Manava Dharmashastra 6.7

6.7

munyannairityuktam | tāni ca nīvārādīni vandāni dhānyāni tathā śākādīni vanyānyeva | annaśabde bāhulyena dhānyavikāre bhaktasaktupiṣṭādau prayujyate | tataḥ śākādīnāṃ satyapi munyannatve pṛthagupādānam | munayastāpasāsteṣāmannāni munyannāni | agnau pākadharmānpañcamahāyajñāṃścirvapet | yadā kālapakkaphalāśī tadā na nirvapedityāśaṅkāyāmāha | yadbhakṣaḥ syāt | yadeva bhakṣayettadeva piṣṭādi yathāsāmarthyaṃ dadyāt | baliṃ anagnihotraṃ indrāyendrapuruṣetyādi yadvihitam | agnau tvasminpakṣe homo nāsti | tadayuktam | baliśabdasya cejyāmātravacanatvādagnāvagnau ca tulyametat | athāpyayaṃ pakṣaḥ syādyadeva bhakṣayettadeva, agnāveva, pakvenāgnau homaḥ kartavyastathāpi tāvanmātraprayojanaṃ śākādi pacyati, svayaṃ kālapakvaṃ bhokṣyate | sarvathā kālapakkāśino'pyasti vaiśvadevo'gnāveva | abādibhirbhūtūdro'yam | adbhirmūlaphalaiḥ bhikṣayā ca nīvārādinā'rcayedāśramāgataṃ pāntham |

What he eats, cut of that he should make the offerings and give alms, according to his capacity; and those who come to his hermitage he should honour with water, roots and fruits and alms—(7).

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
It has been said that ‘food fit for hermits’ should be used; this consists of wild grains, such as Nīvāra and the rest, and of wild-growing herbs, etc. The term ‘anna’, ‘food’, is generally used in the sense of some preparation of grains,— such as rice, fried flour, cake and so forth; and it is for this reason that, though herbs, &c., also are ‘food fit for hermits’, they have been mentioned separately. ‘Hermits’ are ascetics, and their food is called ‘food fit for hermits.’ And what is meant (by verse 5) is that the man should perform the Five Sacrifices, which are duties related to cooking on the household fire. This might give rise to the notion that when the man lives upon ripe season-fruits (and does not cook his food) he should not offer the said sacrifices: it is with a view to preclude such a notion that the Text adds—‘what he eats’; the meaning is that whatever, in the shape of flour, &.c., be eats, that he should offer to the best of his capacity.

‘Offerings’— apart for the Agnihotra-libations; those that are laid down as to be made.to ‘Indra’ ‘Indrapuruṣa’ and so forth.

In this view, there are no offerings poured into the fire,—they say.

But this is not right; as the term ‘bali’, ‘offering’, is a generic name for all kinds of oblations; and hence it stands equally for those offered into the fire, and those not offered Into the fire.

If the right view to hike were this that(one shall offer only what he eats;—and that also into the file only,—and that offerings into the fire must consist of cooked food then the hermit would cook just that much herb, &c. as would be needed for the offerings, and he himself would cat the ripe fruits of the season. Even for one who lives upon season-fruits, it is necessary to offer the Vaiśvadeva oblations into fire.

The compound in the second line is a copulative one, formed of ‘ap’, ‘water’, and the rest; the meaning being that ‘the traveller that happens to come to his hermitage he shall honour with water, roots, fruits and alms—consisting of Nīvāra and other grains’.—(7).