The History of Antiquity, Vol. 4 (of 6)Duncker, Max
History
The History of Antiquity, Vol. 4 (of 6)
Duncker, Max
History, Ancient
of the house, and Brahman; on the top of the house or behind it for all
living creatures; and the remainder must be strewn for the ancestors
with the face turned to the south. Any one who omits these offerings
before eating is a sinner.[201] At sunrise and sunset the Dvija is to
pronounce the prayer Gayatri on pain of losing caste;[202] and every day
he must pour libations to the saints, the gods, the spirits, the
ancestors, and strangers.
The forms of purification underwent further change and important
extension. The new system, unlike the old custom, was not contented to
remove defilement, when incurred, by the use of rules of purification,
in which, in certain cases, traditional prayers and formulæ had to be
pronounced in order to obviate the evil consequences, or drive away the
bad spirits. In a large number of defilements the Brahmans saw something
more than mere impurity; they were sins which must be removed by
expiation. Their desire was not to expel the black spirits, but to
eradicated and quench the false and sinful feelings in men, which gave
rise to impurity. From the same point of view, and following the same
path, they required that a man who had committed an offence, should not
wait for the penalty of the court, but should punish himself, do penance
of his own will, and by this voluntary punishment and expiation remove
the consequences of his offence, not in this world only but in the next.
The forms of expiation instituted by the Brahmans for the removal of
impurity and offences consist of prayers, which at times have to be
repeated a thousand times daily, of fasts more or less severe, and
occupying more or less time, of corporal punishments, and in the case of
grievous offences, of voluntary death or suicide. Any one who by
misadventure has eaten forbidden food must perform the expiation of the
moon, or the Santapana. The expiation of the moon consists in eating
nothing but rice for a whole month; on the first day of the waning moon
fifteen mouthfuls are to be taken, and a mouthful less each day till the
sixteenth, when a total fast is to be kept; from this time for each day
of the increase of the moon a mouthful more is to be taken till the
fifteenth day.[203] The Santapana requires that the penitent should live
for a day on the urine and dung of cows mingled with milk, and drink
water boiled with kuça-grass; the day following he is to fast.[204] To
atone for the forbidden food eaten unintentionally by an Arya in the
course of a year, it was necessary to perform the penance of Prajapatya
for twelve days.[205] On the first three days he eats in the morning
only; on the next three, in the evening only; on the seventh, eighth,
and ninth day he eats only what strangers give him, without asking; on
the last three days he keeps a strict fast. Any one who intentionally
eats what is forbidden is expelled by the members of his family from the
family and caste. The Brahmans punished indulgence in intoxicating
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