Defilement Caused by a Birth and a Death

The roots of the word sootak are 'soot' and 'parsoot' which means being born or being delivered. The root of the word paatak is 'paat' which means overthrow or end.
According to the Hindu Shastras sootak implies the defilement or ritual impurity
caused by the birth of a child and paatak means the defilement or ritual impurity caused by
the death of a person,

According to these holy Granths, the duration of 'sootak' i.e. the defilement which impurifies all the close paternal relatives depends on the caste of the person. The duration of

this defilement for the Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishs and Shudras is 11 days, 13 days, 17
days and 30 days consecutively'

According to Manusmriti the defilement caused by the death of a person affects all the
persons in direct lineality on the paternal side who are seven generations above and seven
generations below. In other words when a persons dies, on one hand, this defilement affects
his (i) father (ii) grand-father (iii) father's grand-father (iv) grand-father of his grand-father
(v) great grand-father of his grandfather (vi) great grand-father of his great grand-father and
(vii) great great grand father of his great grand-father. On the other hand, this defilement
clinges to his (i) son (ii) grandson (iii) grandson of his son (iv) grand-son of his grand-son
(v) great grand-son of his grandson (vi) great grand-son of his great grand-son and (vii) great
great grand-son of his great grand-son. Manusmriti has also directed that those persons who
want to remain absolutely pure from the defilement caused to these fourteen generations
should also apply this principle on the birth of a child.

According to Laghu Atrey Sanhita when a person hears of a death in the family or the
birth of a son he should plunge into water fully clothed wherever he is. (Ch. 5)
This means that when a person hears of a death in the family or the birth of a son
wherever he is, even if he is in a foreign country, should plunge into water fully clothed
because sootak and poatak cling to him even when he is residing in a foreign country.
It is worth mentioning here that Smrities are those religious Granths of Hindus which
the ascetics have written on the basis of their memories about the preachings of their
ancestors. These Holy Granths date back to several thousand years. They are numerous but
out of these the main 31 Smrities include Manusmriti, Laghusmriti, Atrey, Vridh Atrey,
Vishnu, Laghuhareet and Vridh Hareet.
According to Atrey Smriti Shastar the duration of paatak i.e. the impurity which is
caused by a death in the family is like this: Brahman 10 days, Kshatriya 12 days, Vaish 15
days and Shudra 30 days. Some Smritis mention the duration of defilement for these castes as
12 days, 13 days, 17 days and 30 days respectively.

In the Hindu religion one of the main death rituals is shaving off the head, wherein the
son of the deceased shaves off his head. Without this the other death rituals cannot be
initiated. It is believed that shaving off the head clarifies the way through which the soul of
the deceased has to travel. Sometimes, more than one male members in the family shave off
the head. But currently office going persons do not observe this ritual. The Brahmans
consider it a sin to eat food in the house of the deceased person.
In Sikh religion, neither the birth of a child nor a death in the family is believed to
cause any defilement.
In Chapter 5 of Manusmriti, several principles of sootak and paatak have been
enlisted. These include:
A Brahmana shall be pure after ten days, a Kshatriya after twelve, a Vaisya after
fifteen, and a Sudra is purified after a month. (Ch. 5, Sh. 83)
As this impurity on account of a death is prescribed for (all) Sapindas 1 , even so it shall
be (held) on a birth by those who desire to be absolutely pure. (Ch. 5, Sh. 61)
(Or while) the impurity on account of a death is common to all (Sapindas), that caused
by a birth (falls) on the parents alone; (or) it shall fall on the mother alone, and the father
shall become pure by bathing; (Ch. 5, Sh. 62)
It is ordained (that) among Sapindas the impurity on account of a death (shall last) ten
days, (or) until the bones have been collected, (or) three days or one day only. (Ch. 5, Sh. 59)
A man who hears of a (Sapinda) relative's death, or of the birth of a son after the ten
days (of impurity have passed), becomes pure by bathing, dressed in his garments. (Ch. 5, Sh.
77)

When (a child) dies that has teethed, or that before teething has received (the
sacrament of) the tonsure (Kudakarana) or (of the initiation), all relatives (become) impure,
and on the birth (of a child) the same (rule) is prescribed. (Ch. 5, Sh. 58)
(On the death) of children whose tonsure (Kudakarman) has not been performed, the
(Sapindas) are declared to become pure in one (day and) night; (on the death) of those who
have received the tonsure (but not the initiation, the law) ordains (that) the purification (takes
place) after three days. (Ch. 5, Sh. 67)
He who may hear that (a relative) residing in a distant country has died, before ten
(days after his death have elapsed), shall be impure for the remainder of the period of ten
(days and) nights only. (Ch. 5, Sh. 75)

1 Sapindas means relatives seven generations above
and seven generations below in direct lineality.

If the ten days have passed, he shall be impure during three (days and) nights; but if a
year has elapsed (since the occurrence of the death), he becomes pure merely by bathing. (Ch.
5, Sh. 76)
If an infant (that has not teethed), or a (grownup relative who is) not a Sapinda, die in
a distant country, one becomes at once pure after bathing in one's clothes. (Ch. 5, Sh. 78)
In addition to sootak and paatak Manu has enlisted some other defilements.
A Brahmana who has touched a human bone to which fat adheres, becomes pure by
bathing; if it be free from fat, by sipping water and by touching (afterwards) a'cow or looking
at the sun. (Ch. 5, Sh. 87)
Sikh religion discards belief in 'sootak' and 'paatak' and considers them as pure
superstitions. The Sikh Gurus have clarified that imagining that birth and death cause any
defilement is purely based on superstition.
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji has proclaimed that:
Je kar sutak manniai sabh tai sutak hoe.
Gohe atai lakri andar kira hoe.
Jete dane ann ke jia bajh na koe.
Pahila pani jio hai jit haria sabh koi.
Sutak kio kar rakhiai sutak pavai rasoe.
Nanak sutak ev na utrai gian utare dhoe ||1||
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 472)

