History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c35.26

v2.c35.26

The procedure of svādhyāya (or brahmayajña) in Āśv. gṛ. III. 2. 2-III. 3. 4 is practically in the same words as in the Tai. Ār. quoted above. One or two points may be noted. The Āśv. gṛ.¹⁶⁸² prescribes that one should recite gazing at the horizon or one may close one's eyes or one may look in such a way that one feels that one can concentrate one's mind. According to the Āśv. gṛ. the shortest brahmayajña would be: om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ; the Gāyatrī verse repeated thrice; then at least one ṛk verse and then the verse 'namo brahmaṇe' (quoted above) repeated thrice. The Āhnikaprakāśa p. 329 says that one who knows only a portion of the Veda should recite as brahmayajña the Puruṣasūkta (Ṛg. X. 90) and other hymns and one who knows only the Gāyatrī should repeat 'om' as brahmayajña every day.¹⁶⁸³ Āśv. gṛ. (III. 3. 1) mentions the following works for svādhyāya, Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharvāṅgirasaḥ, Brāhmaṇas, Kalpas, Gāthās Nārāśaṁsīs, Itihāsas, and Purāṇas. But it adds that one may recite only as much as one feels that one can afford to do with a concentrated mind.