History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.607

v7.c93.607

There is in the 10th chapter an important topic about *dakṣiṇā* (sacrificial fees). In X. 2. 22–28 it is established that dakṣiṇā is to be given not for an unseen purpose (*adṛṣṭa*) but for engaging the priests to perform rites required in sacrifices. In III. 8 1-2 it is established that the yajamāna (the svāmin) is to engage priests for sacrifices except where a vedic text expressly directs otherwise (as in Tai. S. V. 2. 8. 2). In X. 3. 39 the items of *dakṣiṇā* are set out from Tāṇḍya XVI. 1. 10–11; it is held that the words 'dvādaśaśatam dakṣiṇā' mean²¹⁹³ that the cows are to be 112 (X. 3 39, 49) and in X. 3. 50 it is provided that the yajamāna should himself distribute the fees and X. 3 55 sets out the method of distribution. All priests are not to receive equal shares. The four principal priests are hotṛ, adhvaryu,²¹⁹⁴ udgātṛ and brahmā and each of these four have three assistants arranged in a certain order set out in the note below. Suppose there are one hundred cows to be distributed as fee. Each group of four is assigned 1/4 i. e. 25 for *hotā* and his assistants, the *hotā* getting 12 and the other three getting respectively 6, 4, and 3 i. e. they get respectively half, 1/3 and 1/4 of what their principal gets. The same method applies to the other three groups. The prima facie²¹⁹⁵ view is that there should be an equal distribution of the fee (cows) as śruti does not lay down any unequal distribution; this is not accepted and it is proposed that the fee should be distributed in proportion to the work done by each. The established conclusion is that both the views are unacceptable and that the distribution should be in accordance with the meaning of the words 'ardhinaḥ,²¹⁹⁶ tṛtīyinaḥ and pādinaḥ' employed by Śruti.