History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c42.10.1

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.).