History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.23
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.23
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v3.c51.23.1
Then comes the purchase of soma (referred to in the Brāhmaṇas and Sūtras as ‘rājan’). Soma is purchased from a brāhmaṇa of the Kutsa gotra or from a śūdra (Āp. X. 20. 12 allows it to be purchased from any brāhmaṇa).²⁵⁴⁶ Jai. III. 7. 31 states that the vendor of soma is someone other than the priests. The seller of soma is asked to free it from the weeds that may be mixed up with it; the adhvaryu turns his back towards soma when this (weeding) is being done and neither the adhvaryu nor his assistants nor the sacrificer nor the latter's sons should do the weeding out nor does anyone of these see it being done (Sat. VII. 1, p. 609). The soma plant is placed on the southern part of the red hide of a bull by the pratiprasthātṛ spread on the place where uparavas (four sounding holes) will be made later on and the seller of soma sits on the northern part of the hide. A water jar is placed in front of soma. The doors of the sacrificial hall are shut, the adhvaryu pours into the juhū four times ājya from the dhruvā ladle used in the prāyaṇīyā (or five times for those who are *pañcāvattins*), ties a piece of gold by a blade out of the darbhas spread on the altar, puts down into the juhū the blade with the gold and makes an offering into the āhavanīya of that ājya (this offering is called hiraṇyavatī āhuti); he takes out the piece of gold, casts the blade (with which it was tied) on the vedi and ties the gold piece with a thread.
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The doors of the hall are opened and the adhvaryu and yajamāna come out. To the south of the eastern door of the sacrificial hall stands a heifer (called *somakrayaṇī*), that is one, two or three years²⁵⁴⁷ old, is tawny, has yellowish brown eyes or is red (but has no red eyes), has not given birth to a calf, has no deficiency and is not tied (vide Āp. VI. 20. 2-5 and Sat. VII. 2, p. 623 for further details). The cow is not held by her ear or her foot is not tied by a rope (she may be held by the neck, if necessary). She is invoked by the adhvaryu (who is sitting) with a mantra 'cidasi' (Vāj. S. IV. 19, Tai. S. I. 2. 4. 1). The cow is led towards the north, the adhvaryu and yajamāna follow her. After she goes six steps, at her 7th step, the brahmā and yajamāna sit down to the cow's right, behind her sits the adhvaryu and the neṣṭṛ priest to her north. They keep the golden piece on the spot where the 7th step is put by her (which is first covered with his folded hands by the adhvaryu) and make an offering of it to Aditi (adityai idam na mama). Taking the sphya the adhvaryu draws lines round the 7th foot-print (once with a mantra, twice silently) from right to left (Āp. X. 23. 3 adds that lines are drawn also with the antelope horn of the sacrificer); the dust on the lines is gathered with the hand and put into a pot (sthālī) and handed over to the yajamāna who passes it on to his wife who invokes the cow with a mantra.
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He washes his hand (that has the piece of gold in it) on the 7th foot-print (of the cow), pours some water on the dust collected in a pot, divides the dust into three parts, one of which is placed on the cold ashes of the gārhapatya, the 2nd on the cold ashes of the āhavanīya and the third is given to the wife who places it in the house. The adhvaryu ties the piece of gold to his small finger (on which it must be at the time of āpyāyana and pressing of soma and at the time of taking the aṁśu and adābhya cups). The adhvaryu directs the sacrificer's servant to bring a piece of cloth for tying soma, another for covering it all round and a turban; the first is carried by the adhvaryu or yajamāna and the rest by the pratiprasthātṛ. They go with their faces to the east towards the soma which is in a four-wheeled cart covered all round and above with mats &c. Detailed rules follow how soma stalks (*aṁśu*) are selected and taken with the hand, tied in the cloth and covered with the turban (Āp. X. 24. 7-14, Kāt. VII. 7. 12-21). The yajamāna pays homage to soma and waits upon Aditi (Āp. X. 25. 1). The adhvaryu hands over the soma (so tied and turbaned) to the vendor of soma²⁵⁴⁸ and there ensues a dialogue (which is a mock drama) between the vendor and the adhvaryu wherein they higgle for the price of the soma (five times, beginning with a kalā or 1/16th or the thigh of the cow and ending with the whole cow).
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Gold piece is also offered to the vendor of soma, who says 'soma is sold to you but offer me some other animals' and the adhvaryu replies 'yours are the gold piece, clothes, goats, another cow, a cow and bull and three other cows.' Adhvaryu comes with the soma in his right hand and pushes aside the garment from the sacrificer's right thigh and places the soma tied in a piece of cloth on the thigh of the sacrificer, who mutters the text '*śvāna bhrājāṅghāre*²⁵⁴⁹ &c.' (Vāj. VI. 27, Tai. S. I. 2. 7. 1). Ultimately the gold piece and somakrayaṇī cow are brought back, another is offered in exchange and the former is sent to the cowpen belonging to the sacrificer. Āp. (X. 27. 8) and Sat. (VII. 2. p. 644) say that according to some the vendor is always struck with sticks and clods of earth (i. e. there is a show of seizing the soma from him and driving him away with sticks, vide Kāt. VII. 8. 27 also). The sacrificer's staff is handed over to the maitrāvaruṇa priest (vide Jai. IV. 2. 16-18) and the sacrificer holds in both his hands the bundle of soma placed on his thigh, gets up, places his hand on his head and thereon the bundle of soma, approaches a cart (*śakaṭa*) kept to the south (of the place where soma was bought ) that is washed, is covered with a mat or the like and has all its parts complete.
