History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c24.s1.137

v2.c24.s1.137

A few words about samidhs may be said here. The samidh⁷²⁸ must be of palāśa or some other yajñiya tree (used in sacrifices). Such trees are palāśa, aśvattha, nyagrodha, plakṣa, vaikaṅkata, udumbara, bilva, candana, sarala, śāla, devadāru and khadira. The Vāyupurāṇa quoted by Aparārka (p. 51) says that palāśa samidhs should be preferred, in their absence samidhs of khadira, in the absence of the first two, of śamī, rohitaka and aśvattha and in the absence of all these of arka and vetasa. The Trikāṇḍa-maṇḍana (II. 82-84) has several rules on this point. The principal trees for fuelsticks (samidh) are palāśa and khadira, but samidhs of kovidāra, bibhītaka, kapittha, karabha, rājavṛkṣa, śakadruma, nīpa, nimba, karañja, tilaka, śleṣmātaka or śālmali are not to be employed. The samidh was not to be thicker than the thumb, was to have its bark on it, was not to be worm-eaten nor divided, nor longer nor shorter than the span (prādeśa) nor having two branches, it was to be without leaves and was to be strong.⁷²⁹ According to Hārīta 'when death wanted to seize the brahmacārī formerly, Agni saved him from death and so a brahmacārī should serve fire'.⁷³⁰