History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c50.25.1

v3.c50.25.1

The paśu is meant either for Indra-Agni or Sūrya or Prajāpati and one has to dedicate the victim throughout one’s life in every paśubandha to that deity which one chooses at the first animal sacrifice (Kāt. VI. 3. 29–30). He anoints the victim with ājya from the juhū ladle on its forehead, its shoulders and its hind parts after the last āghāra is offered (as in darśa-pūrṇamāsa) and before dhruvā-samañjana (ladling ājya in the dhruvā ladle with the juhū thrice, once with a mantra and twice silently). While the animal stands²⁴⁹⁷ he offers the prayājas, that are eleven in the paśubandha (while in darśapūrṇamāsa they are only five and in cāturmāsyas they are nine). The method of offering these in paśubandha is as follows: the adhvaryu directs the maitrāvaruṇa to request the hotṛ to repeat the yājyā verses from the Āprī hymns of the prayāja offerings in succession. The praiṣas (directions to the hotṛ) that the maitrāvaruṇa utters are rather lengthy and hence the text of only one is given below.²⁴⁹⁸ There are ten Āprī hymns in the Ṛgveda ascribed to ten different sages. They are: I. 13 (of Medhātithi Kāṇva), I. 142 (of Dīrghatamas Auchathya, an Āṅgirasa), I. 188 (of Agastya), II. 3 (of Gṛtsamada, a Śaunaka), III. 4 (of Viśvāmitra), V. 4 (of Atri), VII. 2 (of Vasiṣṭha), IX. 5 (of Kāśyapa), X. 70 (of Vadhryaśva), X. 110 (of Jamadagni). Out of these in Ṛg. I. 13 and I. 142 there are verses for both Tanūnapāt (2nd prayāja deity) and Narāśaṁsa; while Ṛg. I. 188, III. 4, IX. 5 and X.