Manava Dharmashastra 3.74

3.74

viśvedevātha vaiśvadevaḥ pāka ucyate | sarvārtho viśvadevaśabdo'pi sampradānamātropalakṣaṇārthaḥ | tenātithyādyarthatā'pyuktā bhavati | siddhasya homamābhyo vakṣyamāṇābhyo devatābhyaḥ kuryāt | siddhaśabdena'devatoddeśena devasyatveti mantravānnirvāpo na kartavya' iti darśayati, kevalaṃ sarvārthe niṣpannapāke homādi kartavyamiti vidhyarthaḥ | gṛhe | yathāvidhihomādhikaraṇanirdeśaḥ | vidhipūrvakam-samācāraprāptāṃ parisamūhanaparyukṣaṇādirūpāmitikartavyatāmāha | brāhmaṇaśabdastraivarṇikādhikārapradarśanārthaḥ | anvahaṃ nityamityarthaḥ | devatāgrahaṇaṃ svāhākāraprāptyartham | ṣaṣṭhīnirdeśādagneridamiti prayogaḥ syāt | devatāśabde tu-svāhākāreṇa vā devebhyo haviḥ saṃpradīyata iti | yājyānte punarvaṣaṭkārasya vidhānāt, smārtahome tvabhāvaḥ | svāhākārastu sarvatra | tasmiṃśca satyapraye svāheti prayogaḥ |

Out of the food cooked in the domestic fire, for the Viśvedevas, the Brāhmaṇa shall every day offer, according to rule, Homa to these deities,’—(84)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Vaiśvadeva,’ ‘for the Viśvedevas’—i.e., what is cooked for the sake of the Viśvedevas. Though the term ‘viśvedeva’ literally means ‘all deities,’ yet here it is indicative of only those to whom oblations are offered. Hence the term may be taken as standing also for what is cooked for guests and others.

‘Out of the food cooked, Homa should be offered to these deities’— to those going to be mentioned in the next verse. The term ‘cooked’ implies that the offering is made out of what has been already cooked for all recipients, and that there is no special cooking for the deities only, done with the mantra ‘Devasya tvā savituḥ, etc.’

‘According to rule’—this means that the Homa is to be offered in accordance with rules laid down in the Gṛhyasūtras; by which all such details of procedure become included as sweeping the spot, sprinkling water over it, and so forth.

The term ‘Brāhmaṇa’ is for the purpose of indicating the fact of the three higher castes being entitled to the performance.

‘Every day’— daily.

‘Deities’ (in the Dative) serves to indicate the necessity of using the syllable ‘svāhā,’ If the genitive bad been used, then the words need (at the offering) would have been ‘agneḥ idam’ (not ‘agnaye svāhā). The use of the term ‘devatā’ (‘Deity’), however, makes the rule mean that ‘all offerings to the gods should be made with’ the syllable svāhā.’ As for the syllable ‘vaṣaṭ,’ it is to be pronounced at the end of the ‘Yājyā’ mantras, but never at a Smārta Homa; while the syllable ‘svāhā’ is to be pronounced at all Homas; such being the case, the formula used should be ‘agnaye svāhā.’—(84)