History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.142

v3.c48.142

²³⁶⁸ The prayājas (fore-offerings) are five in Darśapūrṇamāsa and are oblations of ājya introductory to the principal offerings and anuyājas (that are only three in Darśapūrṇamāsa) are offered subsequent to the principal offerings. The prayāja offerings are addressed to five viz., समिधः, तनूनपात् (or नराशंस), इडः (or इळः), बर्हिः, स्वाहाकारः (or स्वाहाकृतयः). Jai. (V. 1. 4–7) enjoins that prayājas must be offered in the order of the text viz. first to Samidhaḥ and so on, and II. 2. 2 declares that with each repetition of the word 'yajati (used five times) there is a separate unseen result (adṛṣṭa or apūrva). The three deities of the anuyājas are बर्हिः, नराशंस, अग्नि स्विष्टकृत्. The word is written either as अनुयाज (Ṛg. X. 51. 8-9) or अनूयाज (Āp. II. 9. 8 and elsewhere). According to Ait. Br. 7. 3 स्वाहाकृतयः means विश्वेदेवाः. In the Nirukta VIII. 22 there is a discussion as to the devatās of prayājas and anuyājas and after mentioning several views Yāska states his own opinion that they are 'āgneya' i. e. they are the different forms (Tanū) of Agni. Jaimini (IX. 2. 59–60) holds that the words 'Samidhaḥ', 'Tanūnapāt' &c. are really the names of a rite, that they do not convey that Samidhs, Tanūnapāt and others are deities and that the mantras repeated by the hotṛ convey the devatā, which is Agni. The com. on Sat. II. 1. p. 198 has a long note on this and accepts Jai-mini's position. In Tai. S. II. 6. 1 five prayājas of darśapūrṇamāsa are mentioned and they are brought in relation to the five seasons. The five constituent formulas connected with each of the five prayājas are well brought out in Tai. S. I. 6. 11 'आश्रावयेति चतुरक्षरमस्तु श्रौषदिति चतुरक्षरं यजेति द्वयक्षरं ये यजामह इति पञ्चाक्षरं द्वयक्षरो वषट्कार एष वै सप्तदशः प्रजापतिर्यज्ञमन्वायत्तो य एवं वेद प्रति यज्ञेन तिष्ठति न यज्ञाद्भ्रंशते।'.