०४

FOUR The Procedure of Renunciation 1. I will now describe the procedure of renunciation, explaining at the outset the procedure given by Saunaka. In the course of this explanation I will point out at the appropriate places certain indispensable details of the procedure not found in Saunaka but given elsewhere. 2. Katyayana gives its preliminary rites: People living outside the orders of life should perform four Krechra penances, while those living within an order should perform a single Krechra penance. In this manner one becomes fit for renunciation. On the twelfth day of the bright fortnight or on the full moon, he should announce his intention2 and get his head shaved. He should then perform the Śrāddha oblations-first to the gods, second to the seers, third to the divine beings, fourth to the male ancestors, fifth to the female ancestors, sixth to human beings, seventh to the elements, and eighth to the self.3 3. Blessed Vasistha the Elder says the same thing, with an identical statement beginning with “on the full moon day.“4 4. Saunaka states: 1. Those living outside the four orders of life are people such as bachelors who have completed their Vedic studentship and widowers. Four Krechra penances constitute what is technically known as a Prajapatya penance (see MDh 11.211; YDh 3.319). It consists of taking one meal a day for six days-a morning meal the first three days and an evening meal the second-eating what is received unasked during the next three days, and fasting during the last three. See GDh 26.1-5; ApDh 1.27.7; BDh 2.2.38; 4.5.6. A single Krechra penance is a quarter of the Prājāpatya, that is, doing the same four austerities for only one day each. Such a penance is called padakṛechra (“quarter penance”) at YDh 3.318. Regarding the “hot penance” (taptakṛechra) that some sources prescribe here, see Ch. 10.44 n. 9, and my translation of Ypra 6.2-3n.

2. This is the formal and open declaration that he will perform the rite of renunciation. Such a formal declaration is a prerequisite of all Brahmanical rites.

3. For a detailed procedure of these oblations, see Ypra 7 and Sp 3-4. Śraddha oblations are generally funerary offering made to deceased ancestors. Here these oblations are extended to other inhabitants of the universe.

4. The author appears to be saying that Vasistha the Elder gives the same procedure and that his text reproduces verbatim the section of Katyayana’s text beginning with “on the full moon day.” 60 4. The Procedure of Renunciation On the day preceding the rite of renunciation, he should offer a Sraddha oblation to the ancestors with happy faces and feed the invited Brahmins. Then he should get them to announce that the day is auspicious and to proclaim success and prosperity, after which he should get his hair and beard shaved and his nails clipped.

5. Blessed Jamadagnya also speaks to this: He should get his hair and beard shaved and his nails clipped. 6. Saunaka: Then he should bathe in the prescribed manner and give away all his possessions with the exception of things required for the sacrifice and other similar rites.6 7. Bodhāyana: Staffs, sling, water pot, water strainer, and bowl: taking these….7 8. Vasistha: Triple staff, seat, ragged shawl, sling, bowl, and water pot-a wise man should take these six and abandon other possessions.

6. He is enjoined to cleanse his impurities and to get rid of his possessions. One should never admit to renunciation man who has not for- saken his sons and his wealth.

7. Kātyāyana: Triple staff, water strainer, sling, bowl, loincloth, and ocher garment-he should place these in front of the fire; a man without a sacred fire should set one up.

8. Bodhāyana: A man without a sacred fire is to set one up and to follow the procedure prescribed for a person with a single fire.8 61 5. Ancestors with happy faces (nāndīmukha) are those beyond the three most recently deceased forefathers, namely, the father, paternal grandfather, and paternal great-grandfather. These three are called “teary-faced” (aśrumukha). Oblations to the former ancestors are offered on auspicious occasions, such as a birth or a marriage, and follow a somewhat different procedure. See Ypra 7.3-4n, 7.5n.

9. As part of the renunciatory rite, the candidate offers a final sacrifice to Prajapati or to Agni Vaiśvānara and gives gifts to the officiating priests; see Ch. 4.26, 28.

10. The rest of Bodhayana’s statement reads: “he should go to the outskirts of the village, to the village boundary, or to a fire stall, cat the triple mixture of ghee, milk, and curd, and observe a fast” (BDh 2.17.11-12.).

