25 - Vedic Studies and other Religious Duties Defined

Sanaka said: 

1. I shall tell you specifically the precepts governing the disciplined conduct of life of the different castes and stages. Listen to it with attentive mind, o excellent sage. 

2. He who eschews his own prescribed course of duties (Dharma) and pursues that of others should be known as a heretic and be excluded from all Dharmas. 

3. Such purificatory ceremonies as Garbhādhāna (rite of religious consummation of marriage-impregnation) should be performed with due chanting of Mantras at the proper time and in accordance with the injunctions. To women these rites do not require the chanting of Mantras. 

4. The first holy rite of Simanta1 (ritualistic parting of the hair upwards, as a part of the purificatory rite during pregnancy) should preferably be performed in the fourth month. It can be performed in the sixth or the seventh or the eighth month also. 

1. Sīmanta-karma, Simanta or Simantonnayana is really a rite of a social and festival nature expressing joy felt by the family and the woman concerned at the prospect of a child. Literally it means 'parting the hair of the woman, upward.' The Samskara is treated in many Gruhya Sūtras like that of Ashvalayana (I.14.1-9), Baudhayana (I.10), Gobhila (II.7.1-12), Vaikhanasa (III.12) and others, but there is a great divergence in the details of this Samskara showing the difference in the geographical region where they were composed. The garlanding of the pregnant girl and playing of lute and singing of ballads prescribed in the gruhya sütras, shows its festival nature. The month of pregnancy in which it is to be celebrated differs. NP. seems to follow Khadira Gr.S. in prescribing the 4th, 6th or the 8th month out of which the 4th is supported by Ashvalayana and Apastamba. In prescribing the 7th month, NP. follows Shankhayana Gr.S. (I-22-1) indicating NP.'s affinity if not location.

5. When the son is born, the father should take his bath along with the cloth worn and perform the post-natal holy rite. He should perform Nandi Shraddha with the formal prescribed utterance of benediction 

6. One should perform the Vruddhi-Shraddha (Shraddha at the time when one has acquired special prosperity and glory) either with gold or with silver. He who performs it with cooked food shall be on a par with a Chandāla. 

7. At the end of the Sutaka (i.e., the period of pollution due to the birth of a child) the father should perform the Abhyudayika Shraddha (i.e., Shraddha due to prosperity) for the son, observing restraint in speech. He should indicate the name also.2 (i.e., the naming ceremony is to be performed). 

2. NP, is much removed in time from the Bruhadaranyaka Up. and Gruhya Sūtras of Gobhila, Khadira and others which prescribe that the name should be given to the boy on the day of his birth. It was to be the Nakshatra-nama which was to be kept a secret till the thread-ceremony of the boy and the name for common use was given on the 10th day.

8. O leading Brahmana, the name given shall not be unclear, meaningless, or one with many long syllables. Nor shall it contain letters difficult to pronounce. 

9. He shall perform the Chaula3, the rite of keeping locks of hair-in accordance with the injunction in the Gruhya sutras in the third, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth year. 

3. Chaula or Chudakarana: 

Most writers recommend the 3rd year for this rite but Ashvalayana, Paraskara, Yajnavalkya allow the family usage for the time of performance of this, though they don't disapprove of the 3rd year.

10. If due to unavoidable situations, the Garbhadhana and other rites are not performed in due course, the expiatory rite of one fourth Krucchra shall be performed. In the case of the Chaula rite, it should be half a Krucchra. 

11. The investiture with sacred thread for the boy should be in the eighth year after conception or birth.4 Any time upto the sixteenth year is permitted as a subsidiary period (for the same rite in the case of a Brahmana). 

4. This is clearly an exposition of Ashvalayana Gr.S. regarding the usual and the final limit of the age of the thread ceremony of the three varnas: 

ashtame varshe Brahmanam upanayet |

Garbhashtame vá | ekadashe Kshattriyam |

dvädashe Vaishyam | å shodashád Brahmanasyānatitaḥ Kälah |

à dvâvimshåt Kshattriyasya | à chaturvimšhad Vaishyasya |

Ashva Gr.S. I.19.1-6.

12. The investiture with sacred thread in the case of a Kshatriya is in the eleventh year after conception. (If not done in the eleventh year due to circumstances), learned men permit any time upto the twenty-second year. 

13. The Upanayana rite of a Vaishya is to be performed in the twelfth year after conception. Learned men say that the period (though allowed) upto the twenty-fourth year, is subsidiary. 

14. If the twice born is not invested with the sacred thread within these limits of time, know him to be Savitripatita (fallen from the sacred Gayatri or Savitri mantra. No one should even converse with him. 

