History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.101
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.101
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v3.c46.101.1
Among medieval works the Smṛtyarthasāra (pp. 96-97), the Sm. M. (pp. 177-182), the Yati-dh. (pp. 10-22), the Nirṇaya-sindhu (III. Uttarārdha pp. 628-632), the Dharmasindhu give various detailed procedures. Many of the medieval works and manuals (paddhatis) on sannyāsa frequently refer to a work called Brahmānandī, which I have not been able to secure. The procedure in the Dharmasindhu contains the following elements. Sannyāsa is to be resorted to in the northward passage of the sun and for a man who is about to die even in the southward passage. He should find out a teacher possessed of the virtues of quiescence and note for three months the duties of ascetics in his company, should purify himself with *japa* of the sacred Gāyatrī, Rudra mantras and by Kuṣmāṇḍa *homa* (for which see Tai. Ār. II. 7). He should then make a saṅkalpa²¹⁹⁰ after reciting the place and time on a *riktā tithi* and should perform the prāyaścitta of *catuḥkṛcchra* by giving a cow or money for each as stated above (pp. 199-200). Then he should begin to perform on the 11th or 12th day 16 śrāddhas of himself and sapiṇḍīkaraṇa. Then he is to perform eight śrāddhas (vide above p. 932) and *tarpaṇa* as a subordinate part (*aṅga*) of these eight śrāddhas.
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On the day these eight śrāddhas are performed or on the next day he should shave off the whole head after keeping six hairs out of his top-knot, pare his nails, then take his bath, then he is to donate to brāhmaṇas and his sons all his wealth except his wearing apparel and the materials for *homa*. The garments he is to wear should be dyed with red chalk; he should secure a bamboo staff as high as his head &c. and as thick as his finger and brought by a brāhmaṇa; that staff should be sprinkled over with water from a conch to the accompaniment of 'om', the *puruṣa* hymn (Rg. X. 90) and such names (of Viṣṇu) as Keśava. He should also keep ready a water jar, a strip for his loins and a garment to cover his body and a wallet and *pādukās* (sandals). He should declare his resolve (saṅkalpa) to become a paramahaṁsa and perform the worship of Gaṇeśa, puṇyāhavācana, worship of mother goddesses and Nāndī-śrāddha. He should then perform *japa* by saying 'namaḥ' to Brahmā (in the dative), Viṣṇu, Rudra, Sūrya, Soma, Ātman, Antarātman, Paramātman and also repeat the first *pādas* of each of the four Vedas. He should then eat three handfuls of barley flour with 'om' and touch his navel. He should then sip thrice clarified butter or water mixed with milk and curds repeating the mantras 'trivṛd-asi', 'pravṛd-asi', 'vivṛd-asi' (all three in Vāj. S. 15. 9) and then drink water with the mantra 'may the waters purify' (Tai. Ār. 10. 23), then perform ācamana and declare his resolve to fast.
v3.c46.101.3
Then comes Sāvitrīpraveśa (as in Baud. above); then he should kindle his gṛhya fire or if he has no gṛhya fire then he should bring domestic fire with the mantra 'pṛṣṭo divi' (Ṛg. VII. 5. 27) and kindle it with the three mantras 'tat savituḥ', 'tām savituḥ' and 'viśvāni deva' (Ṛg. III. 62. 10, Vāj. S. 17. 74, Ṛg. V. 82. 5). Then comes brahmānvādhāna before sunset (see above p. 954). He should thereafter perform evening sandhyā adoration, homa and vaiśvadeva and keep awake the whole night near the fire. Then the next morning after the daily homa and Vaiśvadeva he should offer a mess of cooked food to Agni or Vaiśvānara and perform the homa to prāṇa and others, the puruṣasūkta homa and Virajā homa. The Virajā homa is a lengthy performance and the principal elements in it are: the offering of 40 oblations of each out of the three viz. fuel-sticks, boiled rice and clarified butter after repeating certain formulae such as 'may my five prāṇas be purified, may I be light (illumination) free from rajus (the principle of activity or obstruction) and from evil, svāhā; this is for the prāṇa and the rest, it is not mine.' In this way oblations are offered to five senses, the mind, *buddhi*, seed, thought and saṅkalpa, to the constituents of the body, to the several limbs of the body (head, hands and feet &c.), to puruṣa and others, to the five elements, to the five guṇas of the elements, to the five kośas (sheaths) and several others. Then an oblation of ājya is made to Prajāpati.
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Then he should recite the Puruṣa hymn (Ṛg. X. 90) and the first sentences of the four Vedas, offer oblations to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt, distribute gifts to students and others, he should burn his wooden utensils in his gṛhya fire if he has kept one and donate the metal vessels to his guru, then he should deposit the fire in himself by reciting 'ayam te yoniḥ' (Ṛg. III. 29. 10) and 'yā te agne yajñiyā' (Tai. S. III. 4. 10. 5) thrice and should face and take in the blaze and warmth of his gṛhya fire, should take a black antelope skin and leave his house. He should give blessings to his sons and other near relatives and bid good-bye to them with the words 'to me belongs no one nor do I belong to any one.' Then he should go to a reservoir of water, take in his folded hands water and offer it to all gods with the hymn Ṛg. X. 103 (1–13). He should declare a resolve to resort to sannyāsa for the realization of *brahman* and offer three handfuls of water in the reservoir. He should then discharge water into the reservoir from his joined hands saying 'I have given up the hankering for sons, wealth, worlds and for everything, may there be safety to all creatures from me, svāhā.' Then he should again declare that he has abandoned everything, all pleasures, all sentiments of anger &c., all joys of flowers, scents, dancing and music, all duties of varṇa and āśramas &c.; he should also declare 'I shall not cause any injury to any creature in thought, word or by the body;
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may all creatures have no fear of me.' He should think of the sun and other gods as witnesses to this declaration and standing in navel-deep water should again perform the Sāvitrīpraveśa and offer water in declaring 'I have risen beyond the desire for sons, worlds and wealth and shall practise begging.'