11. A person with a single fire maintains the domestic fire called avasathya and performs all the rites in that fire. He is distinguished from a man who maintains the three Vedic fires, who is called ahitagni. These fires are the east fire (ahavaniya), householder’s or west fire (garhapatya), and south fire (anvāhāryapacana). Some sources list five fires, adding a hall fire (sabhya) and domestic fire (avasathya or aupasana). See Ypra 7.30-49; 10.5. The modifications of the renunciatory ritual for people without a fire and for those with the three Vedic fires are given in Sp 16-17.

62 12. Śaunaka: Rules and Regulations of Brahmanical Asceticism Then, after getting together the staff and the other articles, he should go to a temple, to the village boundary, to the outskirts of the village, to the bank of a river, or to a holy place, and, joining his hands in prayer, he should silently recite: Homage to Brahman! Homage to Indra! Homage to the Sun! Homage to the Self! He should then sip some water and, taking some sacred Darbha grass in his folded hands, silently recite the Vedas and the like. Then he eats a handful of barley meal and sips some water. Next, he should consecrate the region of his navel with this mantra: To the self, svaha! To the inner self, svaha! To Prajapati, svāhā! Then he should eat the triple mixture of milk, curd, and ghee, sip some water, and observe a fast. Or else he may drink some water. And he should silently recite: OM Earth, I enter Sāvitrī. That excellent [glory] of Savitr OM Atmosphere, I enter Savitri. The glory of god we meditate. OM Heaven, I enter Sāvitrī. That he may stimulate our prayers.! OM Earth, I enter Sāvitrī. That excellent glory of Savitr, the god, we meditate.

OM Atmosphere, I enter Sāvitrī. That he may stimulate our prayers. OM Heaven, I enter Sāvitrī. That excellent glory of Savitr, the god, we meditate, that he may stimulate our prayers.

OM Earth, Atmosphere, Heaven, I enter Savitri. That excellent glory of Savitr, the god, we meditate, that he may stimulate our prayers. [RV 3.62.10] It is acknowledged that a person thus betakes himself to another order of life and becomes one with Brahman. Thus they quote: Having gone from one order of life to another, a man who has offered sacrifices and subdued his senses becomes a mendicant when he gets tired of giving alms and offering oblations.

Such a mendicant, indeed, is fit for immortality.

13. Śaunaka: Then, before sunset, he should melt some butter, strain it, and offer four ladlefuls in the blazing fire, saying, “OM svāhā!” He then performs the evening fire sacrifice, spreads some grass to the north of the fire, places the vessels on that grass, spreads some sacred Darbha grass to the south of the 9. All the manuscripts have the reading grame (“in the village”), but I think the intention is to indicate a place removed from the village. In most similar contexts. sources use the word gramante (“at the boundary of a village”).

14. The candidate here internalizes the Gayatri verse by first reciting each of its three feet separately. Given the difference in the syntax, it is impossible to accurately reproduce the three feet separately in English.

15. The Procedure of Renunciation fire at the seat of the Brahman priest,” covers them with a black antelope skin, and, sitting there, keeps awake that night, Rising at the hour sacred to Brahman,12 he bathes according to the rule and performs the morning fire sacrifice. Then, after reciting the Great Utterances,13 he should stand in the middle of the water and recite softly the hymn “Swift runs this giver of delight” [RV 9.58]. Thereafter, he gratifies some Brahmins with food, gets them to announce that the day is auspicious and to proclaim success and prosperity, adds fuel to the fire, and makes an offering of ghee, saying, To the in-breath, svāhā! To the out-breath, svāhā! To the diffused breath, svāhā! To the up-breath, svāhā! To the middle breath, svāhā! After that, as he recites the Puruṣa hymn [RV 10.90], he offers a piece of firewood, ghee, and porridge14 at each verse. Then, after silently reciting the Purusa hymn and arranging the goblet of holy water, he offers the oblation to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt. 15 He offers according to his wish the oblations Jaya and the like to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt. 16 He should then present to his teacher a cow, gold, and a bowl of ghee, as well as anything else that he might be inclined to give, and pay his respects to the teacher, saying, “May the Maruts pour down on me…” [TA 2.18.1]. Thereupon, he should deposit the fires in himself, saying, “Come, O fire, with that body of yours worthy of sacrifice…” [TB 2.5.8.8]. Then, standing before the fire or in water, he recites three times softly, three times in a medium voice, and three time aloud, OM Earth, Atmosphere, Heaven! I have renounced! Facing the east, then, he fills his cupped hands with water and pours it down, as he says: I grant safety to all being! 63 14. Likewise, Bodhāyana also, after giving the passage beginning with “OM Earth, Atmosphere, Heaven! I have renounced!” until “pours it down,” goes on to say: 11. At Vedic sacrifices this priest sits silently to the south of the east fire and rectifies any errors committed by the other priests.

