History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c50.4.4

v3.c50.4.4

The first chip of the tree that is cut off, he keeps in a well-known place and the tree is cut at such a low height from the ground that the stump left in the ground would not strike against the axle of a cart going that way. The tree should be so cut that it should not fall to the south; it should fall to the east or north or north-east (Āp. VII. 2. 7); when it is falling he repeats the mantra ‘do not scratch the heaven with your top &c.’ (Vāj. S. V. 43 or Tai. S. I. 3. 5). He offers ājya with the juhū on the stump of the tree with the mantra ‘O tree, grow again with a hundred shoots’ (Vāj. S. V. 43, Tai. S. I. 3. 5) and having touched one’s body with ‘may we grow into a thousand branches’ (*ibid.*) he cuts off from the bottom upwards the twigs and knots of the felled tree. There were several views about the length of the yūpa (Āp. VII. 2. 11-17, Kāt. VI. 1. 24-26). According to some the yūpa may be of any length from one *aratni* to 33 aratnis, but Kāt. gives the usual length at 3 or 4 aratnis and Āp. (VII. 2. 17) also quotes the Śat. Br. (XI. 7. 4. 1) that the yūpa in nirūḍhapaśubandha is three or four aratnis in length, while in Soma sacrifices the other measures may apply. Kāt. (VI. 1. 31) states that in somayāga the yūpa may be from five to fifteen aratnis in length except 7, 10 or 14 aratnis and in the Vājapeya sacrifice the yūpa is 17 aratnis in length and in the Aśvamedha it is 21 aratnis. According to Āp.