ABLUTIONS PERFORMED BY MOURNERS 487
another as a sign of grief. Then, taking hold of the torch, the chief mourner sets fire to the four corners of the pile. As soon as the flames have caught hold of it everybody
retires, with the exception of the four Brahmins who have carried the corpse, and who must remain on the spot until the whole pyre has been consumed. Meanwhile the heir goes to bathe himself without taking off his clothes; while soaked in this way, he selects a clear spot on the ground and causes rice and pulse to be cooked there in a new earthenware vessel, which he must keep carefully for the ten days following. Then directing his thoughts to the deceased, he pours a libation of oil and water on the ground, strews darbha grass over it, which he also sprinkles with the same mixture of oil and water, and on this again he
places the rice and pulse after moulding them in the form of balls. A third libation is then offered, mantrams are recited, and the balls are thrown to the crows, which, as every one knows, are very common in India. The Hindus believe these noisy and rapacious birds to be evil spirits, in fact, devils under the form of crows. This offering, therefore, is intended to render them kindly disposed
towards the dead man. If they refuse to accept the food, which we are told sometimes happens, it is a very bad
omen for him, and instead of being admitted into the
Abode of Bliss he will find himself, despite all the mantrams and purifying ceremonies, made captive in the Yamaloka, that is to say, in hell.
After the corpse has been consumed, the four Brahmins who remained near the pyre return to the place where the other people present at the ceremonies have gathered together K Three times they walk round the assembly, asking permission to take the bath of the Ganges. Then they proceed to perform their ablutions in order to purify themselves of the pollution of having carried a corpse.
The chief mourner invites all present to take the bath of the dead, the mritika-snana, which is supposed to be on behalf of the deceased whose body has just been consumed by the flames. This bath, it is supposed, will refresh it after the fiery ordeal. Then a few small coins and some
1
These people always meet on the bank of a river or a tank. Ed.