History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.260

v5.c73.t1.260

Another important question on which there is great divergence concerns the number of āhutis to be offered in *agnaukaraṇa*, the deities to whom the homa was to be offered, the order in which the deities were to be named and the form of words to be used. On these matters there appears to have been divergent views from very ancient times. According to the Śat. Br. II. 4. 2. 12-13 the āhutis were only¹⁰²⁷ two, they were offered to Agni and Soma in that order and the word svāhā was used at the end. According to the Tai. Br I. 3. 10. 2-3¹⁰²⁸ the āhutis were three, they were to be offered to Soma, Agni and to Yama in that order and the formula ended with 'svadhā namaḥ' (and not with 'svāhā'). It is therefore that a verse of Kātyāyana¹⁰²⁹ says "whether to employ the word 'svāhā' or the words 'svadhā namaḥ', whether and when to wear the sacred chord in the yajñopavīta form or prācīnāvīta form and what was to be the number of āhutis—all these have to be understood from one's own sūtra." The difference of views which is noticed as far back as the Brāhmaṇas persists in the sūtras, smṛtis, purāṇas and is briefly indicated here. The Āp. Gr S. (quoted above in n. 981) speaks of thirteen āhutis, seven with food and six with clarified butter. Two āhutis only are mentioned by Āśv. Śrauta II. 6. 12 (quoted in note 974), Āśv. gr. IV. 7. 20, Śaṅkha-Likhita,¹⁰³⁰ Kāṭhaka-gṛhya, Nārada-purāṇa (pūrvārdha 28. 48) and Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa. Three āhutis are mentioned by most of the smṛtis and purāṇas, such as Baud. Dh. S. II. 14. 7,¹⁰³¹ Śāṅ. Śrauta IV. 3 and gṛhya IV. 1. 13, Viṣṇu Dh. S. 73. 12, Manu III. 211, Varāhapurāṇa¹⁰³² (14. 21-22), Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa (Upodghātapāda 11. 93-94), Viṣṇudharmottara I. 140. 19. It is here that various combinations of the order of the deities and of the words ‘svāhā’ and ‘svadhā’ occur. The texts of a few works are cited below for illustration. Some give the order as ‘Soma accompanied by the pitṛs, Agni the carrier of *kavya*, Yama Aṅgiras;’ while others give it as ‘Agni the carrier of *kavya*, Soma accompanied by the pitṛs, Yama Vaivasvata &c.’ It is further provided that the *āhuti* to Agni is made to the southern side of the fire, to Soma on the northern part of it and in the middle of the two sides to Vaivasvata (Yama).¹⁰³³