गुरुपत्नी तु युवती नाभिवाद्या तु पादयोः । कुर्वीत वंदनं भूम्यामसावहमिति ब्रुवन्
If the guru’s wife is young, one should not salute her by touching her feet; instead, one should offer respect by touching the ground and saying, 'I am yours.'
विप्रोष्य पादग्रहणपूर्वकं चाभिवादनम् । गुरुदारेषु कुर्वीत सतां धर्म्ममनुस्मरन्
After returning from a journey, one should greet the wives of the guru by first grasping their feet, remembering the dharma of the virtuous.
मातृष्वसा मातुलानी श्वश्रूश्चाथ पितृष्वसा । संपूज्या गुरुपत्नीवत्समास्ता गुरुभार्यया
The maternal aunt, uncle’s wife, mother-in-law, and paternal aunt should all be honored like the guru’s wife, equal to the guru’s spouse.
भ्रातृभार्याश्च संग्राह्या सवर्णा हन्यहन्यपि । विप्रोष्य तूपसंग्राह्या ज्ञातिसंबंधियोषितः
The wives of brothers of the same caste should be greeted daily; after returning from a journey, the women relatives should be greeted.
पितुर्भगिन्या मातुश्च जायस्यां च स्वसर्यपि । मातृवद्वृत्तिमातिष्ठेन्माता ताभ्यो गरीयसी
One should behave toward the father’s sister, mother’s sister, and wife’s sister as toward a mother, for the mother is superior to them.
एवमाचारसंपन्नमात्मवंतमदांभिकम् । वेदमध्यापयेद्धर्म्मं पुराणांगानि नित्यशः
One who is endowed with proper conduct, self-control, and sincerity should be taught the Veda, dharma, and the limbs of the Purāṇas daily.
संवत्सरोषिते शिष्ये गुरुर्ज्ञानमनिर्दिशन् । हरते दुष्कृतं तस्य शिष्यस्य वसतो गुरुः
When a disciple has stayed for a year, the guru, imparting knowledge, removes the disciple’s sins while the disciple resides with the guru.
आचार्यपुत्रः शुश्रूषुर्ज्ञानदो धार्मिकः शुचिः । शक्तोन्नदोंबुदः साधुरध्याप्यादश धर्मतः
The son of the teacher, attentive, giver of knowledge, righteous, and pure, capable, generous, virtuous—such a one should be taught according to dharma.
कृतकंठस्तथाऽद्रोहः मेधावी गुरुकृन्नरः । आप्तः प्रियोऽथ विधिवत्षडध्याप्या द्विजातयः
A person who wears the sacred thread, is not deceitful, intelligent, acts as the guru instructs, trustworthy, dear, and follows the proper rules—these six types of twice-born should be taught.
एतेषु ब्राह्मणे दानमन्यत्र तु यथोचितम् । आचम्य संयतो नित्यमधीयीत उदङ्मुखः
Among these Brahmins, gifts should be given; elsewhere, as appropriate. One should always study, having purified oneself, facing north.
उपसंगृह्य तत्पादौ वीक्ष्यमाणो गुरोर्मुखम् । अधीष्व भो इति ब्रूयाद्विरामोऽस्त्विति चाऽरमेत्
After greeting and touching the feet, looking at the guru’s face, one should say, 'Please teach,' and, when finished, say, 'Let there be a pause.'
प्राक्कूलान्पर्युपासीत पवित्रैश्चैव पावकः । प्राणायामैस्त्रिभिः पूतस्ततोंकारमर्हति
One should sit facing east, near pure things and fire; purified by three breaths, one is then worthy of uttering the sacred syllable.
ब्राह्मणः प्रणवं कुर्यादंतेऽपि विधिवद्द्विजाः । कुर्यादध्यापनं नित्यं सब्रह्मांजलिपूर्वतः
A Brahmin should recite the praṇava even at the end, and the twice-born should do so according to the rules; teaching should always be done preceded by the gesture of joining the hands in reverence.
सर्वेषामेव भूतानां वेदश्चक्षुः सनातनः । अधीयीताप्ययं नित्यं ब्राह्मण्याद्धीयतेऽन्यथा
The Veda is the eternal eye of all beings; it should always be studied, and it is learned from a Brahmin, not otherwise.
अधीयीत ऋचो नित्यं क्षीराहुत्या सदेवताः । प्रीणाति तर्पयन्कालं कामैर्हूताः सदैवताः
One should daily recite the Ṛg Veda hymns, offering milk with the deities; by satisfying and appeasing them at the proper time with desired offerings, the deities are always gratified.