15. O Brahmana, if the chief time limit is transgressed in the Upanayana of a twice-born, Krucchra penance should be performed for twelve years. Afterwards he should perform the Chandrayana and two Santapana Prayashchittas (expiations) and thereafter perform the original holy rite (i.e., Upanayana). 

16-21a. Otherwise know him to be a fallen person. He who does so shall be on a par with a slayer of a Brahmana. The girdle of a Brahmana should be of the Munja grass, that of Kshatriya should be the bowstring and that of a Vaishya should be woollen. May the deerskin (for wearing) be stated thus: -The skin of the ena deer should be used by a Brahmana; that of a ruru deer should be used by a Kshatriya. A Vaishya should use the skin of a goat. I shall describe the staff in due order: The Palasa stick is prescribed for a Brahmana; the Udumbara stick for a Kshatriya and that of Bilva for a Vaishya. 

Now listen to their size: --The staff of a Brahmana should come upto his hair on the head; that of a Kshatriya should come upto the forehead. Learned men say that the staff of a Vaishya should come up to the tip of his nose. 

I shall now describe the clothes of Brahmana and others in due order. They are ochre-coloured, madder-coloured (red) and turmeric-coloured (yellow) (respectively). 

21b-22a. O Brahmana, the Brahmana who has been invested with the sacred thread should be devoted to the service of his preceptor. He should stay in the house of his preceptor till he learns the Vedas. 

22b-23a. The (Brahmana) religious student should take bath in the morning. O leading sage, for the sake of the preceptor, the student should bring sacrificial twigs, Kusha grass, fruits and other things, everyday in the morning. 

23b-24a. O excellent sage, whenever the sacred thread, the deer-skin or the staff is lost, soiled or broken, a new one should be used with due repetition of the mantras. The soiled ones should be thrown into the water. 

24b-25a. They (the religious authorities) prescribe that the means of livelihood of the religious student is only through alms begged and received by them. The student with controlled sense organs should bring the alms from the houses of Brahmanas well-versed in Vedas. 

25b-26a. When the Brahmana begs for alms he should say, bhavati bhikṣhām dehi (O madam, give me the alms); the Kshatriya should say, bhikṣhām bhavati dehi (Alms, O madam, give me). When the Vaishya begs, he should say bhikṣhām dehi bhavati (Give me alms, O madam). 

26b. The religious student should conquer his sense organs and perform the rites of fire-worship both in the morning and in the evening according to convention. 

27. The religious student should perform the Brahmayajna and the Tarpana rite every day. He who forsakes the ritualistic fire-worship is called a fallen fellow by the learned. 

28. He who does not perform Brahmayajna is called a slayer of a Brahmana. After rendering service to the preceptor, he should perform the worship of the deities. 

29. Every day he should partake of the food got as alms only. Never should he take food given by a single man. The student who has conquered his sense-organs should bring alms from the houses of brahmanas of irreproachable character. 

30a. After offering alms first to the preceptor, he should, with his permission, partake of it, remaining restrained in speech. 

30b-32a. He should avoid wine, women, meat, salt, chewing the betel-leaves, cleansing the teeth, eating the leavings of foods of others, sleep during the day, use of the umbrella, wearing of shoes, scents and unguents, garlands, sports in water, dance, vocal music, instrumental music. 

32b-33a. He should abstain from slandering, distressing others, prattling (grumbling), application of collyrium, contact with heretic people, association with the Shudras, etc. 

33b. As to elders, he should habitually bow to and salute them in due order. 

34-35. The elders are of three types, viz.-Elders in know ledge, elders in piety and austerity and elders in age. He who removes spiritual misery and the like is the (bonafide) guru. He does it through the instruction in the Vedas and the scriptural texts. The student should salute him at the outset. While saluting, the Brahmana should say Asau aham (I am he-s0 and so). 

36-39a. The Kshatriyas and others are by no means to be bowed to by a Brahmana. The following should not be saluted : An atheist, a person who breaks the bounds of decency, an un grateful person, the common priest of the village, a thief, a rogue, a heretic, the fallen fellow, the Vratya (one of the three castes fallen from his caste-position due to non-performance of holy rites), a professional astrologer, a sinner, who shall never be saluted, a mad man, a gambler, an unclean person, a person (who is) running, a person who has applied oil to his head and a person performing Japa. 

39b-40. He should never salute a person always given to arguing, a fierce man, a person vomiting, a person standing in water, a person holding the alms and a person lying down. He should never salute a woman who had killed her husband, a woman in her menses, a woman with a paramour, a woman who has recently delivered of a child, a woman who had an abortion, an ungrateful woman, and a fierce woman. 

