brass vessels and the like. On the following day a similar feast is given to lowest caste neighbours and the poor; these also expect presents from their host.

This concludes the first monthly Shraddha; upon its repetition on every thirtieth day there is only the ceremonial feast for the Bhōktas, but no general feasting.

At the end of the year there is a good deal of feasting according to the means of the family, as at the first monthly Shraddha, to mark the termination of the monthly ceremonies. And afterwards there is the annual ceremony performed on the anniversary of the death all being done in much the same way as above described.

What has been written above applies to Brahmins. The Sudras follow the same ritual to a certain extent, but there are these exceptions. The three chief guests are Brahmins, one of whom is the Purōhita. The feeding of these is not done on the spot, as they could not eat food cooked by Sudras; provisions are given to them which they take away and cook and eat by themselves. It is imperative that the very articles thus given be actually cooked and eaten by them. After the ceremonies have been duly performed in presence of the Brahmins and they have taken their departure, the Sudra Karta sits down with near relatives who have been previously invited, to partake of a meal in honour of the dead. It may be noted that although Sudras usually eat meat and fish, at this meal it is only the Vaishnavas who partake of flesh; the others make a point of having no meat whatever at this particular time.

These annual ceremonies, differing somewhat in form, are performed for both sexes by Hindus of every caste and sect. It is for the due performance of the funeral and annual ceremonies, that a Hindu longs so earnestly for a son. If a man dies having no male issue, his soul must suffer accordingly. Hence it is that if a man's wife bears him no son, he must either marry another wife or adopt a boy. The latter is what is usually done, and adoption has thus become an important institution amongst Hindus.

In addition to what may be called the ordinary Shraddhas, when opportunity offers and there is the ability to take advantage of the same, extra Shraddhas are performed at sacred rivers, and at such holy places as Rameshvaram, Srirangam, Kumbakonam and others in the south, and Benares, Allahabad, Gaya and others in the north; but for these ceremonies (pitrukāryam) no places appear to be so beneficial as Gaya and its neighbourhood. Great merit is attached to the performance of the ceremonies at any such places, but the efficacy of those at Gaya is such that, when fully and properly performed, the spirits of the departed relatives for whom the observances are made, no matter at what stage of existence they may be, are at once admitted to the heaven of Vishnu-the highest heaven (Vaikuntha).

Besides the ceremonies above described, there are also daily observances partaking of the same nature. Each day the Karta or head of the household, at the time of going through his daily devotions, pours out water to the manes of his ancestors mentioning them as he does so. This is called Tarpanam, or a drink offering. He also does the same just before partaking of his food-making an oblation or offering of water to his forefathers. It will be thus seen how large a share ancestral worship has in the religion of the Hindu.

Although these chapters on Hindu Funerals have occupied much space, it must be observed that there are many details that have not been touched upon at all. Various and manifold items have not been described; there may also be much difference in detail in different parts of the country. Enough, however, has been explained to give a fair idea of what is done, and to show the truth of the saying that the Hindus are a very religious people.

We might dwell upon the grievous expense that these observances involve, wasting the substance of the bereaved and often loading them with debt. There is no greater cause of financial misery in Hindu families that the expenses at marriages and funerals. In the case of wealthy men the burden is a great

one; but in ordinary cases the funds have to be obtained from the money lender at an exorbitant rate of interest, loading the poor victims with a life long burden of debt. So manifest is the evil that, according to the newspapers, high personages connected with the Indian government have for some time had under consideration means for mitigating the evil. The custom is, however, so deeply rooted and the Hindus are so thoroughly conservative, it seems barely possible for any thing effectual to be done. The amelioration of matters of this kind amongst such a people can only be effected by the gradual growth of public opinion in the right direction; and any change of opinion, sufficient to be felt, must occupy a very long

time in its formation.

To the Christian well wisher of India it is touching to see a people thus groping after pardon for sin and happiness beyond the grave; striving to obtain by a slavish adherence to the letter of a dead law, what can only be obtained through that only "name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Very different indeed are all the vague longings of the Hindu from the bright hopes of the Christian, and great is the contrast between the mantrams repeated at a Hindu funeral and the comforting words used at the graveside of one who is committed to the earth :

"In sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through Our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself."

CHAPTER XVIII.

UNORTHODOX HINDU FUNERALS

अधर्मोत्तरक्रिय. (Adharmottara Kriya.)

The Ayogava the Cshattri and the Chandala, the lowest of men, spring from a Sudra in an inverse order of the classes, and are therefore, all three excluded from the performance of obsequies to their ancestors (Manu. x 16.)

Manu gives as the origin of the debased classes irregular intercourse between members of the four castes, and again the intermingling of the despicable offspring resulting from such irregularities. (x. 5-40) During the life time of such they must exist in a most abject condition, living apart from the upper castes in mountains, or groves, or places for burning the dead-anywhere outside of the towns inhabited by their superiors (x. 50-51). Their clothing, and food, and general surroundings, must be of the most miserable nature, and their occupation should be of the most degrading character. (x. 50— 56). Not only so, but even after death the curse of their birth must follow them; and, as is seen from the quotation at the head of this chapter, the poor unfortunates are not to have even the consolation of funeral obsequies for their dead.

All that has been said in the preceding chapters about funeral rites and periodical Shraddhas, have only to do with the four castes, and particularly with the three higher ones; but the non-castes or out-castes are not supposed to have anything to do with such things. Although this is the case, as a matter of fact, just as the material and social position of the non-castes is far better than the Brahminical Lawgivers would have it be, and than what they legislate it should and ought to be, so in the matter of their dead, these non-caste people do perform certain funeral rites and they also have Shraddha ceremonies of a kind. It is not, however, very clear with what object these perform the various ceremonies. They have in view,

probably, to a certain extent, the spiritual good of the departed; but their ideas on this head appear to be very confused and uncertain. The motive that seems to actuate them in a large measure is fear; it is thought well to treat kindly the departed spirit and divert its attention so as to prevent its inflicting any injury on the living. In fact these observances seem to be a survival of ancient Dravidian rites tinged, at the same time, with an admixture of Hinduism. Our attention will, however, be again directed to this aspect of the subject at the close of this description. It is only necessary to say now that these remarks may also be said to describe the ideas on this subject of the lower class Sudras, particularly the ordinary village ryots.

As was done in the chapter on Unorthodox Marriages, it may be well here also to take the Malas or Telugu Pariahs as representative of the middle line between Hindus proper and the lowest Pagans. The funeral rites of the Malas will do well to represent, generally, those of the classes here intended, and the chapter may be concluded with some brief notices of pure Pagan observances.

The Malas may be said, as a rule, to burn their dead; but though this is considered amongst them as the more respectable, there are very many exceptions to the rule. There are some sections of this class who always bury, and very many who would cremate if they could afford it, but who are driven by poverty to the less expensive method of disposing of their dead. There seems to be a general notion, however, amongst these latter, that the soul of the deceased, somehow, suffers on account of such a departure from custom. Children and small-pox victims are buried amongst these as with the caste people. In times of pestilence too, as when cholera is prevalent, they bury; as a rule this is merely from being generally panic stricken, or from the difficulty resulting from fear of contagion to get any help from the neighbours. At such times the dead are often disposed of in a very summary way as may be mentioned hereafter.