Shantikamalakara 7

English (machine translation) 7

Language: English

7.1_2 — 6 parts

7.1

"Because of the misconduct of men and from the offense of wicked souls, / for the destruction of the disaffected, the gods create, O sage,

Portents of various forms arising in the celestial, earthly, and atmospheric realms. He turns toward the eastern quarter. Now when his jeweled pitchers or cooking pots crack, chariots, umbrellas, beds, seats, dwellings, flags, banners, or a portion of the house breaks, or chief horses die, and such things—all these are portents presided over by Indra, and there are atonements. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'Indraṃ vo viśvatas pari,' he offers with five oblations of ghee: 'To Indra, svāhā; to the lord of Śacī, svāhā; to the bearer of the thunderbolt in hand, svāhā; to the Lord, svāhā; to the pacifier of all sin, svāhā'; and he offers separately with the vyāhṛtis. He turns toward the southern quarter. Now when misfortunes appear among his offspring, cattle, or body, diseases of various kinds, excessive sleeping, bad dreams, overeating, sluggishness, indigestion; a crow comes by the house door, a dove enters or settles on the body, a black woman [appears], one's reflection is absent in a mirror, and so forth—all these are portents presided over by Yama. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'Nāke suparṇam,' he offers with five oblations of ghee: 'To Yama, svāhā; to the lord of the departed, svāhā; to the bearer of the staff in hand, svāhā; to the Lord, svāhā; to the pacifier of all sin, svāhā'; and he offers separately with the vyāhṛtis. Now he turns toward the western quarter. In whose grains kept in the field or the house there appear portents and disturbances of various kinds: rats, locusts, ants, mathvakas, bhaumakas, parrots, śakabhakas, saukṣmakas, and so forth—all these are portents presided over by Varuṇa. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'Ghṛtavatī' and 'Varuṇasyottambhanam asi,' he offers with five oblations of ghee: 'To Varuṇa, svāhā; to the lord of the waters, svāhā; to the bearer of the noose in hand, svāhā; to the Lord, svāhā; to the pacifier of all sin, svāhā'; and he offers separately with the vyāhṛtis.

7.1_2.2

He turns toward the northern quarter. Now when one suffers loss of gold, silver, diamonds, beryl, or pearls, or undertakings fail, or friends become estranged, or honey or bottle-gourds grow in the house, anthills rise up, dried trees sprout, oil congeals, a rainbow is seen at night, a white crow during the day, smoke arises in funeral pyre fire, or a she-mule conceives—all these are portents presided over by Vaiśravaṇa. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'Abhi tyaṃ devam,' he offers with five oblations of ghee: 'To Vaiśravaṇa, svāhā; to the pacifier of all sin, svāhā'; and he offers separately with the vyāhṛtis. He turns toward the earth. Now when one's ground cracks, slips, shakes, catches fire, weeps, smokes, casts up water unexpectedly, floods, sinks, what was submerged floats up, or flowers and fruits appear out of season—such portents are presided over by Agni. Having offered from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'Agniṃ dūtam,' he offers with five oblations of ghee: 'To Agni, svāhā; to the radiant one, svāhā'

7.1_2.3

'To Śaktipāṇi, svāhā! To Īśvara, svāhā! To the subduer of all evil, svāhā!' and separately he offers with the vyāhṛtis. He turns toward the intermediate space. Now, if here adverse winds blow, bow-shapes appear in the clouds, vultures, herons, pigeons, owls, hawks, or white crows feed on the flesh of donkeys, camels, and cows, rains of animals, flesh, animal bones, and blood pour down from above, copulations of crows are seen, a jewel-like bow is seen at night, hares enter the village, trees weep blood, or a city seems to appear in the sky—such portents are presided over by Vāyu. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'vāta ā vātu…', he offers five ghee oblations: 'To Vāyu, svāhā! To the lord of great portents, svāhā! To Śīghrapāṇi, svāhā! To Īśvara, svāhā! To the remover of all evil, svāhā!' Having offered with the vyāhṛtis, he should then sing the Sāman. He turns toward the sky. Now, when star-showers and meteors fall, smoke rises, the quarters seem to burn, comets shoot up, smoke appears on cows' horns, blood trickles from cows' teats, or excessive snow falls—such portents are presided over by Soma. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'somaṃ rājānam…', he offers five ghee oblations: 'To Soma, svāhā! To the lord of lunar mansions, svāhā! To Śītapāṇi, svāhā! To Īśvara, svāhā! To the remover of all evil, svāhā!' and separately he offers with the vyāhṛtis. He turns toward the opposite direction: temple precincts shake, images of deities laugh, dance, sing, crack, weep, open and close their eyes, and rivers flow backward.

