Verse 11.118 [Expiation for the Immoral Religious Student (avakīrṇa)]

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

अवकीर्णी तु काणेन गर्दभेन चतुष्पथे ।
पाकयज्ञविधानेन यजेत निरृतिं निशि ॥ ११८ ॥

avakīrṇī tu kāṇena gardabhena catuṣpathe |
pākayajñavidhānena yajeta nirṛtiṃ niśi || 118 ||

The immoral religious student shall offer, at night, to Nirṛti, on the crossway, a one-eyed ass, in the manner of the ‘Pākayajña.’—(118)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Avakīrṇa’ means the breaking, by the Religious Student, of the vow of celibacy,—i.e., sexual intercourse, an ‘immorality’; one who has done this is ‘avakīrṇī,’ ‘the immoral religious student’

This is going to be described (under 120) as—‘the intentional emission of semen.’

‘One-eyed ass’—This lays down the material to be used at the sacrifice, along with its qualification.

‘On the cross-way.’—This lays down the place of the sacrifice.

‘At night.’—This lays down the time of the sacrifice.

‘To Nirṛti.’—This lays down the deity of the sacrifice.

‘In the manner of the Pākayajña.’—This prescribes the procedure to be adopted at the sacrifice.

“As a matter of fact all animal-sacrifices have for their archetype the Agniṣṭoma; as is clear from the fact that they can only be accomplished by means of the animal-sacrifices at this latter sacrifice—[so that the said sacrifice of the ass must follow the procedure of the Agnistoma, and not of the Pākayajña.]”

True; but the same Agniṣṭoma is the archetype of the ‘Pākayajña’ also; and it can be performed only when the agent is prompted by the desire for those rewards that follow from that sacrifice. Then again, it has been declared that ‘the animal also flows, and milk also flows’ [so that there is a distinct similarity between the Animal Sacrifice and the Pākayajña offerings of milk].

‘Pākayajña’— is a name applied to the Darśapūrṇamāsa and other similar sacrifices.—(118)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 436);—in Vidhānapārijāta (p. 507);—in Nirṇayasindhu (p. 191);—in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 554);—in Aparārkā (p. 1140), which notes that what is emphasised here is (a) that the ass should be one-eyed, and (b) that the entire procedure of the Pākayajña sacrifice laid down in Gṛhyasūtra should be carried out;—in Madanapārijāta (p. 909), which explains ‘pākayajñavidhānena’ as the entire procedure consisting of the ‘Parisam ū hana’ and ‘Paryukṣaṇa’ and ending with the ‘Principal offerings’ to Vāta and the other deities;—it notes that the ‘night’ meant is that of Amāvāṣyā day;—and in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 363).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.118-123)

Yājñavalkya (3.280).—‘The Student becomes an Avakīrṇin by approaching a woman; he becomes purified by offering an ass to Nirṛti.’

Viṣṇu (37.35).—‘Criminals of the fourth degree shall perform the Cāndrāyaṇa or Parāka penances, or shall sacrifice a cow.’

Do. (28.48-51).—‘A voluntary emission of semen by a twice-born youth during the period of his studentship has been pronounced a transgression of the rule prescribed for students. Having loaded himself with this sin, he must go begging to seven houses, clothed only with the skin of the cow, and proclaiming his deed; eating once only a meal consisting of the alms received at those houses, and bathing three times, he becomes absolved from guilt at the end of one year. After an involuntary emission of semen during sleep, the twice-born student must bathe, worship the sun and recite, three times, the mantra “Again shall my strength return to me, etc.”’

Gautama (23.17-20).—‘A Student who has broken the vow of chastity shall offer an ass to Nirṛti on the cross-road. Putting on the skin of that ass, with the hair turned outside, and holding a red vessel in bis hands, he shall beg at seven houses, proclaiming his deed. He will be purified after a year. For an involuntary discharge caused by fear or sickness, or during sleep, he shall make an offering of clarified butter, or place two pieces of fuel in the fire reciting the two verses beginning with “Retasya.”’

Do. (25.1-2).—‘They say.—How many gods does a Student enter who violates the vow of chastity?—They announce—His vital spirits go to the Maruts, his strength to Indra, his sacred learning to Bṛhaspati, all the rest to Agni.’

Baudhāyana (2.1.30-35).—‘A Student approaching a woman is called Āvakīrṇin;—he shall offer an ass as the sacrificial animal; the sacrificial meat-cake shall be offered to Nirṛti, or to Rakṣas, or to Yama. Or, he may heap fuel on the fire on the night of the New Moon, perform the preparatory rites required for the Darvihoma, and offer two oblations of clarified butter. After he has made the offering, he shall address the fire, closely joining his hands, turning sideways, with the following texts “May the Maruts grant me, etc., etc.”’

Āpastamba (1.26.8-9).—‘A Student who has broken the vow of chastity shall offer to Nirṛti an ass, according to the manner of the Pākayajña rites,—a Śūdra eating the remnants of that offering.’

Vaśiṣṭha (23.1-3).—‘If a Student has approached a woman, he shall slay in the forest, at a place where four roads meet, an ass for the Rakṣas, after kindling a common fire. Or, he may offer an oblation of rice to Nirṛti. He shall throw the oblations with the mantra—“To Lust Svāhā, etc.”’

Pāraskara-Gṛhyasūtra (3.12.1-3, 6-8).