16. This is the period from first light to sunrise; see Ypra 8.34-35n.

17. The Great Utterances (vyahṛti) are either three (bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ) or seven (with the addition of the four other worlds: mahar, janas, tapas, and satya).

18. The porridge (caru) is made by boiling rice and barley in milk.

19. This is the aspect of the fire god that “makes a sacrifice properly offered,” i.e., it makes the sacrifice successful and fruitful. This oblation is offered at the conclusion of every sacrifice.

20. Three supplementary oblations called Jaya, Rastrabhṛt, and Abhyatana may be offered by a sacrificer to obtain specific desires, such as success. See TS 3.4.6.2 and Sabara’s commentary on the PMS 3.4.9.25. For a description of the rites, see Śrautakosa, English Section, I.1, pp. 201-205. The reading of this and the previous sentence, as one can see from the variants given in the critical edition, is quite uncertain.

64 Rules and Regulations of Brahmanical Asceticism No being will ever pose a danger to a sage who wanders after he has given safety to all beings. [BDh 2.17.27-30] 15. Vasistha the Elder: When, according to the sequence of tone,17 a man utters three times the words “I have renounced,” by that very renunciation he frees forthwith from hell thirty generations of forefathers before him and a further thirty beyond them, as well as thirty generations that will come after him.

16. For, when it sees a twice-born man who has renounced, the sun swerves from its place, thinking, “This man will split my orb and proceed to the highest Brahman.“18 17. If a learned Brahmin who has become detached and who has a desire to enter the renouncer’s order happens to die, he will never again come into being, irrespective of the order in which he lived. 19 18. The same author states: A man who has not maintained the three Vedic fires (see Ch. 4.11 n. 8), as well as a widower, should perform the rite of renunciation in this manner. 19. Śaunaka: He then takes the ocher garment, saying, “Well-dressed and covered has come the youthful one…” [RV 3.8.41; the triple staff, saying, “Friend, protect me”; and the sacrificial string, with the words “That health and wellbeing we choose…” [TS 2.6.10.2). He takes the sling, saying, “May that bright light born beyond this atmosphere…” [TS 4.2.5.21; the bowl, saying, “OM”; the water strainer with the words “The purifier with which the gods ever cleanse themselves…” [TB 1.4.8.6]; and the water pot with the words “The light by which the gods rose up…” [TS 5.7.2.2].

17. Katyayana, on the other hand, states: He takes the bowl, reciting the seven Great Utterances.

18. Vasistha: He takes the sacrificial string, saying: “Wear the white sacrificial string …” [PG 2.2.10; BU 851,20 and the five items beginning with the triple staff with the mantras “The swan seated in purity…” [RV 4.40.5], “His rays lift it up high for all to see…” [RV 1.50.11, “The splendid face of the gods has risen…” [RV 1.115.11, “That bright eye, divinely ordained…” [RV 7.66.16], and “Homage to Mitra’s and Varuna’s eye…” [RV 10.37.1]. He 17. That is, in a soft, medium, and loud voice; see Ch. 4.13.

19. The belief that the sun, and sometimes the moon, acted like a door shutting off this world from the immortal world beyond is expressed in several Upanisads: BaU 6.2.15; ChU 5.10.1; KauU 1.2.

20. The syntax is problematic, but the meaning appears to be that he will not be reborn in samsara even if he were to die before he could actually become a renouncer. 20. Since only the first word of this verse (yajñopavitam) is given, I cannot be absolutely sure that this is the intended verse. For another formula with the same first word and coming directing after this in the PG 2.2.10, see Ch. 4.27 below.

