valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary

Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes

The source clarifies that 'chandala' does not carry the modern sense of 'untouchable,' 'outcaste,' or 'pariah' -- a chandala remains an important functionary within the Hindu caste system. It cross-references Sita's use of the identical term against Ravana at Aranya Kanda 3.56.18, where she distinguishes the Vedic scholar's Altar of Fire from the chandala's Fire of Pyre, and the Vedic Ritual from Funeral Rites, both involving Vedic hymns but performed by different functionaries. A Vedic scholar or true Brahmin may conduct a yajna (ritual sacrifice) but has no authority over antya kriya (funeral rites) beyond lighting the pyre and, at most, the ritual breaking of the skull (kapaala moksha); from that point, it is the chandala's role to see the cremation through to completion, since leaving a half-burnt corpse to scavengers would be both sinful and unsanitary. The source frames this division of labor with the maxim 'a donkey is to bear and a dog is to bark' -- each functionary has a distinct role, and reversing them reverses the intended results.