History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c42.10
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c42.10
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v3.c42.10.1
*Śrāvaṇī* or *Śravaṇākarma and Sarpabali* :—Āśv. gṛ. II. 1. 1–15, Pār. gṛ. II. 14, Gobhila gṛ. III. 7. 1-23, Śāṅ. gṛ. IV. 15, Bhār. gṛ. II. 1, Āp. gṛ. 18. 5–12 and others describe these two rites which are performed on the full moon day of Śrāvaṇa, whether the moon be in conjunction with the constellation of Śravaṇa or not. Āśv. gṛ. describes it as follows :¹⁹⁴³ "Having filled a new jar with the flour of unbroken grains of barley he places it on a new *śikya* (an arrangement of strings for holding pots etc.) along with a spoon for making offerings (*bali*). Having got ready fried barley grains he smears¹⁹⁴⁴ half of them with clarified butter. At sunset he prepares a mess of cooked food and a cake on one potsherd and offers oblations (of cooked food) with the four verses 'O Agni! lead us to wealth by a good path &c.' (Ṛg. I. 189. 1–4) verse by verse and offers with one hand the cake prepared on one potsherd with the mantra 'to the constant one, the Earth demon, svāhā.' The cake should have been completely submerged in clarified butter or its top may be visible ; with the verse 'Agni, do not hand us over to evil' (Ṛg. I. 189. 5) he sacrifices over the entire cake the clarified butter in which the cake had been submerged. Reciting the verse 'may the steeds bring bliss to us in our invocations' (Ṛg. VII. 38. 7) he sacrifices into the fire the fried grains with his joined hands.¹⁹⁴⁵ He should give the other (not smeared with clarified butter) fried grains to his people (sons &c.).
v3.c42.10.2
Out of the jar he fills the spoon with barley flour, goes out of the house with his face towards the east, pours down water on a pure spot and offers sacrifice with the mantra 'to the divine¹⁹⁴⁶ hosts of snakes, svāhā' and makes an obeisance to them with joined hands in the words 'the serpents that are terrestrial,¹⁹⁴⁷ that are aerial, that are celestial, that dwell in the several directions—to them I have brought this *bali*; to them I make ready this *bali*. Having gone round the bali with the right hand turned towards it, he sits down to the west of the *bali* (and recites the mantra) 'thou art a serpent; thou art the lord of serpents that creep; by food thou protectest men and by a cake the serpents, by sacrifice the gods, me who am in thee (i. e. who seek thy favour and protection) may not the serpents who also are in thee do any harm; I give over the Dhruvā (spoon) to thee.' Then with the words 'O firm one, I give over this one, this one to thee' he gives his people (son, unmarried daughter, wife) one by one. With the words 'O firm one, I give myself over to thee' he gives himself over at the end. Let no one pass between the sacrificer (and the bali) up till the rite of giving in charge (*paridāna*).¹⁹⁴⁸ 'To the divine hosts of serpents svāhā'-with these words let him offer a bali in the evening and in the morning till Pratyavarohaṇa.
v3.c42.10.3
Some count the days till Pratyavarohaṇa¹⁹⁴⁹ (from Śrāvaṇa full moon) and offer the same number of balis on that very day (on which the śravaṇā rite takes place)." The Śāṅ. gṛ. IV. 15 has a similar ceremony called Śravaṇākarma; however it practically contains nothing beyond rules about the bali to serpents and it is worthy of note that some of the 16 upacāras associated with honouring a guest and with *devapūjā* are employed (in it and in Āp. gṛ. &c.) for honouring the serpents viz. offering a comb, unguents, flowers, thread (*vastra*), collyrium, mirror. The Pār. gṛ. II. 14 is more elaborate as to *sarpabali* and the deities to whom the oblations of cooked food are offered are 'Viṣṇu, Śravaṇa (*nakṣatra*), the Full moon day of Śrāvaṇa and the rainy season.' In Pār. gṛ. also, a comb, ointment, collyrium, garlands are offered to the serpents. Āp. gṛ. 18. 5-12, Hīr. gṛ. II. 16 (S. B. E. vol. 30, pp. 237-239), Gobhila gṛ. III. 7. 1-23, Bhār. gṛ. II. 1, Baud. gṛ. III. 10, Mānava gṛ. II. 16 and others contain similar elaborate rules about sarpabali, the Hir. gṛ. and Āp. gṛ. requiring that the flowers used should be of the *kiṁśuka* tree. It appears that when the husband was absent the wife was to offer the bali during the four months. The Mānava gṛ. II. 16. 6 adds that even the śūdra wife of a brāhmaṇa should silently offer the bali after washing her hands. Vide Śāṅ. gṛ. IV. 15. 20 also for the wife doing it silently.