History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.152

v3.c51.152

A third oblation of ājya is made to Rudra (Āp. XIII. 20. 1) with ‘namo Rudrāya’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 9). When starting from the vedi or from near the cātvāla with faces to the north they recite Ṛg. I. 24. 8 (Tai. S. I. 4. 45. 1). The adhvaryu issues a direction to the prastotṛ to chant a sāman. The sāman chanted is called ‘avabhṛthasāman’ (Lāt. II. 12. 1). It is ‘agniṣṭapati’ (vide Śat. Br. IV. 4. 5. 8 and Drāhyāyaṇa śr. VI. 4. 1). When the nidhana of the sāman is being sung, all the priests, the yajamāna and his wife thrice repeat that *finale*. They do so a second time when they have traversed half of the distance to the reservoir of water and a third time when they reach the water (Āp. XIII. 20. 4 and Sat. IX. 5. p. 941). The same procedure is followed for the Varuṇa puroḍāśa as in Varuṇapraghāsas for niṣkāsa. The dregs of soma are thrown into water with the branch of the udumbara tree and curds are poured over it. All utensils smeared with soma are thrown into water (Āp. XIII. 21. 12, Kāt. X. 8. 24). Jai. (IV. 2. 19-22) says that this casting into water is merely the final disposal (*pratipatti*) of these utensils and the *śruti* passage ‘they approach the water for the final bath with whatever is smeared with soma’ does not lay down any subordinate matter about avabhṛtha. The girdle of the yajamāna and the yoktra, the jāla (net on the head of the wife) and the antelope skin of the wife are dipped in water. The yajamāna invokes the water with ‘devīrāpaḥ’ (Tai. S. I. 4. 45. 3) and enters. The deep silent waters of flowing rivers are to be preferred, but in the absence of such waters any water reservoir will do (Kāt. X. 8. 19). The yajamāna and the wife enter water, splash water on their heads (but do not dip them into water), rub each other's back. A handful of kuśa is thrown into the water and this handful in the water serves as the āhavanīya for all āhutis in avabhṛtha.