History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c34.192.1

v2.c34.192.1

The daily homa must be offered by the man himself and Dakṣa says that the merit secured by performing homa by one-self cannot be secured by getting it performed through another, but he adds that homa performed on one's behalf by a priest, by one's son, teacher, brother, sister's son, or son-in-law is equivalent to *homa* made by oneself.¹⁶³¹ We saw above (*n.* 1617) that the Āśv. gṛ. (I. 9. 1) allows the wife, a son, an unmarried daughter or a pupil of the householder to attend to the worship of the householder's gṛhya fire. Śāṅ. gṛ. II. 17. 3 is to the same effect. The Smṛtyarthasāra (p. 34) adds that the wife and the daughter should perform all the acts in homa except *paryukṣaṇa*. Āp. Dh. S. II. 6. 15. 15-16¹⁶³² and Manu XI. 36-37 lay down that the wife, an unmarried daughter, a young married daughter, one who has studied little, a stupid person, a diseased person or one whose upanayana has not been performed should not offer agnihotra (on behalf of the householder); if they do so, they and he both fall into hell; therefore the person to offer agnihotra for another should be one proficient in śrauta sacrifices and master of the Vedas. These passages have been explained by the Sm. C. (I. p. 161) and other writers as applicable to the performance of śrauta sacrifices only; while as regards the daily homa in the gṛhya fire the wife and others specified by Āśv. are held to be competent if the sacrificer is ill or has gone abroad. Haradatta (on Āśv. gṛ. I. 9.