History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.488

v7.c93.488

The different parts of a mantra text, meant to serve different purposes, may be regarded as distinct sentences. For example, the mantra in Tai. Br.²¹²⁵ (III. 7. 5) 'I make an agreeable seat (or abode) for thee (O cake!), I prepare it as a very happy one with a stream of clarified butter; do sit thereon with pleased mind, be established in ambrosia, O sacrificial essence of rice'. These are two sentences, the first part being concerned with making a seat, the latter part being concerned with depositing the puroḍāśa on the seat. Similarly, in the passage 'I (cut) thee (O palāśa branch) for food, I (wash or rub) thee for vigour' there are two different sentences, that are independent of each other, as the Śat Br. employs these with the words 'he cuts the palāśa²¹²⁶ branch with the words 'for food (I cut) thee', he washes it with the words 'for vigour thee'. The same rule applies to the ten different clauses 'āyuryajñena kalpatām, prāṇo yajñena kalpatām' in Tai. S I. 7. 9. 2. They are all different sentences.²¹²⁷