Chapter XXX. Darsha-pūrnamāsa

Volume II: Part II pp. 1009–1090

Chapter XXX. Darsha-pūrnamāsa

A sketch of the darśapūrṇamāsa iṣṭi is given below principally based upon the śrautasūtras of Satyaṣāḍha and Āśvalāyana.

One who has performed agnyādheya should begin the performance of darśapūrṇamāsa on the first Full Moon day after it. The iṣṭi on the Full-moon day may occupy two days, but all the actions to be performed in it can be compressed into one day.¹ If extended over two days it is performed on the full moon day and the pratipad (the first day of the dark half that follows the Full Moon day ), the former being called upavasatha day² and the latter yajaniya day. On the upavasatha day agnyanvādhāna (offering fuel-sticks into fire) and paristaraṇa are performed in the case of the pūrṇamāsa rite and on the yajaniya day the rest is performeḍ If it is the first pūrṇamāsa iṣṭi or the first darśa iṣṭi, then the sacrificer has to perform the Anvārambhaṇīyā iṣṭi, which is briefly described in the note below.³

On the morning of the full moon day the sacrificer, after the performance of his daily agnihotra, sitting on a seat of darbhas to the west of the gārhapatya, holding kuśa grass in his hand and performing prāṇāyāma and accompanied by his wife, makes a saṁkalpa (resolve) as noted below.⁴ Then he says to the four priests viz., adhvaryu, brahmā, hotṛ and āgnīdhra 'I choose thee, so and so by name, as my brahmā, as my hotṛ and as my agnīdhra.' The adhvaryu takes fire from the gārhapatya, carries it to the āhavanīya mound and also to the dakṣiṇāgni mound and places a fuel-stick with its end to the east on the āhavanīya with the verse ‘mamāgne varoo’⁵ (Rg. X. 128. 1, Tai. S. IV. 7. 14. 1) and sacrificer perform japa by muttering three verses⁶ (from Tai. Br. III. 7. 4 set out in Śat. I. 2. p. 71). While he is between the two fires (āhavanīya and gārhapatya) he mutters standing a verse ‘antarāgni...manīṣayā’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4). Then he offers a samidh into the gārhapatya fire with Rg. X. 128. 2 (=Tai. S. IV. 7. 14. 1, ‘mama devā vihave’). The adhvaryu and sacrificer mutter two verses ‘iha prajā &c.’ and ‘iha paśavo’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4, Śat. I. 2. p. 71). The adhvaryu then places a samidh on the dakṣiṇa fire with ‘mayi devā’ (Rg. X. 128. 3, Tai. S. IV. 3. 14). Then the two mutter a verse ‘ayam pitṛṇām’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4). Those who maintained sabhya and āvasathya fires offered samidhs to them with mantras⁷ (from Tai. Br. III. 7. 4).

If the sacrificer is one who has already performed a soma sacrifice then he has to go through the ceremony called ‘śākhā-haraṇa’. Such a sacrificer had to offer sānnāyya (which is prepared by adding to fresh heated milk the sour milk or curds of the preceding night's milking).⁸ According to the Tai. S. II. 5. 4. 1 sānnāyya was offered only by a somayājī. Sānnāyya was offered to Indra or Mahendra (Śāt. Br. I. 6. 4. 21 and Kāt. IV. 2. 10). The Tai. S. II. 5. 4. 4 says that only one who is gataśrī (explained above in note 2259) can offer sānnāyya to Mahendra, while Sat. (I. 4 p. 103 ) says that for a year or two after soma-yāga the sānnāyya should be offered to Indra and then to Mahendra. In the full moon iṣṭi the deities to whom puroḍāśa (cake) is offered are Agni and Agnīṣoma and in it ājya is offered to Prajāpati silently between the two puroḍāśaṣ In the new moon iṣṭi the deities of puroḍāśa are Agni and Indrāgni and sānnāyya is offered by a somayājī to Indra or Mahendra instead of the puroḍāśa to Indrāgni (Āśv. I. 3. 9–12 ).

