History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.70
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.70
- Language
- English
v3.c51.70.1
While the Prātaranuvāka is being recited by the hotṛ, the āgnīdhra (according to Kāt. IX. 1. 15, the pratiprasthātṛ according to Āp. XII. 4. 4) priest takes out materials (nirvāpa) for five offerings which are a cake on eleven potsherds for Indra, dhānā (fried barley) for two Haris (bay horses of Indra), Karambha (barley flour with curds) for Pūṣan, curds for Sarasvatī, payasyā for Mitra and Varuṇa. There is an option that all five are meant for Indra, but the last four are in that case to Indra associated with the other deities in order as shown below.²⁵⁷⁹ The adhvaryu asks the hotṛ to think of water and issues directions to the attendant of maitrāvaruṇa holding a maitrāvaruṇa camasa (a flat wooden dish or cup with a handle) that he should come with the adhvaryu, to the neṣṭṛ to fetch the wife or wives of the sacrificer, asks the other ṛtviks to hold the ekadhana pitchers and the āgnīdhra to wait near the cātvāla pit with vasatīvarī waters. The adhvaryu goes to a pond or lake, makes offerings of ājya with the camasa of maitrāvaruṇa, fills it with water, the ekadhana pitchers also are filled and the wife fills a vessel called pannejana or pānnejana²⁵⁸⁰ (a small vessel with water for washing the feet or thighs). While the ekadhana pitchers are being filled the hotṛ recites Ṛg. X. 30. 1-9 and 11 which are called 'aponaptriyā verses' as the deity of those verses is 'apāmnapāt' (vide Ait. Br. VIII. 2, Āśv. V. 1. 8 and S. B. E. vol. 26. p.
v3.c51.70.2
232 *n.* 2).²⁵⁸¹ Then the water in the maitrāvaruṇa camasa and the vasatīvarī waters are mixed up together. And placing the vasatīvarī water in the hotṛcamasa the adhvaryu hands the camasa to the sacrificer, which water is thence-forward called nigrābhya (Āp. XII. 9. 1). Then the adhvaryu makes an offering of curds from a cup (called dadhigraha, Āp. XII. 7. 5-7). He also takes a few soma stalks from the heap of soma, places them on the upara (vide note 2582) and pours some vasatīvarī water over them, beats the stalks with the stone, extracts soma juice, fills a cup with it and offers it (this is called somagraha, Āp. XII. 7. 10-12). Āp. XII. 9 and Kāt. IX. 4 describe how soma is extracted to fill the Upāṁśugraha by using the Nigrābhya water, a portion of it is offered in the southern part of fire (the tyāga is 'idaṁ sūryāya') and a portion is kept in the Āgrayaṇasthālī and a large coil of soma stalks is placed in the Upāṁśūgraha for use in the evening pressing. Vide Haug's tr. of Ait. Br. p. 489 and S. B. E. vol. 26 pp. 244-245 n. 2 for the method of the pressing of soma for upāṁśu-graha (they slightly differ). Then comes the mahābhiṣava (the great or principal pressing of soma). The adhvaryu goes near the ādhavanīya trough and pours into it all the water that is in the maitrāvaruṇa camasa and a third part of the vasatīvarī water also is poured in that trough and also of the ekadhanā water. The rest of both kinds of waters is kept in the place of the ekadhanā water (viz.
v3.c51.70.3
to the west of the axle of the northern havirdhāna and below it). The adhvaryu sits to the north of the adhiṣavaṇa-carma towards the east and behind him sits the sacrificer, to the south of the adhiṣavaṇa-carma sits the pratiprasthātṛ, to the west neṣṭṛ and to the north the unnetṛ (Āp. XII. 12. 2 and Sat. VIII. 3. p. 825 ). A very large portion of the soma stalks is to be taken for the morning pressing and a small one for the midday one (Āp. XII. 9. 7). The adhvaryu takes hold of the stone called *upara*,²⁵⁸² places it on the adhiṣavaṇa hide, brings soma stalks thereon, nigrābhya water is poured on them, the stalks are beaten by the priests with the other stones held in their right hands, which have a golden ring or the like. This is called the first turn or round (*paryāga*). Then there is a second turn, when the stalks of soma scattered about in the first beating are collected and are again pounded. Then there is a third turn. The texts even prescribe how many times the stalks are to be beaten in each turn (vide Āp. XII. 10. 4-8, 9 and XII. 12. 8-9). The wet and pounded stalks are collected by the adhvaryu into a vessel called saṃbharaṇī,²⁵⁸³ are put in the *ādhavanīya* trough which already contains water, the ādhavanīya contents are thoroughly stirred, the stalks are washed, pressed, then taken out and placed on the adhiṣavaṇacarma.
