History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.53
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c48.53
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Then follows *nirvāpa*²³⁰¹ (taking out handfuls of grains or a portion of other sacrificial material). The adhvaryu takes in his hand the ladle called agnihotra-havaṇī with 'thou art made of a tree for dakṣa' (strength). Then he holds it in his left hand and takes the winnowing basket (śūrpa) in his right hand with 'to thee for the all-pervading (yajña)'. Then he heats it (ladle) on the gārhapatya fire with 'the *rakṣas* (evil spirit) is burnt, the enemies are burnt'. He then touches water.²³⁰² The adhvaryu asks the permission of the sacrificer in the words 'sacrificer! shall I take out sacrificial material' and the sacrificer replies 'yes, do take out'. The adhvaryu then utters the words 'I go towards the wide space' and approaches a cart or wooden frame (śakaṭa) standing to the west of the āhavanīya or gārhapatya containing either rice or barley grains (in the husk), which has the shafts turned to the east or north, which has the yoke joined to it and is covered with mats. While touching the right side of the yoke he mutters 'thou art dhūr (destructive fire), injure the destructive (enemy), destroy him who seeks to destroy us and whom we seek to destroy'. He touches the left shaft and mutters the mantra 'thou art of the gods (i. e. belongest to them), thou art the purest (or the most generous), the fullest, the dearest, the best carrier, the best summoner of the gods'.
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He places (firmly touches with) his right foot on the left wheel (of the śakaṭa) with 'Viṣṇu traversed thee'. He mounts the cart with his left foot with 'thou art an unbent receptacle of *havis*, mayst thou be strong and not break (or bend)'. He makes an opening by removing the mats covering the śakaṭa and looks at the corn to be used for making the puroḍāśa and at the mats while repeating twice the mantra 'I look at thee with the eye of Mitra, do not be afraid, do not tremble, I shall not injure thee'. He touches the corn (to be used for puroḍāśa) with 'may you sustain strength', then touches his own heart with 'put milk in me' and touches water. Then he throws aside a blade of grass or clod of earth with 'warded off is the evil spirit', touches water and repeats the Daśahotṛ mantras.²³⁰³ He places the two pavitras in the winnowing basket (silently), takes one handful of the grain (from the cart) with 'may the five fingers give you for protection, and not to the enemy' (Maitrāyaṇīya S. I. 1. 5), puts (empties) the handful in the sruc (agnihotrahavanī) and puts in the winnowing basket (on which the two pavitras have been kept) four handfuls of grain by means of the agnihotra-havaṇī, three with the mantra (repeated thrice) 'at the command of god Savitṛ, with the arms of Aśvins, with the hand of Pūṣan I take out thee that art dear to Agni'²³⁰⁴ and the fourth silently. Jai. (IX. 1.
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36-37) concludes that this mantra is the same even in all modifications of the darśapūrṇamāsa and Śabara explains 'savituh prasave' as meaning 'urged by the yajamāna' (or when the sun rises), 'aśvins' as meaning the sacrificer and his wife (as they make a gift of the horse in agnyādheya) and pūṣan as meaning 'yajamāna' himself (who supports all). In Jai. XI. 4. 44-45 it is stated that the mantra for nirvāpa 'devasya tvā', the mantra for cutting off barhis (barhirdevasadanam dāmi) are to be repeated and not to be uttered only once. In Jai. V. 2. 4-5 it is established that all the saṁskāras are to be performed on all the grains after four handfuls are taken and not on each handful as it is taken out. The sacrificer invokes with a mantra while the adhvaryu is making the nirvāpa 'I call here Agni, the hotṛ and the gods that are well disposed to sacrifice; may the gods, pleased in mind, come and may they partake of this my offering.' Having finished the taking out of grains in four handfuls, (the adhvaryu) throws on them some more grains with his hand. If no cart is available, he keeps an earthen vessel on the sphya placed on the altar with its tip to the north or east and takes out the grains from that vessel (this is the modern practice) and then removes the wooden sword from underneath it. The same procedure is followed in the case of puroḍāśas for other deities.
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The adhvaryu touches the grains taken out with ‘this of the gods’ and touches the rest (remaining in the śakaṭa or vessel) with ‘this is ours together (with the gods).’ He invokes the grains taken out with ‘I take (or invoke) thee for increase and not for malevolence.’ He moves out of the mats covering the cart (or from near the vessel) taking with him the śūrpa with ‘thee I release from the fetters of Varuṇa’ (compare Maitrāyaṇī S. I. 1. 5). He looks at the sacrificial ground, the fires, the utensils, the priests with ‘may I see heaven’ and at the āhavanīya with ‘the light of Vaiśvānara (Agni).’ He gets down from the cart with ‘may the posts (or mansions) of Heaven and Earth, stand firm’ (if corn is taken from a vessel he only mutters these words). He invokes the grains that have fallen down (when four handfuls were taken out) with ‘to Heaven and Earth, svāhā’ and goes near the gārhapatya with ‘follow wide space (or sky).’ He puts down the śūrpa (containing the corn taken out) near the gārhapatya to its west (or near that fire on which in that particular rite he has to bake the cake) with ‘I make you sit on the lap of Aditi’²³⁰⁵ and consigns it to the protection of that deity (for which the cake is meant) with ‘O fire!
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protect the sacrificial material.’²³⁰⁶ The adhvaryu pours water in the (agnihotrahavaṇī) ladle to which the awns of the rice or barley grains stick and purifies it thrice with the two pavitras (blades of kuśa) held in the hands and with the mantra ‘may god Savitṛ &c.’ (vide p. 1024 above) and invokes it with ‘may the divine waters’ &c. Then the adhvaryu seeks the permission of the brahmā priest with ‘Brahman! shall I sprinkle’ (with holy water the sacrificial material). The brahmā priest mutters ‘sprinkle the sacrifice, sustain these deities &c.’ and loudly says ‘Yes, do sprinkle.’ The adhvaryu then sprinkles water thrice, once with the mantra ‘at the command of Savitṛ ...... I sprinkle thee that are dear to Agni' (or Agni and Soma or other deity as the case may be) and twice silently. One should so sprinkle that drops of water may not fall on the fire. He then upturns the sacrificial utensils (i. e. instead of their mouths being down, their mouths are now upturned) and sprinkles them thrice with water with 'may you become pure for divine rite, for worship of gods'.²³⁰⁷ The rest of the water taken for sprinkling is placed to the east of the gārhapatya (in a sruc). It is stated by Jaimini (IX. 1. 2–3) that the prokṣaṇa of the mortar and pestle or the mill-stones has an unseen spiritual result (apūrva).