History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.87

v3.c48.87

²³²⁷ According to the com. on Śat. I. 6, p. 145 the vedi should be 4 aratnis or 96 aṅgulas in length. According to Kāt. II. 6. 2-10 the vedi should be 4 aratnis on the west side and 3 on the east, three finger breadths deep, should slope towards the east or north, should be contracted in the middle, the corners of its eastern side (called *aṁsas*, shoulders) should envelope the āhavanīya mound and all the herbs growing thereon and the roots should be uprooted. The vedi is deemed to have the shape of a young woman with broad hips (the two corners of the west side are called *śroṇī*) and a slender waist and verses are repeated which describe it in terms of a well-decked young lady. 'पुरस्ताद्वंहीयसी पश्चात्प्रथीयसी मध्ये संनततरा भवति' आप. II. 3. 2. In the figure here the vedi is away from the gārhapatya. This is so for those who follow the sūtra of Āpastamba. For those who follow Satyāṣāḍha the vedi begins much nearer to the gārhapatya than is seen in the figure here and the dakṣiṇāgni is also nearer the gārhapatya.