History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.540

v5.c71.s1.540

*PRASṚTA-YĀVAKA* or *PRASṚTIYĀVAKA*—Viṣṇu Dh S chap. 48 and Baud. Dh. S. III. 6 contain elaborate descriptions (which agree with each other in many respects almost *verbatim*) and so does Hārīta (q. by Par. M. II. part 2 pp. 192–194) who has many sūtras and verses in common with Viṣṇu and Baud. Prasṛti means the hand with all fingers stretched out, the palm being hollowed. The yavas taken out were as many as could be placed on the palm of the hand thus stretched out and hollowed. Some passages from Baud who is probably the oldest of the three authors may be set out here.³³¹ "Now if a man feels his conscience heavy with bad actions committed by himself, let him boil for himself, when the stars have risen, a handful of barley and prepare gruel with that. Let him not perform (the Vaiśvadeva) offering with (a part of) that nor a *Bali* ³³² offering. Let him consecrate the barley before it has been placed on fire, when it is being boiled and after it has been boiled with the following mantras 'thou art barley, the king of grains, thou art sacred to Varuṇa and mixed with honey, the sages have declared thee to be an expeller of all sins and a means of purification' Then there are five verses more invoking the barley grains to purify the performer from all sins whether due to deeds, words, or thoughts, to destroy distress and evil fortune, to free him from the food of *gaṇas* (guilds or multitudes of men), harlots, śūdras, or food offered at śrāddhas by persons in impurity due to birth or death, food of a thief, food at navaśrāddha (i e on 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th days after death) or from dreadful mortal sins or from guilt against children and guilt due to serving in a royal court, from sin of stealing gold, sin of the violation of a *vrata* or sacrificing for an unworthy person and sin of speaking ill of brāhmaṇas Then Baud proceeds "while the barley is being boiled he should guard it and recite 'Adoration to Rudra, lord of created beings; pacified is the sky'. He should recite the text beginning with 'Kṛṇuṣva pājaḥ' (Tai. S. I. 2. 14. 1), the five sentences beginning with 'Ye devā' (Tai. S. I. 8. 7 1), the two texts 'mā nastoke' (Ṛg I. 114 8 and Tai S. III. 4. 11. 2) and 'Brahmā devānām' (Ṛg. IX. 96.6, Tai. S III. 4 11. 2) "Then having sipped water he should eat a little of the boiled food after pouring it into another vessel. Let him offer it as a sacrifice to the soul reciting 'ye devā' (Tai. S. I. 2. 3. 1)."