Verse 3.70

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

अध्यापनं ब्रह्मयज्ञः पितृयज्ञस्तु तर्पणम् ।
होमो दैवो बलिर्भौतो नृयज्ञोऽतिथिपूजनम् ॥ ७० ॥

adhyāpanaṃ brahmayajñaḥ pitṛyajñastu tarpaṇam |
homo daivo balirbhauto nṛyajño'tithipūjanam || 70 ||

Teaching is the ‘offering to Brahma;’ the Tarpaṇa is the ‘offering to Pitṛs;’ the Homa is ‘offering to Gods;’ the Bali is ‘offering to elementals;’ and the honouring of Guests is ‘offering to men.’—(70)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

This verse contains the injunction of the exact form of the Five Sacrifices.

The term ‘teaching’ here includes ‘learning’ also: as will be explained in verse 74 below. The mere act of ‘reciting’ does not require any pupils. In the Vedic text describing the ‘debts’ of man, it has been stated in general terms that ‘by means of Vedic study one pays off one’s debts to the sages.’ For these reasons, both ‘teaching’ and ‘learning,’ according to circumstances, constitute ‘the offering to Brahma.’

‘Tarpaṇa’—the offering of ‘food or water,’ as described below, in 82.

‘Homa’—the offering into fire made to the deities to be described later on.

‘Bali’—i.e., offering made into receptacles other than fire, such as the wooden mortar and the like. This is the ‘offering to elementals;’—i.e., the offering made in honour of the elementals. This is only the name of a particular rite.

The making of offerings has been prescribed under the name of ‘bhūta,’ ‘lemental,’ in the text—‘offerings made to elementals stalking during the day, etc., etc.;’ and through association, the whole set of rites is expressed by the term ‘offering to elementals.’ Just as among the ‘Cāturmāsya’ sacrifices, though the Āmikṣā is the only one substance that is offered to the Viśvedevas, yet the entire set of rites has been spoken of us ‘Vaiśvadeva’ in the injunction, ‘one should offer the Vaiśvadeva sacrifice.’ The term ‘bali’ is applied to such Homas as are offered into receptacles other than fire; and they explain that ‘bali is offering to the gods.’

The ‘honouring’—i.e., receiving—‘of guests’ constitutes the ‘offering to men.’

“How can Vedic study be a ‘sacrifice?’ In it there are no offerings made to gods; nor has any deity been mentioned in connection with it; all that is done in it is that the letters of the Veda, without any sense, are recited; and it has been said in connection with the repeating of Vedic texts that some people say the words have no meaning.”

True; the term ‘sacrifice,’ as also the term ‘great,’ are used (in this connection) only figuratively, and they are meant to indicate high praise. To the ‘honouring of guests,’ also the name ‘sacrifice’ is applied only figuratively. Though it is possible for the Guest to be regarded as a ‘deity,’ yet in the original injunction of the act, the injunctive verbs used are ‘should feed,’ ‘should honour,’ and not ‘should sacrifice’ to guests. Just as we find in the expression ‘puruṣarājāya karma vā’ (where the act done in honour of the king of men is also called ‘sacrifice.’)

These ‘Five Sacrifices’ are not to be performed simultaneously; because the occasion for all is not the same; in fact, a distinct occasion has been mentioned in relation to each. If the occasion for all were one and the same, then, even when three or four of them would be done, it would be as good as not done, till all the five were done. Just as in the case of the Darśapūrṇamāsa sacrifice, (which?) consists of the three sacrifices of the Āgneya, the Agnīṣomīya and the Upāṃśu, the performance of only one or two of these does not discharge the complete liability; and just as among the Domestic Rites themselves, the ‘Vaiśvadeva offering,’ which extends up to the ‘Sviṣṭakṛt’ offering, is not regarded as complete, so long as there is a break in the offering to any single deity. In fact, each of the five sacrifices has a distinct occasion mentioned in relation to itself:—e.g. (1) ‘one should be constantly addicted to Vedic study’ (verse 75), (2) ‘one should be constantly addicted to making offerings to the gods’ (verse 75), and so forth; and the prescribed occasion being distinct for each, each is performed separately by itself; (3) as regards ‘honouring of the guest,’ the injunction for this appears quite distinctly (in 105), where the act is described as ‘conducive to prosperity and fame.’

