Essay name: Devala-smriti (critical study)
Author:
Mukund Lalji Wadekar
Affiliation: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda / Department of Sanskrit Pali and Prakrit
This essay represents an English study of the Devala-smriti鈥攁n ancient text attributed to sage Devala classified as belonging to the Dharma-Shastra branch of Indian literature which encompasses jurisprudence and religious law. This study deals with the reconstructed text of the Devala-smriti based on surviving references, emphasizing Devala鈥檚 unique viewpoints on social, religious, and philosophical aspects, particularly the Sankhya and Yoga philosophies.
Chapter 9 - The distinctive features of the Devalasmriti
110 (of 165)
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animal, bird etc. If the water is of less quantity, the entire
' water-reservior should be emptied and the pancagavya is to be
poured into it. If the water is too much, it is not possible
to empty the entire water, the impure thing should be removed
& 100, 60 or 30 pots of water should be taken out from it to
purify it. The pancagavya along with the recitation of mantra
is also to be poured into it.
PURIFICATION OF GARMENTS
鉁�
钓斸煁
The method of purification of garments of different, materials,
is also dealt with in the text (1124-1128). The dirty clothes,
made up of tantu (cotton fibres) should be purified firstly with
water & acidic substances & later on, they should be dried up
by keeping them in the sunlight or wind. The simple means of
purification
drying & sprinkling of water are to be employed
generally for the garments, prepared tfrom wool, (ur峁嚹�), silk
(kauseya), kusa grass (kutapa), fine cloth (patta), linen (Ksauma
the woven silk (dukula). But when they are too much polluted,
the use of chaff, juices of fruits & acidic substances, may be
made for purification Manu & Yajnavalkya also treat this
topic, but in a different manner. They enumerate particular
distinct purificatory articles for each kind of garment. For
example, both of them, maintain that the garments, made up
of kutapa, patta, ksauma are to be purified with aristaka (soap
berry), sriphala (bilva tree), & gaurasarsapa (white mustard)
respectively, while the kauseya & avika garments are to be made
pure by usa (salt ground or acid) according to Manu & with salt
or acid, water & gomutra according to Yajnavalkya, Devala does
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