History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.116

v3.c46.116

Some special rules are laid down about the āhnika (daily rites) of ascetics.²¹⁹⁹ They have to perform śauca, brushing the teeth, bath, just as house-holders have to do. Manu V. 137 (= Vas. Dh. S. VI. 19, Viṣṇu Dh. S. 60. 26, Śaṅkha 16. 23-24) says that forest hermits and ascetics have respectively to perform three and four times as much śauca (bodily purification) as house-holders. As to food, it has already been seen (p. 935) that they are to eat only once and only eight morsels. Ascetics have to worship Puruṣottama (i. e. Vāsudeva with his four forms), Vyāsa (with his four pupils, Sumantu, Jaimini, Vaiśampāyana, Paila), the Bhāṣyakāra Śaṁkara (with his four pupils) and so on. Certain rules are laid down for an ascetic as regards giving and receiving honour or salutation. An ascetic should bow to gods and to older ascetics who act according to the rules of their order, but should not offer *namaskāra* to an house-holder even if the latter be well-conducted. If another person bows to an ascetic, the latter should not pronounce any benediction but should only utter the word²²⁰⁰ 'Nārāyaṇa.' When an ascetic (even one who has taken saṁnyāsa on his death-bed) dies, he is to be buried and not cremated. No mourning is to be observed for a *yati* when he dies (Atri 97) and no śrāddhas are to be offered on his death except the pārvaṇa on the 11th day after death (vide Aparārka p. 538). If an ascetic hears of the death of his son or any other relative, he does not become impure and has not to bathe but on hearing of his mother's or father's death he has to bathe, though he observes no mourning2200a.