History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.23.4

v3.c51.23.4

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.