History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.375

v5.c72.375

Certain exceptions were recognized to the above rules about partaking of food at the house of one who is afflicted with āśauca. While a marriage⁶⁵¹ rite (as also *caula* and *upanayana*), festival in honour of a deity and a sacrifice (like *Jyotiṣṭoma*) are in progress, if impurity due to birth or death overtakes the performer, the materials (money and other things) already set apart for them may be dedicated or donated to the deity or brāhmaṇas and no fault is incurred. As regards food, a smṛti text⁶⁵² quoted by the Mit. says 'if in marriage, in a festival in honour of a deity or in a sacrifice āśauca on birth or death intervenes, the cooked food should be served through others (not affected by the āśauca) and the donor and the partaker of the food incur no blame Acc. to Aṅgiras,⁶⁵³ Paiṭhīnasi (q by Sm. C.) and Viṣṇu Dh. S., when once a sacrifice (like a Somayāga), a marriage, a sacrifice or festival in honour of the mother Goddesses or a deity or the dedication or foundation of an idol or temple has been begun a supervening āśauca does not matter. Even in modern times this is followed as regards upanayana and marriage. When exactly a sacrifice or marriage ceremony may be said to have begun is laid down by Laghu-Viṣṇu as follows⁶⁵⁴ in the case of a sacrifice it may be said to begin when the priests are chosen, in the case of vratas and *japa* when the sankalpa (declaration) is made, in the case of marriage when the Nāndīśrāddha is performed, and in the case of a śrāddha when the food meant for the brāhmaṇas has been cooked completely. Certain things could be taken from the house of one who was undergoing āśauca⁶⁵⁵ on birth or death and who was the owner thereof (though not actually from his hand, but with his permission). The Kūrmapurāna enumerates such articles They are 'fruits, flowers, raw vegetables, salt, firewood, butter-milk, curds, ghee, oil, drugs, milk and dry food' (like *laddus*, *lājas*). Marīci (q. by Mit on Yāj III. 17) and Triṃśac-chlokī verse 20 present even longer lists of such things.