Nazir

MISHNAH. IF A NAZIRITE POLLS AND THEN DISCOVERS THAT HE WAS DEFILED, THEN IF THE DEFILEMENT IS DEFINITE [THE NAZIRITESHIP] IS RENDERED VOID, BUT IF IT IS A DEFILEMENT OF THE DEPTH,  IT IS NOT RENDERED VOID, BEFORE POLLING, HOWEVER, EITHER [TYPE OF DEFILE MENT] RENDERS [THE NAZIRITESHIP] VOID. [THE LAW REGARDING 'DEFILEMENT OF THE DEPTH' IS] AS FOLLOWS. IF HE GOES DOWN INTO A CAVERN TO BATHE, AND A CORPSE IS FOUND FLOATING AT THE MOUTH OF THE CAVERN,  HE IS [DEFINITELY] UNCLEAN. IF IT IS FOUND EMBEDDED IN THE FLOOR OF THE CAVERN,  THEN IF HE WENT IN MERELY TO REFRESH HIMSELF HE REMAINS CLEAN,  BUT IF IT WAS TO PURIFY HIMSELF AFTER DEFILEMENT THROUGH CONTACT WITH THE DEAD HE REMAINS UNCLEAN,  BECAUSE WHERE THE STATUS QUO IS ONE OF DEFILEMENT THE DEFILEMENT REMAINS, BUT WHERE IT IS ONE OF PURITY, HE REMAINS CLEAN, THIS BEING THE PRESUMPTION [IN EACH CASE]. GEMARA. How do we know this?  — R. Eliezer said: A verse reads, And if any man die very suddenly beside him,  'beside him' Signifying that it is evident to him.  Resh Lakish said: A verse reads, If [any man …] shall be unclean by reason of a dead body or be on the road, afar off,  signifying that [the uncleanness] must be like a road. Just as a road is visible, so must uncleanness be visible. If these be correct,  what of the following where we learnt: 'Defilement of the depth' is such [defilement] as is not known even to a single person living anywhere in the world. If, however, it is known to someone living even at the end of the world, it is not defilement of the depth.  Now on [Resh Lakish's] view that [defilement] should be [visible] like a road, there is no difficulty,  but on [R. Eleazar's] view that it must be evident to him, what matters it if there is someone at the end of the world who knows of it? Further, there is the following: If a man finds a corpse lying [buried] across the road,  he becomes unclean in respect of terumah,  but remains clean as regards naziriteship and celebration of the passover.  But what is the difference?  — We must therefore say that [the rule of] defilement of the depth is known by tradition.  BEFORE POLLING, HOWEVER, etc.: Who is the author [of the Mishnah]?  R. Johanan replied: R. Eliezer, who considers that polling estops [him from drinking wine]. Rami b. Mama propounded: What would be the law if [the nazirite] became unclean during the fulfilment of [his naziriteship], but discovered this after the fulfilment.  Is it [the moment of] discovery that is important,  and this occurred after fulfilment, or not,  the practical difference being [the period that is] to be rendered void?