17. The Atisantapana drink

The drink here is subsistence on liquid cow's urine. Different opinions on the particulars of the penance - This is the same as the Mahasantapana.This is variously defined. According to the Agni-purana (1.71.10) and the Vi.Dh.S. (XLVI.21) it lasts for eighteen days (three times of the Mahasantapana in which one has to subsist on cow's urine, etc. (mentioned in connection with Mahasantapana) for six days. The

385 Mitakshara on the Yajnavalkya-smriti quotes a verse of Yama according to which 42 this penance lasts for twelve days. According to Yama, this penance purifies even a person who cooks a dog i.e. a person of very low birth viz. a Candala. Even in the later tradition, the Kurma-purana provides an overall view on the Mahasantapana as follows According to the Yaj.s., the Manu S., the Vis. S. etc., Santapana lasts for two days. On the first day the sinner is to drink together cow's urine, dung, milk, curds, ghee and kusa-water followed by a fast on the second day. For the Mahasantapana, the sinner drinks separately for six days in succession the six ingredients mentioned above and fasts on the seventh. Thus the Mahasantapana penance lasts for seven days. The Sankha and the Baudh Dh.S. speak of Maha santapana of twenty-one days duration (which Vishnu-smriti calls Atisantapana) whereas Yama speaks of the same as lasting for fifteen days. Mahasantapana of eighteen days is known as Atisantapana.43 42. Mitakshara on Yajnavalkya-smriti DII.315; Pr.S. p.191; Apararka,p.1234 (reads yaham tryaham | )- yada nu vannam santapanadravyanamekaikasya dvayahugupayoga rati santapanam | yathaha gamah | etanyeva tatha | peyanyakaka tu dvayaha, dvayaham 972 | ati santapanam nama apakamapi sodhayet || iti 43. Pai G.K., op. cit., p.353.

386 Yamya Instead of barley-grains found in dung, it requires subsisting on saktu-grains in the dung. According to Vishnudharmottara-purana quoted by Pr.Pr. (folio 48b) this consists in subsisting for a month on saktu-grains found in cow-dung. Somayana Here the drink is subsistence on milk from the udder of the cow (varying as prescribed) which being a liquid essentially falls within this study. As for added information on this penance - According 44 to some works, the penance lasts for thirty days, divided into five periods viz. 7, 7, 7, 6 and 3 days, in which the milk of all the four teats of a cow, of three teats, of two teats and of one teat is respectively drunk and for the last three days there is complete fast. There is another variety which lasts for twenty-four days from the fourth tithi of the dark half of a month to the twelfth of the bright half of the next fortnight. The twenty-four days are divided into eight periods of three days each and milk of a cow's four teats, three teats, two teats and one teat is respectively drunk and then in the next four periods of three days, each, the milk of one teat, two, three and four teats is respectively drunk. 44. Madanaparijata, pp.744-746 (quoting Harita Dharmasutra and Markandeya) and Pr.Pr. (folio 60b)