History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.46

v3.c48.46

The sacrificer sitting on a seat with his face to the north then chooses his brahmā priest who faces the east near the utkara with the formula²²⁹⁷ 'O! Lord of the earth! Lord of the worlds! Lord of great being (Heaven?)! I choose thee as brahmā' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The brahmā priest when so chosen mutters a long formula (which is given in Āp. III. 18. 4 from the Tai. Br. III. 7. 6 and part of which is translated here) 'I am the Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds, lord of the great being. Being impelled by god Savitṛ I shall perform the duties of a priest. God Savitṛ! Here they choose thee (who art) Lord of speech, as the divine brahmā priest; I proclaim this to mind, mind proclaims to Gāyatrī ... the Viśve Devas to Bṛhaspati, Bṛhaspati to Brahmā, Brahmā is bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, suvaḥ. Bṛhaspati is the priest of the Gods, I am the brahmā priest of human beings'. Then he loudly says 'O Bṛhaspati, protect the sacrifice' (*ibid.*) and crossing the altar by the west of the āhavanīya towards the south of the āhavanīya, stands to the south of his seat with his face to the north, takes a kuśa blade from the blades on the seat prepared for him, casts it to the south-west (the direction of Nir-ṛti, ill-luck) with the words 'avaunt,²²⁹⁸ Daidhiṣavya (son of a re-married widow?), get up from this place, occupy the seat of another, who is more ignorant than me' (Tai. S. III. 2. 4. 4.), touches water and sits down on his seat with face to the east with a mantra and then faces the āhavanīya with a mantra 'Here do I, impelled by God Savitṛ, sit on the seat of Vasu (or prosperity) lower in level (than the āhavanīya mound), I occupy the seat of Bṛhaspati, this I declare to Agni, to Vāyu, to the Sun, to the Earth' (vide Āp. III. 18. 4, Kāt. II. 1. 24). The brahmā is required to be the most learned in Vedic lore (brahmiṣṭha, as Āp. III. 18. 1 says) and he is to observe silence while mantras are being repeated and superintends all actions. His permission is asked by the adhvaryu at the time of doing most of the acts, such as leading forward the praṇītā water, sprinkling the bundle of fuel-sticks and kuśa grass. There are four priests in darśapūrṇamāsa (vide note 2228). The sacrificer also crosses by the west side of the āhavanīya to its south, throws away silently a blade of kuśa from his seat and then sits down on the seat prepared for him, with his face to the east. The adhvaryu takes two darbhas of equal thickness, the tops of which are not cut off and makes them a span in length by cutting off their roots (without using his nails).²²⁹⁹