Page:Hindu Feasts Fasts and Ceremonies.djvu/25

Rh bathing. After bathing the Brahman has put on his clean apparel. He must then wash his hands and feet and sip water thrice in the name of Maha Vishnu. He must perform his morning worship—pratah sandhya—with arghya—oblations of water—and gayatri—meditation on the Sun-god. After this-the Brahman must proceed to study the Vedas under his preceptor—guru. A portion of this sacred lore is got up by heart every day. The guru—teacher—sits facing the east and recites the text and the student sits facing the west and repeats the same. This practice must be gone through daily till the whole of the Vedas is learnt by heart. This continues till midday. The Vedas, Upanishads, codes of law and other branches of sacred literature must be gone through thus and acquired by the Brahman.

Then the midday bathing and prayers succeed, followed by the worship of the Manes. Water with sesamum seeds is offered as an oblation to the Manes, from the hollow of both hands joined. After the propitiation of the Manes, the propitiation of the deities commences, which consists of oblations of fire with prayers addressed to several gods. After