v3.c51.70.4
The four stones are again placed facing the *upara* (the central big stone), the sediment or dregs (*ṛjīṣa*)²⁵⁸⁴ of the soma stalks are put over the face of the stones. The droṇakalaśa (a big trough) is carried from its place and kept over all the stones by the udgātṛ priests, who spread over it a woollen strainer or sieve held on a wooden frame or stool with its hem to the north and its centre (*nābhi*) made of the bunch of wool that was handed over to the sacrificer when soma was purchased (Āp. X. 26. 11 and XII. 13. 1). The unnetṛ priest takes in a vessel (camasa) the soma liquid from the ādhavanīya trough, pours it into the hotṛcamasa containing nigrābhya water held by the sacrificer, who pours a continuous stream on to the woollen strainer (from the hotṛcamasa). From the stream of soma juice flowing down from the strainer all cups (that are wooden) up to the dhruva cup are filled, the first being the cup called antaryāma. The soma that falls in the droṇakalaśa is called *śukra* (Kāt. IX. 5. 15). The Upāṃśu cup is offered before sunrise, while the adhvaryu offers the antaryāma cup when the sun rises (Āp. XII. 13. 12). The cups filled are Aindravāyava, Maitrāvaruṇa, Śukra, Manthin, Āgrayaṇa, Ukthya, Dhruva and they are placed on various spots of the mound (khara) described at p. 1155 above. As the cups are filled from the stream (dhārā) they are called *dhārāgrahas* (com. on Kāt. IX. 6. 26).
v3.c51.70.5
The cups are wiped with the hems of the strainer or another strainer is employed for the purpose (Āp. XII. 14. 10–11). In the case of the maitrāvaruṇa cup the contents are mixed with boiled but cooled milk, those of the manthin with barley flour. The three grahas viz. Āgrayaṇa, Ukthya and Dhruva are filled to the brim. He then fills three cups called *atigrāhyas* for Agni, Indra and Sūrya (Āp. XII. 15. 9, only in Agniṣṭoma and not in other soma sacrifices). After the cups are filled, the droṇakalaśa trough is half filled with soma juice, then the stream of soma stops (Āp. XII. 16. 9, Kāt. IX. 6. 26), all fluid from the woollen strainer is wrung out into the droṇakalaśa and the strainer is kept aside. Then he pours from the maitrāvaruṇa camasa which is filled with ekadhanā waters into the ādhavanīya trough as much as would be necessary (for filling all soma vessels in the morning pressing); he spreads the strainer with its hem to the north on the mouth of the pūtabhṛt trough, pours thereon a portion of the soma juice that is in the ādhavanīya trough and then touches all the three troughs with distinct mantras (Āp. XII. 16. 11). Then the adhvaryu, prastotṛ, pratihartṛ, udgātṛ, the brahmā (being the last) come out of the havirdhāna shed touching each other with the right hand in the order stated (Tāṇḍya Br. VI. 7. 12, Āp. XII. 17. 1), adhvaryu being the first (some give a slightly different order). They perform (or according to Kāt.
v3.c51.70.6
the adhvaryu alone performs) what are called 'viprud-dhomas'.²⁵⁸⁵ When the soma is being pressed drops of it are scattered about. In order to make these drops go to the gods and also as a sort of expiation this offering of ājya is made to Soma (in all the three savanas). Then the five priests touching each other (adhvaryu being the leader, brahmā being the last and the sacrificer touching him) creep with heads bent in a stealthy manner (like hunters pursuing a deer, according to Āp. XII. 17. 3–4) towards the north for the purpose of the Bahiṣpavamāna chant that is to be sung.²⁵⁸⁶ The adhvaryu takes two blades from the grass strewn on the altar, throws one in the cātvāla pit and the other in front of the udgātṛ priests or gives a handful of kuśa grass to the prastotṛ with 'Vāyu makes the him sound' (Tai. S. III. 3. 2. 1). The udgātṛ priests ask the permission of the brahmā priest 'shall we chant' (and also of Maitrāvaruṇa, according to Āśv. V. 2. 11) and he replies 'yes, do chant' (after repeating in the morning pressing 'bhūr-indravantaḥ', but with 'bhuvaḥ' and 'svaḥ' in the other pressings). Vide Āśv. V. 2. 12-13. According to Āp. XIV. 9. 7, X. 10. 1 the brahmā repeats the text 'deva savitar &c.' and then one of the texts called stomabhāgas (in Tāṇḍya I. 9-10), the one employed here being the first viz. 'raśmirasi' (thou art a ray, to thee for residence, give impulse to residence) and then gives permission. All pavamāna chants are introduced in this manner (i. e.
v3.c51.70.7
by giving a handful of kuśas to the prastotṛ &c.). In the case of stotras other than pavamāna, the adhvaryu makes the chanters start after giving them two kuśa blades with 'asarji ...... upāvartadhvam'. At the time of chanting the bahiṣpavamāna²⁵⁸⁷ stotra, the priests and sacrificer sit inside the vedi not far from the cātvāla pit in a certain order and look at the cātvāla or they sit round the northern shoulder of the vedi. The udgātṛ sits facing the north, the prastotṛ sits facing the west and the pratihartṛ faces the south-east; in front of them with faces to the west sit adhvaryu and the pratiprasthātṛ and the sacrificer sits to the south of these.2587a They sit placing their right foot on the left thigh, look at the horizon and hold their mouths straight (neither hanging down nor up-lifted). This is the position of the chanters in all stotras (Lāṭ. I. 11. 18-23). Then the prastotṛ, udgātṛ and pratihartṛ chant the bahiṣpavamāna chant. The place where this chant takes place is called 'āstāva' (com. on Āśv. V. 3. 16).