[36] The ceremony of initiation should be performed in the eighth year after (the conception of) the embryo of a priest; in the eleventh year after (the conception of) the embryo of a king, and in the twelfth year after (the conception of) the embryo of a commoner. [37] For a priest who desires the splendour of the Veda it is to be done in the fifth year; for a king who seeks strength, in the sixth; and for a commoner who is ambitious, in the eighth. [38] The (time for the first teaching of the) verse to the sun-god does not expire until the sixteenth year for a priest; until the twenty-second, for a member of the ruling class; and until the twenty-fourth for a commoner. [39] After that, if these three (classes) have not undergone the transformative rituals at the proper time, they lose their chance of learning the verse to the sun-god and become outlaws, despised by Aryans. [40] A priest should never, even in extremity, forge Vedic or sexual bonds with these people who have not been purified.
[41] Chaste students of the Veda should wear, in (descending) order of class, the skins of a black antelope, gazelle, and male goat, and hemp, linen, and wool. [42] The belt of a priest should be made of smooth, three-ply rushes; of a ruler, it should be a bowstring of hemp fibre; and of a commoner, a thread of hemp. [43] If rushes are unattainable, the belts should be made of sacrificial grass, ‘stone-tipped’ grass or coarse grass, triple-ply, with one knot, or three, or five. [44] The initiatory thread of a priest should be made of cotton, put on above (the right shoulder), three-ply; of a ruler it should be made of hemp threads, and of a commoner it should be of wool threads.
[45] A priest’s staff should be made of wood-apple and the ‘straw-eating’ plant; a ruler’s, of banyan and acacia; a commoner’s, of palm and fig, according to law. [46] The staff of a priest should be long enough to reach his hair; of a king it should reach his forehead, and of a commoner the tip of his nose. [47] All of these should be straight, without blemish, and nice to look at. They should not be alarming to men, they should still have their bark, and they should not be spoiled by fire.
[48] When he has taken up a staff that he likes, he should stand facing the sun, go around the fire clockwise, and then go begging, in accordance with the rules. [49] When a priest who has been initiated goes begging, he should say ‘Sir (or Madam)’ at the beginning; a ruler should say ‘Sir (or Madam)’ in the middle; and a commoner should say ‘Sir (or Madam)’ at the end. [50] He should beg first from his mother or his sister or from his own mother’s sister, or (from a woman) who will not refuse him. [51] When he has collected sufficient food from begging, he should inform his guru without deceit, purify himself by rinsing his mouth, and then eat, facing east.
[52] For facing east he eats food that gives long life; south, fame; west, good fortune; north, truth. [53] A twice-born man should always eat food with a concentrated mind, after he has washed; and when he has eaten he should wash thoroughly, and wash out the orifices of his body with water. [54] He should always respect food, and eat without criticizing it; when he sees it he should rejoice and be thankful, and welcome it altogether. [55] For food that has been respected always gives strength and vigour; but food eaten without respect destroys both of them. [56] He should not give the leftovers to anyone, nor should he eat between meals; he should not overeat, nor go anywhere with food still on his mouth and hands. [57] Overeating is not conducive to health, long life, or heaven; it destroys merit and people hate it; therefore it should be avoided.
[58] A priest should wash all the time with the ‘ford’ (of the hand) named for Brahmā, or with the one for Ka, or the one for the Thirty (gods), but never with the one for the ancestors. [59] They call what is on the surface of the root of the thumb the ‘ford’ of Brahmā; what is at the root of the (little) finger (the ford) of Ka; what is at the tip (of the fingers, the ‘ford’) of the gods; and what is below those two (the ‘ford’) of the ancestors. [60] First he should rinse his mouth three times with water and wipe his mouth twice. Then he should wash the orifices of his body with water, as well as (the seat of) his soul and his head. [61] A man who knows the law and desires purification should always rinse his mouth with water that is neither hot nor foamy, using the (correct) ‘ford’ (of the hand), facing east, in a solitary place. [62] A priest is purified by water that reaches up to his heart, a king by (water) up to his neck, a commoner by (water) that is swallowed, and a servant by (water) touched on the tip (of his lips).
