History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.30.1

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.