०४

ब्रह्मचारी वेदमधीत्य १

1. ¹ A student, after he has studied the Veda,

उपन्याहृत्य गुरवे २

2. And has offered a present to his Guru (i.e. to his) teacher,

अनुज्ञातो दारान्कुर्वीत ३

3. ² Should, with the permission (of his parents), take a wife,

असगोत्रान् ४

4. One who does not belong to the same Gotra,

मातुरसपिण्डा ५

5. ³ And who is not a Sapiṇḍa relation of his mother.

अनग्निका तु श्रेष्ठा ६

6. ⁴ The best, however, is a ’naked’ girl.

अथाप्लवनम् ७

7. ⁵ Now the bath (which is taken at the end of studentship, will be described).

उत्तरतः पुरस्ताद्वाचार्यकुलस्य परिवृतं भवति ८

8. To the north or the east of the teacher’s house there is an enclosure.

तत्र प्रागग्रेषु दर्भेषूदङ्ङाचार्य उपविशति ९

9. There the teacher sits down, facing the north, on eastward-pointed Darbha grass;

प्राग्ब्रह्मचार्युदगग्रेषु दर्भेषु १०

10. Facing the east the student on northward-pointed Darbha grass.

सर्वौषधिविफाण्टाभिरद्भिर्गन्धवतीभिः शीतोष्णाभिराचार्योऽभिषिञ्चेत् ११

11. The teacher should besprinkle (him) with lukewarm, scented water, which has been boiled with all kinds of herbs.

स्वयमिव तु १२

12. But as if he (i.e. the student, should do so) himself -

मन्त्रवर्णो भवति १३

13. ⁶ (In such a way) he is alluded to in the Mantras; (therefore the besprinkling should be done rather by the student, and not by the teacher [?]).

ये अप्स्वन्तरग्नयः प्रविष्टा इत्यपामञ्जलिमवसिञ्चति १४

14. With (the verse), ‘The fires which dwell in the waters’ (MB. I, 7, 1) - (the student[?]) pours his joined hands full of water (on the ground),

यदपां घोरं यदपां क्रूरं यदपामशान्तमिति च १५

15. And again with (the formula), ‘What is dreadful in the waters, what is cruel in the waters, what is turbulent in the waters’ (ibid. 2).

यो रोचनस्तमिह गृह्णामीत्यात्मानमभिषिञ्चति १६

16. With (the formula), ‘The shining one I take here’ (ibid. 3) - he besprinkles himself.

यशसे तेजस इति च १७

17. And again with (the formula), ‘For the sake of glory, of splendour’ (ibid. 4).

येन स्त्रियमकृणुतमिति च १८

18. And again with (the verse), ‘By which you made the wife (pregnant?’) (ibid. 5).

तूष्णीं चतुर्थम् १९

19. A fourth time silently.

उपोत्थायदित्यमुपतिष्ठेतोद्यन्भ्राजभृष्टिभिरित्येतत्प्रभृतिना मन्त्रेण २०

20. He then should rise and should worship the sun with the Mantra, ‘Rising with (the Maruts) who bear shining spears’ (ibid. 6-9), &c.

यथालिङ्गं वा विहरन् २१

21. ⁷ Optionally he may use the single sections of

the Mantra separately (in the morning, at noon, and in the evening) as indicated in the text.

चक्षुरसीत्यनुबध्नीयात् २२

22. He should add (the formula), ‘The eye art thou’ (ibid. 9) after (each of the three sections of the Mantra, 6-8).

मेखलामवमुञ्चत उदुत्तमं वरुणपाशमिति २३

23. With the verse, ‘Loosen the highest fetter, O Varuṇa’ (ibid. 10), he takes off the girdle.

ब्राह्मनान्भोजयित्वा स्वयं भुक्त्वा केशश्मश्रुरोमनखानि वापयीत शिखावर्जम् २४

24. After he has entertained the Brāhmaṇas with food and has eaten himself, he should have his hair, his beard, the hair of his body, and his nails cut, so as to leave the lock of hair (as required by the custom of his family).

स्नात्वालङ्कृत्याहते वाससी परिधाय स्रजमाबध्नीत श्रीरसि मयि रमस्वेति २५

25. Having bathed and adorned himself, and having put on two garments (an under-garment and an upper-garment) which have not yet been washed, he should put a garland (on his head) with (the formula), ‘Luck art thou; take delight in me’ (ibid. 11).

नेत्र्यौ स्थो नयतं मामित्युपानहौ २६

26. The two shoes (he puts on) with (the formula), ‘Leaders are you; lead me’ (ibid. 12).

गन्धर्वोऽसीति वैणवं दण्डं गृह्णाति २७

27. With (the formula), ‘The Gandharva art thou’ (ibid. 13), he takes a bamboo staff.

आचार्यं सपरिषत्कमभ्येत्याचार्यपरिषदमीक्षते यक्षमिव चक्षुषः प्रियो वो भूयासमिति २८

28. He approaches the teacher together with the assembly (of his pupils) and looks at the assembly of his teacher’s (pupils) with (the words), ‘Like an eye-ball may I be dear to you’ (ibid. 14).

उपोपविश्य मुख्यान्प्राणान्सम्मृशन्नोष्ठापिधाना नकुलीति २९

29. Sitting down near (the teacher) he touches the sense-organs at his head with (the verse), ‘The she-ichneumon, covered by the lips’ (ibid. 15).

अत्रैनमाचार्योऽर्हयेत् ३०

30. Here the teacher should honour him with the Argha ceremony.

गोयुक्तं रथमुपसङ्क्रम्य पक्षसी कूबरबाहू वाभिमृशेद्वनस्पते वीड्वङ्गो हि भूया इति ३१

31. (The student then) should approach a chariot yoked with oxen, and should touch its two side-pieces or the two arms of the chariot-pole with

(the verse), ‘O tree, may thy limbs be strong’ (ibid. 16).

आस्थाता ते जयतु जेत्वानीत्यातिष्ठति ३२

32. With (the last words of that verse), ‘May he who stands on thee, win what can be won’ - he mounts it.

प्राङ्वोदङ्वाभिप्रयाय प्रदक्षिणमावृत्योपयाति ३३

33. Having driven (some distance) in an easterly or northerly direction, he turns round from left to right and comes back (to his teacher).

उपयाताया र्घ्यमिति कौहलीयाः ३४

34. ⁸ When he has come back, the Argha ceremony should be performed (for him by his teacher), say the Kauhalīyas.