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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c53.s3: Agnicayana (piling of the fire-altar)

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c53.s3

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Agnicayana (piling of the fire-altar)

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The construction of the fire-altar is a special rite and is the most complicated and most recondite of all Śrauta sacrifices. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa devotes five out of its fourteen sections (about one-third of the whole work) to *cayana* and is the leading work on that subject. Prof. Eggeling in his very learned Introduction (pp. XIV ff) to vol. 43 of the S. B. E. deals with the fundamental conceptions underlying this śrauta ritual. According to him *cayana* was originally an independent rite and was later on incorporated in the system of Soma sacrifices. At the bottom of this rite are certain cosmogonic theories. Even in the Ṛgveda we meet with the conceptions that Hiraṇyagarbha or Prajāpati (Ṛg. X. 121) is the creator of the universe, that creation, destruction and re-construction of the universe are eternal, ever-recurring processes going on from all time and will go on for all time (Ṛg. X. 190. 3, 'dhātā yathāpūrvam-akalpayat'), that Puruṣa himself became the sacrificial material (*havis*) and the year and seasons aided in the process of the reconstruction of the sacrificed and dismembered Puruṣa. Man himself who is a child of this process must also do his part in the reconstruction of the world. This he can do best by identifying Fire with Prajāpati (as in Śat. Br. X. 4. 1. 12) and regarding Fire as the Highest Divinity and the source of all life and activity and the periodic performance of sacrifice in fire as his contribution, however small it may be, to the process of re-creation and re-construction. The reconstuction of the world by Prajāpati a man can imitate by himself constructing an elaborate structure with bricks. The Śat. Br. in several places brings out these ideas, though in a somewhat esoteric way²⁶⁸⁶ (e. g. VI. 2. 2. 21). The tenth kāṇḍa (section) of the Śat. Br. is the *rahasya* (the esoteric doctrine) of cayana. Most of the acts done in the piling up of the altar are a symbolic representation of the process of re-creation and re-construction as will be seen later on. In the Śat Br. the principal authority on this doctrine of cayana is not Yājñavalkya (who is the dominating figure in the first five sections of that Brāhmaṇa) but Śāṇḍilya who traces that doctrine through a succession of teachers to Tura Kāvaṣeya who received it from Prajāpati himself (Śat. Br. IX. 5. 2. 15-16, X. 4. 1. 11, X. 6. 5. 9 &c.).

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²⁶⁸⁶ प्राजापत्यं वा एतत्कर्म प्रजापतिं ह्येतेन कर्मणारभतेऽनिरुक्तो वै प्रजापतिः। शतपथ VI. 2. 2. 21.

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A very brief description of the *cayana* based principally on Kāt., Sat., and Āp. is given below.

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The construction of the fire-altar in five layers is an aṅga of Somayāga. But *cayana* is not obligatory in every soma sacrifice. It must however be performed in the Somayāga called Mahāvrata (which as stated above is the last but one day in Gavām-ayana). When a man desires to pile the fire altar, he first offers after the Full Moon iṣṭi of Phālguna (i. e. on the first of the dark half) or on Māgha new moon five animals (viz. a man, a horse, a bull, a ram and a he-goat were offered, the man in a screened place).²⁶⁸⁷ The heads of the beasts were built up into the altar and their trunks were thrown in water, which was then used for making bricks from clay. Kāt. (XVI. 1. 32) allows an option that instead of killing animals golden or clay heads of these may be used. In modern times when rarely cayana is performed only golden images of the above five are taken. Then on the 8th of the dark half of Phālguna a horse, an ass and a he-goat are taken in procession to the south of the āhavanīya fire (the horse leading) with their mouths to the east and the place from where clay is to be taken is reached by the horse. To the east of the āhavanīya a square pit is dug and a ball of clay is put therein which brings the pit on a level with the surrounding ground. At the middle of the distance between the clay lump and the āhavanīya clay taken from an ant-hill is heaped. A spade one cubit long made of some sacrificial tree is kept to the north of the āhavanīya. The ant-hill clay is placed on the lump of earth in the pit with that spade. The horse is made to plant its foot on the clay in the pit. He (the priest) draws three lines with the spade on that lump of clay, spreads black antelope skin to the north of the lump and thereon keeps a lotus leaf on which the lump of clay from the pit is placed and the corners of the skin are tied with a girdle of muñja. He takes up the hide with the clay therein, raises his arms towards the east, holds the bundle over the animals that come back in the reverse order (the goat leading). According to Āp. XVI. 3. 10 the bundle is placed on the back of the ass and brought near a tent. The lump is placed to the north of the āhavanīya in a tent screened on all sides; then he takes the hair of the he-goat and mixes the hair in that lump of clay with water in which palāśa bark is boiled and mixes therewith gravel, iron rust and small stones. From the clay thus mixed the wife of the sacrificer (or the first wife if there are several) prepares the first brick called Aṣāḍhā, which is in measure as much as the foot of the sacrificer, is rectangular and has three lines scratched on it. The sacrificer prepares an ukhā (fire-pan) from the mixture of clay, which is one span in diameter. According to some three pans are made. He also makes three bricks called Viśvajyotis, each having three lines and so marked as to show which is first, second and third. The remaining clay is called upaśaya and is kept aside (as it will be required later). The ukhā is fumigated with the smoke from seven horse-dung cakes kindled on the dakṣiṇa fire. A square hole is dug with the spade referred to above, therein fuel is put and the bricks and the ukhā (with the mouth downwards) are put for being baked and more fuel is added. He removes the coals and ashes and takes out during the day the bricks (four) and the ukhā, on which the milk of a she-goat is sprinkled. Thereafter other bricks are made which have three lines on each, which are generally as long as the sacrificer's foot and are baked till they are red.

