Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.138

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.138

Language
English

v3.c51.138.1

10-11) which are in Tai. Ār. III. 4. Then the Sāvitra cup is offered (Āp. XIII. 13. 1, Āśv. V. 18. 1). The Vaiśvadeva cup is thereafter filled from the Pūtabhṛt trough, but there is no stotra chanted for this cup; the vaiśvadeva śastra however is recited by the hotṛ (Āśv. V. 18. 5-13). Then rice (caru) is boiled for being offered to god Soma. The adhvaryu wears the sacred thread in the prācīnāvīta form, cuts off to the south of the āhavanīya one oblation from the boiled rice with his right hand and another with the mekṣaṇa, crosses to the north of the āhavanīya, and with his face to the south offers in the southern part of the āhavanīya fire the oblations of rice, the yājyā being 'tvaṁ soma pitṛbhiḥ saṁvidānaḥ' (Ṛg. VIII. 48. 13). Ājya is poured on the remnants of the caru in the pot, the adhvaryu sees his face in the clarified butter (Āśv. V. 19. 4), anoints his eyes with the ājya by means of his thumb and ring-finger and then hands over the pot of rice (with ājya therein) to the three udgātṛ priests, who see their reflections in the ājya and if they cannot see their reflection (which is an evil omen) then more ājya is poured and two mantras are repeated (Āśv. V. 19. 5, one being 'bhadraṁ karṇebhiḥ' Ṛg. I. 89. 8) and then again they look for their reflection in the ājya. The āgnīdhra carries lighted roots of darbhas to the several dhiṣṇyas and establishes them thereon as fires and the adhvaryu pours ājya taken afresh in a pot over them while the darbhas are glowing (Āp.

v3.c51.138.2

XIII. 14. 5-6, Sat. IX. 4 p. 929). He keeps some ājya in the pot, takes the cup called Pātnīvata,²⁶²⁰ fills it from the soma in the Āgrayaṇasthālī, mixes in it the ājya that remains after pouring over on the dhiṣṇya fire-brands and offers it into the northern part of the fire. Jai. (in III. 2. 33-37) lays down several propositions about this cup viz. that it is offered only to Agni Patnīvat and not also to Indra-Vāyu and other joint deities (though the soma in the āgrayaṇasthālī had in it the remnants of the contents of the grahas for joint deities), that, though the mantra in offering it contains the word Tvaṣṭṛ ('O! Agni Patnīvat! drink soma joined with god Tvaṣṭṛ') that cup of soma is offered only to Agni Patnīvat and not to Tvaṣṭṛ also and that, though Ṛg. III. 6. 9 (the yājyā verse) contains a prayer about the thirty-three gods, the Pātnīvata is not to be supposed to be offered to them also. The adhvaryu then issues various directions to the several priests (Āp. XIII. 14. 11, Sat. IX. 4. p. 930). The āgnīdhra sits on the lap²⁶²¹ of the neṣṭṛ and partakes of the remnants of the Pātnīvata cup (Āśv. V. 19. 8, Kāt. X. 6. 24), while so sitting. He washes that cup on the mārjālīya and keeps it on the *khara*. The camasas of the hotṛ and others are filled by the unnetṛ in such a way that no soma is left, the two jars of soma are wiped with the *daśās* and they are all kept with mouths turned downwards.

v3.c51.138.3

The adhvaryu starts the udgātṛ priests on their chant of Yajñāyajñīya stotra (Āp. XIII. 15. 3), which is the principal stotra of the Agniṣṭoma (Sat. IX. 4. p. 931 calls it 'Agniṣṭoma Sāman'). All those priests who are to chant the stotra and the choristers cover their heads together with the ears.²⁶²² Those who come as sight-seers into the sadas should join in the chant as choristers (Āp. XIII. 15. 6). When the udgātṛ makes the hiṅkāra of the yajñāyajñīya stotra he looks at the sacrificer's wife who is brought by the neṣṭṛ near the udgātṛ. When the nidhana (*finale*) of the first verse is being sung the wife removes the garment from her right thigh and with her face to the north pours the *pānnejanī* water on her thigh up till the prastāva of the third stotriya of the first paryāya²⁶²³ (so as to leave no water in the jar). The wife retires to her shed when the udgātṛ asks her to go or when he has looked at her thrice and she has poured water thrice (Kāt. X. 7. 5–6). While the chant proceeds the sacrificer repeats the *saptahotṛ* mantras (note 2393 above). The Yajñāyajñīya sāman is Ṛg. VI. 48. 1–2=Sāmaveda II. 1. 1. 20 (Benfey) and S. V. vol. III. p. 175-177.²⁶²⁴ After this comes the recitation of the Āgnimāruta śastra (Āśv. V. 20. 6) which is to be done in the druta (quick) mode of recitation.²⁶²⁵ While the hotṛ recites Ṛg. X. 9.

v3.c51.138.4

1-3 (the hymn beginning with 'āpo hi ṣṭhā'), which is part of this śastra he touches water separately at each verse, the other priests touch him, they all remove the covering from their heads,²⁶²⁶ the hotṛ utters the āhāva, the adhvaryu utters the pratigara after splashing water. There are āhāvas when the four verses of Ṛg. VI. 47. 1-4 are being recited in the Āgnimāruta śastra. According to Sat. IX. 4. p. 932 the āhāva at the beginning of the first verse has a response which is 'mada modaiva modā modaiva (or-daivom).²⁶²⁷