Manava Dharmashastra 3.79

3.79

ucchīrṣakaṃ prasiddhadevatāśaraṇaṃ śīrṣasthānaṃ, tatra śriyai baliṃ kuryāt | pādataḥ adhobhāge gṛhasya bhadrakālyai | tasyā api sthānaṃ dvārasya pūrvabhāge | anye ucchīrṣakaṃ gṛhasthaśayanasya śirobhāgamāhuḥ, pādau cāsyādhobhāgam | tena khaṭvādāvayaṃ homo, bhūpradeśe vā gṛhasthaśayanasthāne | brahmavāstoṣpatibhyām | satyapi dvandvanirdeśe pṛthagete āhutī, 'brahmaṇe' 'vāstoṣpataya' iti ca | yatra tūbhayadevatātvamagnīṣomavattatra sahagrahaṇaṃ samastagrahaṇaṃ vā karoti, 'tayoścaiva samastayoḥ' (85) 'saha dyāvāpṛthivyośceti' (86) prasiddhasāhacaryāt | 'vāstu' gṛhaṃ, tanmadhye |

He should hake an offering to Śrī on the “head” and to Bhadrakālī on the “feet;” for Brahman and Vāstoṣpati, he should place an offering in the centre of the homestead.—(89)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Head’—is the top-most place, known as the dwelling of the gods; on this he should make the offering to Śrī; and ‘on the feet’—i.e., on the lower side of the house—Ho Bhadrakālī;’ the place of dwelling of this goddess being the East of the door.

Others have explained ‘head’ to mean that side of the householder’s bed where his head lies; and the ‘feet’ to be the lower side of the same. According to this explanation, this oblation may be placed either on the bedstead or on the ground, on the spot where the householder’s bed lies.

‘For Brahman and Vāstoṣpati.’—Even though these deities have been coupled together in a copulative compound, yet the two oblations are distinct, one to Brahman and another to Vāstoṣpati. In cases where two gods together form the ‘deities,’—as in the case of ‘Agni-Soma’—the two are taken together or conjointly; for example (a) ‘to the two together’ (as mentioned in 85 above), and ‘to Heaven and Earth conjointly’ (as mentioned in 86 above). The two mentioned here are to be treated separately, as they are not known to be companions.

‘Homestead’ means the house; and it is in the centre of the house that the offering is to be placed.—(89)