History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.140
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.140
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v3.c48.140.1
The adhvaryu takes the juhū and upabhṛt, crosses from behind the paridhis to the south of the vedi with the right foot first and facing the north-east offers the five prayāja oblations of clarified butter beginning to the west of the place where the two streams of the āghāras meet and ending in the east (Āp. II. 17. 1) or he offers the five offerings in the four principal quarters from the east to the north respectively and the last in the middle of the āhavanīya (Sat. II. 2. p. 199). The procedure of prayājas is as follows:—²³⁶⁷ First he says 'ā3śrā3vaya', the āgnīdhra standing near the utkara facing the south and holding the sphya makes the response 'astu śrau3ṣaṭ'. Then the adhvaryu gives a direction to the hotṛ with reference to the first prayāja 'Samidho yaja' (recite the yājyā verse for the deity Samidhaḥ). The hotṛ recites "Whoever we are, we sacrifice to the deity samidhaḥ; may the samidhs, O fire, partake of the ājya. Vau3ṣaṭ". When the sound vaṣaṭ is heard the adhvaryu offers ājya from the juhū towards the eastern and the most blazing part of the āhavanīya fire. He may either occupy the same position or proceed eastwards as he offers each offering. Jai. III. 1. 19-20 deals with this question viz. that he may offer the prayājas²³⁶⁸ by proceeding eastwards. After each vaṣaṭkāra the hotṛ repeats 'speech is energy. He (vaṣaṭkāra) is indeed energy. May prāṇa and apāna be in me' (Āśv. I. 5. 17). The yajamāna says when the first prayāja is offered 'this is for the Samidhs.
v3.c48.140.2
I gratify Vasanta among the seasons, May he (Vasanta) being gratified gratify me'. The same procedure is followed as to the remaining four prayājas viz. there is first āśrāvaṇa, then pratyāśrāvaṇa by the āgnīdhra, praiṣa to hotṛ, recital of the yājyā by the hotṛ with vaṣaṭkāra at end, offering of ājya into fire by the adhvaryu, the tyāga by the yajamāna and connecting the five prayājas with the five ṛtus (seasons) in order from Vasanta (hemanta and śiśira being taken as one). The second prayāja offering is meant for Tanūnapāt, but those who belong to the Vasiṣṭha, Śunaka, Atri. Vadhryaśva and Rājanya (Viśvāmitra?) gotras substitute Narāśaṁsa for Tanūnapāt (Śāṅ. I. 7. 3 is slightly different). The whole procedure is briefly indicated in Sanskrit in the note below.²³⁶⁹ The first three prayāja offerings are made with the ājya in the juhū, but as to the 4th (to Barhis) he pours half of the ājya contained in the upabhṛt into the juhū and then makes the offering. Wherever there are more prayājas than 5 (e. g. in Varuṇa-praghāsa there are nine, in Paśubandha ten) the 4th, 7th and 10th are offered in this way (vide Sat. II. 2. p. 199 and Kāt. III. 2. 22-23). Vide Jai. IV. 1. 40 and 41-45. These mantras (in the note) occur in Tai. Br. III. 5. 5 where 'viyantu' is substituted for 'vyantu' (as is usual with the Taittirīyas). The words 'ye3 yajāmahe' used at the beginning of each yājyā are called 'āgūḥ'; but there are no such words in the anuyājas (Āśv. I. 5. 4).
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Vaṣaṭkāra is uttered at the end of all yājyās and in anuyājas also. The yājyā is pronounced very loudly and with great distinctness as to the 'ye' of 'ye yajāmahe' and the last syllable of the yājyā is made *pluta*. In Āśv. I. 5. 9. 9-14 there are other rules not set out here. The pronouncing of vaṣaṭ was a very solemn and mystic matter and even in modern times the word is uttered very loudly and forcibly. The Ait. Br. XI. 6 says that 'the vaṣaṭkāra is a thunderbolt; when a man utters vaṣaṭkāra he should think of his enemy; thereby he plants the thunderbolt on him.' Āśv. I. 5. 18 states that vaṣaṭkāra was to be uttered only by day and not by night. There are three tones (mandra, madhyama and uttama). Up to the prayājas and after śaṁyuvāka the mandra tone is employed. After prayājas up to sviṣṭakṛt the tone is to be *madhyama*. Thereafter up to śaṁyuvāka it is to be high. Vide Āśv. I. 5. 25-28 and Āśv. I. 5. 4-8 for these and several other rules. Āśv. II. 15. 12 states that the āgūḥ (the words ye3 yajāmahe), the om (at the end of an anuvākyā) and the vaṣaṭkāra are pronounced in a high tone everywhere.