History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.23.1

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.