History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c35.10.4

v2.c35.10.4

These five injuries that lead to Hell are committed every day by people. Brahmacārins get rid of the first three by attending on fire and on their teacher and by the study of the Veda; householders and forest hermits purify themselves from these five by performing the five yajñas; ascetics get rid of the first two injuries by sacred knowledge and contemplation, but the injury caused by crushing cooked seeds under the teeth cannot be removed by any of these'.¹⁶⁷³ Although in the Āp. Dh. S. and others the five yajñas are enumerated in the order of bhūta-yajña, manuṣya-yajña, devayajña, pitṛyajña and svādhyāya, still the proper order from the point of view of the times of performance is first brahmayajña (japa &c.), then devayajña, then bhūtayajña, then pitṛyajña, and lastly manuṣyayajña.¹⁶⁷⁴ Therefore they will be dealt with in the same order here. But some matters have first to be noted. Various views were entertained about the time and nature of brahmayajña¹⁶⁷⁵ and pitṛyajña. According to Gobhila-smṛti II. 28-29 quoted above (n. 1663), *japa* prescribed in saṁdhyā adoration may be looked upon as brahmayajña, that the latter may be performed before tarpaṇa and after the morning homa or after vaiśvadeva. Nārāyaṇa on Āśv. gṛ. III. 2. 1 says that brahmayajña may be performed before or after vaiśvadeva. According to the Snānasūtra of Kātyāyana, brahmayajña precedes tarpaṇa and Āśv. gṛ. as stated above (p. 695) appears to regard tarpaṇa as part of it. Manu III. 82 (Viṣṇu Dh. S. 67.