Very impressive is the recitation, or after-death confession, of a dead man’s sins by an elder of the tribe standing at the head of the corpse, and rapidly chanting the following lines, or a variation thereof, while he waves his right hand during each line towards the feet. The reproduction of the recitation in my phonograph never failed to impress the daily audience of Badagas, Kotas, and Todas.

This is the death of Andi. In his memory the calf of the cow Belle has been set free. From this world to the other. He goes in a car. Everything the man did in this world. All the sins committed by his ancestors. All the sins committed by his forefathers. All the sins committed by his parents. All the sins committed by himself. The estranging of brothers. Shifting the boundary line. Encroaching on a neighbor’s land by removing the hedge. Driving away brothers and sisters. Cutting the kalli tree stealthily. Cutting the mulli tree outside his boundary. Dragging the thorny branches of the kotte tree. Sweeping with a broom. Splitting green branches. Telling lies. Uprooting seedlings. Plucking growing plants, and throwing them in the sun. Giving young birds to cats. Troubling the poor and cripples. Throwing refuse water in front of the sun. Going to sleep after seeing an eclipse of the moon. Looking enviously at a buffalo yielding an abundance of milk. Being jealous of the good crops of others. Removing boundary stones. Using a calf set free at the funeral. Polluting water with dirt. Urinating on burning embers. Ingratitude to the priest. Carrying tales to the higher authorities. Poisoning food. Not feeding a hungry person. Not giving fire to one half frozen. Killing snakes and cows. Killing lizards and bloodsuckers. Showing a wrong path. Getting on the cot, and allowing his father-in-law to sleep on the ground. Sitting on a raised veranda, and driving thence his mother-in-law. Going against natural instincts. Troubling daughters-in-law. Breaking open lakes. Breaking open reservoirs of water. Being envious of the prosperity of other villages. Getting angry with people. Misleading travelers in the forest. Though there be three hundred such sins, Let them all go with the calf set free today. May the sins be completely removed! May the sins be forgiven! May the door of heaven be open! May the door of hell be closed! May the hand of charity be extended! May the wicked hand be shriveled! May the door open suddenly! May beauty or splendor prevail everywhere! May the hot pillar be cooled! May the thread bridge¹ become light! May the pit of perdition be closed! May he reach the golden pillar! Holding the feet of the six thousand Athis, Holding the feet of the twelve thousand Pathis, Holding the feet of Brahma, Holding the feet of the calf set free today, May he reach the abode of Siva! So mote it be.

The recitation is repeated thrice, and a few Bagadas repeat the last words of each line after the leader.²

¹ The bridge spanning the river of death, which the blessed pass in safety.

²Thurston, E.n/an/an/an/an/a, , 1: 113–116.