Manava Dharmashastra 2.4.3

2.4.3

catuṣpāddhi dharmo'bhyupagatastatrālapatarāṃśaḥ śrutaḥ, sakaletarāṃśabodhahetustathāvidha eva, vidhau sambandhagrahaṇāditi | sarvathā tāvatsambhavati vedasaṃyogaḥ | 6) | tatra pūrvayorarthayorasambhavāttṛtīyo'rtho gṛhyate | dvāviṃśateḥ pūraṇo dvāviṃśo'bdaḥ taddhitārthaḥ | 46 ) sthā ā āsābhityāṅā praśleṣātkarmatvam | pari upa ā āsīna iti ihāpyāṅā śliṣṭanirdiṣṭo draṣṭavyaḥ | paryupaśabdāvanarthakau | pavitrairdarmaireva pāvitaḥ śucitvamāpāditaḥ | aghamarṣaṇādistu mantro neha pavitraśabdenocyate, brahmacāriṇastadānīmanadhītatvātteṣām | na ca darbhāḥ svasattāmātreṇa kāñcitkriyāmakurvataḥ pāvane karaṇaṃ bhavantīti | avāntaravyāpārāpekṣayā smṛtyantare prāṇopasparśanaṃ pratīyate | āha ca gautamaḥ | ( a. 1 sū. 46|50) “prāṇopasparśanaṃ darbhaiḥ | prākkūleṣvāsanaṃ ca” | prāṇāyāmaistribhiḥ pūtaḥ | mukhanāsikāsañcārī vāyuḥ prāṇaḥ tasyāyāmo nirodhaḥ śarīre dhāraṇaṃ, bahirniṣkramaṇaniṣedhaḥ, tasya smṛtyantare dhāraṇakālasya mānaṃ samāmnātam | mantrānusmaraṇaṃ ca | “pratipraṇavasaṃyuktāṃ gāyatrīṃ śirasā saha | trijapedāyataprāṇaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ sa ucyate” | vasiṣṭhena bhagavatā mahāvyāhṛtayo'pyuktāḥ | mantrāvasāna eva nirodhāvadhiḥ anyasyānāmnātatvātsarvasmṛtīnāṃ cāsati virodha ekārthatvādikāpyevamevānuṣṭhānam | “nanvevamitaretarāśrayaḥ syāt kṛteṣu prāṇāyāmeṣu oṃṅkāro na kartavyo, na coṅkāreṇa vinā prāṇāyāmo nirvartate |” naiṣa doṣaḥ | trijapediti prāṇāyāmeṣu mānasavyāpāreṇoṅkārasya smaraṇamucyate | na hi niruddhaprāṇasya śabdoccāraṇaṃ sambhavati | yadyapi japaḥ kaścidvāgvyāpārasādhyo bhavati |

(B) Next as regards Mantras, some of them are directly injunctive; e.g., the Mantra ‘Vasantāya kapiñjalān ālabhate’ (‘offers the Kapiñjala birds to Vasanta’);—in connection with the Āghāra-offering, the deity to whom the offering is to be made is pointed out by the mantra ‘Ita Indra urdhvo’ dhvaraḥ, etc.’ In this case the Deity is not mentioned in the passage that enjoins the offering, nor is it mentioned in any other purely injunctive passage; the particular mantra to be used however is directly enjoined as being the one that begins with ‘Ita Indra’; hence it is from the words of this mantra that we learn the name of the requisite Deity. There are thousand, of such instances where the Deity is indicated by the words of the mantra. Then, there are certain mantras that are only descriptive of what is being done; and these also serve the purpose of making known Dharma by reminding (the persons engaged in the act, of what is to be done); and thus these also become ‘root of Dharma’ by indicating what should be done.