21. The Procedure of Renunciation should then worship the fire with the mantra “Member by member, joint by joint…” [RV 10.97.12] and discard the fire with the two mantras beginning with “Set ablaze. . . .” [RV 6.15.7]. He should then go to the outskirts of the village and take the three staffs with the words “The bull roars aloud, bound with a triple bond” [RV 4.58.3]. After silently reciting the four purificatory verses and the triple prayer,21 he should take three steps, saying, “Three steps did Viṣṇu take . . .” [RV 1.22.18]. After worshipping with the formula “That highest step of Viṣṇu . . .” [RV 1.22.20], he should softly recite “You are self-existent. . .” [VS 2.26]. He should then give safety to all living beings-to the creatures of the water such as fish and to animals on land such as cattle, deer, and reptiles-and thereafter refrain from picking flowers, roots, and fruits, from cutting trees, from honey, meat, and falsehood, and from giving and taking. 22. Katyāyana states: Abandoning his own village and relatives, he should go to another village and devote himself to silent prayer and meditation. He may subsist on almsfood that he solicits or receives unasked. He should avoid love, anger, lust, and hatred. Living in this manner all his life, he attains Brahman and is not reborn.

22. Śaunaka: Then, without looking around and in silence, he should walk toward the east or the north. He should zealously cultivate tranquillity, self-control, and similar virtues. He should engage in study, reflection, and meditation and always recite the syllable OM.

23. That concludes the procedure of renunciation given by Saunaka.

24. Kapila states: A man who has not maintained a sacred fire, however, after shaving his head completely or wearing just a topknot, should fast a day and a night, take a bath, and with his hand offer some water into the water, saying, Waters indeed are all the gods. I offer to all the gods, svāhā! I have risen above the desire for sons, the desire for wealth, and the desire for worlds, svāhā! Then he says three times softly, three times in a medium voice, and three times aloud: OM Earth, Atmosphere, Heaven! I have renounced! For it is said that gods are triply true [see BDh 2.17.28.]. Then he fills his cupped hands with water and pours it on the ground, saying, Safety from me to all creatures, svāhā! 65 21. The Sanskrit is unclear. It may also mean “the fourfold and triple purificatory verse.” In any case, I am not sure what the four verses are. The triple verse (trika) is the syllable OM, the three great utterances, and the Gayatri verse. See Ch. 5.82.

‘66 Rules and Regulations of Brahmanical Asceticism He then takes one or more staffs (see Ch. 3.38 n. 16), a water strainer, a water pot, a sling, and a bowl and, in the presence of the fire, forsakes his sons, friends, enemies, and relatives.

26. Vasistha the Elder states: Now, a man who has maintained the three Vedic fires should rise at dawn and make one of the following sacrifices using rice and barley: Vaiśvānarī, Pathikṛti, or Tantumati.22 Then, going up to the east fire, he should offer in it the sacrificial vessels, 23 saying, “To the heavenly world, svāhā!” and deposit that fire in himself, reciting the mantra “This is your proper womb …” [TS 1.5.5.2]. Then, going up to the south fire, he should offer in it the mortar and pestle, saying, “This Agni in the land is rich…” [vs 3.40), and deposit that fire, reciting the mantra “This is your proper womb…” [TS 1.5.5.2]. Then, going up to the householder’s fire, he should offer in it the fire drill, saying, “He is the householder, this Agni of the householder …” [VS 3.39], and deposit that fire, reciting the mantra “This is your proper womb…” (TS 1.5.5.2]. Standing in the middle of the altar, then, he should silently recite the hymn “A thousand heads has Puruṣa… [RV 10.90] and offer worship with the mantra “From the waters he was born …” (TA 3.13.11.24 He should then worship the self, saying, “I know this great Purusa…” ITA 3.13.1], and offer rice balls to his ancestors in the following manner: In the eastern direction: “May my ancestors together with Indra become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “Indra the rescuer…” [RV 6.47.11), he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

In the south-eastern direction: “May my ancestors together with Agni become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “Agni is the head …” [RV 8.44.16], he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

In the southern direction: “May my ancestors together with Yama become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “You are Yama “(RV 1.163.3), he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

In the south-western direction: “May my ancestors together with Nirrti become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “This is your share, Nirrti…” [TS 1.8.1.1), he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

22. Vaiśvānari is an offering to Agni “present in all men.” This is the sacrifice normally enjoined prior to renunciation. A detailed description of it is given in Sp 16. Pathikṛti is an offering to Agni, “who prepares the way.” It is prescribed as a penance for one who has neglected to offer the full-moon and new-moon sacrifices (MK 5.2430; Rudradatta, commenting on ApSr 9.8.5). Tantumati is an offering to Agni Tantumat (probably meaning “uninterrupted like a thread”), again recommended as an expiation for neglecting ritual obligations (SanGr 5.4.1-2).

