History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c24.s1.143

v2.c24.s1.143

The Hir. gṛ. (S. B. E. vol. 30 p. 157) says "after giving the student the staff the teacher gives him a bowl (for collecting alms) and says to him 'go out for alms'. Let him beg of his mother first, then in other families which are generously disposed; he brings the food to his *guru* and announces it to him with the words '(these are) the alms' and then the teacher accepts with the words 'these are good alms'." The Baud. gṛ. II. 5. 47-53 gives the same rules and adds⁷³¹ that a brāhmaṇa student should beg with the words 'bhavati bhikṣāṁ dehi' (lady, give me food), a kṣatriya with the words 'bhikṣām bhavati dehi' and a vaiśya with the words 'dehi bhikṣām bhavati.' Pār. gṛ. II. 5, Āp. Dh. S. I. 1. 3. 28-30, Baud. Dh. S. I. 2. 17, Manu II. 49, Yāj. I. 30 and others contain the same rules about addressing the ladies for alms.⁷³² Pār. gṛ. II. 5 says that the student should first beg of three women who would not refuse or of six, of twelve or of an unlimited number and that according to some he should first beg of his mother. Manu II. 50 says that he should first beg of his mother, sister or mother's sister. Āp. Dh. S. I. 1. 3. 26 says that if women refuse to give alms to a devout brahmacārī he snatches away or destroys their merit arising from sacrifices, gifts and burnt offerings, progeny, cattle, spiritual glory (of their families) and food and quotes a Brāhmaṇa passage 'therefore indeed one should not refuse to give food to a crowd of students moving about (for alms) for fear that among them there may be some one who is like this (a devout student), and who has carried out all the observances for students.' If a brahmacārī cannot get food elsewhere he may beg from his own family, from his elders (like maternal uncles), his relatives and lastly from his ācārya himself. As to the persons⁷³³ from whom to beg for food, one sees how the growing strictness of caste rules about food during the lapse of centuries affected the brahmacārī. Āp. Dh. S.⁷³⁴ I. 1. 3. 25 prescribes that he could beg food from anybody except *apapātras* (persons like cāṇḍālas) and *abhiśastas* (i. e. those who are guilty of or suspected of grave sins). Gaut. II. 41 expressly says that a brahmacārī may beg food from all the varṇas except from those who are *abhiśasta* and *patita*. Manu (II. 183 and 185) says a brahmacārī should beg for food at the houses of those who study the Veda and perform sacrifices, who are devoted to their duties and are virtuous in their conduct; if from such persons food cannot be had he may go about the whole village, but should avoid those who are *abhiśasta*. Yāj. I. 29 says 'for his own maintenance a brahmacārī should beg food from brāhmaṇas who are blameless' and the ancient commentator Viśvarūpa says that the best way is to beg at brāhmaṇa houses, the next best is to beg of kṣatriya and vaiśya houses and to beg of śūdras is allowed only in *āpad* (time of distress or difficulty). Auśanasa (Jiv. ed I. p. 505) says that a brahmacārī should beg only from houses of his own caste (as the best way probably) or he may beg at the houses of all varṇas, while Aṅgiras quoted in the Par. M. (I. 2, p. 41) says that even in a season of distress a brahmacārī should not beg for cooked food from śūdras. The Madanapārijāta p. 33 quotes a passage from the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa to the effect that a brahmacārī may beg food from anybody except a śūdra.