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Sootak and Paatak

See also Agni Puraan, 14

Uncleanliness. There are some periods when this unclean period attaches to a man or
a woman or a family. Sootak is of two types - Jaat Sootak and Mrit Sootak or Paatak.
Jaat Sootak is the period when a child is born in a family, and Mrit Sootak is when
somebody dies in a family. There are some other unclean days also, such as, at the
time of menstruation, a woman is in Sootak for four days. She doesn't touch
anything. Nobody touches her. She does not worship or go to temple, or cook food.
After four days she becomes clean after taking bath.

(1) Jaat Sootak - When a baby is born, the mother and the child are in Sootak. They
are kept separate for seven days. After seven days they are given bath and the
Sootak is cleared. In this Sootak, no Braahman takes food in that house, no
auspicious Karm is done, everything is just in sleep state.

(2) Mrit Sootak or Paatak applies when a person dies in a house. People do not
worship and go to their work for three days. To cook certain kinds of food is also
prohibited for 10 days. Auspicious Karm are prohibited for 13 days, Braahman also do
not take food in that house for 13 days. No worship takes place in that house. On
13th day after taking bath, Braahman are fed and the Sootak is cleared, and normal
work is resumed.
(Naarad Puraan, p 432)

If there is any miscarriage, or if the child dies immediately after the birth, or if a
child dies after the birth, then the period of uncleanliness is to be reckoned
according to the custom of the family. The period of uncleanliness is 10 days in case
of a Braahman, 12 days in case a Kshatriya and 15 days in case of Vaishya. For
Shoodra it is 30 days.

On the death of an Agnate who is not a Sa-Pind, the period of uncleanliess is 3 days
and on the death of a Sa-Pind, if the information arrives after the prescribed period,
one becomes iunclean for 3 days. The unclean man is not entitled to perform any rite
relating to the Devtaa and the Pitri except Kul worship and that also which has

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already been commenced.

[Mahaanirvaan Tantra, p 240-245]

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Created by Sushma Gupta on 3/15/06

Contact: sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 08/02/10

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