History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.162.3

v3.c48.162.3

He crosses to the south in front of the hotṛ, sits behind the hotṛ with his face to the east and anoints the front two joints of the fore-finger of the hotṛ with ājya from the sruva, first the front joint and then the one next to it. The hotṛ wipes with the palm of the hand turned towards his chest the uppermost joint of the finger on the upper lip and the next joint on his lower lip with 'I partake of thee that art sacrificed by the lord of speech for food, for prāṇa' and 'I partake of thee that are offered by the lord of the mind for strength, for apāna' respectively (Āśv. I. 7. 1-2; compare Śat. Br. I. 8. 1. 14-15). He touches water. The adhvaryu turns from right to left, comes back to the place whence he went, sits down to the east of the hotṛ with his face turned westwards, offers the iḍā to the hotṛ and the sacrificer recites a long mantra (Tai. S. I. 6. 3. 1-2, ‘Surūpa-varṣa-varṇa ehīmān...devān-apyetu’) and looks at the iḍā when it is being taken to the hotṛ. The hotṛ accepts the iḍā (i. e. the vessel of iḍā) in his joined hands, places the iḍā in his left hand, keeps his right hand near the iḍā to its west with the fingers turned northwards and makes the adhvaryu cut off from the iḍā itself a portion called avāntareḍā into the right hand in the following manner.