference to cases where the parties are near one another. In reference to cases where they are not near, Kinsmen and relations should observe the following rule.—(73).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Near’—i.e., when the relations are close by the place where their kinsman has died.

Others have explained the text to mean that the rule applies to those who were near the man at the time of his death.

‘Kinsmen’—i e., Samānodakas:—‘bāndhara’—Sapiṇḍas.

Others have explained this ‘non-nearness’ to stand for men who may be living in another village or town.

In the case of these, we have the following rules (73).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 5.73-74)

Viṣṇu (23.39-41).—‘Living in a foreign land, if one hears of a birth or a death, his impurity lasts dining those days that may remain of the prescribed period of impurity; if he hears of it just after the lapse of the prescribed period of impurity, and before the lapse of one year, he becomes pure in one night;—after that by bathing.’

Yājñavalkya (3.21).—‘In the ease of one dying in a foreign land, the impurity lasts during the remaining days of the period; if no days remain, then during three days; if one year has elapsed, one becomes pure by offering water to the dead.’

Pāraskara Gṛhyasūtra (3, 10.44-45).—‘If one dies while absent on a journey, his relations shall sit on the ground from the time that they have heard of the death, offering water until the period of impurity has elapsed. If that period has already elapsed, then through one night, or three nights.’

Vaśiṣṭha (4.35).—‘If a person dies in a foreign country, and his Sapiṇḍas hear of his death after ten days, the impurity lasts for one day and night.’

Devala (Aparārka, p. 904).—‘If the death of a relative in foreign lands is heard of within three fortnights, the impurity lasts three days; up to six months, for one night and the days preceding and following it; up to a year, for one day; after that one becomes pure by bathing.’

Viṣṇu (Do.).—‘If it is heard of before the lapse of three fortnights, the impurity lasts three days; before six months, for a day and night; before one year, one day,—in the case of a man dying in foreign lands.’

Paiṭhīnasi (Do.).—‘The son, even though he be living in distant lands, on hearing of the death of his parents, shall remain impure for ten days beginning from the day on which he hears of it.’

Gautama (14.44).—‘If infants living in a distant country, or a renunciate, or a n on- Sapiṇḍa die, the purification is instantaneous.’

Vaśiṣṭha (4.36).—‘Gautama declares that if a person who has kindled the sacred fires dies on a journey, his Sapiṇḍas shall again celebrate his obsequies and remain impure for ten days.’

Parāśara (3.10).—‘If one hears of the death of a Sagotra in a foreign land, he is not impure either for one day or for three days; he becomes purified immediately by bathing.’