History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.108

v3.c46.108

The yogapaṭṭa (lit. the cloth of *yoga*, union with Spirit) is given in the following way: After the ascetic has undergone paryaṅkaśauca, he should cleanse his waist, wear a string round his waist and his loin cloth and cover his waist with a piece of cloth. He should then sit with his guru's permission on a high seat and should propound some Vedānta topic in the presence of the persons assembled. The ascetic guru should sprinkle on the head of his ascetic disciple water from a conch to the accompaniment of the Puruṣa hymn (Ṛg. X. 90), should honour him by offering clothes, sandalwood paste, flowers, incense, lamp and *naivedya*. He (the guru) should hold a piece of cloth over the head of the disciple, recite along with the other *yatis* the chapter called Viśvarūpa (11th chapter of the Bhagavadgītā) from the 15th verse to the 33rd verse. He should then give the name already determined upon to the disciple and say to him 'Henceforward you may admit to saṁnyāsa one who is eligible for it, initiate him and give him the yogapaṭṭa.' Then the disciple bows to the *yatis* older than himself. Then the guru gives to the disciple a waist-thread and a staff marked with five *mudrās* and should offer his own salutation to the disciple according to the tradition of his order. Other ascetics and house-holders also should bow to the disciple, who should only repeat the word '*Nārāyaṇa*,' should leave the high seat and seat his guru thereon, should bow to the guru according to the rules of the order and to the other ascetics.²¹⁹⁴