History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.50.1

v3.c51.50.1

On the next day both the pravargyas and upasads of the morning and afternoon are gone through in the morning. After the *udvāsana* of the pravargya, the bringing forward of the fire (agnipraṇayana) from the āhavanīya to the uttaravedi takes place. The fire placed on the nābhi becomes the āhavanīya for all actions in the soma sacrifice and the original āhavanīya becomes the gārhapatya (Āp. XI. 5. 9–10). Kuśa grass, the fuel and vedi are thrice sprinkled with water and the vedi is covered with that grass with the points of the blades to the east. Two carts, washed with water, with their yokes tightly bound but with no yoke-pins, are brought round from the agniśālā and placed in the mahāvedi, one about one cubit (aratni) to the south of the pṛṣṭhyā line and the other to the north about one cubit. The cart to the south (called dakṣiṇa-havirdhāna) is larger than the one to the north and the shafts of both are towards the east. These carts are called havirdhāna because the soma plant (which is the *havis* in somayāga) is to be placed thereon.²⁵⁶⁵ The south and north carts are respectively in charge of the adhvaryu and pratiprasthātṛ. They are then covered with grass mats or thatch made of split bamboos. A maṇḍapa (called havirdhāna-maṇḍapa) is erected by having six posts in front of the two carts and six behind them and having two bamboos on the posts from south to north. He suspends from the front part of the maṇḍapa a garland-like sheaf of twisted grass (rarāṭī).