Chapter 3

Hereafter, I will declare the rules of purification for birth and death. Brāhmaṇas become pure in three days from the sūtaka (ritual impurity following a birth or death) of a deceased relative. (I,2, p. 204) // Par_3.1 //

A Kṣatriya becomes pure in twelve days, a Vaiśya in fifteen days, and a Śūdra in a month, according to the word of Parāśara. // Par_3.2 //

During the worship of Brāhmaṇas, purity of the limbs is achieved. At the birth of a Brāhmaṇa, touching the body is prescribed. (I,2, p. 212) // Par_3.3 //

At a birth, a Brāhmaṇa becomes pure in ten days, a king in twelve days, a Vaiśya in fifteen days, and a Śūdra in a month. (I,2, p. 213) // Par_3.4 //

A Brāhmaṇa who is endowed with the sacred fire and knowledge of the Veda becomes pure in one day. One who has only knowledge of the Veda becomes pure in three days; one who is destitute of both, in ten days. (I,2, p. 215) // Par_3.5 //

A Brāhmaṇa who has fallen from his birthright duties and abandoned his twilight prayers, a Brāhmaṇa in name only, remains in sūtaka for ten days. (I,2, p. 217) // Par_3.6 //

Kinsmen who share the same funeral cake (piṇḍa) but have separate wives and homes—for them, that sūtaka applies at a birth as well as at a death. (I,2, p. 219) // Par_3.7 //

That sūtaka extends in the lineage (gotra) up to the fourth person. The connection of kinship is severed with the fifth person in one's own line. (I,2, p. 221) // Par_3.8 //

For the fourth degree of kinship, it is ten nights; for the fifth male descendant, six nights. For the sixth, purity is achieved in four days, and for the seventh, in three days. (I,2, p. 222) // Par_3.9 //

In the case of a death by falling from a cliff, by fire, or in a distant land, and for a child who has died or for an ascetic, immediate purification is prescribed. (I,2, p. 223) // Par_3.10 //

If it is heard that a kinsman has died in a distant land, the impurity is not for three nights or one day and night; one becomes pure immediately after bathing. (I,2, p. 232) // Par_3.11 //

If a Brāhmaṇa, having gone to a distant land, meets his death due to exertion or the passage of time, and the date is not known, (I,2, p. 236) // Par_3.12 //

then on the eighth day of the dark fortnight, the new moon day, or the eleventh day of the dark fortnight, one should perform the water offering, the funeral cake offering, and the ancestral rite (śrāddha). // Par_3.13 //

For those children whose teeth have not yet emerged, and for those who have come forth from the womb (stillborn), there is no cremation with fire, no period of impurity (āśauca), and no water-offering rite. (I,2, p. 237) // Par_3.14 //

If a woman has a miscarriage or a spontaneous abortion, the period of sūtaka is as many days as the months the fetus was in the womb. (I,2, p. 238) // Par_3.15 //

Up to the fourth month, it is a spontaneous abortion (srāva); in the fifth and sixth, it is a miscarriage (pāta). After that, it is a birth, and the sūtaka is for ten days. (I,2, p. 240) // Par_3.16 //

For a child who has died after teething, after birth but before tonsure, or after the tonsure ceremony, and who is to be cremated, one is impure for three nights. (I,2, p. 241) // Par_3.16/1 //

From birth until teething, purification is immediate; from teething until the tonsure ceremony, it is one night; from tonsure until the investiture with the sacred thread, it is three nights; after that, it is ten nights. (I,2, p. 243) // Par_3.17 //

In whose house a celibate student resides and the sacred fire is maintained, if they do not have contact (with the source of impurity), there is no sūtaka for them. (I,2, p. 253) // Par_3.18 //

A Brāhmaṇa is defiled by contact at a birth or a death. For one who has withdrawn from contact, there is neither impurity from death nor from birth. (I,2, p. 254) // Par_3.19 //

Artisans, craftsmen, physicians, male and female servants, barbers, kings, and Vedic scholars are declared to be immediately pure. // Par_3.20 //

A dvija who is observing a vow, is purified by a sacrificial session, or maintains the sacred fire, and a king, have no sūtaka, or if the king so wishes it for another. (I,2, p. 255) // Par_3.21 //

One who is engaged in giving at a time of death, one who is in distress, and an invited Brāhmaṇa—it has been seen by the sages that they become pure at the appropriate time. // Par_3.22 //

