History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.191

v7.c89.191

¹²⁴⁷ अस्य शिशोराश्लेषाजननसूचितसर्वारिष्टपरिहारार्थं सग्रहमखा शान्तिं करिष्ये, इति सङ्कल्पयेत्'. The गोमुखप्रसवशान्ति is described in the मदनरत्न (on शान्तिक-पौष्टिक, folios 35 b and 36 a) and in शान्तिमयूख pp. 59-60 On a new *śūrpa* (winnowing basket) a red piece of cloth is spread, the new born child is placed thereon, and is covered with cotton thread from head to the soles of the feet and is put on a heap of sesame, then the child is brought near a cow's mouth. Then (pretending that) the infant is born from a cow's mouth, the child is bathed with cow's milk with the hymn 'Viṣṇur-yonim kalpayatu' (Rg X.184 1, अथर्व. V 25. 5 and बृह. उप VI 4.21). The infant should receive the touch of the cow's limbs at the hands of the priest with the mantra of Viṣṇu (Rg. X. 184 1). The officiating priest should take the child that is (now imagined as) born from (the mouth of) the cow and *(Continued from last page)* hand it over to the mother who should pass it on to the father who should then return it to the mother The child should be placed on a piece of cloth and the father should look at the face of the infant Then the priest should sprinkle the infant with drops from the mixture of cow's urine, dung, milk, curds and ghee with the mantras beginning with 'Āpo hi sthā' (Ṛg. X. 9 1). The father then smells thrice parts of the child's head with the mantra 'thou art born from each limbs of the father &c.' (अङ्गादङ्गात्सम्भवसि हृदयादधिजायसे। आत्मा वै पुत्रनामासि स जीव शरद शतम्॥) and places it with the mother This mantra is quoted in Nirukta III 4 and in the Bṛ. Up. VI 4 8. It would be noticed that there is a symbolic simulation of the child (that was born on an unlucky nakṣatra &c ) as having been born from the mouth of a cow (a very sacred animal from Vedic times) Vide धर्मसिन्धु pp. 171-172 for details of गोमुखप्रसवशान्ति. The mantra 'Viṣṇur yoniṃ kalpayatu' is employed in the Garbhādhāna rite.