History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c47.25

v3.c47.25

II. 6. 34). They are yajus, but they are distinguished from ordinary *yajus* formulæ by the fact that nigadas are uttered loudly, while ordinarily a yajus is recited in a low voice. Jaimini in II. 1. 38-45 brings out this distinction between ordinary yajus and nigada. Vide Jaimini II. 1. 35-37 for the definitions of ṛk, sāman and yajus. Verses from the Ṛg. and Sāmaveda are recited loudly, all yajus are muttered in a low voice except āśruta (i. e. passages like 'āśrāvaya'), pratyāśruta (the response 'astu śrauṣaṭ'), pravara-mantra (agnir devo hotā &c., set out in note 1139 above), saṁvāda (requests and permissions as in 'brahman, shall I sprinkle with water' and 'yes, do sprinkle'), sam-praiṣa (summons to do something as 'prokṣaṇīr-āsādaya). Loudness is of three kinds, high-pitched, middle-pitched and low-pitched. The Sāmidhenī verses are to be recited in a middle pitch, all mantras in the rites from anvādhāna upto ājyabhāga in Jyotiṣṭoma and prātaḥ-savana are to be recited in a low pitch, while in all rites in darśapūrṇamāsa the mantras are to be recited in a low pitch from ājyabhāga to sviṣṭakṛt. The rest of the mantras in darśapūrṇamāsa after sviṣṭakṛt and in Tṛtīya Savana are to be recited in high pitch. Mantras that are being recited at the time of doing anything (and produce the idea 'I shall do it') are to be recited first and then the act is to be begun (e. g. cutting is to be done immediately on reciting 'iṣe tvā'). Vide Jaimini XII. 3. 25. An act is to be begun to be performed the moment the reciting of a mantra accompanying it is finished (Kāt. I. 3. 5-7). Utkara is the spot where the dust of the Vedi is swept up and *praṇītā* is water kept in a vessel to the north of the āhavanīya after repeating a mantra over it. The sacrificial ground where the fires are maintained is called vihāra (Śabara on Jaimini XII. 2. 1 says 'vihāra iti gārhapatyādiragnistretocyate viharaṇāt'). The way for going to or coming from the vihāra is between the praṇītā (water) and utkara in the case of iṣṭis (i. e. to the east of utkara and to the west of praṇītā) and between the utkara and the cātvāla pit in other cases (Āp. Śr. I. 1. 4-6, Kāt. Śr. I. 3. 42-43). This path for going to the vihāra is called tīrtha. The cātvāla is a pit which is required only in soma and animal sacrifices. Many sacrificial utensils are required out of which the sruva (which may be called the dipping spoon) is made of khadira wood and is one aratni in length and has a mouth (or bowl) that is rounded and is as wide as the front joint of the thumb. The sruc (offering ladle) is one cubit in length, has a bowl at one end of the shape and size of the palm, that has a spout resembling a swan's bill in shape. Sruc is of three kinds: juhū (ladle) made of palāśa, upabhṛt of aśvattha and the dhruvā is made of vikaṅkaṭa wood and all other sacrificial utensils are made of vikaṅkaṭa, but those that are not directly connected with homa are made of varaṇa tree; the sword called sphya is made of khadira (Kāt. I. 3. 31–39). The principal *yajñapātras* (or yajñāyudhas as they are often called) are given in the note below.²²³³