History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.30
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.30
- Language
- English
v3.c48.30.1
If the sacrificer has celebrated the soma sacrifice at some time then he has to perform sāyaṃ-doha. When the householder has offered the evening agnihotra, he spreads darbhas to the north of the gārhapatya, washes the sānnāyya utensils (that are the same as are required for sāyaṃ-doha) in twos and lays them on the darbhas with their mouths turned downwards. The utensils are stated in the note below.²²⁸⁹ He then makes two pavitras (strainers, purifiers) of two darbhas that are alike in appearance and colour, a span in length, the tips of which are not cut, but which are cut from their stems with a knife or sickle by having a blade of grass or wood placed over them (but not with the nails) with a mantra 'pavitre stho' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4) and are invoked with a mantra (prāṇāpānau &c.). The adhvaryu wipes them with water upwards (from the bottom) with the mantra 'you two are holy by the mind of Viṣṇu'. Jai. III. 8. 32 (and also Śabara thereon) says that the two pavitras and the vidhṛtis (described later on) are not taken from the cut barhis, but from the kuśa grass called paribhojanīya. The adhvaryu loudly announces 'purify the cow, the ropes and all the utensils'.²²⁹⁰ The adhvaryu places the two pavitras inside the agnihotra-havaṇī, pours water therein, purifies the water by moving the pavitras eastward and then backwards and raising them up thrice with their tips to the north by repeating the mantra in the gāyatrī metre 'devo vaḥ savitotpunātu' (Tai. S. I. 1. 5.
v3.c48.30.2
1) once,²²⁹¹ there being a rest at the end of each pāda (and twice silently). He invokes the water with 'āpo devīr-agrepuvaḥ... (Tai. I. 1. 5. 1, Vāj. S. I. 12-13), then turns the mouths of the vessels upwards and sprinkles them thrice with the water (leaving no water in the agnihotrahavanī) and with 'may you purify for this divine rite, for the worship of gods' (Tai. S. I. 1. 3. 1). He keeps the two pavitras in a wellknown place. He waits for the cows coming from the pasture with a mantra 'etā ācaranti' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4).²²⁹² The adhvaryu takes the upaveṣa with 'thou art dhṛṣṭi, impart brahma' (Tai. S. I. 1. 7. 1), takes out with the upaveṣa burning coals from the gārhapatya to its north. He places the ukhā on those coals and kindles burning coals round it with 'may you become hot with the tapas of Bhṛgus and Aṅgirases' (Tai. S. I. 1. 7. 2). Then he issues a direction to the milker of the cow "announce to me when the calf joins the cow ". He places the *śākhāpavitra* with its tip to the east (to the north in the morning milking) in the ukhā with a mantra, touches the ukhā and restrains his speech ²²⁹³ holding the *śākhāpavitra*. The person who is to milk the cow takes the abhidhānī (the rope) with 'adityai rāsnāsi' (Tai. S. I. 1. 2. 2) and the two nidāna ropes silently and makes the calf join the cow with 'thou art Pūṣan'.
v3.c48.30.3
The adhvaryu issues a direction that no one is to pass between the cow that is being sucked by the calf and the sacrificial ground (vihāra) and all obey it. The adhvaryu invokes the cow with a mantra and the milker sits down near the cow to milk her with a mantra.²²⁹⁴ The householder repeats a mantra when the cow is being milked and another when he hears the sound of the streams of milk falling into the vessel. The milker brings the milk to the adhvaryu, who asks him 'whom did you milk, declare to us, (this is) an offering to Indra, it is vigour'. The milker refers to the cow by her name (such as Gaṅgā) and adds 'in whom milk has been placed for gods and men'. The adhvaryu replies 'she (the cow named) is the life of all'. The adhvaryu places the pavitra in the kumbhī (or ukhā) and pours therein the milk across the pavitra with a mantra. The adhvaryu gets two more cows milked in the same manner (i. e. with the same mantras &c.) except the directions (such as no one should come &c.). The only difference is that the names of the cows will be different (such as Yamunā) and that the 2nd and 3rd cows are referred to by him respectively as 'viśvavyacāḥ' and 'viśvakarmā' instead of 'viśvāyuḥ' (in his prativacana). After three cows are milked he loudly utters thrice 'milk much for Indra, may the offering (havya) increase for the gods, for the calves, for men; be ready for milking again'.
v3.c48.30.4
If there are more cows (generally six are referred to) they also are got milked with the same mantras as for the first cow or silently and the adhvaryu does not hold his tongue, nor does he touch the kumbhī while the other cows are being milked. Jai. (XI. 1. 47-53) concludes that the passage of Tai. Br. about milking the other three cows is a mere anuvāda and not a *vidhi* and Śabara quotes passages of the śruti that on that night no agnihotra is offered with milk and the children in the house do not get any milk (as all milk is used up for the sānnāyya). When all are milked, if any drops have fallen about (on the ground &c.) he repeats a mantra (Tai. S. I. 1. 3. 1) and invokes the pot in which sānnāyya is to be prepared with a mantra. He washes the inside of the milking vessel with water and then pours that water into the pot (in which sānnāyya is to be prepared). He heats the milk and pours over it (i. e. does *abhighāraṇa*) clarified butter silently. He draws the heated pot from the burning coals in such a way as to make a line on the ground and places it to the east, north or north-east with a mantra. When the bottom of the heated vessel cools, he adds curds to it in order to coagulate the fresh milk with 'I add soma (i. e. curds) to thee in order to turn thee into curds for Indra' (Tai. S. I. 1. 3).²²⁹⁵ He adds to the vessel what remains sticking to the pot or sruc after agnihotra was offered with a mantra or silently.
v3.c48.30.5
He pours water in the vessel that is meant as a lid or cover and places that cover or lid on the pot of heated milk. If the covering be of earthenware he throws thereon grass or a twig. He takes out the śākhāpavitra with a mantra (if a palāśa branch was used) or silently (if one of śamī was used) and keeps it in a secure place. He keeps the sānnāyya in the gārhapatya side of the vihāra on a śikya or some such contrivance with 'O Viṣṇu, guard the offering'.