23. Other sources specify that he should throw in the fire only the wooden utensils. Those made of stone or metal are given away to the priests.

24. This is the beginning of the so-called Uttaranarayana hymn, which gets its name from the fact that it follows the Purusa (here identified with Nārāyaṇa) hymn both in the VS (31.17) and in the TA.

25. The Procedure of Renunciation In the western direction: “May my ancestors together with Varuna become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “A broad path indeed has Varuna made. . .” [RV 1.24.8], he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

In the north-western direction: “May my ancestors together with Vayu become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “A hundred horses, O Vayu,…” [RV 4.48.5], he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

In the northern direction: “May my ancestors together with Soma become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “King Soma…” [VS 19.72], he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

In the north-eastern direction: “May my ancestors together with Iśāna become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “Lord of this world…” [RV 7.32.22], he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

In the direction of the zenith: “May my ancestors together with Brahmā become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “Brahman of old was born in the east…” [TS 4.2.8.2], he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors.

67 In the direction of the nadir: “May my ancestors together with the snakes become sated.” After worshipping them with the mantra “Homage to the snakes…” [TS 4.2.8.3], he should offer the rice balls to his ancestors. 27. After completing the offering of rice balls, he tells his relatives, “Give your approval,” and takes a hundred blades of sacred Darbha grass. The rest of the procedure should be gathered from Saunaka’s statement beginning “You are the sacrificial string . . .” [PG 2.2.10].25 28. Kapila mentions a special feature applicable only in the case of a man who has maintained the three Vedic fires: If he has maintained the three Vedic fires, he should perform a sacrifice to Prajapati at which he gives all his possessions as a sacrificial gift to the priests. He should then deposit the fires in himself, reciting the mantra “This is your proper womb…” [TS 1.5.5.2], and, standing in the middle of the altar, contemplate Visṇu, the god Nārāyaṇa, carrying a conch, discus, and mace, robed in yellow, and wearing a crown, bracelet, and earring. Receiving his teacher’s permission, then, he should recite the Praiṣa mantra.26 25. This passage of Saunaka is not given by Yadava, but must have been known to his readers for him to mention only its beginning. A passage with a similar beginning is given at Ch. 4.21 but ascribed there to Vasistha.

26. Praisa is the technical term for the mantra “I have renounced,” which is considered to be the essential element of the renunciatory rite (Olivelle 1975).

68 Rules and Regulations of Brahmanical Asceticism 29. Jamadagnya: A twice-born man who is free from debt may undertake the rite of renunciation after reciting for twelve days the hymn “Order and truth… and learning the meaning of the Vedas in the prescribed manner.

30. He should get his hair and beard shaved and in silence observe a fast at a holy place of water, keeping awake that night of the changing moon.28 31. He should perform a sacrifice to Prajapati at which he gives all his possessions as a sacrificial gift to the priests and deposit the fires in himself, reciting the verse “Come, O Agni, with that body of yours worthy of sacrifice…” [TB 2.5.8.8).

31. The Brahmin should stand within the sacrificial enclosure and recite “I am the mover of the tree…” [TU 1.10.1]. The Veda is really the tree of Brahman. He becomes fit for Brahman.

32. The son or the pupil is admonished: “Speak the truth (TU 1.11.1). One should never seek to obtain almsfood by giving advice or taking part in debates.“29 34. He says three times softly, three times in a medium voice, and three time aloud, “OM Earth, Atmosphere, Heaven! I have renounced.” For the exponents of the Veda declare that gods are triply true.

33. The ascetic should then take the triple staff, saying, “Three steps did Visṇu take…” [RV 1.22.18], and, if he is wise, he should take as well the staffs of mind, speech, and body, 30 36. “Agni is the divinity, and Gayatri is the meter”: with this mantra31 the twice-born mendicant should take a bowl made of bottle-gourd or wood. He should take the water strainer with the verse “With the golden strainer sacred to Prajapati…” [TB 1.8.6]. A sage should be equipped with a strainer and drink water purified with it.

