34 অসমীয়া ব্যাকৰণ আৰু ভাষাত their contact with the dead, by a process of washings with ox's urine (end-Gomez, Sanskrit-Gomoya) and with water combined with Sag-did (a sort of washing)". As the focus of the contagion is in the corpse it must be disposed of so that death may not spread abroad. On this | point the old Indo-European customs have been completely changed by Mazdaism. The Indo-Europeans either burnt the corpse or buried it : both customs are held to be sacrilegious in the Avesta. Gomez is used in cleansing the unclean, when a man dies the first thing to do is to take out the corpse and to purify the house, inside and outside with perfumes burnt on the fire. The perfumes burnt are rason garlic), benzOIn, aloe and pomegranate. when back in the village the corpse bearers perfor the regular Barasinum (ceremony of cleansing with holes dug underground, stone, Gomez, etc.) with consecrated Gomez. The Assamese use cowdung for plastering the house. The corpse-bearers in Assam, when back in the village after taking bath, purify themselves with fire kindled with a bundle of thatch on a piece of stone in which seeds of cotton and dry jute-leaf are burnt. In other respects the Assamese custom is almost similar to Zend custom. | The uncleanness of women during menses:-According to Zend-Avesta "The menses are sent by Ahriman, especially when they last beyond the usual time (of three days): therefore a woman, as long as they last, is unclean and possessed of the demon; she must be kept con- fined apart from the faithful whon her touch would defile, and from the fire which her very look would injure; she is not allowed to eat as much as she wishes (her ration being limited to 8 tolas of dry bread and 4 tolas of liquor) as the strength she might acquire would accrue to the fiends. Her food is not given to her from hand to hand, but is passed to her from a distance, in a long leaden (or brass) spoon. Even a child, if he has touched her, must undergo the rite of cleansing (with water). The general rule is that whoever has touched a Dastin (menstruous) woman must wash his body and his clothes with Gomez and water." The menstruous women are cleansed by the Ghosel (bathing). In Assam such a custom is still rigidly followed. | (c) Child-Birth :—According to Zend custom-“a woman during the first three days after delivery is in danger of death. She is not allowed even to drink water unless she is in danger of death. A great fire is lighted to keep away the fiends who use their utmost efforts to kill her and her child." For three nights she is kept confined in a particular place inside the house apart from all clean persons and objects (see Fargard vI. Zend-Avesta), The Assamese custom is almost alike, only the time of such confinement is 5 days. (d) As for things they are more or less deeply defiled according to their degree of penetrability : metal vessels can be cleansed, earthen
