membranes, amniotic fluid, placenta,
etc.). Thus, birth rituals usually include
rites of purification for both mother and
child, to remove this birth impurity
(sutakashaucha). For the mother this is
fairly simple: a bath after the birth fol-
lowed by baths during a period of seclu-
sion (7–10 days). The final rite for the
child, the head shavingknown as the
chudakarana samskara, may not come
for years after the birth.
Aside from impurity (ashaucha),
another constant theme is the threat of
potential danger. Immediately after
birth, both mother and child are seen as
highly vulnerable, not only from envi-
ronmental stresses such as cold, fatigue,
or infection, but from ills brought on by
witchcraftor the evil eye (nazar). Given
this concern, it is not surprising that the
placenta and all other childbirth
byproducts are carefully collected and
disposed of, lest they be used for spells.
The period of seclusion after the birth is
intended both to prevent contact with
such malevolent forces and to ward
them off through rites of protection.
The mother is usually given massages
and fed strengthening foods to bolster
her resistance. The use of charms, or
amulets, is also quite common. For fur-
ther information see Lawrence Babb,
The Divine Hierarchy, 1975; and
Doranne Jacobsen, “Golden Handprints
and Redpainted Feet: Hindu Childbirth
Rituals in Central India,” in Nancy Falk
and Rita M. Gross (eds.), Unspoken
Worlds: Women’s Religious Lives in Non-
Western Cultures, 2000.Black Yajur Veda
Along with the White Yajur Veda, one of
the two major forms of the Yajur Veda,
one of the oldest Hindu religious texts.
The major difference between these two
forms is in the placement of explanatory
notes on the Vedic mantras(sacred
sounds) and their significance. The four
recensions of the Black Yajur Veda
include these notes in the text itself. In
contrast, the one recension of the White
Yajur Veda gathers these notes into an
appendix known as a Brahmana, which
gives its name to the second major stra-
tum of Vedic texts.Blessing
See ashirvad.Blood
As with all bodily fluids, blood is consid-
ered ritually impure and a source of pol-
lution upon contact. Blood is also
deemed a “hot” and powerful substance,
not only by virtue of its impurity
(ashaucha), but also because of its con-
nection with life. Witches are popularly
seen as deriving their nourishment from
human blood. This highlights both their
malevolent character, since they can only
live by destroying others, and also their
marginal, antisocial quality, since they
feed on a substance considered violently
impure. In another context, blood from
animal sacrificeis often offered to vil-
lage deitiesor to certain powerful and
terrifying forms of the Goddess. Any
deitiestaking blood sacrifice are consid-
ered “hot,” meaning that they are power-
ful enough to grant favors to devotees but
also marginal, potentially dangerous,Black Yajur Veda
Depiction of the god Vishnu’s Boar avatar.
Vishnu appears on earth in the shape
of a boar to combat a demon.