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²⁶⁸⁷ It appears that the man was not actually killed, but was let off. He was to be a vaiśya or kṣatriya (Kāt. XVI. 1. 17). According to Baud. X. 9 the heads of a vaiśya and of a horse killed in battle are taken 'संग्रामे हतयोरश्वस्य च वैश्यस्य च शिरसी। दीक्ष्यन्त ऋषभं पचन्ते । वृष्णिं च बस्तं चाहरन्ति। एतत्सर्पशिरः ।'. Vide Kāt. XVI. 1.32 also.

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श्येनचितिः प्रथमः प्रस्तरः

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श्येनचितिः द्वितीयः प्रस्तरः

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The dīkṣā (initiation) for the rite takes place on the amāvāsyā of Phālguna. The dīkṣaṇīyā iṣṭi and other usual rites are performed. Either the yajamāna or the adhvaryu places the ukhā on the āhavanīya and puts thereon 13 samidhs one span in length. The sacrificer wears a golden ornament with 21 pendants reaching up to his navel. The ukhā is taken from the āhavanīya to the east of the āhavanīya and is placed in a śikya and fire is put into it. He carries for a year or a shorter period (12, 6 or 3 days according to Āp. XVI. 9. 1) this fire placed in the ukhā. On alternate days in the year he adores the fire with the Vātsapra mantras (Vāj. S. XII. 18-28 = Ṛg. X. 45. 1-11), takes the Viṣṇu strides (Viṣṇukramas); he also removes the ashes, puts fuel-sticks on the fire in the ukhā.

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Then follows the building of the altar. The altar has five layers, the first, third and fifth being arranged in the same pattern and the 2nd and 4th being of a different pattern from the 1st, 3rd and 5th. The altar may have several forms such as that of a droṇa (trough), a chariot-wheel, a śyena (hawk), kaṅka (heron), suparṇa (eagle)²⁶⁸⁸ &c. Vide Tai. S. V. 4. 11, Kāt. XVI. 5. 9. The altar requires bricks of several shapes; some are triangular, some are oblong, some are perfectly square, some are oblong plus a triangle (in one). They are not to be placed one over the other as one chooses but are arranged in peculiar ways, some in front, some on the sides and so on. A sound knowledge of geometry and mason craft is required in constructing the altar. Every brick is to be placed after repeating a mantra. The bricks have various names to distinguish them. For example, the bricks called Yajuṣmatī are to be used in building the body (of the birdlike pattern, which is the most usual one), but not in building the sides or tail of the layer. The usual mantras in laying down and invoking a brick are two viz.. ‘tayā devatayā- ... sīda (Vāj. S. XII. 53, Tai. S. IV. 2. 4. 4) and ‘tā asya sūda-dohasaḥ’ (Vāj. S. XII. 55, Tai. S. IV. 2. 4. 4). Sat. XI. 8. 18 says that ‘tayā devatayā ... ...dhruvā sīda’ is repeated after each brick is deposited. But special mantras are prescribed in several cases e. g. as to the ten lokampṛṇā bricks the mantra is ‘lokam pṛṇa’ (Vāj. XII. 54, Tai. S. IV. 2. 4. 4). Some kinds of bricks bear the names of sages (e. g. Vālakhilya bricks). Probably they were first used by those sages. There are three bricks which are called svayam-ātṛṇṇāḥ (i. e. they are long and thin stones and have natural holes) and which are placed in the centre of the 1st, 3rd and 5th layers and are deemed to represent earth, air and heaven.²⁶⁸⁹ Jai. (V. 3. 17-20) deals with the respective positions of certain bricks called citriṇī and lokampṛṇā.

