History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.220

v7.c89.220

Certain other interesting śāntis will now be described. When a great-grandson (prapautra i e a son’s son’s son)¹²⁶² is born to a person a śānti has to be performed when he sees the face of the great-grandson. The saṅkalpa¹²⁶³ is given below. He should perform the rites beginning with the worship of Gaṇeśa and ending with Mātṛpūjā, then establish a jar full of water and worship (the image of) Varuṇa therein, perform the rite of *nīrājana*¹²⁶⁴ to the accompaniment of the sound of drums, sit on a seat of udumbara tree covered with a blanket and should request brāhmaṇas to sprinkle sacred water on his person. The brāhmaṇas should sprinkle water on him to the accompaniment of a hymn to Varuṇa and a hymn to the Ganges. At the end of the abhiseka the performer should give up old garments and wear new ones and should worship the Ganges. Melted ghee should be put in a vessel of bronze and the performer should see the reflection of his face therein and then should see the face of his great-grandson in the light of a lamp placed in a golden vessel. Then he should sprinkle drops of water on the great-grandson with one hundred flowers of gold Then he should sprinkle the great-grandson with water from the jar used for abhiseka. For completing the ceremony of seeing the face of the grandson, he should donate a cow and feed brāhmaṇas according to his means. Then he should worship an image of Visṇu, offer pāyasa to it and address the following prayer¹²⁶⁵ 'O Visṇu! by your favour I have seen the face of my great-grandson. Therefore, O Lord! in all ways and always do what I desire'. Then the image should be donated with the mantra 'by the donation of the image (of Visṇu) may all evil influences of planets be always conjured away in the case of the child, O enemy of Kaṁsa and the Lord of the worlds,' and he should donate to the brāhmaṇas the ghee in which he saw his face.