History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.148

v7.c89.148

There is a Ms. (of only three folios in D. C. No. 609 of the year 1882-83, now in the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute at Poona) which deals with this śānti attributed to Śaunaka and is called Ugrarathaśānti at the end The śānti is to be performed on the day or nakṣatra of one's birth On that day the person of 60 years should take an auspicious bath, perform his daily religious duties, should invite brāhmaṇas and choose one to officiate who is learned in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas and is well conducted. First Gaṇeśa worship should be performed, then puṇyāhavācana, worship of Mother goddesses, then nāndīśrāddha. He should bring together *sarvauṣadhīs*,¹²¹⁹ twigs and leaves of five trees, five jewels, *pañcagavya*, and pañcāmṛta; then worship of nine planets should be performed; an image of Mārkaṇḍeya was to be made from one *pala* or ½ pala or ¼ pala and the image was placed in a jar full of water surrounded by two garments; he should offer the 16 *upacāras* and offer to Mārkaṇḍéya 1008, or 108 or 28 or eight offerings of fuel sticks, boiled rice, ghee, dūrvā, superior dishes with the mantra (quoted below¹²²⁰). Then he should make a *homa* in honour of Mṛtyuñjaya (Śiva) with oblations of dūrvā grass and sesame 10000, or 5000, or 3000 or one thousand in number and then he should sacrifice separately to the secondary objects of worship, viz. Aśvatthāman, Bali, Vyāsa, Hanumat, Bibhīṣaṇa, Kṛpa and Paraśurāma. Then he should perform a homa with fried grams according to his ability and should recite Śrīsūkta,¹²²¹ Rudra, the Āyusya-mantras, the Puruṣasūkta and specially the complete recitation of the Veda; he should finish the *homa* and offer pūrnāhuti; then water from the jar should be sprinkled over the *yajamāna* (i. e. person who has completed 60 years), his wife and his near relatives; then there should be a *japa* of śānti hymn, the Puruṣasūkta, the mantra Ṛg. X. 18. 1, the Āyusya hymn, Pāvamāna hymn (hymn to Soma from Ṛg. IX.), the six verses of Śivasaṅkalpa (Vāj S. 32 1-6), and Mahāśānti. Then the jar should be donated and the garments rendered wet by the *abhiṣeka* and a decked cow with calf should be donated to the officiating priest; ten *dānas* ¹²²² to brāhmaṇas and gold weighing one hundred *mānas*; he should perform ājyāvekṣaṇa and offer ‘*bali*’ (to all beings, crows &c.); he should then receive the blessings of the brāhmaṇas and put on a new garment; then he should have *nīrājana* performed and bow to deities and feed a thousand or a hundred brāhmaṇas and then himself partake of food along with his relatives. Whoever performs this śānti, according to the rules prescribed for grahaśānti, would certainly live for a hundred years, all misfortunes will vanish and all prosperity will be his. The *prayoga* (procedure of this śānti) is given below¹²²³ since it is often performed even now.