[63] A twice-born man is said to be ‘wearing the initiatory thread’ when his right hand is lifted up; he is said to be ‘wearing the initiatory thread to the front’ when his left hand is lifted up and ‘wearing the initiatory thread down’ when it hangs down from his neck. [64] He should throw his belt, animal skin, staff, initiatory thread, and water-pot into the water when they are worn out and take others, while chanting Vedic verses. [65] The final haircut should be performed for a priest in the sixteenth year, for a member of the ruling class in the twenty-second year, and for a commoner in two more years.
[66] For women, this cycle should be performed without Vedic verses, leaving nothing else out, at the proper time and in the proper order, to perfect the body. [67] The ritual of marriage is traditionally known as the Vedic transformative ritual for women; serving her husband is (the equivalent of) living with a guru, and household chores are the rites of the fire.
[68] The rule of the initiation of the twice-born, which makes manifest a birth and gives merit, has thus been explained; now learn about the performance of rituals.
[69] When the guru has initiated the pupil, he should first teach him about purification, conduct, the tending of the fire, and the twilight ceremonies. [70] As (the pupil) is about to recite, he should rinse out his mouth according to the teachings, face the north, cup his hands in homage to the Veda, dress simply, and conquer his sensory powers, and then he is fit to be taught. [71] At the beginning and at the end of (reciting) the Veda, he should always clasp his guru’s feet; he should join his hands together when he recites, for that is traditionally regarded as cupping the hands in homage to the Veda. [72] He should clasp his guru’s (feet) with crossed hands, touching the left (foot) with the left (hand), and the right with the right. [73] The guru, never tiring, should say to him as he is about to begin his recitation, ‘Now, recite!’ and he should stop him by saying, ‘Now, stop.’
[74] He should always say, ‘Om!’ at the beginning and at the end of (reciting) the Veda, for (the recitation) slips away without ‘Om’ before it and dissolves (without ‘Om’) after it. [75] Sitting (on sacrificial grass) with the tips pointing east, purified by the purifying (grasses) and by suppressing his breath three times, he is fit to say, ‘Om!’ [76] The Lord of Creatures milked out of the three Vedas the syllables ‘a’, ‘u’, and ‘m’, and (the exclamations) ‘Bhūḥ!’, ‘Bhuvaḥ!’ and ‘Svaḥ!’, [77] And the Lord of Creatures, the supreme lord, milked out of the three Vedas, taking one foot from each (Veda), the ṛg Vedic verse to the sun-god that begins, ‘That excellent (light) of Savitṛ.’ [78] A priest who knows the Veda and who chants that syllable and that verse, preceded by the exclamations, at the two twilights, gains the merit of (reciting the whole) Veda. [79] And a twice-born man who repeats this triad a thousand times outside (the village) for a month is freed even from a great error, like a snake from its sloughed skin.
[80] A priest, ruler, or commoner who does not have this ṛg Vedic verse and his own rites performed at the right time becomes an object of contempt among virtuous people. [81] It should be recognized that the three great and imperishable exclamations, preceded by the syllable ‘Om’, together with the three feet of the verse to the sun-god, are the mouth of the Veda. [82] Anyone who recites that verse for three years, tirelessly, day after day, becomes wind, takes on a physical form made of air, and reaches the ultimate reality. [83] That monosyllable is the ultimate reality, and breath-suppression is the ultimate generation of inner heat; but there is nothing beyond the verse to the sun-god; truth is better than silence. [84] All the Vedic rituals, the oblations and t
he sacrifices, perish, but it should be realized that the syllable does not perish; it is ultimate reality and the Lord of Creatures.
[85] A sacrifice that consists of chanting (‘Om’ and the verse to the sun-god) is ten times better than a sacrifice performed in accordance with the rules; if inaudible, it is a hundred times better, and if (merely) mental it is traditionally regarded as a thousand (times better). [86] The four domestic sacrifices and the sacrifices (performed) in accordance with the rules all together are not worth a sixteenth part of the sacrifice that consists of chanting. [87] But a priest achieves perfect success merely by chanting; there is no doubt about this. Whether or not he does any other (ritual), a man who befriends (all creatures) is called a true priest.
