a pond or river. This mode of offering continues till the twelfth day, when the dead man is considered to have taken his place in Heaven along with the other departed relatives. This twelfth-day ceremony is called the Sapindikarana, meaning, adding the newly dead to those who have already departed, and not less than thirty-two donations, varying in value according to the pecuniary position of the parties, are offered. The first, second, tenth, eleventh and twelfth day ceremonies are the most sacred and tedious ones, but they are all gone through by the Hindus. The thirteenth day concludes the funeral rites, and is therefore called Subhasvikarana, meaning, resuming the usual mode of happy life after the mourning days are over. On this day the house is blessed by the priest, presents are given by the fathers-in-law to the sons who were engaged in these rites, and betel-leaf chewing, which was discontinued for the thirteen days, is resumed at night.
Let us now turn to the festive portion—if that term can be aptly applied to such a sorrowful occasion—of the funeral rites. The ancient Hindu sages have wisely ruled that certain close relatives should supply the mourning
