form all appropriate services, is scarcely ever observed and this order, therefore, though notformally abrogated may be considered obsolete. It will be observed that Parimèl-azhager seems to consider this as well as the third order as abrogated, as in the preceding extract from his commentary he ascribes the mention of them by the Author to deference for opinion.

Ա

THE ORDER OF GRIHAST HAH, 28, commences on the marriage of the party and his establishment as the head of a family, and like the former has a two-fold division. First the Yáyávaraca, шr, who performs the Aupásana and other Smárta rites generally, but not the Srauta oblations or sacrifices, the Agnihotram, Yejnas &c.; such a householder has no fixed means of livelihood, but supports his family by receiving alms, gleaning and similar means. There are four distinctions, namely the Dwádas ahicah, verf, the Shadakicah, 28, the Tryahicah, 28, and the Ashwastanicah, 8, who differ from each other in gathering supplies for twelve, six, three days and one day only; the last term may be rendered he takes no care for the morrow. With the exception of the first, which is confined to Bráhmans, or to religious persons of other castes who are permitted to marry, these are now abrogated.-Secondly the 'Sálínan, Co8, the substantial house-holder common to all castes, of whom the present Chapter especially treats and to whom the remainder of this work, as far as translated, generally applies. He ought to perform all the 'Srauta and Smarta ceremonies, but above all hospitality both to strangers and friends and charity towards all men in need are his special duties: in the following extract from the commentary of Vijnyánéswara on the code of Yájnyavalcya the character of the Sálínab is concisely described.

யநயா நாயாசெதாவோகாவதிதீயானந

He is a Sálínah who performs the shat carma (six rites, namely, offering sacrifices or causing them to be offered, reading and teaching the scriptures, making presents and receiving them), who possesses slaves, and four footed animals, who has a house, a town, wealth and store of grain, and who followe the customs of the world.

THE ORDER OF VÁNAPRASTHAH, 28, was likewise of two descriptions-First, the Ságnih, 2, with a fire, who retiring with his wife, continued to perform all the rites, Agnihotra, Aupásana, &c. like the Salina Grihast,hab, except the 'Srauta sacrifices, the Sóma-yejna, Satrayejna &c.-Secondly, the Niragnih, wy, without a fire, one who retired alone, his wife being dead or remaining in the family residence with her children, and performed neither the oblations to fire nor any other of the `Srauta or Smárta rites, except the Sand, hyà.

-

THE ORDER OF SANYASI, நாலா&8 ; of this four distinctions arenoticed. First, C tichuca, கடி வக, who dwells in his own towa and eats in the houses of his relations.-Secondly, Bahůdacah, More? 40, who dwells in a town to which he does not belong and collects his food from house to house. --Thirdly, Hamsah,ஹுல, who, also, collects his food from many, but never sojouras longer than three days in one place. Theseretain the lock on the crown and the sacrificial cord and carry a triple staff (tridandam).-Fourthly, Paramahamsath, உருற avi, who wanders from place to place like the preceding, but has the lock of his crown shorn, does not wear the sacrificial cord, bears a single staff'(écadandam), and performs no rites whatever, religious or civil, not even repeating the Gayatrì,

The following texts state the abrogation in the Cali-yuga of the Naish`t hica Brahmacharyah, the order of Vanaprasthal and various practices permitted and even enjoined to the Grihast hah in former ages. The first occurs in va rious commentaries, the work itself like the Brilian-mánavam and other text books, to the title of which the epithet brihat great is prefixed, not being BRÏHAN-NA'RADI'YA:

extant,

Voluntarily boyaging by sea, the carrying of an earthen water-pot when house holder,

And the marriage of twice-born men (Bráhmans, Cshatriyas, and Vaisyas) with virgins of a different caste;

The raising up seed by the brother of a deceased husband, and the killing of a cow to treat distinguished guests;

The offering flesh in the ceremonies to ancestors, also, the order of. Vánaprastha,

And the giving of virgins, who have before been given in marriage, to another husband;

Continuing in the order of Brahmachári for a protracted period, the sacrifice of men and of horses,

The going the great road northwards, until death ensues, by way of penance, the sacrifice called Gómédha (in which a cow was the victim);

These laws the learned say are abrogated in the Caliyuga.

NOTE. The prohibition of carrying of a water-pot mentioned in the first line is by some stated to apply to the Brahmachari, but it is more generally understood as forbid. ing the use of earthen vessels, except for cookery, and the Brahmans accordingly use them for no other purpose. - Mad,hupercam, which occurs inthe third line and is rendered to treat distinguished guests, is composed of madhu,aw, honey and percam, உக்க, mixture; this cerermony consists in presenting to the son-in-law at a marriage, to a priest at a sacrifice, or to the prince or other superior at an entertainment, a preparation of milk, curds and clarified butter sweetened by honey, and flesh meat; by the ancient law beef is directed to be used on these occasions, and at present the person by whom the offering is made presents it with the word Gau, the cow, to which he who receives it replies utsrijata, let her be released.

