Verse 5.59

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

दशाहं शावमाशौचं सपिण्डेषु विधीयते ।
अर्वाक् सञ्चयनादस्थ्नां त्र्यहमेकाहमेव वा ॥ ५९ ॥

daśāhaṃ śāvamāśaucaṃ sapiṇḍeṣu vidhīyate |
arvāk sañcayanādasthnāṃ tryahamekāhameva vā || 59 ||

Among ‘Sapiṇḍas’. the period of impurity due to death is ordained to last for ten days; or till the collecting of the bones, or for three days, or for one day only—(59).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The qualifications of the^‘Sapiṇḍa’ shall be described later on.

‘Till the collecting of the bones’;—this is meant to indicate the period of four days;—since there is the text—‘The bone-collecting of one who has set up the fire shall be done on the fourth day’.

The alternatives here laid down are in consideration of the man’s character and Vedic learning, or of his character only; as says another Smṛti -text,—‘The Brāhmaṇa who is equipped with the Veda only, in three days, and he who has no qualifications, in ten days.’ The period of ‘one day’ is meant for the man who knows three Vedas and has set up the Fire; that of ‘three days’ far one who knows one Veda only; and that of ten days for one who has no such qualifications.

Gautama (14.44) has spoken of ‘immediate purity.’ But this is for a special purpose; all that is meant it that Vedic Study shall not cease. During the period of Impurity, several acts are discontinued,—e.g. for ten days, the food of the two families is not eaten; the making of gifts, the receiving of them, the offering af (of?) oblations and Vedic Study are discontinued; so that ordinarily all these acts would cease during the period; but so far as the Student of several Vedas is concerned, if he were not to repeat them regularly, he would forget them; hence in his case Vedic Study shall not cease.

Similarly it is only right that an alternative should be provided, in consideration of the mourner’s livelihood. For instance, for the man who lives by the ‘six acts’ (of giving and receiving gifts, of sacrificing and officiating at sacrifices, and Reading and Teaching), the impurity lasts for ten days; for him who lives by the ‘three acts’ (of receiving gifts, officiating at Sacrifices and Teaching), it lasts for four days, and for him who lives by’two acts,’ it lasts for three days. If, for all these, the Impurity were to last for ten days, then, as the man would not be entitled to receive gifts and officiate at sacrifices, his living would become extremely difficult for him.

Some people hold that—“there are four age-stages, and four periods of Impurity; so that each of the latter is to be taken along with each of the former.”

But according to this view, there would be ten days impurity in the case of the child that has teethed; while in the case of the death of the initiated boy, it would be for a single day only; and this would be contrary to usage and other Smṛti-texts.

In order to avoid this incongruity, the connection may be made in the reverse order; i.e., the death of the initiated boy entailing ten days, and that of the tonsured child four days, the teething child three days, and a still younger child only one day.

Even so in view of the incompatibility (of this view) with the Smṛti-text, that—‘in the case of the tonsured child, the impurity lasts for three days’,—it would be necessary to regard the two (three and four days) as optional alternatives; specially as the term ‘sva’ refers to ‘three days,’ and the period of^‘four days’ would apply to the particular livelihood of the mourner, or to the particular day on which the bones are collected. In this manner all this becomes reconciled with the other Smṛti-texts, which, speaks of^‘one day, &c,’ If, on the other hand, the option were explained as based upon the diversity of age,—then, with what would Menu’s declaration regarding^‘conduct’ and^‘study’ be taken as optional?

From all this it follows that on the strength of Gautama’s assertion, there is to be^‘immediate purification,’ only so far as Vedic Study is concerned—for the man who, like the person possessing a ^‘granary’, has other means of living than the receiving of gifts, and who is very much learned in the Vedas. In the case of the other alternatives, of ‘three days’ and the rest, the purification in meant simply to qualify the man for the receiving of gifts for purposes of a living. This is according to the view of Gautama. If this were not his meaning, then, he would have said simply—‘for the Brāhmaṇa learning the Veda,’—and not ‘for the purpose of avoiding discontinuance of study.’

Thus, though purification has been laid down in a general way, as to be accomplished in a single day,—yet it should be understood as pertaining to certain special acts only. So that the ordinary period for the Brāhmaṇa being^‘ten days’ (according to 5.83), there is no need for saying anything else; from which it is clear that the option should be admitted in the manner described above. In the case however of ‘purity’ being immediate, in the case of new born infants, and the period of impurity lasting for ‘three days’ in the case of tonsured children,—sinece there is no option, the purity must pertain to all acts.—(59).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

“The commentators are of the opinion that the length of the period of the impurity depends on the status of the mourner; and that a man who knows the mantras only of one Śākhā shall be impure during four days, one who knows a whole Śākhā (or two Vedas) during three days, one who knows the Veda (or three Vedas) and keeps three or five sacred fires, during one day. Medhātithi however mentions another interpretation, according to which the four periods correspond to the four ages of the deceased, which have been mentioned in the preceding verse. According to this view, the Sapiṇḍas shall mourn for an initiated person for ten days,—for one who had received the tonsure, four days, and so forth.”—Buhler.

