Adhyāya III, Kaṇḍikā 8

1. Now when returning (home from his teacher) he should get the following things, viz. a jewel (to be tied round the neck), two ear-rings, a pair of garments, a parasol, a pair of shoes, a staff, a wreath, (pounded seed of the Karañja fruit) for rubbing with, ointment, eye salve, a turban; (all that) for himself and for the teacher.

2. If he cannot get it for both, only for the teacher.

3. He then should get a piece of wood of a tree which is sacrificially pure, in a north-eastern direction—

4. Sappy (wood) if he wishes for the enjoyment of food, or for prosperity, or for splendour; dry (wood), if for holy lustre,

5. (Wood) which is both (sappy and dry, in its different parts), if (he wishes) for both.

6^[1]. Having put the piece of wood on high, and having given a cow and food to the Brāhmaṇas, he should perform the ceremony of shaving the beard.

7^[2]. He should alter the texts so that they refer to himself.

8^[3]. With Ekaklītaka (he should perform the rubbing).

9. Having washed himself with lukewarm water, and having put on two (new) garments which have not yet been washed, with (the verse), 'Garments with fat splendour you put on, (Mitra and Varuṇa)' (Rig-veda I, 152, 1); he should anoint his eyes with (the words), 'The sharpness of the stone art thou; protect my eye.'

10. With (the words), 'The sharpness of the stone art thou; protect my ear'—he should tie on the two ear-rings.

11. After having salved his two hands with ointment, a Brāhmaṇa should salve his head first,

12. A Rājanya his two arms,

13. A Vaiśya the belly,

14. A woman her secret parts,

15. Persons who gain their livelihood by running, their thighs.

16. With (the formula), 'Free from pain art thou, free from pain may I become'—he should put on the wreath.

17. Not (such a wreath) which is called mālā.

18. If they call it mālā, he should cause them to call it sraj.

19. With (the formula), 'The standing-places of the gods are you; protect me from all sides'—he steps into the shoes, and with (the formula), 'The heaven's covering art thou'—he takes the parasol.

20. With (the formula), 'Reed thou art; from the tree thou descendest; protect me from all sides'—(he takes) a staff of reed.

21^[4]. Having with the hymn 'Giving life' tied the jewel to his neck and arranged the turban (on his head), he should standing put the piece of wood (on the fire).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

8, 6. 'On high' means 'not on the ground' (Nārāyaṇa). On the gaudānikaṃ karma (the shaving of the beard), comp. above, Adhyāya I, Kaṇḍikā 18. The word 'ceremony' would mean here, according to Nārāyaṇa, that he should perform the rite alone, without observing such prescriptions as stated above, I, 18, 7.

[2]:

Thus, instead of 'Herb! protect him!' (I, 17, 8) he is to say, 'Herb! protect me!' and so on.

[3]:

Ekaklītaka is, according to Nārāyaṇa and the Prayogaratna, the seed of such a Karañja fruit (Pongamia Glabra, Vent.) which contains only one grain of seed. Such grains are pounded before he rubs himself therewith.

[4]:

On the hymn beginning with the words 'Giving life,' see Prof. Stenzler's note on this Sūtra. Its first verse is identical with Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā XXXIV, 50 (comp. also Śāṅkhāyana-Gṛhya III, 1, 7), and so are most of its verses found in that Saṃhitā or in the Atharva-veda; the whole of it occurs among the Rig-veda Khilas (vol. vi, p. 25, 2-12).