History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c37.90.1

v3.c37.90.1

As regards the water to be employed in devapūjā and rites for the Manes, the Viṣṇu Dh. S. (66. 1) prescribes that it should not have been brought the night before (but it must be drawn that day). The worshipper should not sit on an āsana made of bamboo or stone, or of unsacrificial wood or on the bare ground, or on a seat made of grass or green leaves, but should sit on a woollen blanket or silken garment or deer-skin (Pūjāprakāśa, p. 95). When offering arghya, in the vessel containing the water to be used for that purpose all or as many as one can afford out of the following eight articles are to be mixed up, viz. curds, whole grains of rice, ends of kuśa grass, milk, dūrvā grass, honey, barley grains and white mustard seeds (Matsyapurāṇa 267. 2 quoted in the Pūjāprakāśa p. 34). It is further said that *arghya* is offered to the image of Viṣṇu by means of a conch in which water is mixed with sandalwood paste, flowers and whole grains of rice. In the water for ācamana are mixed cardamom, cloves, *uśīra* grass and kakkola or as many of them as possible. The snāna (bath) of images is effected with five materials called *pañcāmṛta* (five ambrosial things) viz. milk, curds, clarified butter, honey and sugar.¹⁷⁴⁰ The image is to be bathed with these five in the order stated, so that sugar coming last removes all effects of oiliness. After these a bath with pure water follows. In the pañcāmṛtasnāna the following Vedic verses are repeated in order; 'āpyāyasva' (Ṛg. I. 91.