Further, of these five ‘sacrifices,’ the performance of four depends upon the man himself; while that of ‘honouring the guest’ is conditional upon the arrival of the guest. The guest is not to be invited; as in that case he would not he a ‘guest’ (in the proper sense of the term); as we shall explain later on that a person is a ‘guest’ only when he comes of his own accord (unexpectedly). Thus, then, from among the five, if one performs any one only and omits the rest,—one might incur the sin of omitting to do what one should do; but what he has done does not become as good as not done. It is for this reason that when a man has not set up his own fire, though he is not, on that account, entitled to the Vaiśvadeva Homa, yet it is incumbent upon him to perform ‘Vedic Study,’ ‘Tarpaṇa’ and the rest. As for the setting up of one’s own fire, other Smṛtis permit of this being done at other times also; it is not necessary to set it up along with marriage itself. Says the Smṛti—‘the setting up of the Fire begins either with marriage or with succession.’

“The option of setting up the Fire at the time of succession may he regarded as applicable only to one who has not married at all.”

This would he so if the setting up of the Fire were an end in itself. As a matter of fact, however, the ‘setting up’ is for the purpose of obtaining the Fire, and the Fire is for the purpose of performing rites; rites, again, have been laid down as to be performed by one only when he is associated with his wife, and not alone by himself. It is true that some Gṛhya -writers have asserted that one should perform śrāddhas. after having kindled the Parameṣṭhiprāṇa Fire; but this also pertains to the man as associated with his wife; and this same also would be the time for his ‘succession’ also. Nor is the performance of śrāddhas impossible for one who has not set up the Fire; as it has been prescribed even for one who has not even been ‘initiated’, in whose case the use of the ‘sradhā’ alone has been excepted; and yet there is no setting up of the. fire for him; as it is only one who is ‘learned’ (in the Veda) that is entitled to it, and he is still without that learning (before Initiation). As for the performance of the Śrāddha (though this also presupposes knowledge of Vedic mantras), yet it has to be done by the uninitiated boy to the best of his ablity, in obedience to a direct injunction; this case being analogous to the performing of a sacrifice by the Niṣāda (Śūdra) in accordance with a direct injunction. Iu the event, however, of fire having been set up by his uncle or other relations, in view of a ‘learned’ performer being available, the uninitiated (and hence unlearned) boy is not entitled to the performance of śrāddhas. If the setting up of fire be found to be prescribed in the same context as śrāddhas, then one could set up the tire as an accessory to the śrādd ha, after the completion of which it would he abandoned.

Some people have quoted the Smṛti—“ The Vaiśvadêva Homa may be offered in the ordinary fire also.” Others, again, hold that it is to to performed by means of dry (uncooked) grains.—(70)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Adhyāpanam’—Nandana reads ‘adhyāyanam’ and explains that it is the same as ‘adhayanam.’

Burnell declares that what makes India ‘the land of vermin’ is this habit of the Hindus of offering food to all living beings!—To what lengths will the detractor of a religion not go!

This is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 392);—in Smṛtitattva (p. 533);—in Madanapārijāta (p. 305), which adds that ‘adhyāpana’ stands for ‘adhyayana’ ‘study,’ and ‘tarpaṇa’ for ‘Śrāddha’;—in Vidhānapārijāta ‘(II p. 306), which adds (like Medhātithi) that ‘adhyāpana’ includes ‘study’ also; and ‘tarpaṇa’ stands for the daily Śrāddha offering;—and in Saṃskāraratnamālā (p. 918), which adds that this is only an enumeration of the rites and not an injunction of the order in which they are to be performed,—some people hold that the four ‘sacrifices’ here mentioned go under the name of ‘Vaiśvadeva,’ but according to Mādhava, that name applies to only three—the Devayajña, the Pitṛyajña and the Bhūtayajña.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (5.3,4,9).—‘He should be the worshipper of Gods, Pitṛs, Men, Sages and Elementals; he should study the Veda every day; sacrifice to Gods, sacrifice to Pitṛs, and sacrifice, to Men; and also Vedic Study.’

