[86] The sacrificial thread of a Brahman must be made of cotton, so as to be put on over his head, in three strings; that of a Chatriya, of Sana thread only; that of a Vaisya, of woollen thread――(_MS._ p. 27).
[87] The यज्ञोपवीत or “sacrificial cord,” originally worn by the three principal casts of Hindus; at present, from the loss of the pure Chatríya and Vaisya casts in Bengal, confined to the Brahmanical order: from _Yajna_, “a sacrifice,” and _Upavíta_, “a thread.”
[88] गो दान _Go-dána_, from _Go_, “a cow,” and _Dána_, “a gift.”
[89] Probably अशन पञ्च or पञ्च तन्त्र _asana pancha_, or _pancha tantra_, “five things.”
[91] पिण्ड प्रदान _Pinda-pradána_, from _pinda_, “a funeral cake;” an oblation to deceased ancestors, offered at the several _Sraddhas_, by the nearest surviving relation, and _prádán_, “the act of giving.”
[92] माघ _Magha_, the name of a Hindu month commencing when the sun enters Capricornus. (January-February).
[93] दान फल _Dána-phal_, from _Dána_, “a gift,” and _phal_, “fruit.”
[94] शिव रात्रि _Shiva-ratri_, from _Shiva_, “Siva, the deity,” in his character of destroyer and reproducer; the third person of the Hindu triad, and _ratri_, “night,” being the night of the fourteenth day of the moon’s wane, in the month _Magha_, or _Magha-phalguna_, a rigorous fast with extraordinary ceremonies in honour of the _Sivalinga_, or _Phallus_. (_As. Res._, vol. III. p. 274.)
[95] फणी _Phani_, from _Phana_, “the expanded hood or neck of the _Cobra di Capello_”――(_Wilson_).
[96] For a more detailed account, see _Ward on the Hindoos_, vol. II. p. 29, etc.――The abstract given in the Dabistán is inaccurate, agreeing neither with _Manu_ nor _Ward_: in _Manu_, it is as follows (l. II. sl. 58): Let a Brahman at all times perform the ablution with the pure part of his hand, denominated from the Veda, or with the part sacred to the Lord of creatures, or with that dedicated to the gods: but never with the part named from the _Pitris_. (sl. 59) The pure part under the root of the thumb is called _Brahma_; that at the root of the little finger, _Cáya_; that at the tips of the fingers, _Daiva_; and the part between the thumb and index, _Pitrya_. (sl. 60) Let him sip water thrice; then twice wipe his mouth; and lastly, touch with water the six cavities (or his eyes, ears, and nostrils), his breast, and his head. (61) He who knows the law and seeks purity, will ever perform his ablution with the pure part of his hand, and with water neither hot nor frothy, standing in a lonely place, and turning to the east or north. (62) A Brahman is purified by water that reaches his bosom; a Chatríya, by water descending to his throat; a Vaisya, by water barely taken into his mouth; a Sutra, by water touched with the extremity of his lips.――D. S.