History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.90.5

v3.c46.90.5

When he returns from begging, he places the alms in a pure spot, washes his hands and feet and announces (the alms) first to the sun with the verses 'udu tyam' (Ṛg. I. 50. 1) and 'citram' (Ṛg. I. 115. 1); he also announces the alms to *brahman* with the text 'brahma jajñānam' (Tai. S. IV. 2. 8. 2 = Atharvaveda IV. 1. 1). It is declared (in Vedic texts) that after the *brahmādhāna* the sacred fires are contained in the sacrificer himself; his prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna and samāna represent the five fires gārhapatya, anvāhāryapacana (dakṣiṇāgni), āhavanīya, sabhya and āvasathya. These five fires indeed abide in the *Ātman*; he, therefore, offers (the oblations) in the *Ātman* only. This sacrifice offered in the soul, which is centred in and based on the Ātman, leads the soul to bliss. Giving compassionately portions of the alms to creatures and sprinkling the remainder with water, he should partake of it as if it were some medicine. After he has eaten and taken *ācamana* he worships the sun with the Jyotiṣmatī²¹⁸⁷ verse viz. 'ud vayam' (Ṛg. I. 50. 10) after inaudibly muttering the two texts 'vāṅ me āsan' (Tai. S. V. 5. 9. 2) and 'nasoḥ prāṇaḥ' (Tai. Ār. X. 72). Let him eat food given without asking, regarding which nothing has been settled beforehand and which comes to him by chance and so much only as is necessary to support life.