History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.838.2

v4.c63.t2.838.2

he should beg for alms on the road to the *setu* from men of the four classes that are free from improper acts, should walk barefooted and without umbrella, should declare his sin in all towns, villages and hamlets of cowherds on the way while resting there or in forests, sacred places and rivers and after reaching the sea and on seeing the setu, 100 yojanas long and 10 yojanas broad, constructed with heaps of stones at the bidding of Rāma by Nala he will get rid of the sin of brāhmaṇa murder'. Here brāhmaṇa murder being a most heinous offence it cannot be supposed that a mere sight of the *setu* from land would absolve the sinner and the words about the length and breadth of the setu would be otherwise meaningless. Therefore what is meant is that he must undertake a sea-voyage and go along the whole length and breadth of the setu in a vessel. Such a voyage was religious conduct in former ages, but in Kali this is forbidden. The word 'holding a kamaṇḍalu' (which also was prescribed as dharma in former ages) conveys that a similar or analogous practice is referred to in the immediately preceding words. The words 'dvijasyābdhau &c.' are to be interpreted as follows: 'nauyātuḥ' is the genitive singular of '*nauyātṛ*'. The affix '*tṛ*' is not the ordinary '*tṛ*' but it is '*tṛn*' used in the sense of 'one who habitually does a thing', according to Pāṇini III. 2.