[88] A learned man should keep trying hard to restrain his sensory powers as they run amok among alluring sensory objects, like a charioteer (restraining) his race-horses. [89] I will explain, thoroughly and in order, the eleven sensory powers that wise men of ancient times spoke of: [90] the ear, the skin, the eyes, the tongue, and the nose as the fifth; the anus, the genitals, the hand and foot, and (the organ of) speech is traditionally regarded as the tenth. [91] The five beginning with the ear are the senses; the five beginning with the anus are the motor powers. [92] The eleventh is known as the mind-and-heart, which belongs to both (sets) by virtue of its own qualities; when it has been conquered, both of these sets of five have been conquered. [93] Through the addiction of his sensory powers, a man certainly makes mistakes; but if he firmly restrains them all, he will achieve success. [94] Desire is never extinguished by the enjoyment of what is desired; it just grows stronger, like a fire that flares up with the oblation (of butter) and burns a dark path.
[95] Someone may attain all of these (desires) and someone may reject them all, but the rejection of all desires is better than the attainment. [96] Those (sensory powers) that take voluptuous pleasure in the sensory objects cannot be restrained by non-indulgence so well as by constant understanding. [97] The Vedas, rejection (of desires), sacrifices, restraints, the generation of inner heat – they never bring perfect success to a man whose nature has been corrupted. [98] A man who neither thrills nor recoils when he hears, touches, sees, tastes, or smells anything – he should be known as a man who has conquered his sensory powers. [99] But if a single one of all the sensory powers slips away, through that his wits slip away, like water from one foot of a leather water-bag. [100] If he keeps the whole cluster of sensory powers in control, and his mind-and-heart as well, he may achieve success in all his goals, without wasting away his body through harnessing (his energies).
[101] He should stand and chant the verse to the sun-god during the morning twilight until he sees the sun, and he should sit (and chant it) during the evening twilight until the constellations appear clearly. [102] When he stands and chants during the morning twilight he dispels the guilt of the night, and when he sits (and chants) during the evening twilight he destroys the dirty deed done during the day. [103] But the man who neither stands (and chants) in the morning nor sits (and chants) in the evening should be excommunicated from every ritual of the twice-born, just like a servant. [104] A man who is engaged in an obligatory ritual may even go into the wilderness and recite the verse to the sun-god near water, restrained and with a concentrated mind.
[105] It is not necessary to comply with any reason for interruption when one is studying the supplementary texts of the Veda, or reciting the obligatory texts or the Vedic verses for the offerings into the fire. [106] There is no reason to interrupt the recitation of the obligatory texts, since it is traditionally regarded as an extended sacrifice consisting of (the daily recitation of) the Veda, in which the Veda is used as the oblation in place of the burnt offering and which gives merit even when a cause for interruption takes the place of the final exclamation of ‘Vaṣaṭ!’. [107] When a man who is unpolluted and restrained recites (the Veda) privately for a year in accordance with the rule, this makes milk and yogurt, butter and honey flow for him constantly.
[108] A twice-born man who has been initiated should put fuel on the fire, go begging, sleep on the ground, and do what is good for his guru, until his homecoming. [109] These ten may be instructed, according to the law: the teacher’s son or one’s own, anyone who gives knowledge or money, a man who is religious, virtuous, obedient, unpolluted, trustworthy, or capable (of learning). [110] A person should not speak to anyone unless questioned, nor speak to anyone who questions improperly; for even if he understands, an intelligent man will behave among people like an idiot. [111] If someone speaks wrongly and someone questions wrongly, one of the two of them will die or incur (the other’s) hatred. [112] Learning should not be sown where there is neither religion nor profit, nor at least suitable obedience, just as good seed (should not be sown) on salt soil. [113] Even in terrible extremity, it is better for someone who expounds the Veda to die along with his learning than to sow it on barren ground. [114] Learning went up to a priest and said, ‘I am your treasure-chest. Save me. Do not give me to anyone who resents me, and I will have the most manly power. [115] Tell me to a priest whom you know to be unpolluted, restrained, chaste, and not careless, who will protect the treasure.’ [116] But anyone who acquires the Veda without permission from someone who is reciting it is a thief of the Veda and goes to hell.