7.1_2.4

A halo is seen around the sun, water becomes boiling hot, comets, banners, parasols, thunderbolts, and horns blaze forth, coals scatter in stable stalls, and unstricken things groan—such portents are presided over by Viṣṇu. Having offered from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'idaṃ viṣṇur…', he offers five ghee oblations: 'To Viṣṇu, svāhā! To the sovereign of all creatures, svāhā! To Cakrapāṇi, svāhā! To Īśvara, svāhā! To the remover of all evil, svāhā!' Having offered with the vyāhṛtis, he should then sing the Sāman. Ground is purified by four means: digging, burning, touching with sacred waters, and treading upon it; and fifth, by smearing. Having brought the ritual requisites in a clockwise direction and caused the brahmins to recite the svastivācana, whatever has been touched by the requisites he should sprinkle with water; here he performs propitiation and should feed the brahmins. He should give gold, a cow, a garment, and a horse as the priestly gift. He turns toward the lower direction. Now, if here his human women, cows, buffaloes, goats, and camels bring forth young with swollen limbs, with defective limbs, or monstrous forms, or if immovable things move—such portents are presided over by Rudra. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'ā vo rājānam…', he offers five ghee oblations: 'To Rudra, to Paśupati, to Śūlapāṇi, to Īśvara, and to the remover of all evil!' Having offered with the vyāhṛtis, he should sing the Sāman. He turns toward the upper direction. Now, if here there is intense suffering for his people, mountains split and fall from the sky, the ground shakes, great trees wither, stones float, and four-footed beasts become five-footed—such portents are presided over by Sūrya. Having offered one hundred and eight [oblations] from the pot-cooked grain offering with 'ud u tyaṃ…', he offers five ghee oblations: 'To Sūrya, to the lord of all planets, to Kiraṇapāṇi, to Īśvara, to the remover of all evil!' Having offered with the vyāhṛtis, he should then sing the Sāman. He turns toward all directions. Now, if here his women give birth to twins, a white crow and copulating crows are seen, and a burning in all directions

7.1_2.5

occurs, ghosts and demons arise, fire appears in cows, goats, and sheep, humans are born among beasts, all species are born among humans, one hates Rudra in speech, mind, and deeds, promiscuity appears among women and men, and the intellect inclines toward all manner of sins—such portents are presided over by Rudra. Having offered the pot-cooked grain offering with 'viśvataścakṣur…', [he offers] five ghee oblations: 'To Rudra, to the lord of Umā, to Śūlapāṇi, to Īśvara, to the appeaser of all evil!' and he offers with the vyāhṛtis.

7.1_2.6

Earthquakes, burning of the quarters, and warfare among the planets occur; / a comet is seen in the sky, and the sun shakes. / A dark fissure is seen upon the sun; / a river flows backward and carries blood; / singing is heard from the sky, and a roaring sound is produced. / All such phenomena are portents; their expiations are prescribed: / In every house there should be a propitiatory rite, sacrifice and propitiatory offering to the ancestors, / gifting, continuous recitation [of mantras] to Rudra, worship of animals and the Sun, / a rite of a hundred thousand oblations, a rite of ten million oblations, and oblations of dūrvā grass by the domestic priest. / The gifting of cows, land, gold, garments, grain, and sesame seeds brings auspiciousness; / milk porridge, curds, milk, and ghee should be given to the learned brahmins at the meal. / Then, having offered the concluding full oblation, he should procure dūrvā grass, darbha grass, śamī, vīraṇa, clarified butter, mustard seeds, priyaṅgu, apāmārga, sesame, barley, paddy, and firewood sticks. Having bathed and smeared the sacrificial ground, the caru offerings—boiled rice, rice-and-lentil mash, barley grains, roasted grain flour, milk porridge, curds, honey, and ghee—are placed separately according to ritual procedure. Having kindled the fire, he should offer milk porridge for all of them with: 'indraṃ viśvā avīvṛdhan…', 'nāke suparṇam…', 'varuṇasyottambhanam asi…', 'abhi tvā devaṃ savitāram…', 'agniṃ dūtaṃ vṛṇīmahe…', 'idaṃ viṣṇur…', 'viśvataścakṣuḥ…', 'gaurīr mimāya…', 'kāṇḍāt kāṇḍāt…', 'dhruvāsi dhruvo 'yam…', 'yo jānāti na yajñāyante…', 'ihaiva staṃ mā vi yauṣṭam…', 'punaḥ patnīm agnir adād āyuṣā saha varcasā / dīrghāyur asyāḥ patir jīvātu śaradaḥ śatam'. / Thus end the propitiatory rites for portents declared in the Devīpurāṇa, as cited in the Madanaratna.