41-42a. If individual salutation is made in an assembly, a sacrificial hall or a temple, it destroys the merit earned before. 

42b-43a. He should not bow to a person who is performing a Shraddha, Vrata, Dana, worship of the deities, Yajna or Tarpana. 

43b-44a. If anyone does not salute in return when he is saluted, he is on a par with a Shudra. He should not be considered worthy of being saluted. 

44b-45a. The student should wash his feet and perform the Achamana rite. Sitting face to face with the preceptor and touching his feet, the clever student should begin his study. 

45b-50a. A Brahmana who is eager to attain the benefit of all holy rites should not pursue the study of the Vedas on the following days : during the holidays: viz. the first and eighth day (Ashtakas), the fourteenth day, the Pratipats (first day of a fortnight), the Parvan days, Mahabharaṇi day (when the moon is in Bharani Nakshatra in Pitru Pakşha), on the twelfth day in the month of Shravana, on the second day in the latter fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada, on the seventh day in the bright half of the month of Magha, on the ninth day in the month of Ashvina, when the sun is encircled by a halo, when a Vedic scholar comes to the house, when a Brahmana is bound, when a quarrel increases, during the dusk, when the cloud rumbles, when there is an untimely heavy down-pour, when a comet or thunderbolt falls, when a Brahmana is insulted, O celestial sage, on the Manvādi days (i.e. on the days on which Manvantaras started) and the four Yugādi days (i.e. on the days on which the four yugas commenced)-- these foregoing occasions are to be treated as holidays. 

50b-51 The third day in the bright half of the month of Madhava (i.e., Vaisakha), the thirteenth day in the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada, the ninth day in the bright half of the month of Karttika and the full moon day in the month of Magha —these are said to be Yugādi days. Whatever is given in these days becomes everlasting in its benefit. 

52-55. I shall mention the Manvādi days. Listen to it attentively; the ninth and the twelfth days in the bright half of Karttika; the third day of the Chaitra month, as well as of the month of Bhadrapada; the tenth day of the bright half of Ashadha, the seventh day in the bright half of Magha, the eighth day in the dark half of Shravana, the full moon day in the month of Ashadha, the new moon day in the month of Phalguna, the eleventh day in the bright half of Pausha, the full moon days in the months of Karttika, Phalguna, Chaitra, and Jyeshtha--these are the first days of the Manvantaras; whatever is given on these days becomes everlasting in its benefit. 

56-57. On the Manvādi and Yugādi days, Shraddha should be performed by the twice-born; one should never study the Vedas during these days5 when one is invited to a Shraddha, during the eclipse of the sun and the moon; on the two ayana days, when there is earthquake; on the Galagraha days (some days in the dark fortnight) and on Durdinas (when the sun is invisible due to clouds). 

5. The topic of holidays or days on which the Veda should not be taught, is discussed in the Gruhya and Dharma Sūtras and most of the Smrutis. A reference to SC. on Anadhyaya (I.pp.56-61) shows the difference of opinion among these authorities. Many of the verses in NP. are found in VP.III.14.13 ff, Mt.P.17.4-8, M. Nrusimha P. ch.56. The list of holidays is stupendous. But the anadhyaya is limited to learning (new) Vedic mantras and not to their application or self-study (Jaimini XII.3.18-19, Apastamba Shrauta Sutra 24.1.37. Hence, normal studies of other lores were not affected.

58-59. O Narada, if a foolish person pursues the study of the Vedas during these holidays, Yama himself will destroy his progeny, intellect, renown, prosperity, longevity, strength and health. Know the person who studies the Vedas during the Anadhyaya days (holidays) to be Brahma-ghătaka (the slayer of a Brahmana). 

60-65. O Brahmana, no one should hold conversation with him; no one shall reside with him; O Narada, some persons say that even Kundas and Golakas (bastards) and the sluggish etc. should be invested with sacred thread; some say that their sons etc. should be invested with sacred thread. One who does not study the Vedas but puts forth effort elsewhere should be known to be on a par with a Shudra; he is the beloved guest in hell. Even if a Brahmana who has not learned the Vedas follows the conventional conduct of life, he does not attain the benefit of the Acharas. He is just like a shudra. In the case of a Brahmana who has not learned the Vedas the Nitya, Naimittika, Kamya and all other Vedic rites are futile. Vishnu is identical with the Shabda Brahman (the supreme Soul in the form of Sound); hence Veda is Hari Himself. Hence, a Brahmana who studies the Vedas will attain his desires.