History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c43.68

v3.c43.68

When making a gift of anything one has to pour water on the hand of the donee. Āp. Dh. S. II. 4. 9. 9-10²⁰¹⁴ states that all gifts are to be made with water except in the case of vedic sacrifices where they are to be made as directed by the vedic texts. Gautama V. 16 says the same. In the case of all gifts they are to be accompanied by a separate dakṣiṇā. The Agni-purāṇa²⁰¹⁵ 211. 31 makes an exception in the case of gifts of gold, silver, copper, husked rice, corn, daily śrāddha and daily devapūjā (which may be without dakṣiṇā). That dakṣiṇā should consist pre-eminently of gold, but if gold itself is the article donated then the dakṣiṇā may be of silver. In the case of very costly gifts like *tulāpuruṣa*, the dakṣiṇā may be one hundred or fifty or 25 or ten *niṣkas* or one-tenth of the price of the thing gifted or according to ability.