7.1_3

Now, the propitiatory rite for damage to the temple finial-pitcher, Liṅga, or sculpted image.
In the Adbhutasāgara, Nārada says:
Wherever a thunderbolt falls upon a temple, or a vulture, / or upon the falling of a heron, or when fire is seen upon the finial; // 1

7.2

Where a liṅga breaks or trembles without cause, / or where the pinnacle breaks, and likewise an image cracks, // 2

7.3

destruction of the village occurs there, [or] one should indicate the death of the master. / There I shall proclaim a propitiatory rite, by which good fortune is attained: // 3

7.4

Having prepared a sacrificial pit according to the rules, one should then perform the fire oblation. / Having properly prepared the caru offering dedicated to Yama, // 4

7.5

one should then begin the rite with a hand [fitted] with gold. / Then, having offered an hundred and eight firewood sticks smeared with ghee, // 5

7.6

along with black gram, mung beans, and sesame, together with ghee and honey, / one should offer five thousand oblations with these using the Śakti seed-syllable. // 6

7.7

At the conclusion of the fire oblation, one should gratify the brahmins with sacrificial fees, meals, and other gifts: / land, a milk-cow, an ox, gold, and grain, accompanied by a fee. // 7

7.8

Then, having prepared the five bovine products, a twice-born should bathe in the temple. / Having offered a propitiatory offering properly with kṛsara and milk porridge, // 8

7.9

one should install Īśāna there, having offered the propitiatory offering according to rule. / By performing the ritual procedure in this manner, a man achieves his purpose. // 9

7.10

Likewise, [if] a wall of the pavilion, or the pinnacle of a shrine, / or in an earthen image, or likewise in an icon, // 10

7.11

it suddenly falls down or trembles without cause: / then, of aśvattha firewood sticks smeared with curd, honey, and ghee, // 11

7.11_4

one who knows the mantras should offer an hundred and eight with the mantra ‘imā rudra’; / and he should give a cow as a sacrificial fee, [and] a vessel of sesame accompanied by gold. / Thus in the Śāntiratna [ends] the propitiatory rite for the breakage of liṅgas, images, and the like.

7.11_5

In the appendix to the Madanaratna:

7.11_6

Verse: A pillar sprouts inside the house, or a dove settles / inside the house, or a crow enters the house, / or a cow climbs onto the house, or anthills arise, // 1

7.11_7

or a cow turns against itself, or an ox scrapes the sky, or smoke appears where there is no fire, or a mushroom or sap appears, or a frog is seen in the dwelling, or a permanent tooth falls out in a dream, or the master of the house attains cessation along with his wife: in these or other portents of the house, having traced out the sacrificial ground and the rest, up to the face of the fire, he makes oblations from the pot-cooked grain offering. Having recited the invitatory verse ‘yata indra bhayāmahe’, he offers an oblation with the offering verse ‘svastidā viśaspatir’. Then he offers ghee oblations with: ‘vāstoṣpate’, ‘śaṃ na indrāgnī’, ‘kayā naś citra ā bhuvat’, ‘ko adābhyavataṃ naḥ’, ‘samanasā’—the procedure is established from the sviṣṭakṛt oblation onward, up to the gift of a prime cow. Then, in front, he places the remainder of the oblation upon leaves of the śamī tree. With ‘śanno devīr abhiṣṭaye’, having brought together the pot-cooked grain offering, the wash-water, the remainder of the ghee, and the remainder of the water in a dish, he should pour it out or sprinkle it. With ‘tac chaṃyor āvṛṇīmahe’, having consecrated the food, worshipped the brahmins, and had them recite blessings, it will turn out auspiciously. Thus has the portent been explained.

7.11_8

Now the propitiatory rite for epidemic mortality, great plague, and the like.