At a birth, if the householder does not have contact (with the mother), the mother becomes pure in ten days, while the father is pure after bathing. (I,2, p. 259) // Par_3.23 //

The impurity from a death (śāvam āśauca) affects all kinsmen, but the sūtaka from birth affects only the mother and father. The sūtaka is for the mother alone; the father becomes pure by touching water. // Par_3.24 //

If a dvija has contact with his wife after she has given birth, the sūtaka applies to him, even if he is a Brāhmaṇa learned in the six auxiliary sciences of the Veda. (I,2, p. 260) // Par_3.25 //

A fault arises from contact; there is no other fault for a dvija. Therefore, a wise man should avoid contact with all effort. (I,2, p. 261) // Par_3.26 //

During a wedding, festival, or sacrifice, if an impurity from death or birth occurs in the interim, the items previously designated for giving are not defiled when given. (I,2, p. 262) // Par_3.27 //

If within the ten-day period another death or birth occurs, the Brāhmaṇa remains impure until that ten-day period is over. (I,2, p. 263) // Par_3.28 //

For those who have died for the sake of a Brāhmaṇa, in rescuing cattle from captivity, or in battles, the impurity is for one night. (I,2, p. 268) // Par_3.29 //

These two men in the world pierce the orb of the sun: the wandering ascetic who is yoked to yoga, and the warrior who is killed in battle facing the enemy. // Par_3.30 //

Wherever a hero is killed, surrounded by his enemies, he obtains imperishable worlds, provided he does not speak like a coward. (I,2, p. 269) // Par_3.31 //

Seeing a renounced Brāhmaṇa, the sun moves from its place, thinking: "This one, having pierced my orb, will go to the supreme abode." (I,2, p. 270) // Par_3.32 //

When the armies are broken and fleeing in all directions, he who goes forth to rally them obtains the fruit of a great sacrifice. (I,2, p. 271) // Par_3.33 //

The hero whose body is cut and wounded by arrows, clubs, and staffs—him the celestial maidens carry away and delight with. // Par_3.34 //

Thousands of celestial nymphs, seeing a hero slain in battle, rush forward eagerly, crying, "He is my husband! He is mine!" (I,2, p. 272) // Par_3.35 //

The heavens which Brāhmaṇas seeking heaven attain here through many sacrifices and austerities, the heroes attain in a moment by giving up their lives in a good fight. // Par_3.36 //

By victory, wealth is obtained; by death, even celestial nymphs. In this body which is destroyed in a moment, what anxiety is there about death in battle? (I,2, p. 273) // Par_3.37 //

He whose blood flows from his forehead and enters his mouth in battle—that is indeed equivalent to his drinking Soma, as duly seen in the sacrifice of battle. // Par_3.38 //

Dvijas who carry the corpse of an heirless Brāhmaṇa obtain the fruit of a sacrifice at every single step, in succession. (I,2, p. 274) // Par_3.39 //

For them, engaged in a meritorious act, there is no inauspiciousness nor any sin. By immersing themselves in water, immediate purification is prescribed for them. // Par_3.40 //

Having carried and cremated a deceased Brāhmaṇa of excellent standing who is not of one's lineage and not a relative, one becomes pure by performing breath control (prāṇāyāma). (I,2, p. 275) // Par_3.41 //

Having willingly followed a corpse, whether of a kinsman or not, one becomes pure by bathing with one's clothes on, touching fire, and consuming clarified butter. (I,2, p. 280) // Par_3.42 //

A Brāhmaṇa who, out of ignorance, follows a deceased Kṣatriya, becomes impure for one day and is purified by consuming pañcagavya (the five products of the cow). (I,2, p. 281) // Par_3.43 //

A Brāhmaṇa who, out of ignorance, follows a deceased Vaiśya, after observing a two-night impurity, should perform six breath-control exercises. (I,2, p. 282) // Par_3.44 //

A Brāhmaṇa, weak in knowledge, who follows a deceased Śūdra being carried to cremation, becomes impure for three nights. // Par_3.45 //

Then, after the three nights are complete, having gone to a river that flows to the sea, he becomes pure by performing one hundred breath-control exercises and consuming clarified butter. // Par_3.46 //

When the Śūdras, having completed the rites, have reached the water's edge, they may then be followed by dvijas. This is the eternal dharma. (I,2, p. 283) // Par_3.47 //