Verse 3.261

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

पिण्डनिर्वपणं के चित् परस्तादेव कुर्वते ।
वयोभिः खादयन्त्यन्ये प्रक्षिपन्त्यनलेऽप्सु वा ॥ २६१ ॥

piṇḍanirvapaṇaṃ ke cit parastādeva kurvate |
vayobhiḥ khādayantyanye prakṣipantyanale'psu vā || 261 ||

Some people do the ball-offering afterwards, others cause them to be eaten by birds, or throw them into fire or water.—(261)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Some people make the offering after the Brāhmaṇas have been fed.

‘They cause them to be eaten by birds.’—This mode of disposal is in addition to those mentioned above.

‘Fire—this is only a reiteration of what has been said above.

This offering of balls, after the feeding of Brāhmaṇas, is meant to be done near the place where the leavings of the dinner lie.—(261)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Parastāt’—This is the right reading, and not ‘purastāt’; as it is clear that the offering is to be made after the feeding of the Brāhmaṇas.

The first half of this verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 599), which, accepting the reading ‘purastāt’, explains the line to mean that ‘the offering is made before the Brāhmaṇas begin to eat, just after they have been worshipped, or after the offering has been made into the fire.’—The whole verse is quoted in Gadādharapaddhati (Kāla, p. 563), which says that ‘prakṣipanti etc.’ is only reiterative of what has been prescribed in the preceding verse.

Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 752) also quotes the first half, reading ‘purastāt’; and adds the following explanation:—Some people hold that the offering of the Ball is to be done before the Brāhmaṇas have eaten, just after they have been worshipped, or after the offerings have been made into the fire;—but from the use of the term ‘kechit’ in the text, it seems that according to others the Ball is to be offered after the Brāhmaṇas have eaten, but before they have washed, or after they have washed, but either before or after they have been dismissed. The conclusion on this point is that the offering of the Ball is to be done before the feeding of the Brāhmaṇas only at inferior Śrāddhas that are performed before the Amalgamating Rite, while at this Rite itself as well as at those that follow it, it is to be done after the feeding. The difference in this practice is due to the custom obtaining among the followers of the different Vedic Schools.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.260-261)

See Comparative notes for Verse 3.260.