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 893), which explains the first half to mean that the Sapiṇḍas are impure for ten days, and the second half as laying down three other alternatives;—‘Arvāk (or as it reads ā vā) sañcayanāt asthnām’ it explains as indicating the period of four days, the fourth day being prescribed for the collecting of the bones of the dead. Thus the four alternative periods are—ten days, four days, three days and one day; and the rule regarding the restriction of one or the other is thus laid down by Parāśara—‘The Brāhmaṇa equipped with both the Veda and the Fire becomes pure in one day, one equipped with the Veda only in three days, and one without qualifications in ten days.’

It is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 3.29), which remarks that the four periods here specified are meant respectively for the ‘Kusūladhānyaka,’ the ‘Kumbhīdhānyaka,’ the Tryahaihika’ and the ‘Aśvastanika’ (described in 4.7 above). It quotes Parāśara’s rule (just quoted), but rejects it as unacceptable.

It is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 391), and again on p. 426;—in Smṛtisāroddhāra (pp. 226 and 229);—in Nityācārapradīpa (p. 116);—in Hāralatā (p. 3) which reads ‘āsthi’ and explains it as meaning ‘four days’;—and in Śuddhimayūkha (p. 37).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (14.1).—‘The Sapiṇḍas become impure by death during ten days,—except those who officiate as priests, who have performed the initiatory sacrifice and religious students.’

Baudhāyana (1.11.1).—‘Referring to deaths and births, they declare that the impurity of Sapiṇḍas lasts for ten days, except for the officiating priest, or one who has performed the initiatory sacrifice, or the religious student.’

Vaśiṣṭha (4.16).—‘It is ordained that impurity caused by a death shall last ten days in the case of Sapiṇḍa relations.’

Viṣṇu (22.1).—‘Impurity due to death and birth shall last for ten days for the Brāhmaṇa, among Sapiṇḍas.’ Yājñavalkya (3.18).—(See above, under 58.)

Āśvalāyana Gṛhyasūtra (4.4.18).—‘For ten days after the death of a Sapiṇḍa (study and gifts are to be avoided).’

Śāṅkhāyana Gṛhyasūtra (4.7.6).—‘If a death or birth has occurred, for ten days (shall study be discontinued).’

Parāśara (Aparārka, p. 894).—‘The Brāhmaṇa equipped with fire and Veda becomes purified in a single day; one endowed with the Veda only, in three days; one devoid of special qualifications, in ten days.’

Dakṣa (Do.).—‘There are options in regard to impurity due to birth—for the moment, for one, three, four, six, ten, twelve or fifteen days, for a month, and till death. No such impurity attaches to the persons who know the text and the meaning of the Veda, along with the subsidiary sciences, rituals and esoteric doctrines, and are also devoted to the performance of religious rites.’

Bṛhaspati (Do.).—‘There is no impurity when Vedic Study is carried on, when Homa is offered at both times and when the Vaiśvadeva-offerings are constantly made. The Brāhmaṇa equipped with Fire and Veda becomes purified in one day; those with lesser qualifications, in three and four days. One without the Fire, in three days; the common Brāhmaṇa, in ten days; one who lives upon pickings and gleanings is immediately purified; for one whose sole possession is the Gāyatrī and who duly offers the three twilight-prayers, and who does not live the life of the dog, the impurity lasts for six days.’

Parāśara (Do.).—(Same as above; but ‘Mahābhārata is read’ in place ‘Homa is offered at both times).’

Dakṣa (Do. p. 895).—‘The twice-born man who takes his food without bathing or making oblations, is always impure; also one who is an invalid, a miser, one in debt, one devoid of religious acts, and illiterate, one who is controlled by his wife and so forth.’

Brahmapurāṇa (Aparārka, p. 895).—‘The man who has a second wife is beset with permanent impurity.’

Śātātapa (Do.).—‘One who is degraded in birth and death, who is devoid of twilight-prayers, and who only bears the name of the Brāhmaṇa, becomes pure in ten days.’

Parāśara (l.3.6.).—(Same as above.)

(Do.) (1.3.7, etc.).—‘Those who arc of the same Piṇḍa are affected by impurity. Up to the fourth grade, the impurity lasts ten days; at the fifth grade, six days; at the sixth, four days; at the seventh, three days.’

Kūrmapurāṇa (Parāśaramādhava, p. 583).—‘On the death of the Brāhmaṇa, the Śūdra, the Vaiśya and the Kṣatriya are purified in ten days.’

Devala (Do.).—‘On the death of the Brāhmaṇa, all his Sapiṇḍa relations are impure for ten days.’