History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c53.s3.12.3

v3.c53.s3.12.3

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).