History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c50.33

v3.c50.33

²⁵⁰⁴ The adhrigu-praiṣa is: दैव्‍याः शमितार आरभध्वमुत मनुष्या उपनयत मेध्या दुर आशासाना मेधपतिभ्यां मेधम् । प्रास्मा अग्निं भरत स्तृणीत बर्हिरन्वेनं माता मन्यतामनु पितानु भ्राता सगर्भ्योऽनु सखा सयूथ्यः । उदीचीना अस्य पदो निधत्तात् सूर्यं चक्षुर्गमयताद्वातं प्राणमन्ववसृजतादन्तरिक्षमसुं दिशः श्रोत्रं पृथिवीं शरीरम् । एकधास्य त्वचमाच्छ्यतात्पुरा नाभ्या आपि शसो वपामुत्खिदतादन्तरेवोष्माणं वारयध्वात् । श्येनमस्य वक्षः कृणुतात् प्रशसा बाहू शला दोषणी कश्यपेवांसावच्छिद्रे श्रोणी कवषोरू सेकपर्णाष्ठीवन्ता । षड्-विंशतिरस्य वङ्क्रयस्ता अनुष्ठ्यो च्यावयताद्गात्रं गात्रमस्थानूनं कृणुतात् ऊवध्यगोहं पार्थिवं खनतात् । अस्ना रक्षः संसृजतात् । वनिष्ठुमस्य मा राविष्टोरूकं मन्यमाना नेद्वस्तोके तनये रवितारवच्छाशमितारः । अध्रिगो शमीध्वं सुशमि शमीध्वं शमीध्वमध्रिगा३उ अपाप । आश्व. III. 3. 1, शां. श्रौ. V. 17. This occurs in Tai. Br. III. 6. 6 and Ait. Br. VI. 6-7, where some expressions are also explained. Āśv. (III. 2. 11-30) explains how changes (ūha) are to be effected in this formula in different rites according to the limbs concerned, the deities and the number of victims. Āśv. (III. 3. 2 and 4) provides that the words शमितारः, अपाप and अस्ना रक्षः संसृजतात् are recited inaudibly and the passage 'अध्रिगो ...... अपाप' is repeated thrice. This whole formula is called adhrigu and adhrigu was also supposed to be a deity presiding over the slaughtering of a victim in sacrifice. Vide com. on Aśv. III. 2. 11. There were as remarked by Śāṅ. Śr. nine pauses to take breath at the end of each of the first nine sentences. The Nirukta (V. 11) explains 'adhrigu' as meaning a mantra and also states that the word is applied to Agni in Ṛg. III. 21. 4 and to Indra in Ṛg. I. 61. 1. The Nirukta quotes the words 'अध्रिगो शमीध्वं ...... अध्रिगो.' Jaimini considers questions arising from some of the words used in this formula; in IX. 3. 27-28 (when there are many victims in a sacrifice, the singular, 'cakṣur' is still to be used), IX. 3. 29-31 (the word 'ekadhā' is explained), IX. 3. 32-40 (some śākhās read 'medhapataye' and some 'medhapatibhyām' and the word means 'devatā'), IX. 4. 1-16 (about '26 ribs' when there are two or more victims), IX. 4. 22 ('urūka' means 'vapā'), IX. 4. 23-24 ('praśasā' means 'praśastau'), IX. 4. 25-27 (the words 'śyena, śalā, kaśyapa, kavaṣa and srekaparṇa only mean that the limbs are to be taken out entire and when so taken out they resemble the hawk and other objects mentioned. Jai. (IX. 1. 45-49) says that in the Atirātra sacrifice of the ewe to Sarasvatī the adhrigupraiṣa does not occur. Different views were entertained as to who the śamitṛ was, the usual opinion being that he was a *(Continued from last page)* person other than the ṛtviks (though a few opined that one of the ṛtviks who choked or strangled the animal was called śamitṛ). Vide Kāt. VI. 7. 1-4 and the com. thereon. According to Jai. III. 7. 28-29, śamitṛ is the adhvaryu himself. Āśv. XII. 9. 12-13 shows that the śamitṛ may be a brāhmaṇa or a non-brāhmaṇa. The Ait. Br. VI. 7 and Āśv. III. 3. 4 state that the hotṛ is to utter inaudibly ‘O (divine) slaughterers! whatever merit exists in this make that belong to us, whatever is sinful, make it go elsewhere’. The words शमितारः, अश्रिगाउ3, अपापं are called अवसानs (stops or pauses). The last is pronounced as अपापा.