All the particulars mentioned in this extract are universally admitted to be peremptorily abolished and should, therefore, never be practised; such is the case, also, with respect to primogeniture, the drinking of spirituous liquors, the re-admission of deadly sinners after expiation to communion, the loan of a wife for the procreation of children, the indiscriminate receipt of food by a religious persons, suicide in old-age by falling from a high-place or into a fire & c. Many practises, though for bidden by some authorities, are countenanced by others and continue, accordingly, wholly or partially in practice; suchare, the slaying of Brahmans when violent aggressors, the purchasing of a son for adoption, re-union after expiation with a woman forcibly violated, pilgrimages by house-holders to distant holy places &c :-among others is the order of Sanyasi, and the performance of the Agnihotram, as mentioned in the following extracts.

NIRNAYA-SIND HU.

The Agnihotram, the sacrifice of a cow, the order of the Sanyasi, the use of flesh meat in the ceremonies to ancestors,

And the raising up seed by a 'brother-in-law; these five are abrogated in the Caliyuga.

VY SAH.

தாவில்

வதாய்ஜஸஹஹராணிவ

ஸழநகத்வொஜா ஹணெநவி ஜாந்தா

When the four thousandth and four hundredth year

From the commencement of the Caliyuga shall have passed, the taking of the three fires ( Agnihótram),

And of the order of Sanyasi shall not be practised by intelligent Brahmans. NOTE. The commentators explain that the abolition with respect to the Agnihotram applies to the use of the whole of the Smartágni, or fire prepared for the Aupásana rites, in the performance of the `Srauta ceremonies; accordingly the practice in perform ing the A ́dhanam now is to take part of the fire, Ardhád húnam, and not the whole, Servádhúnam, as in former ages: with respect to the Sanyasi the prohibition is understood to extend to the triple staff only, which is not now in use.

As long as the distinction of castes shall last, as long as a knowledge of the Véda shall prevail,

So long the order of Sanyási and the ablation to fire shall continue in the Caliyuga.

All the religious orders are by the words of the law exclusively confined to men, with the single exception of the case of the wife of the Ságnivanaprastha; instances occur, however, in various writings of the existence of female recluses distinct from those thus permitted to accompany their husbands in their retirement; the former of these are called Sráman'i,

12, the wives of devotees, the latter Sramani,, female recluses. But, though the latter are not generally authorized by the Smritis, Menu in a single instance mentions an order of this kind (see the 363rd verse of the eighth Book, (Ash ́tádhyayam), where the term 251T with women who have forsaken the world, is paraphrased by the commentator, and probably with correctness, as they are treated with no respect, being classed with public singers, slaves &c. 2) tang tot with females devoted to celebacy of the Bauddha sect. In the narrative poems, however, the single female recluse is not unfrequently noticed with great respect: Ráma and Lacshman'a, for example, while on their journey towards Cishcinda after the loss of Sità, are received by a woman of this description, the resident of a hermitage near the sacred pool Pampà. The following extract from the close of the Aranyaca-cándam, & COST & IT ON 0, of the Ramayanam of Válmici describes this interview: the questions here put by Rama to this female are those appointed by the Sastras to be addressed to Rishis and Devotees on saluting them, and are used, therefore, in speaking to such personages in various instances in this poem.

க

க

தெநியாே வாவாகே விதெநல
தொரியறஷாஸ்வினாவாரிஹாஷிணி

When they (Ráma and Lacshman'a) arrived on the west bank of the Pampà lake,

They saw the pleasant hermitage of Sabari.

They, having arrived at the hermitage and beheld it surrounded by trees And exceedingly pleasant, approached the presence of `Sabarì;

And the devotee seeing them arose and, reventially joining her hands, Grasped the feet of the wise Ráma and Lacshman a

And presented them with water for the feet and to drink, and with all other things according to the ordinance.

Then Ráma addressed the devote woman, who practiced the austerest penance, and said,

''Are all obstacles to thy devotion removed? doth thy penance prosper? O penitent! are thy anger and thy meals alike regulated?

Are all thy religious duties fulfilled? is thy mind content?

O woman of gentle speech! hath the service thou hast rendered to thy teachers been productive of hencfit?"

From this it would appear that though Nuns are no longer to be found in India, more than one description of them existed in ancient times; the in stitution of them, therefore, during the dark ages in Europe, was in all probability not so original, as on a cursory consideration of the subject, it would seem to be.