History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.460

v7.c93.460

A word is to be understood in that shade of its meaning that is appropriate to the act in hand. For example, śruti says 'he cuts off with sruva, he cuts off with a knife, he cuts off with the hand' (the same verb 'avadyati' being used for all the acts). The question is whether one is to cut all offerings, whether liquid or solid, whether of flesh or other substances, with sruva ladle or whether he is to employ the method or implement appropriate for each i. e. clarified butter should be taken from a pot and offered by means of a sruva ladle, flesh should be cut off with a knife and offered, and hard or thick things (like fuel sticks) should be offered with the hand. The conclusion is that one is to offer in the way most appropriate to each kind of offering. This is called 'sāmarthyādhikaraṇa' (PMS. ²¹¹¹ I. 4. 25). The V. M. relies on this when dealing with the homa prescribed by Pitāmaha for all ordeals in the words 'homa should be offered in the four directions with clarified butter, boiled rice and fuel sticks &c' and declares that the homa of clarified butter should be made with sruva ladle, of havis (i. e. 'boiled rice &c') with sruc and of fuel sticks with the (right) hand, on account of the fitness (sāmarthya) of these for the various offerings and sharply criticizes Raghunandana who in his Dāyatattva provided that the homa should be made of all three together (and not separately). A similar rule is applied to the ten sacrificial implements enumerated in Tai. S. I. 6. 8. 2, viz. *sphya* (the wooden sword), the potsherds &c. Here the Pūrvapakṣa is that one may employ any one of these for any purpose required in the sacrifice, the established conclusion (PMS III. 1 11. and IV. 1. 7–10) is that the enumeration of ten implements is a mere *anuvāda* and is not to be understood as the pūrvapakṣa states, but each is to be employed for the purpose for which the Vedic texts prescribe it (such as one cooks the puroḍāśa on potsherds, pounds grains in mortar and pestle). Vide H. of Dh. vol. II. p. 985 n. 2233 for ten implements of sacrifice and others that are required and p. 1232 above for their disposal.