34. This is the Aghamarṣaṇa hymn (RV 10.190) recited to remove sins. See MNU 143-48, together with Varenne’s note there, and Ch. 6.34 n. 16.

35. The term parvan refers to the days of the full and new moon, as well as to the eighth and fourteenth days of the lunar fortnight. However, most sources recommend that the rite of renunciation be performed on the full moon. “Place of water” refers to any body of water that one can enter to bathe, such as a lake, river, or tank.

36. The verse is somewhat unclear. It is unlikely that these words would be spoken by the man undergoing the initiation It is more likely that they are addressed to him by his father or teacher. I have included the second half of the verse as part of the instruction. If it stands outside, it would be quite out of place within the context. The second half of the verse is found also in VaDh 10.21 and MDh 6.50 (see Ch. 7.8).

37. This is a common allegory of the three staffs of an ascetic. The Sanskrit term “danda” (“rod”) can mean staff, rod, punishment, and restraint. The control of one’s mind, speech, and body are thus considered the true triple staff.

38. I am not altogether sure about this reading. Generally, one announces the divinity, the meter, and the seer connected with a particular mantra, but that announcement itself is not regarded as a mantra. In Ch. 4.19 the mantra at the taking of the bowl is OM.4. The Procedure of Renunciation 37. No being will ever pose a danger to a man who gives the gift of safety as he pours water from his cupped hands, saying, “To all beings, svāhā!” 38. Going silently toward the east or the north of the village, he should bathe in the prescribed manner and control his breath six times.

69 39. He then offers the sacrificial string in water with the words “Earth, svāhā!” and takes the triple staff, saying, “Friend, protect me.” In the Supplement there is a statement enjoining the disposal of the sacrificial string worn previously,32 Renunciation When Death Is Imminent 40. We will describe next the procedure of renunciation at a time of imminent death [see Ch. 2.61 n. 28]. 41. With reference to this, Jābāli states: If a man is in mortal danger, he may renounce orally or mentally. This path has been prescribed here for Brahmins. [JU 68-69] 42. Angiras: There is an exception in the case of those who are in moral danger: they need not follow the normal procedure or perform any rites. The rule for people in mortal danger is that they can renounce by merely reciting the Praisa [see Ch. 4.28 n. 26].

43. Likhita: When a man is about to be killed by a tiger, fire, a robber, or a snake, or when a man suffering from a serious sickness wishes to die, he should take to renunciation either following or disregarding the normal procedure.

44. If a man says “I have renounced,” even with his last breath, he will rescue his forefathers and place himself on the path to liberation.

45. After he has thus renounced, the twice-born man who reverts to lay life when the danger of death has passed, as well as those who maintain social contact with such a man-all of them become outcastes by their actions. No expiation is possible for such people.

46. It is unclear which supplement Yadava means. The Vaisnava tradition that required its renouncers to wear a sacrificial string interpreted scriptural statements enjoining its abandonment as referring to the sacrificial string worn previously while the renouncer was a householder or a student. Such a text is cited anonymously in the Yls 1.50-58 (Olivelle 1987, 59-60): “Having clipped his nails, he should discard the old sacrificial string, garment, and water pot, and, taking new ones, enter the renouncer’s order.” The implication is that the candidate takes a new sacrificial string at his renunciatory rite. For the controversy concerning the sacrificial string, see Olivelle 1986-87.

170 Rules and Regulations of Brahmanical Asceticism 46. After he has thus renounced, if the danger of death passes, he should receive in the presence of the teacher the triple staff and other articles while reciting the appropriate mantras. And taking them, he should engage in the practice of yoga.

47. When any of these articles is damaged (see Ch. 3.62 n. 28] and he finds a new one, he should take it himself while reciting the appropriate mantra. He should throw the damaged ones in water, saying, “Go to the ocean, svāhā!” And he should learn the laws pertaining to ascetics-that is the teaching of Likhita.

48. Three methods of renouncing are given for people in danger of death, according to the statement “… either following or disregarding the procedure” [see Ch. 4.42]. The proper procedure should be followed if a person is somehow able to perform it. If he is unable, he should recite orally just the Praisa: “I have renounced.” If he is unable even to do that, he should just mentally abandon attachments. That concludes the procedure of renunciation at a time of imminent death.

49. That ends the fourth chapter, entitled “The Procedure of Renunciation,” of the Collection of Ascetic Laws.