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²⁶⁸⁸ श्येनचितं चिन्वीत सुवर्गकामः । ... ... कङ्कचितं चिन्वीत यः कामयेत शीर्षवानमुष्मिंल्लोके स्यामिति । ... ... अलजचितं चिन्वीत चतुरःसीतं प्रतिष्ठाकामः । तै. सं. V. 4. 11 where several other patterns such as प्रउगचित, उभयतःप्रउग, रथचक्र, द्रोण, समूह्य, श्मशानचित are mentioned.

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²⁶⁸⁹ 'स्वयमातृण्णा भवति प्राणानामुत्सृष्ट्या अथो सुवर्गस्य लोकस्यानुख्यात्यै'। तै. सं. V. 2. 8. 1. सायण on तै. सं. IV. 2. 9. 1 explains शर्कराख्यानां क्षुद्रपाषाणानां मध्ये पुरुषप्रयत्नमन्तरेण या स्वत एव छिद्रयुक्ता सेयं शर्करा स्वयमातृण्णा।

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On the day of the last dīkṣā the measuring of the plot to be used as vedi takes place. Measurements are made with a rope which is in length twice the height of the sacrificer. A fifth part of the sacrificer's height is called aratni, tenth part is called pada, each pada is divided into twelve aṅgulas and three padas make a prakrama (Kāt. XVI. 8. 21). The ground for the uttaravedi on which the altar is to be constructed is ploughed with an udumbara plough and the ropes are made of muñja. Six, twelve or twenty-four oxen are yoked to the plough. He sows on the furrows made by the plough various kinds²⁶⁹⁰ of corns (Āp. XVI. 19. 11-13 says fourteen kinds, seven being *grāmya* and seven *wild*). He omits one kind of corn which he has to abstain from partaking throughout life thereafter (Kāt. XVII. 3. 6-7). If so many kinds of corn cannot be had then in those furrows barley corn mixed with honey is sown. Then clods of earth are put thereon and the ground is made level. Several things are got ready and placed one after another on this ground (Āp. XVI. 13. 10 where they are said to be bricks but not of clay). Vide Sat. XI. 5. 21 also. The placing of bricks is begun after the first upasad (Sat. XI. 7. 2). A lotus leaf is first laid down on the spot where the horse planted its hoof (Āp. XVI. 22. 3) and on that leaf the golden ornament worn by the yajamāna at the time of the Viṣṇu strides is placed with the mantra 'brahma jajñānam' (Vāj. S. XIII. 3, Tai. S. IV. 2. 8. 2).

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To the south of that ornament is laid down the golden image of a man with head to the east and face turned to the sky in such a way that the image does not cover the hole pierced in the golden ornament (disc) by passing a string with which it was tied round the neck (the mantra repeated being very significant 'in the beginning Hiraṇyagarbha arose' Ṛg. X. 121. 1 = Vāj. S. XIII. 4). The sacrificer performs the adoration (upasthāna) to the golden man with the three verses 'bow to the serpents' (Vāj. S. XIII. 6-8, Tai. S. IV. 2. 8. 3). One should thereafter never go to the north of the image from the south by passing in front of it (i. e. to the east of it). By the side of the two arms of the golden man he places two srucs (one of kārśmarya wood filled with ghee near the right hand and the other of udumbara filled with curds near the left) with their tops to the east. A brick called svayamātṛṇṇā on which *ājya* is offered and over which the yajamāna breaths is handed over to a brāhmaṇa who places it in the centre with the help of the adhvaryu, the brāhmaṇa being looked upon as fire (Tai. S. V. 2. 8. 2). On that brick a dūrvā creeper is placed in such a way that its roots are on the brick and its tops hang on to the ground towards the east. Then the brick called *dviyajus* is laid to the east of the dūrvā, two retaḥsic bricks to the east of the preceding, then two ṛtavya bricks and then the Aṣāḍhā brick is placed to the east of the preceding.

