Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c9.16

c9.16

Of the Smṛtis Gaut. 26 has taken the three Kṛcchras verbatim from the Sāmav. and they are found also in other works, particularly the Kṛcchra in the narrow sense, which however is generally called Prājāpatya, i. e. the penance discovered by Prajāpati. Other Kṛcchras are: the hot penance in which during three periods of three days each one has to live on hot water, hot milk and hot clarified butter respectively and to fast completely for the last three days, the cold penance in which the same fluids are to be taken in cold state, the penance of leaves, the water penance, the penance of roots, the quarter penance etc. (Vi. 46, 10-23 etc.). The lunar penance of the Smṛtis (also Mah. 12, 165, 69) should be specially mentioned with its varities Yati, Śiśu, and Sāmanyacāndrāyaṇa—so called, because the quantity of food taken is increased or decreased according as the moon waxes or wanes (Vi. 47 etc.). The Parāka penance consists of a complete fast for twelve days (Y. 3, 321 etc.). In the Sāmtapana penance which, in an intensified form is called Mahāsāmtapana, one may take cow's urine, cowdung, milk, sour milk, butter and a broth of Kuśa grass in one day and must fast on the second day (Y. 3, 315 f. etc.).