History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c34.102
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c34.102
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The actual bath is described differently in different sūtras, smṛtis and digests. Gobhila-smṛti (I. 137) says¹⁵⁶⁹ that the morning bath contains the same procedure as the mid-day bath. The morning bath has to be brief, as already stated, in the case of one who has consecrated the śrauta fires. The procedure of bathing will be indicated by a few brief extracts. The Viṣṇu Dh. S. (64. 18-22) says 'having removed¹⁵⁷⁰ the dirt from his body with water and loose earth, he should plunge in water, he should invoke the water with the three verses 'āpo hi ṣṭhā' (Ṛg. X. 9. 1-3), with the four verses 'hiraṇyavarṇāḥ' (Tai. S. V. 6. 1. 1-2) and with the verse 'idamāpaḥ pravahata' (Ṛg. I. 23. 22 or X. 9. 8). Then while still plunged in water he should thrice mutter the Aghamarṣaṇa hymn (Ṛg. X. 190. 1-3, ṛtam ca satyam &c.) or he may mutter 'tad viṣṇoḥ paramam padam' (Ṛg. I. 22. 20) or the Drupadā Sāvitrī verse (Vāj. S. 20. 20) or the anuvāka beginning with 'yuñjate mana' (Ṛg. V. 81. 1-5) or the Puruṣasūkta (Ṛg. X. 90. 1-16). 'Having bathed he should, with his garment still wet, perform *tarpaṇa* of gods and Manes while still in the water. But if he has changed his clothes, then he may do it (*tarpaṇa*) after coming out of the water'. Even now many brāhmaṇas mutter the Puruṣasūkta while bathing.
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Śaṅkha-smṛti (IX) has a brief description of snāna which consists in invoking water, then mārjana with the three verses (āpo hi ṣṭhā), then repeating certain Vedic verses like 'hiraṇya-varṇāḥ', 'śan-no devīr', 'śam na āpaḥ' (Atharvaveda I. 6. 1 and 4) and thrice repeating Aghamarṣaṇa. *Vide* Madanapārijāta pp. 270-271, Gṛ. R. pp. 206-208 and Par. M. I. 1. pp. 274-275 where the whole of Śaṅkha (IX) is quoted. The Snānasūtra¹⁵⁷¹ of Kātyāyana says "Now then will be treated the daily obligatory bath in a river and the like. Having fetched loose earth, cowdung, sesame, kuśas and flowers, having approached the water side, having placed (the above) materials on a pure spot, having washed one's hands and feet, holding kuśa blades (or pavitra) in his hand, tying up his top knot and wearing the yajñopavīta, he should perform *ācamana* and invoke the water with the verse 'urum hi' (Ṛg. I. 24. 8=Vāj. S. 8. 23), stir it (with his thumb) with the verses 'ye te śatam' (*vide* Par. gṛ. I. 2). He should fill his joined hands with water with the verse 'sumitriyā naḥ' (Vāj. S. VI. 22) and should cast it on the ground with the verse 'durmitriyā' (Vāj. S. VI. 22) in the direction of his enemy. He should apply loose earth thrice to each of the limbs, viz. the waist, the abdomen, thighs, feet and hands, then perform ācamana, should do obeisance to the water and should smear his body with loose earth. Facing the sun with the verse 'idam viṣṇur' (Ṛg. I. 22. 17 = Vāj. S. 5.
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15), he should dive into the water and bathe with the verse 'āpo asmān' (Ṛg. X. 17. 10=Vāj. S. IV. 2), then raise up his body with the mantra 'ud-id-ābhyaḥ' (Vāj. S. IV. 2), again dip into water and again raise his head out of the water, perform ācamana and smear his body with cowdung with the mantra 'mā nastoke.' (Ṛg. I. 114. 1 = Vāj. S. 16. 16). Then he should bathe with the four mantras 'imam me Varuṇa' (Vāj. S. 21. 1–4), and with the verses 'mā āpo', 'uduttamam' (Vāj. S. 12. 12), 'muñcantu', (Ṛg. X. 97. 16 = Vāj. S. 12. 90), 'avabhṛtha' (Vāj. S. III. 48). At the end of these mantras he should dive into the water and then rise up out of it, perform ācamana and sprinkle with darbha blades his body with the nine verses, viz. the three beginning with 'āpo hi ṣṭhā' (Ṛg. X. 9. 1-3 = Vāj. S. 11. 50-52), 'idam-āpaḥ' (Vāj. S. VI. 17), with the two verses 'haviṣmatīr' (Vāj. S. VI. 23) and 'devīrāpaḥ' (Vāj. S. I. 12), 'apo devāḥ' (Vāj. S. X. 1), 'drupadād-iva' (Vaj. S. 20. 20), 'śan-no devīr' (Vāj. S. 36. 12), 'apām rasam' (Vāj. S. 9. 3), 'āpo devīḥ', and 'punantu mā'. Then he should repeat thrice, while diving in water, the Aghamarṣaṇa hymn (Ṛg. X. 190. 1–3) preceded by the mantra 'cit patir-mā' (Vāj. S. 4. 4), by the syllable om, by the vyāhṛtis, by the Gāyatrī and followed by the same; or he may repeat the verse 'drupadād-iva' (Vāj. S. 20. 20) or the three verses 'āyam gauḥ' (Ṛg. X. 189. 1-3 = Vāj. S. 3. 6) or he should perform prāṇāyāma with the śiras (viz.
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āpo jyotī raso Smṛtam brahma &c. cited above on p. 304 from Tai. Ā. X. 15) or he should repeat simply 'om' thrice or he should only contemplate on Viṣṇu. Having come out of the water, he should put on two washed garments, should wash his hands and thighs with loose earth, should perform ācamana and then prāṇāyāma thrice".¹⁵⁷²