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On all ṛtavya bricks *avakās* (mosslike plants) are deposited. About one aratni to the south of the Aṣāḍhā brick and to the east of the Svayamātṛṇṇā brick he places a living tortoise with its face to the east on the avakā plants (Āp. XVI. 25. 1, Kāt. XVII. 4. 27-28). The tortoise is anointed with a mixture of ghee, honey and curds, is enveloped in moss covered with a net and made motionless by means ²⁶⁹¹ of pegs (Āp. XVII. 25. 2, Śat. XI. 7. 42). When depositing the tortoise it is invoked with three verses (Vāj. S. XIII. 30-32) which express the wish that the tortoise may go to the deep waters, that the sun and fire may not torment it by heat, that it may reach heavenly worlds and that divine rain may follow. Even in modern times a tortoise is so built up into the altar. A mortar ²⁶⁹² and pestle of udumbara wood, each one span in length (the mortar being contracted in the middle and the pestle being rounded) are placed about one aratni to the north of the svayamātṛṇṇā brick. A śūrpa also is placed near the above two (Āp. XVI. 26. 5). The ukhā filled with sand, ghee and honey is placed on the mortar and offerings of ājya are made on it with the sruva ladle. The fire in the ukhā is transferred to a hearth with eight bricks in the centre of the fifth layer, on which a second layer of eight bricks (called punaściti) is laid. This fire becomes the gārhapatya for the Fire-altar (Śat. Br. VIII. 6. 3. 7-11, Kāt. XVII. 12. 18-21).

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Seven pieces of gold are placed on the golden image, the first on the mouth, then two each on the two nostrils, the two eyes and two ears. In the forepart of the ukhā, the heads of the five animals (on which curds and honey are poured and on which 7 gold pieces are thrust) are placed in a certain order. The human head is in the middle, to the north the heads of the horse and ram and to the south the heads of the bull and goat (Kāt. XVII. 5. 13-18, Āp. XVI. 27. 5-19). According to Āp. and Sat. the head of a serpent also may be placed (Āp. XVI. 27. 22, Sat. XI. 7. 63) or only the mantras 'namo astu sarpebhyaḥ' (Vāj. S. XIII. 6-8, Tai. S. IV. 2. 8. 3) may be recited. The various kinds of bricks are heaped in various directions on thick mud spread on the above stated things so as to form the first layer. According to Sat. (XI. 5. 22) each layer consists of only 200 bricks (1000 for all five), when the sacrificer performs the cayana for the first time; he employs 2000 for all layers when he performs it a second time and this number goes on increasing each time he repeats agnicayana.²⁶⁹³ According to the Śat. Br. (S.B.E. vol. 43 p. 22 n. 1), Kāt. XVII. 7. 21-23 the bricks required for all the five layers are 10800. The time required for piling also varies. Some held that the piling took one year (8 months for the first four layers and 4 months for the last) or all the layers may be laid in a few days. Sat (XII. 1. 1 ff) and Āp. (XVII. 1. 1-11, XVII. 2. 8, XVII. 3.

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1) state that the five layers are laid on five successive days. On each layer thick mud (*purīṣa*) prepared from the earth (mixed with water) dug out of the cātvāla pit after touching a dark or bay horse that stands to the north is spread with '*pṛṣṭo divi*' (Vāj. S. XVIII. 73, Tai. S. I. 5. 11. 1 quoted by Āp. XVI. 34. 6-7, Sat. XI. 5. ). Each layer and the spreading of mud are carried out each day between the two upasads (morning one and afternoon one). When all the layers are completed the āhavanīya fire is established on the altar so built. Eight dhiṣṇyas, square or round, have to be constructed with bricks, viz. the āgnīdhriya and 7 others as in somayāga (but the number of bricks for each differs). A small round and variegated stone (aśman) is placed to the south of the āgnīdhra's place on the northern part of the fire-altar. A fuel-stick is kindled on the new gārhapatya hearth, taken over the svayamātṛṇṇā brick of the 5th layer and an offering of the milk of a dark cow whose calf is white is made on that fire. Śatarudriya homa is offered to Rudra. On the western corner of the northern side of the Fire-altar which is enclosed by a line of stones on all sides there are three stones, as high as the knee, naval and mouth on which (serving as āhavanīya) 425 oblations are offered to Rudra and his fearful aspects by means of the leaf of the Arka plant (serving as juhū) of wild sesame mixed with gavedhukā. A twig of arka plant is used to clear the leaf of the offerings.

