History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.147

v3.c51.147

When the last verse (paridhānīyā) of the Agnimāruta śastra is being recited (or at one of several other stages, according to Āp. XIII. 16. 2–5 and Sat. IX. 4. p. 933) the pratiprasthātṛ brings into the hotṛ-camasa the soma contained in the dhruva graha and the adhvaryu offers the soma contained in that camasa and the camasādhvaryus offer the soma in their cups and the priests partake of the remnants. When the upayāja homa with reference to the animal killed in the morning is performed and the paridhis are cast into the fire, he takes the Hāriyojana cup.²⁶²⁸ The unnetṛ brings into it all the soma contained in the āgrayaṇa-sthālī and mixes therein plenty of fried barley grains, places the cup on his head, comes out of the havirdhāna shed, steps backwards and forwards several times. Then the contents are offered to Indra (the tyāga by the yajamāna is 'idam Indrāya harivate') and the remnants are brought to the sadas for being partaken by the priests and the sacrificer. They distribute the remnants into other vessels, drink the fluid only smacking their lips, press the fried grains between their teeth so as to extract and take in all juice out of them and spit out of the vedi the masticated fried grains and sip water. According to some (Kāt. X. 8. 5) the priests only smell the fried grains. They throw chips of the tree from which the yūpa was made into the āhavanīya each with 'thou art the expiation (means of removal) of the evil caused by gods, men pitṛs &c.' (Vāj. S. VIII. 13., Tai. S. III. 2. 5. 7 quoted in Āp. XIII. 17. 9). They partake of the thick cheese-like layer on curds with 'dadhikrāvṇo' (Ṛg. IV. 39. 6) in the āgnīdhra shed (Sat. IX. 4. p. 935, Āp. XIII. 18. 1). They cast into the jars containing remnants of Ekadhanā waters green dūrvā grass, squeeze that grass well, impart to the water a sharp flavour (by the juice of the dūrvā), pour the water into ten camassas. Each priest smells his camasa (and those who have none smell the one nearest to them) to the west of the cātvāla or in the place (called āstāva) where the Bahiṣpavamāna was chanted (Āp. XIII. 17. 9, Kāt. X. 8. 7, Sat. IX. 4. p. 935) and pour the water down into the cātvāla pit (Sat. IX. 4 p. 935, or inside the vedi according to Āp. XIII. 18. 1). All priests wait upon the āhavanīya with the mindā mantra ‘yanma ātmano mindābhūt’ (whatever fault has been mine, Agni has mended it’ &c. Tai. S. III. 2. 5. 4). The priests then discharge themselves from the vow made at the Tānūnaptra ceremony. Then the Patnīsaṁyājas are performed as in the animal sacrifice (Āp. XIII. 18. 3). The adhvaryu offers with the juhū nine samiṣṭayajus offerings in a continuous stream, standing inside the vedi. Then he performs the prāyaścittas for actions like spilling soma drops about and offers a savanāhuti (i. e. an ājya offering indicating the completion of the Agniṣṭoma). The adhvaryu issues a direction to the maitrāvaruṇa to urge the priests to come out of the sacrificial shed and the latter do so.