History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.119
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.119
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The adhvaryu lays down the veda bunch in front of the dhruvā ladle with 'this veda sought the earth that was concealed &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6), strews darbhas round the corners of the vedi,²³⁵¹ and prepares the seat for the hotṛ which is to the north of the northern 'śroṇi' of the vedi and the darbhas spread on the seat have their points turned eastwards or northwards. The adhvaryu invites the hotṛ in the words 'O Hotṛ! come'. The hotṛ priest sits down to the north-east of the āhavanīya with face to the east, performs *ācamana* with the sacred cord in the upavīta form, enters the sacrificial ground (*vihāra*) by the way called *tīrtha* (vide p. 984 above). He enters with his right foot first, plants his heel alongside of the northern śroṇi and steps upon the *barhis* (spread on the vedi) with his toes, spreads out the fingers of both hands which he joins together and holds them on a level with his heart, looks straight at the horizon (and neither upwards nor downwards) and stands facing the east. This is always the position of the limbs of the body in the case of the hotṛ unless there be any express direction to the contrary. The adhvaryu takes a *samidh* from the idhma and issues a direction to the hotṛ 'recite for Agni that is being kindled’. The hotṛ recites ‘salutation to the expounder, salutation to the supervisor, salutation to him who reports, who will repeat (or respond to) this? He will repeat this. May the six broad (or great) ones, viz.
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heaven and earth, day and night, waters and plants save me from sin. Speech has stood firm (and so has) yajña. I shall deal with (i. e. recite) the metres well. I resort to myself so and so (here the hotṛ utters his name in the objective case). In the past and in future, as to things born and to be born I have recourse to (Agni) who is apāvya (?). Bring me the non-cessation of speech’. So saying he contracts his fingers towards himself and then extends them as before by saying ‘O fire! make the cattle take delight in me’. (Then he should proceed) ‘Heaven and earth are my armour. Fire is my armour, the Sun is my armour and may the intermediate quarters be my armour! O gods! I shall to-day reflect over that highest part of speech, whereby we may vanquish the asuras; O five people, who deserve sacrifices and food accept my offering.’²³⁵² Having finished this *japa*, the hotṛ sets about repeating the Sāmidhenī verses.²³⁵³ The yajamāna repeats the *daśa-hotṛ* mantras before the sāmidhenīs (vide note 2247 for daśahotṛs). First he utters the syllable ‘*hiṃ*’ thrice (or once) and the mystic words ‘bhūr bhuvaḥ svarom’ are muttered inaudibly by him.²³⁵⁴ Then come the sāmidhenī verses. The sāmidhenī verses are (vide Āśv. I. 2. 7) eleven viz. Ṛg. III. 27. 1, VI. 16. 10–12, III. 27. 13–15, I. 12. 1, III. 27. 4, V. 28. 5–6. But fifteen sāmidhenī verses are to be repeated in Darśa-pūrṇamāsa and the number fifteen of the verses is obtained by repeating each of the first (pra vo vājā, Ṛg.
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III. 27. 1) and the last verse (ā juhota Ṛg. V. 28. 6) thrice. They are all to be repeated in the same pitch²³⁵⁵ (not minding udātta, anudātta or svarita accents) i. e. *ekaśruti*. Jaimini IX. 1. 33 states that whatever ṛk is the first or last (whether 'pra vo vājā' &c. or any other) is to be repeated thrice (i. e. repetition three times is an attribute due to the place of a verse and it is not an attribute of any particular verse). The syllable 'om' is to be added at the end of each verse and the adhvaryu sitting down near the āhavanīya throws into the āhavanīya fire a samidh the moment 'om' is uttered by the hotṛ at the end of a verse. The sacrificer then utters at each samidh 'agnaya idam na mama'. In this way when eleven samidhs have been offered, all the remaining samidhs (except one kept aside for the *anuyājas*) are offered into the fire the moment the last verse but one (viz. samiddho agna, Ṛg. V. 28. 5) or the last verse (ā juhotā, Ṛg. V. 28. 6) is recited. Āśv. (I. 2. 8–22) gives detailed rules about how these sāmidhenī verses are to be recited. The note below would illustrate the method of their recital.²³⁵⁶ The hotṛ repeats the *nigada* 'O fire, you are great, you are brāhmaṇa (the impulse to prayers), you are Bhārata (the sustainer)' in such a way as to join it with the last 'om' repeated after the last sāmidhenī verse and then makes a stop.
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Then the hotṛ invokes the names of the pravara sages²³⁵⁷ of the sacrificer as many as he may have (1, 2, 3 or 5), the most remote one being first uttered, then the more remote and so on. In the case of a kṣatriya or a vaiśya sacrificer, the invocation is made of the pravara sages of the purohita of the sacrificer or of the names ‘Mānava, Aila, Paurūravasa’ or of ‘Mānava’ for all in case of doubt (Āśv. I. 3. 3-5). He then proceeds ‘(Agni) that was kindled by the Gods and by Manu, that was sung by the sages, whom wise men gladdened, that was praised by the sages, that was aroused by prayers, that is offered ghee, the bringer (or leader) of sacrifices, the charioteer of sacrifices, the unobstructed hotṛ, the swift carrier of offerings’. He takes breath here and proceeds ‘thou art the mouth and the vessel of the gods, the juhū of the gods, a camasa (cup) with which the gods drink; O fire! as the spokes are centered in the felly, so thou encompassest the gods, bring the gods to this sacrificer’.²³⁵⁸ Then he calls upon Agni to bring the several deities, viz. Agni, Soma, Agni, Prajāpati, Agniṣomau, the ghee-drinking gods and adds ‘bring Agni for the *hotra* (the function or office of hotṛ), bring thy own greatness, O Jātavedas (fire), bring and sacrifice with a good offering'.
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This part of the formula is given below.²³⁵⁹ These are the deities in this invocation in pūrṇamāsa but in the darśeṣṭi, Indrāgnī are to be substituted in place of Agniṣoma for him who does not offer sānnāyya and Indra or Mahendra for him who offers sānnāyya and Prajāpati is omitted.