7.11_9

Garga in the Hemādri: / I shall declare the origin of epidemic mortality together with its propitiatory rite. / When kings, overcome by greed, oppress the subjects, // 1

7.11_10

and, running about at pleasure, do not abide by righteousness, / the blinded subjects here also imitate his word; // 2

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seized by anger and greed, devoid of the conduct of the virtuous, / they do not continually worship the gods, the brahmins, and their friends. // 3

7.11_12

When they are overcome by unrighteousness, Rudra becomes enraged. / Even though the Lord is the end-maker, he is also fond of living beings; // 4

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he produces various abnormalities which serve as causes: / stellar planets, rods of comets, [and] the heroes that bring about Rāhu; // 5

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abnormalities of the twilight and sun, or terrible shapes of beasts; / earthquakes, the falling of meteors, and distortions of cold, heat, and wind; // 6

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excessive rain, drought, and likewise the reversal of the seasons; / and in the reversal of the seasons, the medicinal plants lose their sap. // 7

7.11_16

Devoid of sap and potency, they then generate diseases. / Portents of heaven, earth, and mid-air are indicative of faults; // 8

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then dreadful diseases arise, killing the people. / Therefore, epidemic mortality is said to be born of the wrath of Rudra. // 9

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Overcome by that, they all wander about through derangement of the intellect. // 10

7.11_19

Courage and strength generally deteriorate in living beings. / Also from the theft of a brahmin’s property, from treason to a guru, [and] from the slaughter of the virtuous, // 11

7.12

this epidemic mortality is observed to have arisen, so says the tradition. / Since that is born of Rudra’s wrath, for the pacification of epidemic mortality, // 12

7.13

one should therefore earnestly propitiate the god of gods, Maheśvara, / highly concentrated, through the method taught by astrologers, // 13

7.14

or through the Gāṇapatya ritual, or according to the Atharvaśiras, / or by the Yāmala method: one should indeed effect [his] propitiation. // 30

7.15

One should recite the Śivasūkta, the Umāsūkta, and the Śatarudriya, / and offer diverse water-offerings in the courtyards. // 15

7.16

Saying ‘I invoke you with your host’, to Rudra or to Śiva, / one should gratify the brahmins with foods to chew and foods to eat, and with sacrificial fees. // 16

7.17

When Rudra is then propitiated, the epidemic mortality ceases; / for this, arising from Rudra’s wrath, cannot be quelled by force // 17

7.18

through miscellaneous deities or through diverse other rites. / Therefore, one should make efforts to propitiate him; let there be welfare for the world. // 18

7.19

Auspiciousness befalls the subjects when Śiva is pleased. / Devoted to righteousness and auspicious conduct, learned in regard to the gods and brahmins, // 19

7.20

the king, intent on recitation and fasting, with senses subdued, // 20

7.21

should perform the fire oblation with dedication, according to rule and restraint. // 21

7.22

For a king thus engaged, accomplishment of the rite is produced; / for the faithful king is remembered as the root of that rite. // 22

7.23

Having fasted, a man, bathed and dressed in white garments, / having first performed protection of himself, should then employ the propitiatory rite. // 23

7.24

The king is righteous among those who know righteousness, [along with] the royal chaplain; / indeed, among these the king possesses virtues; welfare flourishes there. // 24

7.25

In the Viṣṇudharmottara: / And likewise, recitation of the Rudra mantras destroys all sins; / a fire oblation grants all desires and gives peace everywhere, // 25

7.26

for goats, sheep, horses, elephants, and cows, / for men, kings, children, and women, // 26

7.27

for villages and cities, and also for faults, O Bhārgava, / and for those agitated or diseased, O knower of righteousness! // 27

7.28

When death has arrived, or when fear arises from an enemy, / the Rudra fire oblation with milk porridge and ghee is the supreme propitiatory rite. // 28

7.29

In the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa: / ‘In pestilence among men, arising from an epidemic, / and likewise in threefold portents, My majesty shall pacify [them].’ // 29

7.30

Here, with the Nṛsiṃha-Gāyatrī mentioned previously, / a fire oblation of one hundred thousand and one of ten million are to be understood. // 30

7.30_20

Thus ends the propitiatory rite for pestilence, epidemics, and the like.

7.30_21

Now, the propitiatory rite for crow copulation.

7.30_22

Garga in the Adbhutasāgara: / If one should see the copulation of crows, or if a crow should alight upon one's head, / or urinate on one's head, or strike with its wing or claws; // 1

7.30_23

or if it paces [upon him], or touches him while sleeping: / then one should predict death or a great misfortune. / One should perform a propitiatory rite there according to the prescribed rule as stated; / having resolved to pacify the misfortune, he should perform it preceded by a ritual resolution. // 2

7.30_24

Having placed fire on a bare ground [measuring] a cubit in a pure place, / and in its north-east, upon an eight-petaled [lotus] above a pitcher according to one's capacity, // 3

