Shantikamalakara 8.p2

8.p2

Month after month, or every year, on one's birth star, on a new moon falling on a Saturday, during an astrological transit, on a lunar or solar eclipse, or upon the conjunction of one's birth lunar mansion, or when afflicted by great diseases such as fever, one should perform the life-giving fire oblation to avert untimely death. 1.
Preceded by worship of Vighneśvara, the ritual resolution is: "I will perform the life-giving fire oblation to eliminate such-and-such affliction in me." If [employing] an officiating priest: having chosen the priest with, "We choose you as officiating priest to perform the rite named the life-giving fire oblation for averting such-and-such affliction in me." The officiating priest, having resolved: "I will perform the rite named the life-giving fire oblation to eliminate such-and-such affliction of such-and-such person, born under such-and-such lunar mansion and zodiacal sign," sets up the fire from the tracing of the sacrificial ground up to the carrying forth of the praṇītā water. In the northeast of the fire, having made a square mound with grains of rice, having drawn an eight-petaled lotus, and having placed upon it a pitcher filled with sacred holy water perfumed with musk, saffron, and other scents, adorned with the five barks and five sprouts, along with a coconut and a pair of cloths; having placed in it an image of the deity Mṛtyuñjaya weighing one karṣa, made of gold and purified with the five bovine products; having invoked the deity Mṛtyuñjaya with the mantra 'Tryambakam' and worshipped him with all services; having cooked separately the prāṇa-caru and the āyuṣmat-caru according to the rules of apportioning [oblations], having basted them with ghee, taken them off [the fire] toward the east or north, placed them firmly, and basted them; having performed [the rites] from the preparation of the sacrificial ghee up to the opening of the fire; having taken portions from the āyuṣmat-caru according to the rule of cutting portions, having recited the introductory verse 'āmuṣṭe viśvavato dadhāti', and having offered with the offering-verse 'āyurdā agne'; having cut the sviṣṭakṛt portion, placed it inside the enclosing sticks, and chosen eight, six, or four Brahmins, he offers through them up to one thousand and eight oblations of ghee with the eight hymns of ghee beginning with 'yo brahmā'; and on the final round, having offered with 'viṣṇo tvanno antamaḥ', he drops the residue of the ghee after each svāhā into the prāṇa-caru, saying: 'May the untimely death of so-and-so be destroyed, may his life increase'; he offers with the vyāhṛtis, separately and combined, for each mantra. Then, having offered the sviṣṭakṛt with 'havyavāham', completed the remaining ritual acts such as the jaya offerings, performed worship again in the pitcher, dismissed the deity, and sprinkled with the water-related mantras containing the signs of Varuṇa; outside the enclosing sticks in front of the fire, having poured water with dūrvā grass and unbroken rice grains with the remaining cooked sacrificial food, he offers a propitiatory offering to Rudra with 'namo astu nīlagrīvāya'; having poured water with unbroken rice grains over it as before; having taken portions from the residue-infused prāṇa-caru, he eats it along with his family with 'āyurasi', sips water, touches his belly with the two verses 'yata indra' and 'svastidā'; gives the sacred pot, cloth, image, and other articles to the officiating priest, gives fees to the priests, and according to the gravity of the afflictions, gives gifts of sesame, ash gourd, iron, a black blanket, and other items, gives generous donations, and feeds the Brahmins—so says the venerable Bodhāyana. Some, having offered the principal offering of the āyuṣmat-caru, perform the secondary fire oblations beginning with 'yo brahmā' with that food, firewood sticks, and ghee; the rest is identical.
Thus the ritual manual for the life-giving fire oblation.