यजूंष्यधीते नियतं दध्ना प्रीणाति देवताः । सामान्यधीते प्रीणाति घृताहुतिभिरन्वहम्
He regularly recites the Yajur Veda, offering curd to please the deities; reciting the Sāma Veda, he pleases them daily with offerings of ghee.
अथर्वांगिरसो नित्यं मध्वा प्रीणाति देवताः । धर्मांगानि पुराणानि मांसैस्तर्पयतेसुरान्
He constantly recites the Atharvaṅgiras hymns, pleasing the deities with honey; he satisfies the gods with meat offerings from the limbs of dharma and the Purāṇas.
प्रातश्च सायं प्रयतो नैत्यकं विधिमाश्रितः । गायत्रीं समधीयीत गत्वारण्यं समाहितः
Morning and evening, with discipline, following the daily prescribed rite, one should recite the Gāyatrī, having gone to the forest with focused mind.
सहस्रपरमां देवीं शतमध्यां दशावराम् । गायत्रीं वै जपेन्नित्यं जपयज्ञः प्रकीर्तितः
The Gāyatrī, the supreme goddess of a thousand verses, with a hundred in the middle and ten at the end, should be recited daily; this is called the japa-sacrifice.
गायत्रीं चैव वेदांश्च तुलया तोलयत्प्रभुः । एकतश्चतुरोवेदा गायत्रीं च तथैकतः
The Lord weighed the Gāyatrī and the Vedas on a scale; on one side, the four Vedas, and on the other, the Gāyatrī alone.
ॐकारमादितः कृत्वा व्याहृतीस्तदनंतरम् । ततोऽधीयीत सावित्रीमेकाग्रः श्रद्धयान्वितः
Having first uttered the syllable 'Om', then the vyāhṛtis in succession, one should recite the Sāvitrī with single-mindedness and accompanied by faith.
पुराकल्पे समुत्पन्ना भूर्भुवः स्वः सनातनाः । महाव्याहृतयस्तिस्रः सर्वाशुभनिबर्हणाः
In ancient times arose the three great, eternal vyāhṛtis: bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ; they remove all inauspiciousness.
प्रधानं पुरुषः कालो विष्णुब्रह्ममहेश्वराः । सत्वंरजस्तमस्तिस्रः क्रमाद्व्याहृतयः स्मृताः
The principal entities—Purusha, Time, Vishnu, Brahma, and Maheshvara; the three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas—are remembered as the vyāhṛtis in sequence.
ॐकारस्तत्परं ब्रह्म सावित्री स्यात्तदुत्तरम् । एष मंत्रो महायोगः सारात्सार उदाहृतः
'Om' is the supreme Brahman; Sāvitrī follows thereafter. This mantra is declared to be the essence of great yoga, the essence of all essences.
योऽधीतेऽहन्यहन्येतां गायत्रीं वेदमातरम् । विज्ञायार्थं ब्रह्मचारी स याति परमां गतिम्
He who daily recites this Gāyatrī, the mother of the Vedas, understanding its meaning, as a brahmacārin, attains the highest state.
गायत्री वेदजननी गायत्री लोकपावनी । गायत्र्या न परं जप्यमेतद्विज्ञायमुच्यते
Gāyatrī is the mother of the Vedas; Gāyatrī purifies the worlds. There is no recitation superior to Gāyatrī; this is declared to be known.
श्रावणस्य तु मासस्य पौर्णमास्यां द्विजोत्तमाः । आषाढ्यां प्रोष्ठपद्यां वा वेदोपाकरणं स्मृतम्
On the full moon of the month of Śrāvaṇa, O best of twice-born, or on the Āṣāḍhī or Proṣṭhapadī days, the initiation into the Vedas is prescribed.
यत्सूर्ययाम्यगमनं मासान्विप्रोर्द्धपंचमान् । अधीयीत शुचौ देशे ब्रह्मचारी समाहितः
From the day the sun moves southward, for five months, the brahmacārin, with concentrated mind, should study in a pure place.
पुष्ये तुच्छंदसां कुर्याद्बहिरुत्सर्जनं द्विजः । मासि शुक्लस्य वा प्राप्ते पूर्वाह्णे प्रथमेऽहनि
In the month of Puṣya, the twice-born should perform the external expulsion of the chandas; or when the bright fortnight arrives, on the first day in the morning.
छदांसि च द्विजोऽभ्यस्येच्छुक्लपक्षे तु वै द्विजः । वेदांगानि पुराणानि कृष्णपक्षेषु मानवः
The twice-born should practice the chandas during the bright fortnight; in the dark fortnight, a man should study the Vedāṅgas and Purāṇas.