Manava Dharmashastra 2.70

2.70

pratyāsanne bhaviṣyati laḍayaṃ draṣṭavyaḥ | adhyayane pravartamānaḥ adhyayanamārabhamāṇaḥ adhyetumicchanniti yāvat |
udaṅmukhe'dhyāpyaḥ | gautamīye tu "prāṅmukho vā śiṣyaḥ pratyaṅmukha ācārya" iti (a. 1 sū. 55) |
ācānto yathāśāstramiti | prāguktamācamanavidhiṃ smārayati |
brahmāñjaliḥ kṛto yeneti | āhitāgnyāderākṛtigaṇatvānniṣṭhāntasya paranipātaḥ | brahmāñjalikṛditi vā pāṭhaḥ |
laghuvāsā dhautavāsāḥ | prakṣālanena laghunī vāsasī bhavataḥ | ato laghutvena vāsasaḥ śuddhirlakṣyate | athavā'yaṃ romādisthūlavasanaḥ cittavikṣepe tāḍyamāno na prahāraṃ vedayettataśca na yuktaḥ paṭhet | apanīyamāne tu vāsasi guroḥ khedaḥ syāt | nirāvapaṇe ca kāye rajjvādinā tāḍyamāno mahatīṃ bālo vedanāmanubhavet | ato dṛṣṭārthaṃ laghuvāsastvam |
jitāni niyamitānīndriyāṇyubhayānyapi yena sa jitendriyaḥ | na itastato vīkṣeta, yatkiñcinna śṛṇuyādadhyayane'vahito bhavedityuktaṃ bhavati |

When about to study, he shall be taught with his face to the north, when he has sipped water according to law, has formed the Brahmāñjali (with his hands), wears light clothing and has the organs under full control.—(70)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
The Future ending (in ‘adhyīṣyamāṇaḥ’) denotes the immediate future; and means ‘when engaging in study,’ ‘when beginning to study,’ ‘when desiring to proceed with his study.’

‘He shall be taught, with hist face to the north.’—Gautama (1.65) has laid down that ‘the pupil should face the east, while the Teacher faces the west.’

‘When he has sipped water according to law’—refers to the rules prescribed above regarding the sipping of water.

The compound ‘brahmāñjalikṛtaḥ’ is to be expounded as ‘he by whom Brahmāñjali has been formed.’ the past participal adjective (‘kṛtaḥ’)being placed at the end, according to Pāṇini 2.2.37;—the present compound being analogous to such compounds as ‘āhitāgni’ and the like. Or, we may read ‘brahmāñjalikṛt.’

‘Wears light clothing’;—i.e., with clothes thoroughly washed; a thorough washing always makes the cloth ‘light’; hence ‘lightness’ indicates cleanliness. Or, ‘light clothing’ may be taken in its literal sense, the lightness of the clothing being meant to serve a visible purpose: if the boy were

Heavily clad in thick woolen clothes, he would not feel the strokes of the rope with which he would be struck when found to be inattentive, and not feeling the stroke, he would not study in the proper manner; and if the teacher, on this account, found it necessary to remove the cloth from the back (each time that the rope would be laid on the back), this would tire the teacher himself; and further, if the boy were struck with the rope on the naked body, he, would feel great pain.

‘One who has his organs under full control’;—i.e., one who has fully subdued all bis organs, both external and internal. The sense is that he should not turn his eyes this way and that, should not listen to anything and everything that may be talked of, he should devote all his attention to his own study.—(70)