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The priest faces the north and makes the oblations standing, the mantras being taken from the Śatarudriya section (bginning with 'namaste rudra manyave,' Vāj. S. XVI. 1-66, Tai. S. IV. 5. 1-10). The arka leaf and twig are thrown into fire. The altar is cooled by the āgnīdhra with the water from a jar which is held over the stone referred to above. The stone is thrown to the south of the altar with 'May sorrow go to him whom we hate' (Vāj. S. XVII. 1) and if it is not broken the adhvaryu breaks it into pieces. On a long bamboo, a frog, avakā plants and reed (vetasa) twigs are tied and drawn over the altar from the south hip to the south shoulder²⁶⁹⁴ and then they are thrown on the utkara. The Gāyatra, Rathantara and other sāmans are sung (Śat. Br. IX. 1. 2. 35 ff, Kāt. XVIII. 3. 1 ff). Then follow numerous offerings, viz. one puroḍāśa to Vaiśvānara and 7 puroḍāśas to the Maruts,²⁶⁹⁵ Vasordhārā²⁶⁹⁶ (stream of wealth) offerings of ājya from an udumbara sruc, which is finally thrown into the fire, 6 Pārtha oblations as in Rājasūya followed later by six more after the abhiṣeka of the sacrificer, the Vājaprasavīya²⁶⁹⁷ offerings of the mixture of milk and water with the gruel of 14 *grāmya* and wild corns with an udumbara sruva that is four-cornered like a camasa (the sruva being thrown into the fire at the end).

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With the remnants of Vājaprasavīya offerings collected in a pot he sprinkles the sacrificer who sits on a dark antelope skin spread on an udumbara couch to the north of the tail of the fire altar. A royal sacrificer sits on a tiger skin and a vaiśya on a goat-skin. After this six Pārtha offerings are made followed by twelve Rāṣṭrabhṛt (supporting the kingdom) homas of ājya with mantras, that contain the words ‘vāṭ’ and ‘svāhā’ (Vāj. S. XVIII. 38-43, Tai. S. III. 4. 7).²⁶⁹⁸ Then three Vāta (wind) homas are offered catching with his joined hands wind outside the vedi to the east and the three winds thus caught are represented as yoked to the chariot like horses, the mantra being Vāj. S. XVIII. 45, Tai. S. IV. 7. 12. 3 (Kāt. XVIII. 6. 1-3, Āp. XVII. 20. 11).

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²⁶⁹⁰ या जाता ओषधय इति चतुर्दशभिरोषधीर्वपति। ... ... तिलमाषा व्रीहियवाः प्रियङ्गवश्चणको गोधूमा वेणुश्यामाकनीवारा जर्तिलाश्च गवीधुका आरण्यजा मर्कटका विज्ञेयाः। आप. XVI. 19. 11-13.

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²⁶⁹¹ The tortoise was probably built up into the altar to imitate the action of Prajāpati. Prajāpati is said to have created the world after assuming the form of a tortoise. Vide note 1716 and p. 718 above. Or this may be a relic of the widespread usage of slaying an animal and burying its body under the foundation of a building, a bridge &c.

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²⁶⁹² The mortar represents the *yoni* or womb, the ukhā represents the belly, and the pestle represents '*śisna*' (vide Śat. Br. VII. 5. 1. 38).

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²⁶⁹³ यावदग्निमात्मानमल्प्य यथार्थं लोकंपृणा आनुष्टुभं साहस्रं चिन्वीत। नाभिवृहं द्विषाहस्रं द्वितीयम् । ... ... उत्तरमुत्तरं ज्यायांसम् । सत्या. XI. 5, 22.

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²⁶⁹⁴ This is symbolical cooling. All three are suggestive of water.

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²⁶⁹⁵ The 7th puroḍāśa to the Maruts is called 'araṇye anūcya' because the mantra for it 'ugraśca bhīmaśca' (Vāj. S. XXXIX. 7) is to be repeated in a forest.