7.30_25

having worshipped Indra fashioned of gold together with the world guardians, / one should cook the pot-cooked grain offering according to the rule taught in one's own branch [of the Veda]. // 4

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Having performed [the rites] up to the portion of ghee, he should offer the oblation in order: / firewood sticks of palāśa, rice, the pot-cooked grain offering, and ghee in due sequence; // 5

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one thousand and eight, or one hundred and eight [oblations], / with the mantra ‘yata indra’ and also to the world guardians; // 6

7.30_28

having offered according to capacity, he should offer the atonement oblations taught in his own Vedic branch. / He should give a propitiatory offering to the world guardians from the remainder [of the offering] to Indra, Agni, and the rest. // 7

7.30_29

He should give a propitiatory offering to the crows with the mantras to Indra and Varuṇa: / ‘Belonging to Indra, to Varuṇa, to Vāyu, to Soma, to Yama, and to Nirṛti— // 8

7.30_30

may those crows accept what has fallen on the ground, offered by me!’ // 9

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Then, having offered the final oblation, he should then worship the preceptor. / Consecratory sprinkling of the sacrificer [is performed] with the pitcher water in detail. // 10

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He should then give the image of Indra with its accoutrements to the preceptor; / and according to capacity he should give an abundant sacrificial fee and direct a meal for the twice-born: // 11

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a hundred, or half of that, or half [of that], or even ten in case of inability. / If a white crow is seen engaged in copulation... // 12

7.30_34

Thus Garga in Hemādri: / But some say: ‘The specific fault is only on seeing the copulation of white crows, not merely [any crows].’ That is rejected, because through the two words ‘if’ and ‘when’, [and] because there is a difference of cause due to repetition [of the text], [the fault] is known [to apply generally]. / Thus ends the propitiatory rite for crow copulation.

7.30_35

Now, the propitiatory rite for a crow.

7.30_36

In the Mānava Saṃhitā: / ‘Now therefore I shall explain: if a crow enters a house, / [or] enters and leaves through a door, one should abandon [the house] for one month; // 1

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when it goes through another door, one should abandon it for six months; / in a temple of the gods or of kings, there will be the destruction of the village. // 2

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A crow entering a house causes total ruin of the house. / If a crow enters a house [pursued] by a dog or a cat, // 3

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one should know death for the householder, and there will be total ruin in the house. / I shall explain concisely the propitiatory rite for these varieties of faults. // 4

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At the place of entry, or to the south of the house, / one should first select a preceptor, a Brahmin who has mastered the Vedas. // 5

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On a droṇa of rice, he should place a smooth, unblemished jar / joined with five shoots, endowed with the five bovine products, // 6

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joined with the five gems, and fill it with sacred water. / On a vessel above it, he should place Śacī’s husband in the form of a crow, // 7

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fashioned with a karṣa of gold, or a quarter [of it], according to his capacity. / Having worshipped [him] with the mantra ‘yata indra’, the knower of fate // 8

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should worship the world guardians in order, beginning with Indra up to Īśāna. / He should consecrate the pitcher with mantras, and touching it, chant the Śrī-Rudra. // 9

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He should perform the rite of fire oblation according to the procedure taught in his own Gṛhyasūtra. / With the two mantras beginning ‘yata indra’, he should offer firewood sticks, ghee, and the pot-cooked grain offering: // 10

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one thousand and eight, or one hundred and eight [oblations]. / With the Tryambaka mantra, he should offer one hundred and eight sesame [oblations]. // 11

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With the mantra ‘idaṃ viṣṇuḥ’, he should perform a fire oblation of parched grain. / Then having performed secondary fire oblations, he should offer with the great vyāhṛtis: // 12

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“Svāhā to Indra, svāhā to the pacifier of portents caused by crows, svāhā to the pacified.” / Then, having offered to Sviṣṭakṛt, he should perform the remainder of the fire oblation. // 13

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Having been consecrated with the residue [of the oblations], he should grant a pair of cattle as the sacrificial fee; / having looked into the ghee, he should then recite the great propitiation.’ // 14

7.30_50

Thus ends the propitiatory rite for a crow. — Nārada: / ‘Loss of wealth, grain, and kinsmen, and destruction of fortune as well as dishonor; / distress to relatives, loss of a son, anxiety over a woman, and sickness: // 15

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these are the fruits of previous loss. And when there is baldness on the head, / with the water of the five barks, shoots, gold, the five nectars, and fruits, // 16

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having anointed [oneself] with mantras consecrated by mantras, he should bathe and is freed from the fault. // 17

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In this very way also when burnt by fire, or when the crown of the head is defiled, / on the breaking of a tooth, on being struck by a crow, and also on the falling of a lizard: // 18

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a wall lizard brings gain here; auspicious, but the opposite brings loss. / In twitching on the right side there is gain; in twitching on the left, it is otherwise. // 19

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For women, it is reversed: / because of the statement in the Rāmāyaṇa: “The left eyes of Sītā, Hari, Indra, and the night-wanderers quivered.”’ / Thus ends the propitiatory rite for a crow.

