History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.597

v7.c93.597

The Mai. S prescribes that one desirous²¹⁸⁷ of long life should offer a lump of one hundred *kṛṣṇalas* (golden pieces shaped as grains of rice) heated in clarified butter. But no pounding (*avaghāta*, threshing) is to be done in this, as the grains being made of gold, there is no chaff which can be separated by pounding (X 1. 1-3). Similarly, no *upastaraṇa*²¹⁸⁸ (pouring of clarified butter) and *abhighāraṇa* (the subsequent pouring of clarified butter) are to be done, since in the model sacrifice these two are done for making the oblation to have a sweet flavour (X. 2 3-11). A caru of rice has to be boiled (i. e. the heat of fire is to be applied to it). In the same way the golden pieces are to be heated in clarified butter by fire (X. 2. 1-2). The golden pieces have to be sucked like sugarcane pieces (X 2. 13-16), because they cannot be eaten while in the model sacrifice *iḍā* and *prāśitra*²¹⁸⁹ are actually eaten. In a magic rite like *śyena* reeds are spread on the ground and not *kuśa* grass (as in the model sacrifice). This *bādha* is due to a special text.²¹⁹⁰ The general rule in vedic sacrifices is that priests have to be chosen and *dakṣiṇā* is to be paid to them at the end but *sattras* are an exception, since in sattras all are priests as well as performers (*yajamānas*). Here the exclusion of *varaṇa* (choosing) is due to the fact that in the other sacrifices the *yajamāna* and priests are different and the latter are engaged for fee. There is a visible purpose in selecting or engaging priests,²¹⁹¹ but in a sattra where *ex hypothesi* all are yajamānas and priests as well, there is no visible purpose in going through the ceremony of choosing priests (*ṛtvig-varaṇa*).