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²⁶⁹⁶ Vasordhārā is the name of the whole rite in which several hundred offerings are made to Agni with mantras (Vāj. S. XVIII. 1-29, Tai. S. IV. 7. 1-11, Kāt. XVIII. 5. 1, Āp. XVII. 17. 8) to secure all powers of the Firegod to the sacrificer.

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²⁶⁹⁷ The वाजप्रसवीय is one rite in which there are two groups of seven offerings, the first seven with the mantras beginning ‘vājasyemam prasavaḥ’ (Vāj. S. IX. 23-29, Tai. S. I. 7. 10) and seven others with the mantras ‘vājasya nu prasave’ (Vāj. S. XVIII. 30-36 and Tai. S. I. 7. 7). Vide Śat. Br. IX. 3. 4, Śat. XII. 6. 5, Kāt. XVIII. 5. 4-5, Āp. XVII. 19. 1-3. The mantra means ‘for the promotion of vigour’ (or food) &c.

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²⁶⁹⁸ The first mantra is ऋताषाड्ऋतधामाग्निर्गन्धर्वस्तस्यौषधयोऽप्सरसो मुदो नाम। स न इदं ब्रह्म क्षत्रं पातु तस्मै स्वाहा वाट् ताभ्यः स्वाहा. The latter half is repeated in all six verses. One āhuti is made after वाट् and another after स्वाहा. Vide Kāt. XVIII. 5. 16, Śat. XII. 6. 15 ff. The first is made to a male deity, and the 2nd to Apsarases variously named.

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Then the procedure of Somayāga is followed. One or two special characteristics may be noted. Before the Prātaranuvāka the Fire is represented as yoked after touching the paridhis and repeating three mantras ‘I yoke the fire &c.’ (Vāj. S. XVIII. 51-53, Tai. S. IV. 7. 13. 1) and then Agni is released from the yoke before the Āgnimāruta stotra (i. e. Yajñāyajñīya) in the evening with a mantra (Vāj. S. XVIII. 54, Tai. S. IV. 3. 4. 2). After the anubandhyā paśu-puroḍāśa, messes of boiled rice are offered to Anumati, Rākā, Sinīvālī and Kuhū and a cake on twelve potsherds to Dhātṛ. At the end of the Udavasanīyā payasyā is offered to Mitra and Varuṇa or he may perform sautrāmaṇī (Āp. XVII. 24. 1, Śat. XII. 7. 14).

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One who has performed the piling of the fire-altar has to observe certain vratas for a year viz. he should not bow to any one, he should not run in the rains, he should not partake of the flesh of any bird, he should not approach a śūdra woman. After he performs agnicayana a second time, he should approach no woman except his own wife of the same caste, when he has performed cayana thrice he should not approach²⁶⁹⁹ even his own wife (vide Āp. XVII. 24. 1-5, Kāt. XVIII. 6. 25-31, Sat. XII. 7. 15-17). Jai. (II. 3. 21-23) declares that the piling of the fire-altar is a saṁskāra of fire and not an independent yāga by itself.

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²⁶⁹⁹ The idea appears to have been that the sacrificer was not to disperse the spiritual power acquired by fire-worship, but to conserve it in himself.

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If a man does not prosper in the year after he performs agnicayana he may perform punaściti (just as punarādheya is performed). According to Āp. XVII. 24. 11 a punaściti can be performed for three objects, viz. for prosperity, for Vedic lore or for progeny.²⁷⁰⁰

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²⁷⁰⁰ For Agnicayana *vide* Tai. S. IV. 1-6, V. 2-7, Tai. Br. I. 5. 7-8, Śat. Br. VI-X, Āp. XVI-XVII, Kāt. XVI-XVIII, Sat. XI-XII, Śāṅ. IX. 22-28, Baud. X; S. B. E. vol. 43, Introduction, pp. XIV ff., Prof. Keith's Introduction pp. CXXV-CXXXI to tr. of Tai. S., Haug's tr. of Ait. Br. p. 368 n.

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In performing the innumerable and wearisome details of sacrifices many mistakes must have been committed and therefore the Brāhmaṇas and Sūtras prescribe numberless expiations, some simple and others complicated. But this subject will be dealt with in the next volume under *prāyaścittas*.

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In the next volume a few remarks will be offered on the philosophical side of sacrifices and on the causes whereby they gradually faded into the background and gave place to other religious observances.

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