The cleaning of the teeth is next begun. For this he washes his feet and does achamanam twice. Facing east or north and covering his head with his upper cloth he secures from one of the plants mentioned below a piece of stick six to eight inches long, one and a quarter to one-third of an inch thick, straight, free from nodes, worms and empty hollow portions. The piece he plucks for use must be from one of the following plants :— Calotropis, banyan, Acacia arabica, Achyranthes, margosa, mango, and others with juice and prickles. The sticks of Bombax, Ficus religiosa, Prosopis spiggera, Areca palm, Butea frondosa, plantain, cotton, darbha grass, cocoanut and nanal grass should not be used. While plucking the stick for use as tooth-brush he is expected to repeat the following mantram:–“Ayurbalam yaśō varchaḥ prajām paśuvasūni cha . brahma prajñām cha medham cha tvanno dehi Vanaspate.” This when translated into English reads thus “Oh! king of the wood give us life, strength, fame, brilliance, children, cows, riches or property, knowledge of God, intelligence or wisdom.”
While cleaning the teeth with the stick of any one of the plants mentioned above the mantra given above may be repeated. If sticks are not available, and if cleaning with sticks is prohibited as on some days, then leaves alone are used.
Beginning with the left side of the lower row of teeth, the leaf or the stick is taken round in the pradakshina way by polishing the teeth and then in the end the tongue is cleaned with it. Beginning with the lower teeth on the left side he should go round the teeth upwards and finish with the wiping of the tongue with the split stick. The stick is cleaned and then it is thrown on a clean ground towards the south-west corner. The mouth has to be rinsed with water sixteen times. On ceremonial days such as prathama, full-moon day, shashti, chaturdaśī, ekādaśī, ashtami, janmanakshatra (star under which one is born) of three kinds one should not use the sticks. On amavasya day and ekādaśī day he should use for cleaning the teeth only Eugenia jambolana (naval) and mango leaves.
On the śraddha day, nothing is to be used, only rinsing of the mouth with water is allowed.
Cleaning of the teeth must not be done in a cow-shed, temple, sacred river, burning ground (smaśānam), in a clean place, water and sacrificing grounds. Water used for the rinsing of the mouth should not be swallowed. After the rinsing of the mouth two achamanams are to be done.