History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.103

v3.c48.103

The āgnīdhra takes up the veda bunch, the *āyasthālī*,²³⁴¹ *yoktra*, and the two darbha blades used as *pavitra*. The wife (of the sacrificer), while sitting to the south-west of the gārhapatya with knee raised up or standing is girt up by the āgnīdhra (by the adhvaryu, according to com. on Āp. II. 5. 6) with the yoktra (cord of muñja grass) with the mantra, 'I hoping for a favourably disposed mind, progeny, good luck, beautiful body and observing the vratas of Agni, gird up myself for meritorious actions' (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 1). In modern practice the wife girds up her waist with the yoktra herself. He does not gird her up over the garment worn round the waist but inside it (Āp. II. 5. 5 says there is an option). The yoktra has a loop at one end in which the other end is inserted and the cord is passed round the waist of the wife twice, a knot like that of the top-knot (*śikhā* of a man) is made to the north of the navel with 'may Pūṣan tie a knot for you' and it is drawn to the south of the navel from left to right. She waits upon (does adoration to) the gārhapatya by standing and saying 'O fire, Lord of the house, call me near'. Standing to the west of the gārhapatya she pays adoration to the wives of the gods²³⁴² with 'May you wives of the gods summon me near you' and she looks at the same spot (west of gārhapatya and not east) with 'O wife, O wife (of the god)! this is thy world, salutation to thee, do not injure me'. She sits facing the north at a place which is south-west of the gārhapatya with 'May I have no widowed state just as Indrāṇī has none.²³⁴³ May I have good sons like Aditi! O gārhapatya endowed with all means, I sit down near thee for good progeny' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). On sitting down she mutters (japati²³⁴⁴) 'O fire! we, who have virtuous husbands and who have good progeny, who are not treated with contempt, have sat down near thee, that destroyest enemies and that cannot be destroyed (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 1-2); may my sons be destroyers of enemies and my daughter be ruling (a queen); I also am victorious (over my co-wives) and my glory with my husband is highest (Rg. X. 159. 3).' The Āgnīdhra opens the mouth of the big jar (covered with a piece of cloth or the like) in which ghee has been stored with 'may Pūṣan open thy mouth' and takes from it into another vessel ghee that should be a little more than what would be required in the rite, heats it on the dakṣiṇa fire with 'Viṣṇu traversed this' (Rg. I. 22. 17). He takes up from the spot where all utensils have been placed the ājyasthālī (pot for clarified butter) with 'thou art Aditi, whose pavitra is not cut off' and pours into that pot in which two pavitras are placed plenty of clarified butter²³⁴⁵ 'thou art the milk of the great ones (the cows), the fluid of herbs, I take out from thee that art inexhaustible a portion for the worship of gods (this is the nirvāpa of clarified butter). He melts the butter in the ājyasthālī on the burning coals of the southern portion of the gārhapatya fire with 'to thee for sap', takes it down (from the coals) with 'to thee for strength', holds it over the veda bunch and hands both the pot and the veda bunch to the wife. She first closes her eyes and then holding her breath (opens her eyes and) looks down on the clarified butter with 'thou art the milk of cows; the fluid of herbs, I look on thee for securing good progeny with an invincible eye' (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 3). The āgnīdhra places the ājyasthālī on the northern portion of the gārhapatya fire and melts it with 'thou art light'; he takes it from the fire with 'to thee for light' and carries it to the south of the āhavanīya with 'follow after light'. He melts it on that fire with 'may Agni not remove thy light'. He takes up the pot and returns by the way he went and places it with a mantra 'thou art the tongue of Agni' (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 3) to the north of the prokṣaṇī waters on the line drawn with the sphya.