STONE TO MARK THE BOUNDARY-LINE OF DEATH'S DOMAIN
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Stone to mark the boundary-line of Death's domain
Monday, February 22, 2010
We plant the stone in the vedic cremation samskara.
Here is the update of the Rigveda, Atharva Veda, Yajurveda tradition:
A stone between the dead body and the living relations, marks off the
boundary-line of Death's domain at
http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97/megaliths
Rigveda 10.53.8 (cf. AV 12,2,26; VS 35,10) is rendered in a funeral
rite.
Monier-Williams remarks that the rules of the AsvaUyana Grihya Sutras
relating to funeral ceremonies possess great interest in their
connexion with the 18th hymn of the 10th Mandala of the Rig-Veda:
"Although the Sutras direct that the texts of this hymn are to be
used yet the rite must have undergone considerable modifications
since the period when the hymn was composed."
"We notice even at that early epoch an evident belief in the soul's
eternal existence, and the permanence of its personality hereafter,
which notably contrasts with the later ideas of transmigration,
absorption into the divine essence, and pantheistic identification
with the supreme Soul of the universe.
*' We learn also from this same hymn that the body in ancient times
was not burnt but buried; nor can we discover the slightest allusion
to the later practice of Sati or cremation of the widow with her
husband.
"The corpse of the deceased person was deposited close to a grave dug
ready for its reception, and by its side his widow, if he happened to
be a married man, seated herself, while his children, relatives, and
friends ranged themselves in a circle round her. The priest stood
near at an altar, on which the sacred fire was kindled, and having
invoked Death, called upon him to withdraw from the path of the
living, and not to molest the young and healthy survivors, who were
assembled to perform pious rites for the dead, without giving up the
expectation of a long life themselves. He then placed a stone between
the dead body and the living relations, to mark off the boundary-line
of Death's domain, and offered up a prayer that none of those present
might be removed to another world before attaining to old age, and
that none of the younger might be taken before the elder Then the
widow's married female friends walked up to the altar and offered
oblations in the fire; after which the widow herself withdrew from
the inner circle assigned to the dead, and joined the survivors
outside the boundary-line, while the officiating priest took the bow
out of the hand of the deceased, in order to show that the manly
strength which he possessed during life, did not perish with him, but
remained with his family. The body was then tenderly laid ia the
grave with repetition of the words of the hymn:
"Open thy arms, earth, receive the dead With gentle pressure and with
loving welcome. Enshroud him tenderly, e'en as a mother Folds her
soft vestment round the child she loves. Soul of the dead 1 depart;
take thou the path The ancient path by which our ancestors have Gone
before thee."
"The ceremony was concluded by the careful closing of the tomb with a
stone slab. Finally a mound of earth was raised to mark and
consecrate the spot."
http://www.archive.org/stream/lawsofmanuormana00murduoft/lawsofmanuormana00murduoft_djvu.txt
Murdoch, John, 1898, "The laws of Manu; or, Manava Dharma-s�stra, abridged
English translation", London, Christian Literature Society of India.
Haradatta: "The gods invoked by Agni to a sacrifice address each
other:
ashmanvatii, i.e. the unobstructed divine army, should march forward.
You should also get ready to go to the sacrifice. Traverse the
journey, O friends. In our journey let us avoid uncomfortable paths
and adopt the comfortable ones for the sake of sacrificial foods."
..ashmanvati (full of stones), i.e. having a stone placed towards
the north, this rite riiyate proceeds, i.e. concludes. O relatives!
You should get ready to traverse the paths leading to your houses..."
Ashmanvatii riiyate sam rabhadhvam uttishthata pra tarata sakhaayah atria
jahaama ye asannashevaah shivaan vayam ut taremaabhi vaajaan (RV 10.53.8)
Dear friends! A river filled with stones is flowing, try to cross it,
stand up and strive to go beyond. Renounce all that which is painful
and accept all, that which gives happiness.
This world is alike a river and the human being has to cross it to
reach the paraloka(heaven) if the human being strives with
preservance and grit he can easily cross the river of material life.
( http://www.aryabhatt.com/vedas/yajurveda5.htm ) YV 35/10.
ashmanvatI rIyate saM rabhadhvam uttiShThata pra taratA sakhAyaH |
atrA jahAma ye asann ashevAH shivAn vayam ut taremAbhi vAjAn || RV
10.53.8
ashmanvatI flows by. Hold tight together, keep your self erect and
cross [the river], friends. There let us leave that which is not
good, and we cross over to that which is auspicious. [This is the
single most important element of the sauchIka agni hymns in terms of
a date. It clearly mentions crossing of the river ashmanvatI to the
other side where the auspicious lies.
http://manasataramgini.wordpress.com/2006/11/26/the-crossing-of-ashmanvati
ashmanvatI rIyate saM rabhadhvamut tiSThata pra taratAsakhAyaH |\\
atrA jahAma ye asannashevAH shivAn vayamuttaremAbhi vAjAn
A river full of stones is flowing very fast. O friends! Get up with a
zeal and cross this river well.But there is a condition. Whatever
pains or restricts you, leave that here. We should cross this river
to attain a position of welfare and well-being.
10.53 (varga 14) verse 8a
ashmanvatI rIyate saM rabhadhvamut tiSThata pra taratAsakhAyaH |\\
10.53 (varga 14) verse 8c
atrA jahAma ye asannashevAH shivAn vayamuttaremAbhi vAjAn ||\\
See Aashvalaayana Grhya Mantra Vyaakhya, Chapter 4, p. 248.
(Source: Ram Gopal, 1983, The history and principles of Vedic
interpretation, Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi, p.26)
S. Kalyanaraman, 22 Feb. 2010
End of forwarded message from S. Kalyanaraman
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
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