History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.103

v3.c46.103

After this comes the utterance of the *praiṣa* (the call or direction). In a low, moderate and loud voice the entrant should declare 'om, bhūḥ I have given up everything, om bhuvaḥ, I have ........., om svaḥ, I have........., om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, I have given up everything' and should discharge water in the reservoir of water with the words 'may there be no injury to all creatures from me, svāhā.' He should pluck out the top-knot, take out his sacred thread and hold them in his hand and offer them in water with water with the words 'water is indeed all deities, I sacrifice (the top-knot and sacred thread) to all gods, svāhā' and then he should send up a prayer to Vāsudeva. Then he should remove his wearing apparel and walk five steps with his face to the north. Then the ācārya should bow to the entrant and should hand over to the latter a piece of loin cloth and upper garment and a staff. The entrant should wear them and hold the staff with appropriate mantras and also a water jar and an āsana (a seat). He should then hold a fuel-stick in his hand, bow to his guru, sit down in the eagle posture and make a request to the guru in the words 'Oh teacher, who are like the Lord of the Universe to me, save me who am scorched by the fire of saṁsāra and who am bitten by Death; I have thrown myself on your mercy' and also repeat the verse '*yo brahmāṇam*' (Śvetāśvatara Up. VI. 18 quoted in note 856 above).²¹⁹¹ Having waited upon the guru with these words and placing his right knee on the ground, he should clasp the feet of his guru and should say 'teach, Sir, *brahma* to me.' The guru should contemplate on his soul as *brahman*, should recite over a conch full of water the sacred syllable 'om' twelve times, should pour the water from the conch on his disciple, should recite the propitiatory verse 'śaṁ no mitraḥ' (Rg. I. 90. 9), then lay his hand on the head of the disciple, should recite the Puruṣa hymn (Ṛg. X. 90), should place his hand on the heart of the disciple and mutter the mantra²¹⁹² 'I place thy heart in disciplined obedience to me,' the guru should then mutter in the right ear of the disciple the syllable 'om' and should enlighten him about the significance of 'om' and of pañcīkaraṇa;²¹⁹³ he should then impart to the disciple one of the four great Vedānta sentences (mahāvākya) 'prajñānam brahma' (Ait. Up. III. 3), 'ayam-ātmā brahma' (Bṛ. Up. II. 5. 19), 'tat tvam-asi' (Chān. Up. VI. 8. 7), 'ahaṁ brahmāsmi' (Bṛ. Up. I. 4. 10) in accordance with the tradition of his school and enlighten him about the meaning thereof. Then he should give to the disciple a name ending in tīrtha, āśrama &c. according to the tradition of his order. Then the guru may bring about what is called paryaṅkaśauca and give to the disciple the *yogapaṭṭa*.