Verse 5.102

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

अनुगम्येच्छया प्रेतं ज्ञातिमज्ञातिमेव च ।
स्नात्वा सचैलः स्पृष्ट्वाऽग्निं घृतं प्राश्य विशुध्यति ॥ १०२ ॥

anugamyecchayā pretaṃ jñātimajñātimeva ca |
snātvā sacailaḥ spṛṣṭvā'gniṃ ghṛtaṃ prāśya viśudhyati || 102 ||

Having voluntarily followed a dead person, whether he be a relation or not, he becomes pure by bathing with his clothes on, touching fire and eating clarified butter.—(102).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Following’—going after, intentionally. If he happen to follow it by chance, then he need not bathe with clothes on.

Bathing, Touching of fire and Eating of clarified butter,—all these collectively are the means of purification.—(102).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 103 of others.)

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 3.26), which explains ‘jñāti’ as ‘mother’s sapiṇḍa’;—in Aparārka (p. 918), which adds that this applies to one who follows the dead body intentionally, and not to one who happens to go with it by mere chance;—and in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 212).

This verse is quoted in Śuddhimayūkha (p. 22), which explains ‘jñāti’ as ‘one belonging to the same caste,’ not a sapiṇḍa, and adds that ‘eating of butter’ means fasting.

It is quoted in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 225), which explains ‘jñāti’ as ‘mother’s sapiṇḍa’;—in Nityācārapradīpa (p. 332);—in Hāralatā (p. 86) which has the, following notes:—‘Pretam,’ a Brāhmaṇa dead,—if one intentionally follows he becomes pure by touching fire and eating not butter, this is what is meant, and not that the impurity ceases on this alone, because even without following the dead body, the death of a relative involves an impurity for ten days; the following of a non-relative (‘ajñāti’) however involves only the touching of fire and eating of butter, and no further impurity.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (14.31).—‘If he has followed a corpse, he shall purify himself by bathing in his clothes.’

Viṣṇu (22.64).—‘If he has followed the corpse of a twice-born person, he must go to a river and having plunged into it, repeat the Aghamarṣaṇa mantra three times, and then coming out of the water, repeat the Gāyatrī, a hundred and eight times.’

Yājñavalkya (3.26).—‘If the Brāhmaṇa has followed the corpse of a twice-born person or a Śūdra, he shall become pure by bathing in water, touching fire and eating clarified butter.’

Parāśara (3.42-46).—‘(Same as Manu 102, then)—If the Brāhmaṇa, through folly, follows the corpse of a Kṣatriya, he remains impure for one day and becomes purified by eating Pañcagavya,—If a Brāhmaṇa, through folly, follows a dead Vaiśya, he remains impure for two nights and after that he should perform six breath-suspensions. If a foolish Brāhmaṇa follow a dead Śūdra, he shall remain impure for three nights and after the lapse of the third night, he shall go to a river that falls into the ocean and having performed a hundred breath-suspensions, and eaten clarified butter, he shall become purified.’

Kūrmapurāṇa (Parāśaramādhava, p. 636).—‘In the case of a Kṣatriya corpse being followed, purification comes after one day; in that of a Vaiśya one, after two days; and in that of a Śūdra one, after three days, followed by a hundred breath-suspensions.’