History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.106

v3.c51.106

Then comes the offering of ṛtugrahas. These cups are filled from the droṇakalaśa and are offered by the adhvaryu and the pratiprasthātṛ to the twelve months (Madhu, Mādhava, and so on, from Tai. S. I. 4. 14 or Vāj. S. VII. 30) or 13 months (when there is an intercalary month called Saṁsarpa in Tai. S. I. 4. 14. 1 and Aṁhasaspati in Vāj. S. VII. 30) or 14 (vide Āp. XII. 27. 1). There are 6 pairs of months, for the first of which the offering is made by the adhvaryu and for the 2nd by the pratiprasthātṛ with the mantra (Vāj S. VII. 30) 'upayāmagṛhītoṣi madhave tvā' (and so on). Baud. VII. 16 gives at length all the mantras for the twelve months. The praiṣas are uttered by the maitrāvaruṇa and when the adhvaryu enters the havirdhāna pavilion to make the offering the pratiprasthātṛ leaves it and *vice versa.* The vaṣaṭkāra for the first six is uttered respectively by hotṛ, potṛ, neṣṭṛ, āgnīdhra, brāhmaṇācchaṁsin and maitrāvaruṇa and the adhvaryu or pratiprasthātṛ (as the case may be) eats of the remains in the cup with that priest who utters the vaṣaṭkāra. In the next four the vaṣaṭkāra is uttered by hotṛ, potṛ, neṣṭṛ and acchāvāka and for the last two by hotṛ. After this a cup is filled from the droṇakalaśa or pūtabhṛt for Indra and Agni (Āp. XII. 27. 8, Kāt. IX. 13. 20). All the soma pātras from which soma was drunk by the priests are washed on the mārjālīya place (Āp. VII. 27. 10).