History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.343.2

v5.c73.t1.343.2

The Pratisāṁvatsarika śrāddha¹⁰⁹³ rite for Ṛgvedins in Western India may be set out as follows:—(From the references added in the text and notes it will be clear that this modern rite is all inclusive i. e. it follows the Āśv. Śr. often taking passages verbatim from it, the smṛtis and purāṇas). The performer wears white garments (lower and upper) and sits on a seat of *kuśas* or of wool or deer skin and then sips water twice and wears a *pavitra* on the finger next to the small finger with Ṛg. IX. 83 1. He ties his top knot on the head and sacred thread with *kuśas*, and ties three *kuśa* blades with tilas on the left of the *dhotī* worn by him. Then he performs prāṇāyāma and declares the resolve (*saṅkalpa*)¹⁰⁹⁴ to perform (the Sāṁvatsarika) śrāddha after referring to the time and place and together with agnaukaraṇa, piṇḍadāna &c The invited brāhmaṇas reply ‘do so’. Then the performer puts into a copper vessel water with the mantra ‘imam me Gaṅge’ (Ṛg X. 75. 5), sandalwood paste with the mantra ‘Gandhadvārām,’ yava grains with the mantra ‘thou art yava, king of cereals, Varuṇa is thy patron, thou art endowed with sweetness, thou art the remover of all sins and art known by all sages as holy’, betelnut (with Ṛg X. 97.15), gold (or some coin) with the mantra ‘Hiraṇya-rūpaḥ’ (Ṛg. II. 35.10), flowers and basil leaves.