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The adhvaryu spreads on the box of the cart a black antelope-skin with the neck portion to the east and hairy side upwards, places the soma thereon, covers it with another piece of cloth, ties a skin to a staff as a flag. Two oxen are yoked to the cart, the Subrahmaṇya priest ( an assistant to the udgātṛ ) standing on the ground between the two shafts of the cart drives the oxen holding two palāśa branches in his hand ( as whips ). The adhvaryu touches the cart and directs the hotṛ to repeat a verse for soma that is bought ( or being taken round ) and directs the subrahmaṇya priest to pronounce the Subrahmaṇyā invocation. The hotṛ stands three steps behind the cart between the two wheel-tracks, and while keeping his heels firm and unmoved throws up to the south with a verse ( tvam vipraḥ, Āśv. IV. 4. 2 ) clods ( or dust ) thrice with the forepart of his foot, then utters standing ' hiṁ bhūrbhuvaḥ svarom ' and a verse ' bhadrād abhi śreyaḥ prehi ' ( Āśv. IV. 4. 2). While following the moving cart between wheel-tracks he recites Ṛg. I. 91. 9-11, X. 71. 10, IV. 53. 7 ( half ) and stops. When the cart stops the hotṛ approaches the soma from the south side of the cart, and stands facing it. He touches the soma or the cloth covering it with two verses ( called paridhānīyā viz. Ṛg. I. 91. 19 and VIII. 42. 3 ). Then the sacrificer touches the soma and comes to the sacrificial hall ( śālā ) along with all the priests.
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The subrahmaṇya priest recites the famous subrahmaṇyā litany ²⁵⁵⁰ (which is an invitation to Indra). According to Lāṭ. I. 3. 1 this litany is recited after the performance of ātithyā iṣṭi, but according to Āp. and Kāt. it is recited before Ātithyā. At the time of each upasad the subrahmaṇyā litany is recited (Sat. VII. 4. p. 676). According to Lāṭ. the subrahmaṇya stands inside the spot where the altar would be prepared and recites the litany and the yajamāna touches him and the wife touches the yajamāna. The formula is 'O Subrahmaṇya (Indra who protects excellent prayers), come, O Indra! O Lord of *hari* (bay) steeds! Ram of Medhātithi! Menā (wife or daughter?) of Vṛṣaṇaśva! Attacking buffalo! Lover of Ahalyā! O Kauśika! O brāhmaṇa! Thou who callest thyself Gautama!'. Then he should state 'in so many days, to the soma feast.' Then he adds 'Ye Gods and brāhmaṇas! come hither!' While the Subrahmaṇyā is being recited the sacrificer mutters certain prayers (Āp. X. 28. 5). Near the eastern door of the prāgvaṁśa the pratiprasthātṛ stands holding by the ear a goat (as a present to king Soma) that has white and dark spots of hair or red and dark ones, that is hornless, fat and bearded. The cart is stopped to the east of the prāgvaṁśa with its shafts to the east or north, the yoke-pins are taken out; the oxen are released from the yoke (or only one ox, the northern one, is released).
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While this is being done preparations are made for ātithyeṣṭi to receive hospitably as a guest king Soma. The adhvaryu and three other priests make ready a stool or couch (āsandī) of udumbara wood, having feet as high as the navel, with a board one *aratni* square plaited with cords of muñja grass, on which a black antelope skin is spread. On this the soma is placed after being taken out of the cart. Soma thus seated on the couch is brought inside the śālā by the eastern door, is taken to the west of the āhavanīya and established to the south of the āhavanīya to the east of the seat of the brahmā priest. Then follows the work of ātithyeṣṭi. The wife quickly takes out the materials for a cake on nine potsherds for Viṣṇu (who is the principal deity in this iṣṭi). In all iṣṭis (in Agniṣṭoma) after the dīkṣaṇīyā up to udayanīyā (the concluding iṣṭi) there is no agnyanvādhāna, no taking up of vrata, no subsisting on fast food, no gifts and no choosing of brahmā. There are only five prayāja offerings and no anuyājas.²⁵⁵¹ Fire is produced by attrition, and the iṣṭi comes to an end after the first iḍā. For details see Āp. X. 30 and Kāt. VIII. 1. After the iḍā is eaten there is tānūnaptra, a solemn convenant made by the sacrificer and the priests pledging themselves in the name of Tanūnapāt (the mighty blowing wind, that is the witness of all living beings) not to injure each other.
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They make this²⁵⁵² covenant by touching simultaneously clarified butter taken in a vessel of kāṁsya or in a camasa from the ājya in the dhruvā ladle used in the ātithyā and placed on the southern hip (south corner of west side) of the altar. That clarified butter used for this covenant is shaken by the adhvaryu and is kept by him in a vessel (which is not earthen-ware) in a well-known spot and is given mixed with the fast milk (vrata-dugdha) to the sacrificer in the afternoon (for eating). Then follows the avāntara-dīkṣā (intermediate consecration) of the sacrificer, in which he offers a fuel-stick in the āhavanīya fire (with 'agne vratapās' Vāj. S. V. 6), the wife also silently offers a fuel-stick in gārhapatya; he touches water heated in a vessel called madantī, clenches his fists more closely, tightens his girdle and drinks only hot milk. All priests also touch the madantī water and together with the sacrificer strengthen²⁵⁵³ the soma stalks with their hands holding golden pieces with the mantra 'aṁśur-aṁśu' (Vāj. S. V. 7, Tai. S. I. 2. 11. 1). Then they place their right hands one after another on the prastara which is on the southern end of the vedi with the palms turned upwards and cover the palms with their left palms turned downwards (this action being called nihnava, according to Āp. XI. 1. 12 and Kāt. VIII. 2. 9). Nihnava²⁵⁵⁴ is a kind of salutation to Heaven and Earth.