History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.130

v3.c51.130

When the gifts are taken away by the priests the sacrificer casts away the antelope horn in the cātvāla pit with two mantras (Āp. XIII. 7. 16). Jai. (IV. 2. 16-19) says that this casting away is the final disposal of the horn (it is a pratipattikarma) and (in XI. 3. 13-14) that this casting takes place on the last day in sacrifices like the Dvādaśāha. The adhvaryu offers five offerings of ājya called Vaiśvakarmaṇa (i. e. for Viśvakarman) in the āgnīdhra fire with five mantras from Tai. S. III. 2. 8. 1-3 (Āp. XIII. 7. 17 and Sat. IX. 2. p. 911). The adhvaryu and the pratiprasthātṛ take two cups for (Indra) Marutvat and offer them. The remnants of the cup in pratiprasthātṛ's hand are poured in the adhvaryu's cup; from this mixture a portion is poured in the cup of the pratiprasthātṛ. The priests partake of the remnants. Then a third Marutvatīya cup is taken to the accompaniment of the śastra called marutvatīya²⁶¹⁵ recited by the hotṛ (Āp. XIII. 8. 2) and at the end of the recitation of that śastra it is offered. Then a cup for Mahendra is taken. The stotra for Mahendra is called Pṛṣṭha,²⁶¹⁶ and is chanted at this time, being sung in Ratha ntara melody (Lāṭ. II. 9. 7, Āśv. V. 15. 2-3). Then follows the Niṣkevalya śastra by the hotṛ. After the Māhendra cup is offered, the pratiprasthātṛ, neṣṭṛ and unnetṛ take up three grahas (cups) called Atigrāhya respectively for Agni, Indra and Sūrya (Āp. XIII. 8. 7-9). Then three Ukthya cups are offered as in the morning pressing. Then three Pṛṣṭhastotras²⁶¹⁷ are chanted, each followed respectively by the śastras recited by the maitrā-varuṇa, brāhmaṇācchaṁsin and acchāvāka. This closes the mid-day pressing of soma.