History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.97

v3.c46.97

Now they quote the following rules for the case where the teachers explain the Upaniṣad 'standing (in the day), keeping silence, sitting (at night) in the posture2187a of crossed legs, bathing thrice a day, he shall subsist entirely on rice grains, oil-cake, food from barley, sour milk and milk'. It is declared in Vedic texts 'on that occasion he shall keep strict silence and converse as much as is necessary with the teachers deeply versed in the three vedas, with ascetics or other learned persons in the several āśramas, after pressing the teeth together, all the while contemplating on what he hears, but not in such a way as would cause a breach of his vow. He may keep only one of the rules out of the three viz. standing (in the day), rigid silence and sitting with crossed legs (at night) and not all together. Eight things do not cause him who is intent on vows as above to break his own vow viz. water, roots, clarified butter, milk, sacrificial food, the wish of a brāhmaṇa, an order of his guru, and medicine. Let him mutter the mantras in the evening and morning that are repeated in the Agnihotra. He should perform his evening sandhyā adoration with mantras addressed to Varuṇa²¹⁸⁸ and in the morning with those addressed to Mitra (Ṛg. III. 59). It is declared in the Veda 'limited in number are the ṛk verses, the sāmans and the yajus formulæ, but there is no limit to this that is *brahma*.' In this way (i. e. repeating om) the ascetic may give up the rest of the Veda, but should stand firm by the root of the Veda (viz. om). The Veda is the tree and its root is praṇava (om). He should meditate on 'om'. Prajāpati has declared that praṇava leads on to union with *brahman*. Let him cleanse the vessel of *brahman* with seven vyāhṛtis.²¹⁸⁹