Praśna 11, Kaṇḍikā 22

1. He should observe fast on the eighth day and the parvan day (of each month), and restrain speech.

2. He should not lie down (at night on these days).

3. He should observe these vows for a year.

4. He should learn the scripture during this year.

5. If he does not complete his learning during this year, he should continue to observe this vow until the end of his learning.

6. At the expiry of a year he should enkindle fire on a vacant place from where one cannot see the roofs of houses in the village, strew round the fire, go through the rite of the leaving out of the scripture (visarjana) as before,^[1] put fire-sticks on the fire with the formulas given in a reverse order,^[2] and pray to the divinities with the formulas given in a reverse order,^[3] give a boon to his teacher, and get his hair and beard shaved.

7. Now (we shall mention) the vows in connection with the reciting (of the scripture).

8. (These are to be observed) regularly.

9. He should not recite while he has gone through the rite of leaving out the scripture,^[4] nor at night, nor at nightfall, nor after violating the vow of celibacy,^[5] nor after having eaten meat,^[5] nor after having his hair and beard shaved, nor after having his hair on the body shaved, nor after having his nails pared, nor after having cleansed his teeth.^[6]

10. (He should) not (recite the scripture) when he has put collyrium in his eyes, nor when he has anointed his body, nor when he is wet, nor in a wet place, nor in a place where it has rained, nor while gazing at green barley.

11. Nor in the vicinity of a domestic animal or of a wild animal or of water, nor under clouds, nor under shade, nor when the sun has turned downwards.

12. Nor after having beholden uncooked flesh or blood fallen^[7] (from the mouth of a beast or bird of prey) nor palatial buildings nor limbs of body nor a corpse nor a person on death-bed,

13. Having kindled fire on a vacant place from where one cannot see the roofs of houses in the village, and having strewn round the fire, he should seat himself on darbha-blades to the rear of the fire and, while holding in his Rand darbha-blades or dūrvā grass, recite the scripture in the regular order.^[8]

14. Or (he should study) at the Aupāsana fire^[9] (of the teacher) after having given him a boon.

15. When he is going to study the scripture, he should go through the rite of appeasement (śānti) by reciting the first Anuvāka^[10] and then study.

16. After having studied (he should do so) with the last one.^[11]

17. While studying he should not speak out anything else.

18. Whenever he finds that he has studied without having previously gone through the rite of appeasement (śānti), he should go through that rite and again study.

19. After having gone out for the study of the scripture, he should not study anything else without entering back (into the village).

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

BhārGS III.8 ff.

[2]:

XI.21.2.

[3]:

XI.21.3.

[4]:

As stated by Rudradatta on Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XV.21.5, the word anutsṛṣṭādhyāya requires to be modified as anūt°.

[5]:

In this case he should not recite the scripture even on the next day.

[6]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XV.21.7 adds one more contingency, namely, after having decorated one’s hair.

[7]:

CALAND on Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XV.21.9 has proposed that, following Baudhāyana-śrauta-sūtra, it would be better to relate ‘fallen’ (utpatita) to ‘blood’ (lohita).

[8]:

He should not repeat any portion.

[9]:

If he cannot go out.

[10]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.1.

[11]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.42.