Now Śākhāharaṇa (which applies only to him who has performed soma-yāga and only in darśeṣṭi) will be describeḍ The adhvaryu fetches a fresh branch of the palāśa or śamī tree, which (branch) is taken from the eastern, northern or north-east side of the tree, which has many leaves and which has not a dried up enḍ Vide Jai. IV. 2. 7 about the text 'he brings a branch turned to the east' &c. He cuts it off with the words 'iṣe tvā ' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1. 1), then touches water, makes it straight or wipes it down with ' ūrje tvā ' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1. 1), brings it towards the sacrifoial ground with a verse 'imām prācim ' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4 set out in Āp. I. 2. 1, Sat. I. 2, p. 76 ). With that branch he drives away (or separates ) from their mothers six calves with the mantra 'vāyavas sthopāyavas stha ' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1. 1). The adhvaryu makes the cows (of the sacrificer) start for the pasture with the mantra 'devo vaḥ savitā prārpayatu...mā vaḥ stena īṣata māghaśaṃsaḥ ' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1. 1), invokes them, when they have started, with a mantra 'aśuddhā apaḥ suprāpāṇe pibantiḥ ' (Ṛg. VI. 28. 7, Tai. Br. II. 8. 8 set out in Sat. I. 2. p. 79 ). Then he returns to the house of the sacrificer with ' dhruvā asmiṇ.....bahvī ' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1) and keeps the branch in a well-known place (so that it might not fall or be lost ) on the sacred fire ground or on a wooden frame near the fires with ' protect the cattle of the sacrificer ' (Tai. S. I. 1. 1). Jai. (III. 6. 23-29) states that Śākhāharaṇa is meant for both evening and morning milking. The sacrificer⁹ crosses by the west of the āhavaniya to its south and performs ācamana (sipping water). Then he con- templates on the sea and pays homage to the deities viz. Agni, Vāyu, Āditya and Vratapati in the manner set out below.¹⁰ Barhirāharaṇa (bringing in the bundles of sacred kuśa grass for use). There are various stages in this operation, each stage having its own mantra. The mantras are short prose formulæ which occur in the Tai. S. I. 1, 2. They are not set out in detail here. The various stages are: he (adhvaryu) takes up a sickle or the rib of a horse or ox kept to the north of the gārhapatya with the famous mantra ‘devasya tvā savituḥ prasave......ādade’ (I take thee at the impulse of God savitr &c.). He pays homage to the gārha- patya with a mantra. The sickle (but not the rib) is heated on the gārhapatya fire. He then goes to the east or north of the sacrificial ground (vihāra) for some distance, finds out a spot where the desired grass grows, leaves aside one clump of darbhas from those growing there and marks as many clumps of darbha as he feels would be enough for his purpose, leaves one clump or one or two blades with the words, 'I leave you aside as the portion of beasts', touches those darbhas that he intends to cut with ‘this is for the gods’, holds them by his right hand, brings the sickle in close contact with them, repeats a mantra over the grass and cuts off as much as can be held in his closed fingers the nails of which touch each other. This first handful of blades that are cut is called prastara. Then he further cuts an uneven number of handfuls of darbhas (3, 5, 7, 9, 11), ¹¹ repeating the same processes and mantras for each handful, touches the stumps from which blades are cut off with the mantra 'God Barhis! may you grow into a hundred shoots' and touches the region of his heart with 'may we grow into thousand branches'. He touches water and passes round a handful of darbhas a cord (śulba) from left to right, then puts thereon another handful of darbhas and passes a cord round it. In this way three or five handfuls are sur-rounded by a cord, which has its end stretched on the ground towards the east or north. Then heaps of blades are added on and over the last heap the prastara is placeḍ The whole is then firmly bound with the cord and a knot is made. He takes hold of the bundle thus tied, raises it up, places it on his head, returns with it by the way he went, keeps it inside the vedi on some grass (and not on the bare ground) near the spot where the middle paridhi would be. He pronounces over the barhis thus placed a mantra and keeps the barhis near the gārhapatya on a mat or the like. He also cuts off silently and brings along with barhis other darbhas called paribhojanīya and dried up kuśa grass also (ulaparāji).¹²

Idmāharaṇa (bringing the wood-sticks). Twenty-one wood-sticks of palāśa or khadira are required, out of which 15 are meant for throwing into the fire at the time of repeating the sāmidhenī verses, three are paridhis,¹³ two samidhs are to be used at the two āghāras and the 21st is the stick for anūyājas. A cord is made of darbhas and spread on the ground with its end to the north, the idhma is heaped on it with a mantra (Āp. I. 6. 1, Śat. I. 2. p. 89). The bundle is tied with the cord and a knot is made and the idhma is laid alongside of the barhis. The pieces of wood that are thrown off when cutting the idhma are called idhmāpravraścana. A bunch of darbhas called veda is made of the size of the knee of a calf by doubling and tying the darbhas with a cord and cutting the darbhas about one span above the tying cord and a mantra is repeated over it (‘vedosi’ &c. in Sat. I. 2. p. 90). This veda is employed in sweeping the vedi with a mantra. It is given to the wife when she has to repeat a mantra in any action (compare Āśv. I. 11. 1). The out portions of darbhas of which veda is formed are called veda-parivāsana. These two, idhma-pravraścana and veda-parivāsana, are placed together. He takes up a branch, cuts off its leaves (but not all) inside the vedi, so chisels one end of it as to make of it a shovel. This is called upaveṣa¹⁴. He recites a mantra over it (upaveṣosi... bhavasi naḥ, Ap. I. 6. 7, Sat. I. 3. p. 91). In the Full moon sacrifice the upaveṣa is made silently. He places on the upaveṣa a triple (made of three darbhas) band of darbhas in such a way that the roots and end portions of both are in contact but they are not tied together into a knot over it. The sacrificer invokes this triple band called pavitra with a mantra ‘trivṛt palāśe &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4, Ap. I. 6. 10, Sat. I. 3. p. 92).

