Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c11.10

c11.10

Daily: duties of the householder to the east or the north. The bath should be performed at dawn, best in the Ganges or at least in some other flowing water; the clothes too have to be washed and during the bath and afterwards prayers shall be said, holding of the breath (prāṇāyāma) performed and libations and sacrifices shall be offered. The Saṃdhyā of the morning shall be followed by another similar Saṃdhyā in the evening. There are only two proper meals, in the forenoon and in the evening; the wife eats after her husband what the latter leaves of his food, but the man shall not take food before he has given food to the gods, particularly the household gods and the manes, and entertained his guests. The animal sacrifice, corn sacrifice, Soma sacrifice, sacrifice to the manes and other religious performances are included in the daily duties which should take place periodically or on particular occasions, and a crowd of general rules about customs and conduct, particularly about bad omens, journeys, about giving way to one another, about the clothing and the ornaments (gold ear-rings), places to stop at, about looking before and treading on something, about keeping fire and water pure, about the cultus of the Brahmans, images of gods, cows, self-restraint and piety, etc. (Vi. 63, 1—51; 71 f. etc.).