History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.11.4

v3.c51.11.4

He touches his forehead above the right brow with the horn, draws a line with it from west to east outside the vedi, and if he wants at any time to scratch his body he does so with that horn. Jai. (XI. 4. 48-49) declares that the mantra is to be repeated only once even if the yajamāna feels the desire to scratch several parts of his body at the same time. The adhvaryu gives a staff of udumbara (or of some other sacrificial tree) which is as high as the sacrificer's mouth (or chin), which he raises up and keeps on his right shoulder. While the adhvaryu is doing these things for the yajamāna, the pratiprasthātṛ does the same things for the wife (without mantras) except that she has the yoktra girt round her upper garment, that her head is covered by a jāla (a net or fillet) of wool and she has a piece of some sacrificial tree one span long for scratching her body. The sacrificer and adhvaryu repeat long passages wherein the word dīkṣā occurs frequently (Āp. X. 10. 6 and X. 11. 1), and the adhvaryu makes him repeat the sambhāra-yajus mantras (Tai. Ā. III. 8). The sacrificer then contracts the fingers of both hands one after another with mantras (first the small fingers of both hands, then the ring-fingers of both hands and so on) and ultimately he clinches his fists. He observes silence.