History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c49.12

v3.c49.12

Kāt. (V. 1. 21-24) requires that this Vaiśvadeva-parvan should be performed in a spot which inclines towards the east,²⁴⁴⁹ that the sacrificer and his wife each put on two fresh and unworn garments (one lower and the other upper) which they have to wear again at the Varuṇapraghāsaparvan. Kāt. (V. 1. 25-26) following Śat. Br. (II. 5. 1) says that barhis (sacred grass to be strewn on sacrificial ground) is tied up in three bunches separately with a rope of grass and then all three bunches are tied together with a bigger rope and therein (i. e. inside this last rope) is thrust a bunch of flowering kuśa grass, which is to be used as *prastara*. After putting the yajñapātras²⁴⁵⁰ on the sacrificial ground, fire is produced by churning from the *araṇis*. Being directed by the adhvaryu the hotṛ priest repeats at the time of churning fire the verses Ṛg. I. 24. 3, I. 22. 13, VI. 16. 13-15 (except the last pāda of VI. 16. 15) and stops till he receives another direction (sampraiṣa) from the adhvaryu. If fire is not produced at once the hotṛ should go on repeating the hymn, Ṛg. X. 118, till fire is struck from the *araṇis*.²⁴⁵¹ On hearing from the adhvaryu that fire is produced and that he should repeat a formula for that event, the hotṛ repeats the last pāda of Ṛg. VI. 16. 15 at which he had stopped (after the syllable om added at the end of that verse of Ṛg. X. 118 at which he hears about the production of fire). Then he should repeat Ṛg. I. 74. 3 and stop after repeating half of Ṛg. VI. 16. 40, then recite Ṛg. VI. 16. 41-42, I. 12. 6, VIII. 43. 14, the verse 'tamarjayanta sukratum' and then repeat Ṛg. X. 90. 16 as the paridhānīyā (the finishing verse).²⁴⁵² There are nine prayājas and nine anuyājas in the Vaiśvadeva-parvan, while in the Darśapūrṇamāsa there are only five prayājas and three anuyājas. The number nine of the prayājas ²⁴⁵³ is made up by adding before the 5th prayāja of the Darśapūrṇamāsa four as stated in the note below. Ṛg. V. 82. 7 and VI. 71. 6 are the anuvākyā and yājyā for the offering to Savitṛ, Ṛg. VI. 54. 9 and VI. 58. 1 for that to Pūṣan and VII. 59. 11 and VI. 66. 9 for that to Maruts.²⁴⁵⁴ The nine anuyājas are made up by adding after the first anuyāja of the darśapūrṇamāsa six more. After the anuyājas, or after the sūktavāka or śaṁyuvāka, an offering of vājina is made to the deities called Vājins. The remainder of the vājina is brought in a vessel and is dealt with in the same way as *iḍā* (i. e. it is placed in the folded hands of the hotṛ by the adhvaryu, the hotṛ then holds it in his left hand and then on the right hand some ghee is sprinkled by the adhvaryu and then two portions of the vājina are put thereon and then again some ājya is sprinkled over it), the vessel is then raised as high as the mouth or nose, the hotṛ should request the other priests in order (as done in the note) to repeat an invocation (upahava) with a mantra and then the hotṛ, adhvaryu, brahmā and āgnīdhra partake of the vājina by merely smelling ²⁴⁵⁵ it. The sacrificer partakes of the vājina actually. Kāt. (V. 2. 9 and 12) adds that the adhvaryu offers three offerings called samiṣṭa-yajus respectively to Vāta, Yajña and Yajñapati with three mantras (viz. Vāj. VIII. 21, 22 first half and 22 latter half) or only one samiṣṭa-yajus may be offered (with Vāj. S. VIII. 21) in Vaiśvadeva and Śunāsīrīya parvans. According to the Śat. Br. (II. 5. 1. 21) the dakṣiṇā in this rite is the first born calf of the season. Kāt. (V. 2. 13) further says that the sacrificer may on finishing each of the three cāturmāsyas (except Śunāsīrīya) shave himself.