History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c40.38

v3.c40.38

One was to occupy the first seat in a row at a dinner only if specially requested to do so, but when thus seated on the first seat, one should not begin to eat food before others, but after them (Śaṅkha quoted by Aparārka p. 150). While several brāhmaṇas are taking their meal in a continuous row, if one of them takes ācamana¹⁸³⁸ before the others, or gives the remains of his food to the pupil or gets up, the others should leave eating the food in their dishes and also get up and the brāhmaṇa who thus prematurely gets up is called a *brahmahā* (a murderer of a brāhmaṇa or brahmakaṇṭaka). These rules are quoted in the Sm. C. (I. p. 227), Gṛ. R. p. 331, Smṛtimuktāphala (āhnika p. 427). In order to avoid this awkward position various devices were employed. A *paṅkti* (row of diners) ceased to be a continuous line if two diners were separated from each other by fire, by ashes, by a pillar, a passage, or a door or by the ground being of a lower level. Aparārka (p. 476) quotes Bṛhaspati that even if persons are seated in one row, but they are separated from each other by (streaks of) ashes and they do not touch each other, then there is no intermingling (i. e. persons of different castes also may sit in a row being separated by a streak of ashes &c.). Āp. Dh. S. I. 5. 17. 2 says that one should not sit down to dinner in the same row with undeserving persons (by reason of birth, character or learning).