Verse 7.145 [Daily Routine of Work]

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

उत्थाय पश्चिमे यामे कृतशौचः समाहितः ।
हुताग्निर्ब्राह्मणांश्चार्च्य प्रविशेत् स शुभां सभाम् ॥ १४५ ॥

utthāya paścime yāme kṛtaśaucaḥ samāhitaḥ |
hutāgnirbrāhmaṇāṃścārcya praviśet sa śubhāṃ sabhām || 145 ||

Having risen during the last watch of the night and performed his ablutions, with collected mind, having poured libations into the Fire, and honoured the Brāhmaṇas, he shall enter the auspicious Hall of Audience.—(145)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The ‘last watch’ stands for the ‘Brāhma-muhūrta’, the ‘time sacred to Brahman’; that it is so is indicated by the terms ‘having performed his ablutions’, and ‘with collected mind’.

‘Having poured the libations into Fire’;—the performance of this act of Homa-offering is not to be done during the ‘Brahma-muhūrta’; ince at that time four muhūrtas (3 hours, 12 minutes) of the night would be still left, while the Homa-offering has been laid down as to be done when the night has dawned. So what all this means is simply—‘having accomplished all that is to be done at dawn’.

‘Having honoured’ worshipped—‘the Brāhmaṇas’—‘he shall enter the auspicious Hall of Audience’—equipped with auspicious marks.—(145)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 409);—in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 155);—in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Saṃskāra, p. 740);—and in Smṛticandrikā (Vyavahāra, p. 43).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Smṛtyantara (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 155).—‘Rising during the last quarter of the night, he shall cleanse his teeth; then entering the bath-room, he shall bathe with purified water; thereupon having offered water to the Sun-god with collected mind, he shall adorn his body, and having looked at his face with a mantra, he shall give to the Brāhmaṇa a pot of clarified butter along with gold.’

Brahmapurāṇa (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 158).—‘Everyday on rising the king shall honour the gods and Brāhmaṇas; he shall then worship the Fire.’

Yājñavalkya (1.331).—‘Being welcomed with the blessings of sacrificial and domestic priests and the teacher, he shall see the astrologers and physicians and then give away cows, gold and land.’