History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.249

v7.c93.249

The collection of vidhis in the Vedic texts forms the core of the Veda and refers to many specific rites. The central element in a vidhi is the verb or verbal form, which will be analysed later on. The question is: how is one to recognize a vidhi. Śabara quotes a verse which those who know the propositions about the meanings of words and sentences declare traditionally, viz. in all the Vedas the fixed (or definite) sign of a vidhi is the words 'one shall do', 'it should be done', 'it ought to be done', 'it should be so', it ought to be so'.¹⁹⁹² From this it follows that a vidhi is ordinarily couched in the optative form (called vidhiliṅ in Sanskrit), and that a verb in the present tense cannot ordinarily be taken as laying down a vidhi.¹⁹⁹³ But sometimes a vidhi may be inferred even from a text in which the verb is in the present tense. For example, there is a vedic text occurring in the Mahāpitryajña which states 'he should follow holding the fuelstick below the handle of the ladle in the pitryajña, since the performer of rites for the gods holds the fuel-stick above the handle.¹⁹⁹⁴ This has been construed as a vidhi (exhortation) and not as a mere arthavāda. Another example is that of Rātrisattras (Soma sacrifices occupying more than twelve days). A passage in the context of Rātrisattras states 'those who perform *rātrisattra* attain stability (or fame), are endowed with *brahma* lustre and eat or possess food'. This looks like a mere praise (arthavāda) of the performance of rātrisattras, but really it is a vidhi about the reward of rātrisattra mentioned in the above passage and states an exception to the rule that svarga is the reward of a rite in which no reward is specified by the Vedic texts. This is employed in the Mit. on Yāj. III. 226 which states that the sin committed through ignorance is removed by the performance of penances Ordinarily, a sinful act is deemed to be destroyed by undergoing the penalty that God may inflict, but Yāj. states a special rule. Medhātithi on Manu V. 40 (stating that animals, birds and herbs dying by being offered in yajñas reach higher levels) says that this is merely an arthavāda and no vidhi can be imagined from this by the maxim of Rātrisattra.¹⁹⁹⁵ Vide Par. M. (I. 1. p. 149) which holds that an *adhikāravidhi* about one desirous of stability has been assumed from the passage about rātrisattra. Raghunandana in Ēkādāśītattva (p. 28) explains the sūtras (P. M. S. IV. 3. 17-19) and illustrates this *nyāya*.