History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c47.s1.16

v3.c47.s1.16

On that night a goat having dark spots on its skin is tied towards the north of the place for the gārhapatya fire with a mantra ‘prajā’ agne &c.’. The yajamāna observes a vow of silence on that night and people keep him awake that night by playing upon a lute and a flute (but there is an option viz. he may not keep awake nor observe silence). The sacrificer remains awake the whole of that night placing pieces of wood on the brāhmaudanika fire with the verse ‘śalkair-agnim &c.’ (but if he does not keep awake he heaps on the fire logs of wood at one time and then goes to sleep).²²⁴⁵ At day-break the adhvaryu heats the two araṇis against that fire with two verses 'jātavedo bhuvanasya &c.' and 'ayam te yonir-ṛtviyaḥ' (both in Tai. Br. I. 2. 1). Then the brāhmaudanika fire is extinguished, the two araṇis are invoked with the verse 'agni rakṣāṁsi' and the yajamāna keeps waiting for the araṇis that are brought with the verse 'mahī viśpatnī.' The adhvaryu hands over the araṇis to the sacrificer with the verse 'dohyā ca te', who receives them with a verse and immediately invokes them with two verses. Both (adhvaryu and yajamāna) repeat in a low voice the formula 'mayi gṛhṇāmyagre &c.'. The adhvaryu arranges the place for the gārhapatya with the verse 'apeta vīta' and sprinkles it with water with 'śaṁ no devīr.' He does the same for the places (āyatanas) of the dakṣiṇa fire (to the south-east) and of āhavanīya, sabhya and āvasathya fires. Even since ancient times there have been agnihotrins who did not set up the sabhya and āvasathya fires. Half of the sand (that has already been brought among the sambhāras) is divided into two parts, one (i. e. ¼ of the whole heap) being scattered over the place of the gārhapatya and the other (¼) over the place of the dakṣiṇāgni. The other half of the sand heap is divided into three parts each of which is scattered in the places of the other three, āhavanīya, sabhya and āvasathya (but if no sabhya nor āvasathya is to be kept then the half is entirely scattered over the āhavanīya place). In the same way the other earthy materials are placed over the places of the fires with appropriate mantras. After he places the lime stones or pebbles on the various places he brings to his mind his enemy. Then he spreads the various materials on the fire places and after mixing together the materials of wood to the accompaniment of two mantras he scatters them just as he scattered the sand (after dividing them as stated above). He casts to the north over the materials a piece of gold on the place of the gārhapatya²²⁴⁶ and invokes it with a mantra and assigns at a distance a piece of silver for his enemy or throws it into water if he has no enemy. The same process (of casting a golden piece) is followed as to the places of the other fires. He removes the ashes of the brāhmaudanika fire (that has been extinguished as stated already) and in its place deposits the two araṇis from which he produces fire by drilling. When the first rays of the sun spread in the sky (i. e. before the sun's disc is seen, but the eastern horizon is lit up by rays) he places the upper araṇi on the lower one to the accompaniment of the 'daśa-hotṛ'²²⁴⁷ formulae. While generation of fire by attrition is proceeding a white or red horse from whose eyes no water drops (i. e. who is not blear-eyed) and whose knee is dark (or any horse with full testicles) is kept present and a sāman of Śakti Sāṅkṛti is sung; when smoke rises a sāman of Gāthina Kauśika is sung and also the verse 'araṇyor-nihito' (Ṛg. III. 29. 2).