History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c47.s1.10

v3.c47.s1.10

by touching their hands with appropriate mantras and offer them madhuparka (vide Āp. X. 1. 13-14 for the mantras ‘agnir-me hotā &c.). In the afternoon or when the sun is over the trees the adhvaryu should fetch a portion of fire from the aupāsana (gṛhya fire) and kindle a fire called brāhmaudanika (one prepared for brahmaudana)²²⁴¹ to the west of the place for the gārhapatya or he may take up the whole of the aupāsana fire (of the yajamāna) or he may generate fire by attrition. He should prepare a sthaṇḍila (an altar of sand &c.) and should draw thereon three lines from west to east and three lines from south to north and should sprinkle water on the sthaṇḍila and then he should bring burning coals from the aupāsana fire and place them on the lines so drawn. If he takes up the whole of the aupāsana fire, then he should take on two leaves of udumbara a cake of barley flour and another of rice and should throw on the place of the brāhmaudanika fire the barley cake to the west and the rice cake to the east and then establish the fire thereon. The adhvaryu puts apart at night to the west of the brāhmaudanika fire on the red hide of a bull having the neck part to the east and the hair outside or on a bamboo utensil four dishfuls of rice²²⁴² grains after repeating the mantra ‘devasya’ and with the words ‘I set apart what is pleasing to prāṇa that is brahman,’ which are repeated four times (with prāṇa, apāna, vyāna and lastly with brahman only) or he may do so silently. He cooks the grains (of rice or barley) in four vessels filled with water, he does not cleanse the rice grains with his hand after pouring them into the water, nor does he drain off the water while cooking; some cook the grains in milk. From the cooked food (the brahmaudana) he takes some in a spoon (darvī) and offers it into (the brahmaudanika) fire with the mantra ‘pra vedhase kavaye’ (Ṛg. V. 15. 1 = Tai. Br. I. 2. 1). He should say ‘this is for Brahman; not mine.’ Having put the cooked food separately into four dishes and pouring plenty of ghee over it, the sacrificer draws the plates over the ground towards the priests without letting them go and brings them near the four priests who are descendants of illustrious sages. The remaining portion of the brahmaudana is drawn out of the pots, the rest of the clarified butter is poured over it and three samidhs of a citriya²²⁴³ aśvattha that are wet (not dry), that are a span in length and have on them their leaves and fruits are dipped therein and turned about therein with a mantra and then they are put on the fire to the accompaniment of three gāyatrīs (addressed to Agni) for brāhmaṇas, three Triṣṭubhs for kṣatriyas and three Jagatīs for vaiśyas (the verses are set out in Āp. V. 6. 3).