History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c53.s3.4

v3.c53.s3.4

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.