Verse 11.222

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

महाव्याहृतिभिर्होमः कर्तव्यः स्वयमन्वहम् ।
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधमार्जवं च समाचरेत् ॥ २२२ ॥

mahāvyāhṛtibhirhomaḥ kartavyaḥ svayamanvaham |
ahiṃsā satyamakrodhamārjavaṃ ca samācaret || 222 ||

Homa-offerings shall be made by the man himself everyday, with the ‘Mahāvyāhṛtis,’ and he should practise harmlessness, truthfulness, freedom from anger, and mercy.—(222)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

What is here prescribed is to be done in connection with all offences.

In the case of all Homa-offerings, clarified butter is the material to be offered, whenever any other special substance is not prescribed.

‘Himself.’—This precludes the alternative of having it performed by others.

Now we proceed to consider the question whether or not this offering is to be made in the ordinary fire, in the case of one who has not set up his own ritualistic fire. But first of all the question to be considered is why the offering should be made into a fire at all. What the name ‘Homo’ etymologically indicates is only the act of offering ending with the throwing of the material; so that into whatever receptacle the material may be thrown, the act of ‘Homa’ would be duly accomplished. Hence the Homa-offering may be made either on the ground, or in water or in fire. But for one who has set up the ‘domestic fire’ this offering shall not be made into the ordinary fire; as the offering of Homa in ordinary fires has been forbidden for such a man. It might be argued that—‘the necessity of fire is deduced from actual usage.’ But in that-case, it would be necessary to find out what the actual usage is. The authors of Gṛhyasūtras have laid down the Homa as to be offered, in connection with the performance of the Kṛcchra penance,^- by persons who have set up the ‘domestic fire,’ and from this it follows that in the case also of one who has. not set up the fire, the performance of the Kṛcchra by way of penance cannot be done with out the Homa-offering. For the man who has not set up the fire, there are no Homa-offerings, when the said penance is performed for the purpose of bringing about prosperity (and not by way of an expiation);—the desired result being obtained only by the performance of the act itself complete in its own details.

‘Harmlessness.’—He shall not beat even such pupils and others who may deserve chastisement.

‘Truthfulness.’—Even in joke, he shall not utter an untruth.

These two virtues, already known as conducive to the welfare of men, are here laid down as forming essential factors in the expiatory penance.

‘Ārjava’ is absence of harshness.—(222)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 1230), and again on p. 1246 (the first half only);—in Mitākṣarā (3.314), which remarks, with reference to the second half, that it is not meant to he an exhaustive enumeration: it is only illustrative;—in Madanapārijāta (p. 748);—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Prāyaścitta 37b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (26.6-11).—‘He who desires to be purified quickly, shall stand during the day and sit during the night; he shall speak the truth; he shall not converse with any one but Aryans; he shall daily sing the two Sāmans...... He shall bathe in the morning, at noon and in the evening, reciting three sacred texts... Next, he shall offer libations of water.’

Do. (27.5-7).—‘He shall offer libations of water and oblations of clarified butter, consecrate the sacrificial viands and worship the moon, reciting the verses...... He shall offer clarified butter reciting the four verses...... And at the end he shall offer pieces of fuel reciting the verse...’

Baudhāyana (3.8.3, 7-14).—‘Having shaved his hair...... dressed in new clothes and speaking the truth, he shall enter the fire-house... Heaping fuel on the fire... he offers oblations... to Agni... to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt...... Having drunk water, he offers additional oblations...... gives a cow as the fee and worships the sun.’