The concept of Twice-Born among the Hindus is age-old and so are the rituals which the Twice-Born are supposed to follow. Formulated much earlier, these rules and rituals were committed to writing in the Sanskrit Sutra literature at least 2000 years ago. These have continued to, and are still being followed without much modification and are of fundamental importance in the life of every Twice-Born. Mrs. Sinclair Stevenson's The Rites of Twice-Born is an important contribution to the literature on the subject. She has described and discussed at length the religious practices followed by the Hindus since times immemorial. Mrs. Stevenson has divided the subject-matter into three parts. In the first part, the Life Story of a Brahman, she has described a Brahman's life from birth to death. Thus, the ceremonials and rituals connected with birth and boyhood, the Sacred Thread, betrothal and marriage preliminaries, the wedding and after the wedding, desire for a son, death and funeral offerings, etc., alongwith the Hindu Penal Code have been described at length. In the second part, Times and Seasons, the rituals connected with the Brahman's daily life, or the week, the month and the year have been described besides the occasional rites and ceremonies such as those which are connected with the sacrifices, eclipses, house-building, well-digging, was, pestilence and famine and pilgrimage etc. In the last part she has described the worship of Vishnu and Siva and other temple ceremonies alongwith a chapter on the practices of the ascetics. Finally, she has tried-to compare Hinduism and Christianity. For collecting this mass of material, Mrs. Stevenson made a careful and close study by observing the rites and studying the literature. For describing the rituals, she has confined herself to particular region so that the maze of varying practices may not result in confusing the issue. This work will have an appeal not merely for those interested in the study of religion but also for the ethnologists as well.
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