History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c42.58

v3.c42.58

The Aśv. gṛ. II. 7-9, Ān. gṛ. III. 2-4, Pār. gṛ. III. 4, Āp. gṛ. 17. 1-13, Khādira gṛ. IV. 2. 6-22 and other gṛhya works deal with the matter of building a new house. Aśv. gṛ. (II. 7) says that one who intends to build a house should first examine the ground, which must be non-salinous, which should have herbs and trees, much *kuśa* and *vīraṇa* grass growing on it; that one should dig out thorny plants and plants having milky juice with their roots and remove them and also certain other plants like *apāmārga*, *tilvaka*, etc. He should select a spot where the waters coming together from all sides to the centre of it flow round the resting place having the latter on their right side and then are discharged off to the east without noise. Such a spot possesses all auspicious qualities. He should (Aśv. gṛ. II. 8) also dig a pit knee-deep in the ground to be examined and then fill the pit again with the earth taken out. If the earth taken out fills the entire pit and some earth remains, then the plot is excellent for building a house on; if all the earth dug out just fills the pit, it is of middle quality; if the earth is not enough to fill the pit the plot is to be rejected. Another method is to fill the pit with water and leave it there through the night. If in the morning there is water in the pit the ground is excellent; if it is moist only, the ground is of middle quality; if it is found dry in the morning the plot is to be rejected. The three *dvijātis* should respectively select white, red and yellow ground as a site for their house. The plot should be square or rectangular and the owner should draw a thousand furrows on it. 'With a *śamī* or *udumbara* branch he sprinkles the ground with water, going thrice round it with his right hand towards it and recites the Śāntātīya hymn.¹⁹⁶⁹ He does this thrice pouring out water without interruption with the three verses 'āpo hi ṣṭhā' (Ṛg. X. 9. 1-3). Under the divisions of the bamboo which rests on the chief posts he should have the single rooms constructed. Into the pits in which the posts are to stand he should have an *avakā* and the water plant called *śīpalā* put down. Having put the plant into the pit in which the middle post is to stand he should spread on it east-ward pointed and north-ward pointed *kuśa* grass and should sprinkle on the kuśas water into which rice and barley have been thrown with the words ‘to the steady one, the earth demon, svāhā.’ He should when the middle post is being erected repeat over it the two verses ‘stand here &c.’ and ‘to thee the young child may come &c.’ Over the bamboo staff when it is placed on the middle post he recites the hemistich ‘rightly ascend the post &c.’ On four stones on which dūrvā grass has been spread he should establish the water barrel with the words ‘arise on the earth’ or with the verse ‘the arangara sounds &c.’ He then should pour water into it with the verse ‘hither may king Varuṇa come &c.’ He then appeases it as follows : he puts gold into water in which rice and barley have been put and with that water he sprinkles it three times, going round it with his right turned towards it with the Śāntātīya hymn. This he does three times pouring water without interruption with the three verses ‘āpo hi ṣṭhā’ (Ṛg. X. 9. 1–3). In the middle of the house he should cook a mess of food, sacrifice from it with the four verses ‘Vāstoṣpate prati’ (Ṛg. VII. 54. 1–3 and VII. 55. 1) verse by verse,¹⁹⁷⁰ should cook food which should be given to the brāhmaṇas to eat, whom he should cause to say ‘lucky is the ground.’