History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c50.49.3

v3.c50.49.3

its southern corner of the western side) over which kuśa grass is already spread. Then ājya is sprinkled over four utensils viz. juhū, upabhṛt, *vasāhomahavaṇī* (a *sruc* ladle with which the offering of *vasā* i. e. of the gravy is to be made) and the vessel in which iḍā is to be cut. Then a golden piece is placed in the juhū and the upabhṛt, which are then kept on twigs of plakṣa tree and then in the juhū and upabhṛt are cut by the pratiprasthātṛ (with the anointed edge of the knife) portions of the heart, then of the tongue and then of the chest (this order is stated in the Tai. S. VI. 3. 10) and then of the other limbs in any order (the whole of the entrails being at this stage cut in three parts). Two portions of the size of the fore-part of the thumb are cut both in the juhū (of the daivata limbs) and upabhṛt (of the limbs meant for Sviṣṭakṛt). While this is being done the adhvaryu directs the maitrāvaruṇa to repeat texts for the *havis* that is to be offered to Manotā and the maitrāvaruṇa repeats the whole hymn Ṛg. VI. 1 (in the first of which only the word Manotā occurs as an epithet of Agni, probably meaning 'thinker'). He takes the gravy in the *vasāhomahavaṇī*²⁵²⁰ with 'red-asi' (Vāj. S. VI. 18), pours ājya over it twice and mixes the two together with the knife.