History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c50.25.8

v3.c50.25.8

The adhvaryu then pulls out from the belly of the victim the omentum, envelopes the two spits ²⁵¹⁰ (vapāśrapaṇīs) with it, pierces the thin end of the vapā with one spit, severs it from the belly on all sides and sprinkles it with water holding the spits over the cātvāla pit. Then the pratiprasthātṛ heats the omentum on the śāmitra fire. The adhvaryu, pratiprasthātṛ and āgnīdhra come from the cātvāla to the āhavanīya. The āgnīdhra throws the śāmitra fire (viz. the firebrand and not the fire produced by attrition) into the āhavanīya and the adhvaryu also throws into it the portion of the blade held in his left hand (as stated at p. 1123 above). Āp. (VII. 19. 3) adds that the śamitṛ holds tightly by the closed fingers of his hands the two portions of the skin of the victim's belly till the omentum is offered into fire. The pratiprasthātṛ, standing to the north of the āhavanīya fire, heats the omentum on that fire, then carries it by the space between the yūpa and āhavanīya, goes round to the south side, and roasts the omentum on the āhavanīya. The adhvaryu takes clarified butter in the sruva ladle and pours ājya on the omentum that is being held for roasting on the āhavanīya by the pratiprasthātṛ with a mantra. When drops (stokas) of fat begin to drip from the omentum, the adhvaryu directs the maitrāvaruṇa to recite for the drops. The maitrāvaruṇa recites Ṛg. I. 75. 1 and Ṛg. III. 21.