History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c44.11

v3.c44.11

The Āśv. gṛ. pariśiṣṭa IV. 9, Pār. gṛ. pariśiṣṭa, Matsyapurāṇa chap. 58, Agnipurāṇa chap. 64 contain a more extensive procedure about the dedication of wells and reservoirs of water. That in the Pār. gṛ. pariśiṣṭa is briefly as²⁰⁷² follows : "In the northward passage of the sun, in the bright half, on an auspicious day, tithi, vāra (week day), nakṣatra and karaṇa the donor should cook *caru* sacred to Varuṇa of barley, offer the two ājyabhāgas and sacrifice in fire ten oblations of clarified butter with the mantras, Ṛg. IV. 1. 4, IV. 1. 5, I. 25. 19, I. 24. 11, Kāt. śr. 25. 1. 11 (ye te śataṁ Varuṇa), ayāścāgne (Kāt. śr. 25. 1. 11), Ṛg. I. 24. 15, Ṛg. I. 24. 8, Vāj. S. IV. 36, Vāj. S. VIII. 24.²⁰⁷³ He then sacrifices (ten oblations) of the mess of cooked food to Agni, Soma, Varuṇa, Yajña, Ugra, Bhīma, Śatakratu (Indra), Vyuṣṭi (prosperity), Svarga (Heaven) and lastly to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt (with svāhā at the end of each as in 'agnaye svāhā'). After partaking of the remains of the cooked food he should introduce aquatic animals (like fishes and tortoises in the pond &c.) and having bathed and decked a cow he should make the cow enter the reservoir, repeat the Puruṣasūkta (Ṛg. X. 90. 1–16) and donate that cow to the ācārya and should also make presents to him of two ear-rings, clothes and of another cow as fee and give a dinner to brāhmaṇas." Aparārka (p. 413–414), the Nirṇayasindhu and others add from the Bahvṛca gṛ. pariśiṣṭa that when the cow enters the water, he should repeat a mantra 'may you make this water holy: may the water always be pure, holy and ambrosia-like; while saving me (from sin) may you bathe in sacred water; she crosses from region to region and also saves (me and others)'; and that the donor holds the end of the cow's tail, enters the water and brings her out in the north-east corner (of the reservoir). This procedure does not apply to the consecration of a well. In that case a cow is only made to go round the well.