History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c47.s2.7.5

v3.c47.s2.7.5

3) in such a way that the flames of the fire turn north-wards and places the sruc on the kūrca. He scours with his hand turned downwards the spout of the ladle and then rubs his hand to which some drops of the milk stick on the north side of the kūrca (the points of the kuśas that are towards the north) with the words 'salutation to the gods' (Kāt. IV. 14. 20) or 'to you for securing cattle'. Āp. (VI. 10. 10) says that he scours in the evening the sruc (in order to remove what sticks to it) from the end of the handle down to the bowl with the mantra 'iṣe tvā' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1. 1.) and in the morning from the bowl to the end of the ladle with the mantra 'ūrje tvā' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1. 1). Then while the palm is turned upwards, and while he wears his sacred thread in the prācīnāvīta mode he places his fingers to the south of the roots of the kuśa blades on the ground silently or with the mantra 'svadhā pitṛbhyaḥ' (Kāt. IV. 14. 21 and Āśv. II. 3. 21) or 'svadhā pitṛbhyaḥ pitṝn jinva (Āp. VI. 11. 4). Then he sips water (but with the sacred thread in the upavīta form) with his face turned to the east. Then he walks to the place of the gārhapatya, takes a fuel-stick (samidh) in his hand while standing. He then sits down to the northwest of the gārhapatya with his face turned towards the east, bends his knee, offers the *samidh* in the gārhapatya fire, then drawing out in the sruva milk from the pot offers it into the fire with a mantra (‘tā asya sūdadohasaḥ’ Ṛg. VIII. 69.