7.30_56

Now, the propitiatory rite for crow copulation taught in the Madanaratna.

7.30_57

Nārada in the Madanaratna: / ‘He who sees the copulation of crows by day or by night, / that man meets death, or else the loss of his position. // 1

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Or he should undertake the observance of crow-feeding for a year, / and respectfully salute the twice-born daily like his ancestors, // 2

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subduing his senses, subduing anger, devoted to truth and righteousness. / Then, for the pacification of that fault, he should perform a propitiatory rite. // 3

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In the north-eastern part of the house, he should prepare the place for the fire oblation; / having established the fire there according to the rule taught in his own Gṛhyasūtra, // 4

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At the end of the mouth [ritual], he should offer one hundred and eight oblations with firewood sticks, food, and ghee, / for each mantra, with the Tryambaka [mantra] and the two Apamṛtyu [mantras]. // 5

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The two mantras beginning ‘apamṛtyum apakṣudham’ are well known in the Taittirīya [saṃhitā]. / With the vyāhṛtis, rice, and sesame, he should perform [the rites] concluding with the Jayā [oblations]. // 6

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Pure and adorned, the performer should offer the final oblation. / A black, milch cow with golden horns and silver hooves [he should give as a fee]... // 7

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together with garments and ornaments, endowed with twelve niṣkas, / or endowed with half of that, half of that, or half of that. // 8

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The determination of less or more is made according to one's wealth. / He should give that cow to an ācārya who is learned in the Veda and a householder. // 9

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"Since you, [O Cow], as the earth, instantly [save] from disaster resembling fire, / [and] constantly take away all death, therefore grant me peace." // 10

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And [he should give] a sacrificial fee according to his ability to distinguished brāhmaṇas. / Afterwards, preceded by svastivācana, he should feed the brāhmaṇas. // 11

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He who performs this properly is freed from evil omen.

7.30_69

Now, the propitiatory rite for a gecko and a chameleon.

7.30_70

In the Madanaratna, Vṛddhagārgya says:
On the head, acquisition of kingship and prosperity; on the eyes, seeing kin; / on the nose, good fortune; in the mouth, eating delicious food. // 1

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On the throat, constant embrace of a beloved; on the shoulders, victory is certain; / gain of wealth on both arms; on both hands, accumulation of half-wealth. // 2

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On the chest, good fortune and increase of love for sons; / gain of a son on the belly; on the navel, increase of fame. // 3

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Gain of half on the back; on the thighs and knees, a vehicle; / on both shanks, lack of employment; on the feet, wandering will occur. // 4

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If it should move upward from the foot up to the crown of the head, / or circumambulate the limbs, then gain of kingship will result. // 5

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If it goes from the head down to the feet, / or moves counter-circumambulating the limbs, one should predict loss and grief. // 6

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In the case of a female chameleon falling, there is loss on all limbs at all times. / Whether it goes upward or downward, it brings quarrel to the family. // 7

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Thus the result of the falling of a gecko should be known by the wise. / One should know this very result in the crawling upward of a chameleon. // 8

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Both in the falling of a gecko and in the crawling upward of a chameleon, / for five nights there will be affliction by disease especially for him. // 9

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If its crawling upward occurs immediately after its falling, / the result is heightened in falling, [but] in crawling upward it becomes null. // 10

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If crawling upward is face up and falling is face down, / that result will certainly occur a thousandfold. // 11

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During a death-combination, on an inauspicious day, during a pāta, at the time of a kaṇṭaka, / when the moon is in the eighth house, at the moment of death, in the birth-nakṣatra, in a poisonous nāḍikā, // 12

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when the lord of the eighth house is joined with a malefic, in a viṣṭi or vaidhṛti [yoga], / when there is an evil omen or a calamity portending death, death certainly occurs. // 13

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Upon the mere touch of the two, one should take a bath with one's clothes on. / Having consumed the five bovine products, one should gaze into ghee. // 14

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Whether it is praised or inauspicious, if one desires one's own well-being, / then having had puṇyāhavācana recited, one should perform the propitiatory rite. // 15

