Contents.

p. 465. The Upanayana: The initiation ritual where a young boy is led to his teacher to begin Vedic study. p. 466. The Samāvartana: The "return home" ceremony marking the completion of a student's education. p. 471. Rites for occasions of public life p. 471. Rājasūya: The grand consecration ceremony for a king. p. 472. Vājapeya: A "drink of strength" ritual, including a symbolic chariot race, to rejuvenate an older king or priest. p. 473. The Horse Sacrifice original: "Rossopfer"; referring to the Ashvamedha, one of the most significant royal rituals of ancient India. p. 473.

Magic and Related Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476—523

Sacrificial practice and magical practice; permitted and prohibited magic p. 476. Magical substances p. 479. Main types of magic p. 484. Defense against hostile entities p. 485. Drawing in spirits and substances p. 498. Magic by means of an image and similar methods p. 506. Divination magic p. 509. Amulets and medicines p. 513. The magical formula p. 515. Curse and oath p. 518. Magic in the form of sacrifice p. 522.

FOURTH SECTION.

Belief in the Soul and the Cult of the Dead.

The Soul. Heaven and Hell . . . . . . . . . . . 524—543

The soul p. 524. Heaven p. 530. Yama, the ruler of the blessed p. 532. Location and character of heavenly life p. 534. Hell p. 536. General character of the Vedic belief in immortality p. 542.

Traces of Older Forms of Belief in the Soul . . . . . . 543—565

Souls remaining in the depths p. 543. The sacrifice for the dead p. 548. Belief in ghosts and related matters; the recently deceased p. 554. Embodiment of souls in animals, plants, and stars p. 562.

The Dead and the Living . . . . . . . . . . . 565—569

Interference of the dead in the existence of the living p. 565.

Burial and Funeral Rites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570—591

Various types of burial p. 570. Cremation p. 572. Impurity of the survivors p. 578. The gathering of the bones p. 579. Burial of the bones; erection of a burial mound p. 580. The burial ritual as a whole p. 583. Effect of cremation p. 583. Provisioning with possessions; the widow This likely refers to the symbolic ritual where the widow lies beside her deceased husband on the pyre before being called back to the world of the living. p. 586. Protection of the survivors p. 588. Mourning rites p. 589.

Retrospective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591—597

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Excursus. Soma and the Moon The sacred plant-drink Soma was increasingly identified with the Moon in later Vedic thought. . . . . . . . . . . 599—612

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613—620