History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.136

v3.c48.136

This (so and so by name) is the human hotṛ'.²³⁶⁵ While the adhvaryu is engaged in the āśrāvaṇa call the hotṛ should follow him with an invocation 'make the sacrifice heard among gods, and make me heard among men for fame, glory and spiritual eminence' (Āśv. I. 3. 23). When the adhvaryu chooses the hotṛ (in the words 'so and so is the human hotṛ') the hotṛ should repeat 'God Savitṛ! they here choose thee that art fire for the office of hotṛ together with thy father Vaiśvānara. May Heaven and Earth protect me. Agni is the (divine) hotṛ. I am the human hotṛ' (Āśv. I. 3. 23). He gets up with a mantra 'udāyuṣā &c.' (Tai. S. I. 2. 8. 1) and on getting up recites 'O adhvaryu! sixty plus ninety chains are spread near (or inside) Agni, the hotṛ. They bind the ignorant, (but) the wise one goes beyond (overcomes) them' (Āśv. I. 3. 24). Having approached the adhvaryu with 'I, a hotṛ priest, follow the path of ṛta' (Āśv. I. 3. 25) the hotṛ should touch the adhvaryu on the latter's shoulder with his right hand that hangs by his side and the āgnīdhra also with his left with 'we touch Indra as the purohita in this rite of choosing the hotṛ, whereby the gods reached the highest Heaven and the Aṅgirases also did so' (Āśv. I. 3. 27). He should wipe (purify) his face thrice with the blades used in binding the idhma, once with 'thou art a cleaner (or purifier), purify me together with my progeny and cattle,' and twice silently. After touching water he should, standing to the west of the seat and with face to the east, address the seat of hotṛ (Āśv. I. 3. 30) with 'away, O daidhiṣavya &c.' (vide above p. 1021). He should take a blade of kuśa from the hotṛ's seat with the thumb and the finger next to the smallest and cast it away to the south-west with 'the demon that keeps off wealth is cast aside.' With (Āśv. I. 3. 31) 'here do I like a horse sit down in the seat of vasu' (wealth) he should sit down, the right leg being placed on the left one. He sits down with 'God *barhis*, may I sit down on thee that occupiest a good seat' (Āśv. I. 4. 7). With the cap of his knee he touches the barhis (spread on his seat) with 'O Hotṛ! May you pre-eminently occupy the barhis' (Āśv. 1. 4. 8). Then he mutters (performs japa of) certain texts viz: 'bhūpataye namaḥ ........ chandāṁsi prapadye' (Āśv. I. 4. 9), Ṛg. X. 158. 1, I. 27. 13, X. 52. 1, X. 53. 2 and 4. When the *japa* is finished and the fuel-sticks (*idhma*) thrown on to the fire are blazing he should make the adhvaryu hand over to him the two srucs with this prose formula (*nigada*) 'may Agni, the hotṛ, know (undertake) the duty of hotṛ, that gives protection. O sacrificer! The deity is well disposed to you in that you have chosen Agni as the hotṛ'. He should finish the nigada (Āśv. I. 4. 11) 'Hold the adhvaryu's sruc that abounds in ghee, that is devoted to the gods and is possessed of all boons; let us praise the gods that deserve praise, let us bow to them that deserve adoration and offer sacrifice to the gods that deserve it' (Āśv. I. 4. 11).