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Shantikamalakara 8.p8

English (machine translation) 8.p8

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English

8.p8.1

Now we shall explain the Mahāmṛtyuṃjaya homa: One should perform it in cases of illness, sorcery, protracted illness, planetary affliction, when death approaches, in great diseases, in great calamities, during defects of lunar and solar eclipses, in one's natal lunar mansion, during venomous intervals (viṣanāḍī), at the new-moon conjunction (kuhūyoga), or in other great afflictions. For the sake of removing them, month after month on one's natal lunar mansion, or at each full moon, or in a year, either through an ācārya or oneself, one desiring longevity should perform it. Having bathed, having had the puṇyāhavācana recited, and having controlled the breath, making the ritual resolution: 'I, who desire longevity for [N.N.] Śarman, shall perform the Mahāmṛtyuṃjaya homa,' at the time of gathering the fire and arranging the utensils, he should procure one hundred and thirty-six sets of three dūrvā stalks. Taking pieces of guḍūcī measuring four finger-widths, seating the Brāhmaṇa on darbha grass to the south, silently husking the unhusked rice grains with 'I measure out the unhusked and husked grains,' washing them, preparing the ghee, carrying fire around [the utensils] along with the caru, wiping the sruva and sruc spoons, preparing [them], carrying fire around along with the caru, wiping the sruva and sruc spoons—an oblation of five portions is to be sprinkled. Reciting the preparatory verse (puronuvākyā) 'May he depart, O death, the lord of power from here...', he offers with the concluding offering verse (yājyā) 'O death, depart far away by another path, O men...'; the renunciation is 'this for death, not for me'. Spreading under and taking a portion from the front, reciting the puronuvākyā 'Take a stride, seizing the golden-yellow...', he offers with the yājyā 'Do not cut off, O death...'; both homas are performed with the utterance 'svāhā', with the formulaic designation as before. He offers with ghee and with the great sacred utterances (mahāvyāhṛtis). With the five [mantras] beginning with 'Bhūḥ, homa to Agni, and to the earth, and to the great one, svāhā,' having offered five oblations; now, with sets of three dūrvā stalks: 'May death depart, may immortality come to us; depart far away, O death, along the path, O men, svāhā; / We would attain wind, breath, and old age, svāhā; / May he be yonder, and now if... with deeds, svāhā; / With missiles, Agni... to me, svāhā; / Taking a stride, seizing the golden-yellow, svāhā—this is for the gods; / Do not cut off, O death, do not kill us... wealth, svāhā—this is for Rudra;'

8.p8.2

'O Prajāpati, none other than you... of riches, svāhā; / From which we fear, O Indra... strike down, svāhā; / Giver of welfare... creator of fearlessness, svāhā; / The three-eyed one... not from immortality, svāhā; / Premature death... thousands, svāhā; / To that one... svāhā; / To that one... bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ svāhā.' With these twenty-one mantras he should offer sixteen rounds. This amounts to three hundred and thirty-six oblations. Then, with ghee, he should offer eight rounds, mantra by mantra, with the twenty-one mantras. This amounts to one hundred and sixty-eight oblations. Again with this, with guḍūcī, he offers sixteen rounds with the twenty-one mantras; this amounts to three hundred and thirty-six oblations. And again, in an eight-round cycle, he should offer with guḍūcī verse by verse with the twenty-one mantras. Then, having offered with the great sacred utterances, having sliced off the portion for the sviṣṭakṛt, he offers the sviṣṭakṛt homa: 'The carrier of oblations, vanquishing assailants... we call upon, O Agni, that which is well offered, life, svāhā.' Then, having offered the jaya oblations and the rest, then having smeared the enclosing sticks, and having completed up to the water-sprinkling accompanied by recitation, he places the remainder of the offering in front of the fire on the dūrvā stalks. With the two [mantras], 'All indeed is Rudra, homage to that Rudra... may all being... be,' he should present it. Saying 'O Agni, giver of life, protect this one, svāhā,' he places a firewood stick into the fire. Having stood in worship reciting 'Turn by day to Jātavedas...', he should present the oblation consisting of the remainder of what was offered and the remainder of the ghee with the five [mantras] beginning with 'Agni possesses life'. With the five [mantras] beginning with 'Agni possesses life', and again with the twenty-one verses, having consecrated the caru, saying 'You are life, you are all-life... may I go,' he eats the entire remainder of the caru, sips water, and touches his belly. With the two verses 'From which, O Indra...' and 'Giver of welfare...', having given a choice gift to the guru, having gazed into the ghee with the mantra 'Form by form...', and having given the ghee...

8.p8.3

Having given sacrificial fees to the officiating priests and the brāhmaṇas, he should feed the brāhmaṇas with sweet cakes and ghee-cooked milk porridge. Having done this, he becomes long-lived. From a fire oblation of ten thousand offerings, he attains a long life; from a fire oblation of a hundred thousand offerings, he attains a life of a thousand [years]. Such is the Mṛtyuṃjaya propitiatory rite declared by Baudhāyana. In this fire that has been set up, [with mantras] beginning with 'Jātavedas, samidh…' down to 'in the eyes with ghee'—here the principal [deities are]: Death twice, with the hymn to Rudra, Agni, great Pṛthivī, Vāyu, great Antarikṣa, Āditya, great Dyu, Candramas, the nakṣatras, great Dyu, the gods, the ancestors, Bhūḥ, etc., with ghee. Then again here the principal [deities are]: Vaivasvata, the Lord of Śacī, the two Aśvins, Agni, Hari, Mṛtyu, Rudra twice, Prajāpati, Indra the generous, Indra who grants fearlessness, Tryambaka, Agni, Mṛtyu, Jātavedas, Agni, Jātavedas, Pāvaka, Vaiśvānara, Vaidyuta, Agni, Vāyu, Sūrya, Prajāpati—verse by verse in sixteen rounds with pieces of guḍūcī together with triads of dūrvā grass. Again, with those very [verses], verse by verse in eight rounds with ghee. Again, with those very [verses], verse by verse in sixteen rounds with pieces of guḍūcī. Again, with those very [verses], verse by verse in eight rounds with ghee. Again here the principal deities: Agni, great Pṛthivī, Vāyu, great Antarikṣa, Āditya, great Dyu, Candramas, the nakṣatras, great Dyu, the gods, the ancestors, Bhūḥ, etc., with ghee. With the remainder, [an offering to Agni] Sviṣṭakṛt, and with the kindling-binding cord, Rudra, and the Jaya [mantras], etc. Thus ends the guḍūcī propitiatory rite in the fire oblation for longevity.

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