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One should make an image of the two out of gold according to one's ability. / Having wrapped it in red cloth, one should worship it with fragrant pastes and flowers. // 16

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Having established the fire, one should perform homa according to the rule / with the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra, using auspicious firewood sticks of khadira wood, // 17

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and an oblation of sesame with the vyāhṛtis, one thousand and eight times, / or one hundred and eight times according to one's wealth. // 18

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One should also have homa performed with the mahāvyāhṛtis, using ghee and milk. / Then one should perform consecratory sprinkling on the head of the sacrificer // 19

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with the holy Vāruṇa hymns and with mantras beginning with "dyauḥ śāntiḥ". / Whoever performs this supreme propitiatory rite should give a cow accompanied by garments. // 20

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For him, long life, victory, fortune, fame, and nourishment arise. / The instruction on the propitiatory rite for a gecko and a chameleon was proclaimed by Śaunaka // 21

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and proclaimed, along with its results, by the wise Vṛddhagārgya.
Thus ends the propitiatory rite for a gecko and a chameleon.

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Now, the propitiatory rite for a gecko and a chameleon as taught by Nārada.

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Nārada says:
Both in the falling of a gecko and in the crawling upward of a chameleon, / one should discern the auspicious and the inauspicious according to the specific bodily locations. // 1

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The auspicious and inauspicious result stated for the falling of a gecko: / on the head, kingship or prosperity; on the forehead, increase of sovereignty. // 2

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On the right arm, victory is declared; on the left, great fear; / on the right side of the belly, likewise gain of wealth; // 3

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on the left side of the belly, death is declared by ancient sages; / on the right hand, gain of friends; on the left hand, poverty; // 4

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on the right side of the abdomen, acquisition of a good son is declared; / on the left side, great disease; on the right of the waist, great fame; // 5

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on the left of the waist, there would be loss according to sages who see reality. / On the knees, one should know it thus; on the right foot, it brings auspiciousness; // 6

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on the left foot, wandering—so said the great sages. / For women and in the case of a chameleon, one should state the opposite result. // 7

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In the crawling upward of a gecko and the falling of a chameleon, / one should know it to be inauspicious on all limbs, and perform a propitiatory rite according to one's ability. // 8

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If on an auspicious place, there is acquisition of the auspicious; if on an inauspicious place, inauspiciousness. / Its image should be made of gold, and likewise an image of Rudra. // 9

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Then one should worship it with garments and the like, with the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra. / Having established the fire there, one should offer oblations with sesame and milk porridge. // 10

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The ācārya should perform consecratory sprinkling there with the Vāruṇa hymns. / Gaṇeśa, the Kṣetrapāla, the Sun, Durgā, the Earth, and the subsidiary deities— // 11

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recitation should be performed for their pleasure; one should perform the remainder as previously described. / He should give a sacrificial fee to the officiating priests; he should not practice deceit regarding wealth. // 12

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Thus ends the propitiatory rite for a gecko and a chameleon taught by Nārada.

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Now, the propitiatory rite for pigeons, owls, and other [inauspicious birds].
In the Madanaratna, Nārada says:

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If a pigeon should perch upon or enter one's house, / there will be loss of his place, or a series of disasters, // 1

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leading to guilt, death, poverty, and misfortune. / Its propitiatory rite must be performed according to the rule of recitation and homa. // 2

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One devoted to Vedic and traditional rites should choose brāhmaṇas there, / preceded by svastivācana—sixteen, twelve, or eight. // 3

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A wise man should recite the five verses beginning with "devāḥ kapotaḥ". / Having prepared a fire pit with effort according to the rule stated in one's own Gṛhyasūtra, // 4

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one should establish the fire in the northeast. After the preliminary offerings, [he should offer] one hundred and eight / [oblations] each, with firewood sticks, ghee, and sacrificial food, each preceded by the syllable Om, // 5

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with the three mantras "yata indra bhayāmahe", "svastidāḥ", and "tryambakam", / and he should make offerings with sesame accompanied by the vyāhṛtis. // 6

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Then, with devotion, the performer himself [should offer] the Jayā [mantras] and others, and the final full oblation. / He should give a sacrificial fee to the Brahmins; then the fault is pacified.

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He should feed the Brahmins afterwards, and eat himself along with his relatives. / He who performs [this] with devotion in this manner is freed from that fault.

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So too in the case of the cry of an owl, and likewise in the case of a beehive or an anthill: / in an inhabited house there is loss, while in an empty dwelling it is auspicious.

