व्यवहारमयूख (नीलकण्ठ भट्ट - पश्चिमी भारत की हिन्दू न्याय-संहिता एवं व्यवहार कोष)

RDEALS 51
Nārada ( p. 103 v ] ) says :
( The timber employed ) should be of the Khadira tree, but not the
white variety and should not be worm-eaten
Śuklavarjitam means ' excluding the white Khadira '
(The timber) should be blackwood, or in its absence teak but without
hollows, or Añjana, the inner part of Tindukī, Tiniśa or red sandalwood.
But Mādhava reads '( the timber should be ) of Arjuna, Tilaka, Aśoka,
Tiniśa and red sandalwood.'
The king ( or judge ) should select such trees as these for making a
balance ( Nārada p 104 v 265 )
Evam-vidhān means according to Madana ' these and other sacrificial
( sacred ) trees also such as Udumbara ' Hence Pitāmaha says •
Having bowed to the guardians of the worlds, and having cut down the
sacrificial tree ( Khadira ), the balance should be prepared by the wise,
after reciting the mantra as in the case of ( making ) a sacrificial post ;
*and mantras addressed to Soma¹ and Vanaspati should be muttered in a
low voice when the tree is cut
Yūpavat means after reciting the mantra ' Oh, herb, save this sacrificer
(Vāj S IV I.) As the mantras addressed to Soma and Vanaspati are to be
muttered and have an unseen result, they are both to be repeated ( i e.
there is no option ) ² The saumya mantras are well known The Vānas-
patya mantra is ' Oh Vanaspati (tree), may you grow with a hundred
branches' ( Rgveda III 8 11 )' The line ' mantraḥ saumyo vānaspatyaḥ
&c ) merely reiterates what already follows from the extended application
( atideśa ) contained in the word ' yūpavad' ³ Pitāmaha says
The ( beam of ) the balance was to be four cubits ( in length ) and
the two supports ( of the beam from which the balance was suspended )
were to be of the same length ( above ground ) ; the distance between the
two supports was to be two cubits or a cubit and a half
Vyāsa says .

1. Ṛgveda I. 91 is a hymn of 28 verses which are all addressed to Soma. The
   saumya mantra may either be ' somo dhenum ' ( I 91 20 ) or ' āpyāyasva sametu' (I 91. 16).
2. This is based on the Pūrvamīmāṁsā XII. 4. 1, for an explanation of which vide
   notes to V M. p. 94.
3. The mantra 'vanaspate' is recited when a tree is cut for making a yūpa So
   when it is said that a sacred tree is to be cut with recitation of mantras as in the case of
   yūpa, it is not necessary to say expressly that the mantra ' vanaspate' should be uttered
   in a low voice But the verse does expressly say so It therefore does not lay down any-
   thing new, but only repeats what is already known. Atideśa is a principle in the Pūrva-
   mīmāṁsā Anuvāda is a variety of Arthavāda and is opposed to vidhi,
   * P. 57 (text ).