History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c50.22

v3.c50.22

The animal to be sacrificed is bathed with scented water, is led between the *cātvāla* and *utkara* and brought in front of the yūpa to the east with the animal's face to the west. The animal is a he-goat (chāga) which must not have a broken horn and must not be devoid of an ear or eye or tooth or tail, must not be lame nor have only seven hoofs (instead of eight, as each of the feet has two hoofs). If the animal is defective in any one of these ways an expiatory offering of ājya has to be made to Viṣṇu or Agni-Viṣṇu or Sarasvatī or Bṛhaspati (Āp. VII. 12. 3). Then follows *Paśūpākaraṇa*²⁴⁹⁵ which may be done in two days. He takes a darbha blade other than from those spread on the vedi with ‘upāvīr-asi’ (Vāj. S. VI. 7) and touches the animal (that stands facing the west) therewith with the verse ‘near the gods’ (upa devān, Vāj. S. VI. 7). Another way (according to Āp. VII. 12. 5–8) is: he takes two blades of kuśa reciting ‘iṣe tvā’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 1. 1) and takes a branch of plakṣa tree that has many leaves and twigs, that is not dry at the end and is not hollow and touches the victim with the blades and the branch and repeats the two mantras ‘upo devān-daivīr-viśaḥ and ‘prajāpater-jāyamānā’ (Tai. S. I. 3. 7. 1 and III. 1. 1. 4) and the words ‘I assign thee, who are dear to Indra and Agni.’²⁴⁹⁶ Then he produces fire by churning from the *araṇis* and offers homa in accordance with the procedure of the Vaiśvadeva-parva (vide above pp. 1093–94). Āp. (VII. 12. 11) says that upākaraṇa may be done after the production of fire. He makes a loop of the girdle which has two strands and which is two vyāmas in length; he twines the loop round the right fore-leg of the animal and then fastens tightly the girdle on the right horn with the mantra ‘ṛtasya tvā’ (Vāj. S. VI. 8, Tai. S. I. 3. 8); and ties the raśanā (girdle) round the yūpa towards its north with ‘devasya tvā’ (Vāj. S. VI. 9 or Tai. S. I. 3. 8. 1). He sprinkles water over it with ‘adbhyas-tvauṣadhībhyo’ (Vāj. S. VI. 9). Then he makes the victim drink water (by holding below its mouth the agnihotra-havaṇī filled with water) for the last time with ‘apām perurasi’ (Vāj S. VI. 10, Tai. S. I. 3. 8. 1). Then he sprinkles water over the upper limbs and lower limbs (such as its heart and belly) and over the whole of its body. Then he performs all the procedure of the darśa-pūrṇamāsa beginning from the direction to the hotṛ to repeat a verse when the fire is being kindled up to the *prayājas* (i. e. the sāmidhenīs, pravara-varaṇa by the hotṛ, devatāhvāna, āghāras and pravaravaraṇa by the adhvaryu).