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On ramparts, at city gates, on palaces and the like, and in streets, / that result belongs to the village chief, and on a boundary to the lord of the boundary. The propitiatory rite / must be performed in its entirety according to the procedure stated before.

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Thus ends the propitiatory rite for doves, owls, and others.

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Now, the propitiatory rite for horses.
Now, the worship of Revanta on the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Āśvina.
There, the mantra prescribed by Śālihotra is:

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"Salutation to the god over gods, who moves with the strength of a steed, / to the god who is the son of Sūrya, and for the welfare of horses!

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In whose assembly of horses he rushes over men and elephants— / in whose assembly of horses he rushes over men and elephants— / to you, along with the horse, the supreme abode of horses, I go for refuge!"

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And in the Rūpanārāyaṇīya, another mantra obtained from customary practice is as follows:
"O long-armed son of Sūrya, delight of Chāyā's heart!

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Grant peace to the horses; salutation be to you, O Revanta!"
In that very work, citing the Brāhma-purāṇa:

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"In the bright fortnight of Āśvina, on an auspicious day in conjunction with Svātī, / formerly Uccaiḥśravas first drew the Sun.

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Therefore, he is to be worshipped there with faith by men possessing horses, / and the horses too are to be worshipped up until the ninth day.

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A propitiatory rite and benedictory blessings are to be performed for them day by day at that time. / Grain, bhallātaka nuts, kuṣṭha, vacā, and white mustard seeds—

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he should then tie these onto them with a five-colored thread. / With Vāyavya, Vāruṇa, Saura, Śākra, and Vaiṣṇava mantras,

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and with Vaiśvadeva mantras, fire oblations are to be made daily in the rite, / and the horses are to be protected by men with weapons in hand.

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They should never be struck anywhere there, nor injured in any way."
The meaning is: in the bright fortnight of Āśvina, when the propitiatory rite begins in the morning / with the Svātī conjunction, from that day until the ninth day, / having first worshipped Revanta in an image, / one should worship Uccaiḥśravas and then worship the other horses.

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In the Śālihotra:

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"When the wave-offering of light has been performed over the horse, when the Lohābhisārika sacrifice has been executed, / and when the royal horse has been consecrated, if tears should flow from him at that time,

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then in the bright fortnight of Āśvina, for seven nights beginning from the second lunar day: / Svātī, in the form of a mare, carries the chariot of the Sun.

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Overpowered by the burden, enraged, fierce, she gazes at other [horses]; / she takes away all their luster, vitality, and strength.

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Therefore, by the malign influence of Svātī, great affliction would befall the horses. / And thus the malign incidence is prescribed for seven nights.

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There, the steeds must be guarded untouched by the rays of the sun. / The stable is then to be smeared [with cowdung], charming, and devoid of sunbeams,

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adorned with diverse flowers, and fumigated; he should place them therein. / The horses, bathed, worshipped, and honored on the second lunar day in it,

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are to be guarded for seven days by men with weapons in their hands. / Guggulu, asafoetida, barley, along with tvac, apāmārga, husked rice, and iron,

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and white mustard seeds placed in a cloth should be tied onto the necks of the steeds; / barley, āmalakī, rice, and seeds [should be offered].

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Having prepared a sacrificial altar, he should offer oblations into the fire in the middle according to the rule. / With this mantra uttered in the Śālihotra he should offer fire oblations there:

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'O red-horsed, highly fortunate one, bearer of oblations, foremost among immortals, / smoke-bannered sustainer of sacrifices, renowned along the path of heaven!

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Arise, accept the oblation, and grant peace among the horses, svāhā!' / With that mantra he should pour the first oblation.

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There, to Prajāpati and Indra, to Soma, and to Varuṇa, / to Vivasvat, to Kubera, to Suṣeṇa, to him who reclines on the serpent,

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to the Ādityas, likewise to the Aśvins, to the Rudras together with the Vasus, / and to Viṣṇu, to the Viśvedevas, to the Sādhyas along with the Maruts,

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he should offer into the fire with the utterance 'svāhā' at the beginning; / one oblation to each, from Prajāpati to all those ending with Rudra."

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Thus says Rūpanārāyaṇa:
"To the Vidyādharas, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, lunar mansions, constellations, and planets, / to the serpents headed by Vāsuki, to the deities of the full moon, to the rivers, / to the oceans, and to the lords of trees, he should offer with the utterance 'svāhā'—

Linked texts (1)

Śāntikamalākara — Kamalākarabhaṭṭa 1587, Sanskrit

Shantikamalakara 7

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