Verse 2.108 [Continuation of the Duties of the Initiated Boy]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

अग्नीन्धनं भैक्षचर्यामधःशय्यां गुरोर्हितम् ।
आ समावर्तनात् कुर्यात् कृतोपनयनो द्विजः ॥ १०८ ॥

agnīndhanaṃ bhaikṣacaryāmadhaḥśayyāṃ gurorhitam |
ā samāvartanāt kuryāt kṛtopanayano dvijaḥ || 108 ||

The twice-born person, whose Initiation has been performed, should continue to do, till the final Bath of “Return” (Samāvartana), tub kindling of fire, the begging of food, the sleeping on the ground and the acting for the teacher’s well- being.—(108)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘The kindling of fire’—i.e., setting the fire aflame every morning and evening by supplying fuel to it.

‘Sleeping on the ground’;—i.e., not ascending a bedstead, not actually sleeping on the hare ground.

‘Teacher’s well-being,’—i.e., service consisting of the fetching of water in jars and such other work. As for the doing of things beneficial to him, this is to be done throughout life.

All this should be done till that Final Bath, which consists in returning from the Teacher’s house, and which constitutes the end of Religious Studentship; for the simple reason that all this is included in the Injunction of ‘Vedic Study.’ As a matter of fact, the life of the ‘student’ and its appurtenant details have to continue till the Veda is completely got up; so that as soon as this getting up is done, the discontinuance of the details follows as a matter of course.

The reiteration of the ‘kindling of fire’ and other duties in the present verse is meant to indicate that the duties other than those—which have been previously prescribed for students—are incumbent upon persons in the succeeding stages of life also (and are not confined to the ‘student’ only). As says Gautama (3.9),—‘All this is not incompatible with the succeeding stages of life.’

“But why cannot we have this that the duties specified in the present verse are to continue during the whole studentship stage, while others might be discontinued even beforehand?”

The opinion of other Smṛtis on this point has been already shown to be that all rules are laid down in connection with their principal time; (and this time in the present case being the entire studentship-stage) if the course just suggested were adopted (and some of the present duties were dropped before the end of that stage), we would be needlessly going against this principle.

In place of the expression ‘gurorhitam’ the right form would have been ‘gurave hitam’ in the Dative, accordingly to Pāṇini 2.1.36, which lays down the use of the Dative in connection with the term ‘hita.’—(108)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Āsamāvartanāt ’—See 3. 3-4.

This verse, is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra. p. 455), as laying down the duties of the Student;—in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 489) as laying down the ‘ miscellaneous duties ’ of the Student;—and in Aparārka (p. 76), as laying down the time-limit up to which the fire-tending and other functions have to be kept up.

‘Acting for the teacher’s well-being.’ The details of this have been described by Hārīta, quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 490)—‘By fetching of water, Kuśa-grass, flowers, fuel, roots, fruits, sweeping and washing of the house, bodily service and so forth,—he should devotedly attend upon the Teacher, whose cast off clothes, bed and seat he should never step over.’

This verse is quoted in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Saṃskāra, p. 46a);—and in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 118), which adds that those mentioned here indicate the other duties also.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Baudhāyana-Dharmasūtra (2. 1. 20-21, 43).—‘Every day he should fetch fuel from the forest and lay it;—he should rise before the Teacher and sleep after him;—during the course of his study, he should attend upon the Teacher and follow him.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1. 1. 2. 15).—‘He should never bear malice towards the Teacher.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1. 1. 2. 11).—‘After initiation the boy should live with the Teacher as a religious student.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1.3.2. 20-21).—‘Always doing good to the teacher, never crossing him in his words; sleeping on a lower bed.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1. 1. 4. 13, 14, 16).—‘Morning and evening he should fetch a jar of water;—always he should fetch fuel from the forest and lay it down;—having kindled the fire and cleaned the place, he should lay fuel upon it, both morning and evening, in accordance with instructions.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1.1. 3. 25).—‘Morning and evening he should beg for food from people other than those that are wicked or accused of evil deeds; and after having presented to the teacher all that he obtains, he should live upon what the Teacher gives him.’

Vaśiṣṭha-Smṛti (1. 3, 4, 5, 10, 11).—‘The Religious Student shall serve the Teacher till ṭhe death of his body;—he shall keep his speech under control and having begged food, he shall take it either during the fourth or the sixth or the eighth part of the day;—he shall come to read when called;—whatever food he obtains by begging, he shall present to the Teacher, and shall eat only with his permission;—during the day, he shall avoid sleeping on the bedstead, washing the teeth, applying of collyrium to the eyes, oiling of the body, wearing of shoes and carrying of the umbrella;—he shall rest during the night.’

Viṣṇu-Smṛti (27. 4, 7, 9, 12).—‘Both times he shall bathe and tend the fire;—he shall do what is good for and agreeable to the Teacher;—he shall beg alms from respectable families, but not from his Teacher’s family;—he shall sleep on the ground.’

Yājñavalkya-Smṛti (1.25,27, 28).—‘Both morning and evening he shall attend upon the fire;—he shall always do, with his mind, speech and body what is good for his teacher; for his livelihood, he shall beg food from respectable Brāhmaṇas.’

Brahmapurāṇa (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 489).—‘The Religious Student shall always wear the girdle, the skin, the staff, the Upavīta, the loin-slip and the waist-band.’

Yama (Do. and Parāśaramādhava, p. 455).—‘Living on food received in alms, he shall live with the Teacher, and keep the staff, the water-pot, the kuśa-bundle, muñja-girdle, and the vow of celibacy. The Religious Student shall always carry the girdle, the skin, the staff, the sacred thread, the loin-slip, and the thread round the loins.’

Vyāsa (Do.).—‘Sleeping after the Teacher and rising before him, living in the teacher’s house, he shall do all that should be done by the pupil and the servant; he shall always stay by his side, his constant attendant; he shall not eat until the Teacher has eaten; nor shall he drink water until the Teacher has drunk it; he shall not sit while the Teacher is standing, nor sleep while he is sitting.’

Yājñavalkya (Do. 490).—‘He shall attend upon the Teacher, for purposes of Vedic study; he shall read when he is called upon to do so: whatever he obtains in alms he shall present to the Teacher.’

Hārīta (Do.).—‘He shall serve the Teacher by fetching water, gathering Kuśa, flowers, fuel, roots and fruits, sweeping, washing, bodily service; he shall attend upon him while he is walking, sitting or sleeping; he shall never sleep over what has been worn by him, or over his bed and seat or wear his sandals or step over his shadow.’

Āpastamba (Do.).—‘He should be entirely subservient to the Teacher,—except as regards the degrading crimes.’

Yama (Do.).—‘Subservient to the Teacher, not independent, living in the Teacher’s house, he shall rise before him and sleep after him; he shall keep his sleep and food under control, suppressing indolence and anger, fully self-controlled, ever attentive, free from egotism and devoted to the service of the Teacher.’

Viṣṇu (Do., p. 491).—‘He shall never sit on the same seat with his Teacher, except upon rafts and boats.’

Sumantu (Parāśaramādhava, p. 455).—‘Celibacy, austerity, alms-begging, fire-tending during the twilights, Vedic study, service of the Teacher, these the Religious Student shall observe.’