History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.119

v6.c81.119

There is a difference between *homa* and *pūjā*. A homa with Vedic mantras, according to ancient authorities, cannot be performed by women and śūdras. Though theoretically the three varṇas were entitled to perform homa with Vedic mantras some learned brāhmaṇas held the view that in the *Kaliyuga* no proper kṣatriyas and vaiśyas existed.⁷¹ Even as to Śūdra⁷² some writers like Kamalākarabhaṭṭa went so far that a śūdra could not read and study even purāṇas but should only listen to their recital by brāhmaṇas. The result was that most people performed only *pūjā* and not *homa* in Agni. According to most writers the homa was to be performed in honour of that deity for whose favour the vrata was performed. According to Vardhamāna and a few others the homa in a vrata may be in honour of the deity of the vrata or may be a *vyāhṛtihoma*.⁷³ It is stated by the Agnipuraṇa⁷⁴ that there is *japa*, homa and also gifts at the end of all vratas in general and the Viṣṇudharmottara observes that those who perform upavāsavrata should inaudibly mutter the mantras of that deity, should meditate on that deity, should listen to stories about that deity, should worship the image of that deity, should take the names of that deity and listen to others singing the names. Pūrvamīmāṁsā writers made a distinction between *homa*, *yāga* and *dāna*. Śabara⁷⁵ on Jai. IV. 2. 28 puts the distinction in a nutshell by saying that 'giving up what belongs to one is common to all the three, but *yāga* means simply giving up something intending it for a deity and accompanying it with a mantra; in *homa* there is in addition the throwing of a thing in fire; dāna consists in abandoning a thing that belongs to one and creating the ownership of another in that thing.' In another place (on Jai IX. 1. 6), Śabara refers to the argument that yāga is nothing but the worship of a deity (api ca yāgo nāma devatāpūjā).