Baudhāyana (2.6. 1-6).—‘These are the Five Great Sacrifices, these also are the Great Sacrificial Sessions: Sacrifice to Gods, Sacrifice to Pitṛs, Sacrifice to Elementals, Sacrifice to Men, Sacrifice to the Veda; day after day, he shall offer Svāhā, ending with the supplying of fuel,—in this manner does he accomplish the sacrifice to gods; day after day, he shall offer Svadhā, ending with the water-offering,—in this manner he accomplishes the sacrifice to Pitṛs; day after day, he shall how down to the Elementals, ending with the offering of flowers,—in this manner he accomplishes the Sacrifice to the Elements; day after day, he shall offer food to Brāhmaṇas, ending with the offering of roots, fruits and vegetables,—in this manner he accomplishes the Sacrifice of Men; day after day he shall carry on Vedic Study, ending with the Praṇava,—in this manner he accomplishes the sacrifice to the Veda.’

Devala (Vīramitrodaya-Āhnika, p. 388).—‘He shall honour the Gods, the Pitṛs and the Sages, respectively with the Kavya, the Kavya and the Svādhyāya; Havya standing for what is offered into the Fire, with Svāhā, which appeases the Gods,—Svadhā being what is offered to the Pitṛs, which pleases the Pitṛs,—Svādhyāya being the reading that starts with om, which sacrifices to the sages.’

Viṣṇu (59.20-25).—‘For the expiation of the sins, he shall perform the Sacrifices to the Veda, the Gods, the Pitṛs, the Elementals and the Men; Vedic Study constitutes the Sacrifice to the Veda;—Homa is the Sacrifice to the Gods;—Water-libations to forefathers is the Sacrifice to the Pitṛs;—the making of Bali-offerings constitute the Sacrifice to the Elementals;—the honouring of guests constitutes the Sacrifice to Men.’

Yājñavalkya (1.102).—‘Bali, Svadhā, Homa, Svādhyāya and Atithī-satkāra are the great sacrifices to Elementals, Pitṛs, Gods, Veda and Men.’

Āśvalāyana-Gṛhyasūtra (3.1-2).—‘Now follow the Five Great Sacrifices:—Sacrifice to Gods, Sacrifice to Elementals, Sacrifice to Veda, Sacrifice to Pitṛs and Sacrifice to Men; the offerings made into the Fire constitute the Sacrifice to Gods, the bali-offerings constitute the Sacrifice to Elementals; the offerings made to Pitṛs constitutes the Sacrifice to Pitṛs; the studying of the Veda constitutes the Sacrifice to Veda; the offerings to Men constitute the Sacrifice to Men.’

Chandogapariśiṣṭa (Vīramitrodaya-Āhnika, p. 390).—‘The Great Sacrifices should be understood to be those sacrifices that are offered to Gods, Elementals, Pitṛs, Vedas and Men, in due order; the teaching of Veda is the Sacrifice to Vedas, the water-offerings to forefathers is the Sacrifice to Pitṛs, the offering of Homa is the Sacrifice to Gods, the offering of Bali is the Sacrifice to Elementals, the honouring of Guests is the Sacrifice to Men; or the Sacrifice to Pitṛs may consist of Śrāddha or of offerings made to forefathers.’

Śātātapa (Vīramitrodaya-Āhnika, p. 391).—‘He shall perform, in due order, the Sacrifice to Elementals, the daily Śrāddha and the honouring of guests, as also Vedic Study.’

Jābāla (Vīramitrodaya-Āhnika, p. 393).—‘Of the Great Sacrifices, the first is accomplished by the water-libation; the Sacrifice to Gods is accomplished by making offerings into Fire with the Sāvitrī-mantra, and the Sacrifice to Elementals, by the Bali-offering; the Sacrifice to Veda, by repeating Vedic texts; and the Sacrifice to Men, by the honouring of guests.’