This means that if one accepts the concept of defilement then there is defilement
everywhere. In cow dung and in wood there are worms. All the grains of corn, contain life.
First, there is life in the water itself by which everything else is made green. How can purity
be maintained? It touches our kitchen. Impurity cannot be removed in this way i.e. by
indulging in superstitious thoughts. Only spiritual wisdom can wash it away.

Man ka sutak lobh hai jihva sutak kur.
Akhi sutak vekhna par taria par dhan rup.
Kanni sutak kann pai laitbari khahi.
Nanak hansa admi badhe jam pur jahi ||2||
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 472)

This means that mind is defiled by greed, tongue is defied by falsehood, eyes are
defiled by staring at another man's wife and his wealth, ears are defiled by listening to slander
of others and those persons who are defiled through all these acts go to hell, bound and
gagged to the City of Death even if they are as beautiful as the swans.

Sabho sutak bharam hai dujai lagai jae
Jaman marna hukam hai bhanai avai jae

Khaana pina pavittar hai diton rijak sambahi
Nanak jinhi gurmukh bujhia tinha sutak nahi ||3||
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 472)

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji proclaims that all types of impurities originate from
superstition and duality. Birth and death occur as per the command of God. It is through His
Will we come to this world and go from here. The items of drinking and eating are pure since
the Lord gives nourishment to all. The defilement does not cling to the gurumukhs i.e. guru-
oriented persons because they understand these facts.
Sri Guru Amar Das Ji has proclaimed that:
Man ka sutak duja bhao.
Bharme bhule avao jao ||1||
Manmukh sutak kabeh na jae.
Jichar sabad na bhijai har kai nae ||1||
Sabho sutak jeta moh akaar.
Mar mar jammai varo vaar ||2||
Sutak agan paunai pani mahi.
Sutak bhojan jeta kichh khahi ||3||
Sutak karam na puja hoe.
Nam rate man nirmal hoe. ||4||
Satgur seviai sutak jae.
Marai na janmai kaal na khae ||5||

(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 229)

This means that the love of duality is the pollution of the mind. Deluded by doubt
people come and go in reincarnation. The pollution of the mind of manmukhs (self-willed
persons) will not go away until they dwell on the Shabad and the Name of the Lord.All the
created beings are contaminated by emotional attachment, they die and are re-born only to die
over and over again. For the manmukh fire, air and water are polluted and the food they eat is
also polluted. None of the rituals or worshipping the gods can purify the mind of a person
who is possessed by illusion. The mind becomes immaculate if it is attuned to the Naam, the
Name of the Lord. The pollution is eradicated by serving the True Guru and then one is not
devoured by death and as such does not have to forbear the sufferings of birth and death.
Kabir Sahib has proclaimed:
Jal hai sutak thal hai sutak sutak opat hoi.
Janme sutak mue fun sutak sutak paraj bigoi.
Kaho re pandia kaun pavita.
Aisa gian japahu mere mita ||1||
Nainhu sutak bainhu sutak sutak sarvani hoi.
Uthat baithat sutak lagai sutak parai rasoi ||2||
Fasan ki bidh sabh kou janai chhutan ki ik koi.

Kahi Kabir ram ridai bicharai sutak tinai na hoi ||3||41||
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 331)

Kabir sahib has clarified that if birth and death produce defilement then there is
defilement in the water and on the land i.e. it is present everywhere because the birth and
death are taking place continually. The whole world is being defiled every moment. Tell me,
O Pandit, O religious scholar! tell me who is clean and pure. Meditate on such spiritual
wisdom, O my friend! it is not only the creatures which are visible to the eye that are dying,
but the creatures are also dying through our movements of speech etc. Then it means that
there is defilement in the tongue, in the ears and we are being defiled in our movements of
sitting and standing. So much so that even the kitchen is defiled. Kabir Sahib has explained
that everyone knows how to get entangled in the superstition of defilement but hardly any
one knows how to escape from it. Those who meditate on the Lord within heir hearts are not
defiled. In this hymn Kabir Sahib has explained that if birth and death defile the households
then there is no place in the world which is pure because the process of birth and death is a
continuous process. The persons who meditate on the Lord do not have any superstition of
defilement.

There are innumerable examples wherein the Sikh Gurus have forbidden us to believe
in sootak and paatak. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji after the cremation of Bhai Mardana Ji, his life-
time follower distributed karah prashad i.e. the consecrated parshad to the sangat. As of now
there is a tradition among the Sikhs that after cremation of a person all the people go to a
Gurdwara where after ardaas (prayer) karah prashad is distributed.

The Sikhs who observe sootak and paatak are ignorant. The above discussion makes it
clear that the Sikh religion commands us to stay away from all types of superstitions. Sikh
religion in itself is a unique and modern religion, which is different from all the other
religions.

Dr. Amrit Kaur Retd. Professor Punjabi University Patiala, Punjab