[117] First, (the student) should greet the man from whom he receives knowledge, speaking of worldly matters, of the Veda, or of the soul. [118] A priest who has curbed himself well is better, even if all he knows is the verse to the sun-god, than a man who is not curbed, who eats everything and sells everything, even if he knows the three Vedas. [119] A man should not sit down on a bed or a chair that is occupied by his superior, and a man who is sitting on a bed or a chair should rise to greet his superior. [120] For a young man’s vital breath rises up and out when an elder approaches him, but he gets it back again by rising to greet him. [121] Four things increase and thrive for a man who habitually greets older people and always treats them well: long life, religious merit, fame, and strength.
[122] After the greeting, a priest addressing an older person should proclaim his own name: ‘I am—’ followed by his name. [123] To people who do not understand the greeting when the name is given, a wise man should say, ‘It is I’; and he should say the same to all women. [124] He should pronounce the word, ‘You!’ at the end of his own name when he greets someone, for it is traditionally said by the sages that the nature of ‘You!’ is the same as the nature of all names. [125] A priest should be greeted with, ‘May you have a long life, good sir’; the vowel ‘a’ should be spoken at the end of the name and the vowel of the preceding syllable should be extended. [126] A priest who does not know how to give a greeting in reply to a greeting should not be greeted by a learned man; he is just like a servant. [127] When someone meets a priest he should ask after his welfare, (when he meets) a man of the ruling class (he should ask after) his well-being, a commoner his prosperity, and a servant his health. [128] A person who has been consecrated (for a sacrifice) should not be addressed by his name, even if he is younger; but a man who knows law should speak to him after saying, ‘Hello, Sir.’
[129] Now, to a woman who is another man’s wife and not related by birth one should say ‘Lady’ and ‘Good woman’, and ‘Sister’. [130] He should say ‘I am (his name)’ to his mother’s brothers, father’s brothers, fathers-in-law, officiating priests, and gurus, and rise to greet them, (even if they are) younger. [131] He should revere his mother’s sister, the wife of his mother’s brother, his mother-in-law, and his father’s sister like a guru’s wife, for they are the equal of a guru’s wife. [132] He should embrace (the feet of) his brother’s wife every day if she is of the same class, but he should embrace the wives of relatives and in-laws only on returning from a journey.
[133] He should treat his father’s sister, his mother’s sister, and his own older sister like a mother; but his mother is more important than they are. [134] A fellow-citizen is counted
as a friend after ten years, a fellow artist after five years, a priest who knows his Veda after three years, but people related by birth after only a little while. [135] A ten-year-old priest and a hundred-year-old ruler should be regarded as father and son, and of the two of them the priest is the father. [136] Wealth, kinship, age, actions, and, fifth, learning are the basis for respect, and each is more important than the one before it. [137] Whoever has these five in quantity and quality is worthy of respect among the three (twice-born) classes, and even a servant if he has entered his tenth (decade). [138] A man in a carriage, or one who has entered his tenth (decade), a man who is ill or carrying a burden, a woman, a Vedic graduate, a king, and a bridegroom must be given right of way. [139] Of these if they meet, the Vedic graduate and the king should be respected (most); and of the king and the Vedic graduate, the Vedic graduate receives the respect of the king.
[140] The twice-born man who initiates the pupil and teaches him the Veda together with the ritual texts and the secret texts is called his teacher. [141] But a man who teaches one portion of the Veda or even, again, the subsidiary texts of the Vedas, and does it to make a living, is called the instructor. [142] The priest who performs the rituals, beginning with the infusion (of the semen), in accordance with the rules, and feeds (the child his first) food is called the guru. [143] The (priest) who is chosen by a man and performs for him the preparation of the sacrificial fires, the domestic sacrifices, and sacrifices such as the ‘Praise of Fire’, is called his officiating priest.
The Laws of Manu Page 10