Grihya Sutras

Author(s): Hermann Oldenberg
Publisher: Oxford

Page 18

SÂNķHÃYANA-GRIHYA-SÚTRA.
illustration of these remarks, a few observations on one of the passages in which the rejection of the traditional Sankhayana reading, together with the traditional Sankhåyana explanation, is confirmed by the Sâmbavya MS., though no doubt, even without the aid of that MS., we ought to have formed the right conclusions for ourselves. At San. khayana II, 4, 1. 2 the traditional reading is :
Mama vrate hridayam te dadhâmi mama kittam anu kittam te astu | mama vākam ekamana gushasva Brihaspatish två niyunaktu mahyam iti | kamasya brahmakaryasyâsâv iti.
Sankhâyana is treating here of the Upanayana, or the initiation of the student who is received by a teacher and intends to study the Veda with him. The teacher on that occasion is to pronounce the Mantra which we have just transcribed, and which translated into English would run thus :
Under my will I take thy heart; after my mind shall thy mind follow ; in my word thou shalt rejoice with all thy heart; may Brihaspati join thee to me.' 'Of the Brahmakarya of Kama (or lust), N. N.I'
The MSS. give the end of the passage as we have printed it above, kâmasya brahmakaryasyâsâv iti. This Nårâyana explains in the following way. Brahmakarya here means the observances which the student has to keep through certain periods of time before the different texts which he has to learn can be taught him. First comes the Såvitri verse, for which he prepares himself by observing the sâvitra vrata; this lasts either one year, or three days, or the Såvitrî can also be taught him immediately (see chap. 5, 1-3). Then follows the sukriya vrata, of three days, or twelve days, or one year, or any other period of time according to the teacher's pleasure (chap. 11, 10); by this vrata the student is enabled to study the main portion of the Veda. Finally come the sâkvara, vrâtika, au panishada observances, each of which has to last one year, and which refer to the different parts of the Aranyaka (see chap. II, 11 seq., and the sixth book). Now the formula of which we treat here refers principally to the sâvitra
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