After this in the afternoon the piṇḍa-pitṛyajña is performed in the darśeṣṭi, but not in the pūrṇamāsa iṣṭi. Piṇḍa-pitṛyajña is separately described below.

If the sacrificer has celebrated the soma sacrifice at some time then he has to perform sāyam-doha. When the house-holder has offered the evening agnihotra, he spreads darbhas to the north of the gārhapatya, washes the sānnāyya utensils (that are the same as are required for sāyam-doha) in twos and lays them on the darbhas with their mouths turned downwardṣ The utensils are stated in the note below.¹⁵ He then makes two pavitras (strainers, purifiers) of two darbhas that are alike in appearance and colour, a span in length, the tips of which are not cut, but which are cut from their stems with a knife or sickle by having a blade of grass or wood placed over them (but not with the nails) with a mantra ‘pavitre stho’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4) and are invoked with a mantra (prāṇāpanau &c.). The adhvaryu wipes them with water upwards (from the bottom) with the mantra ‘you two are holy by the mind of Viṣṇu’. Jai. III. 8. 32 (and also Śabara thereon) says that the two pavitras and the vidhṛtis (described later on) are not taken from the cut barhis, but from the kuśa grass called pari-bhojaniya. The adhvaryu loudly announces ‘purify the cow, the ropes and all the utensils’.¹⁶ The adhvaryu places the two pavitras inside the agnihotra-havaṇī, pours water therein, purifies the water by moving the pavitras eastward and then back-wards and raising them up thrice with their tips to the north by repeating the mantra in the gāyatrī metre ‘devo vaḥ savitot-punātu’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 5. 1) once,¹⁷ there being a rest at the end of each pāda (and twice silently). He invokes the water with ‘āpo devīr-agrepuvā…(Tai. I. 1. 5. 1, Vaj. S. I.12-13), then turns the mouths of the vessels upwards and sprinkles them thrice with the water (leaving no water in the agnihotrahavaṇī) and with ‘may you purify for this divine rite, for the worship of gods’ (Tai. S. I. 3. 1). He keeps the two pavitras in a well-known place. He waits for the cows coming from the pasture with a mantra ‘etā ācarantī’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4).¹⁸ The adhvaryu takes the upavesa with ‘thou art dhṛṣṭi, impart brahma’ (Tai. S. I. 7. 1), takes out with the upavesa burning coals from the gārhapatya to its north. He places the ukhā on those coals and kindles burning coals round it with ‘may you become hot with the tapas of Bhṛgus and Aṅgirases’ (Tai. S. I. 7. 2). Then he issues a direction to the milker of the cow “announce to me when the calf joins the cow". He places the śākhāpavitra with its tip to the east (to the north in the morning milking) in the ukhā with a mantra, touches the ukhā and restrains his speech ¹⁹ holding the śākhāpavitra. The person who is to milk the cow takes the abhidhānī (the rope) with 'adityai rāsnāsi' (Tai. S. I. 2. 2) and the two nidāna ropes silently and makes the calf join the cow with 'thou art Pūṣan'. The adhvaryu issues a direction that no one is to pass between the cow that is being sucked by the calf and the sacrificial ground (vihāra) and all obey it. The adhvaryu invokes the cow with a mantra and the milker sits down near the cow to milk her with a mantra. ²⁰ The householder repeats a mantra when the cow is being milked and another when he hears the sound of the streams of milk falling into the vessel. The milker brings the milk to the adhvaryu, who asks him 'whom did you milk, declare to us, (this is) an offering to Indra, it is vigour'. The milker refers to the cow by her name (such as Gaṅgā) and adds 'in whom milk has been placed for gods and men'. The adhvaryu replies 'she (the cow named) is the life of all'. The adhvaryu places the pavitra in the kumbhī (or ukhā) and pours therein the milk across the pavitra with a mantra. The adhvaryu gets two more cows milked in the same manner (i. e. with the same mantras &c.) except the directions (such as no one should come &c. ). The only difference is that the names of the cows will be different (such as Yamunā) and that the 2nd and 3rd cows are referred to by him respectively as 'viśva-vyacāḥ' and 'viśvakarmā' instead of 'viśvāyuḥ' (in his prati-vacana). After three cows are milked he loudly utters thrice 'milk much for Indra, may the offering (havya) increase for the gods, for the calves, for men; be ready for milking again'. If there are more cows (generally six are referred to) they also are got milked with the same mantras as for the first cow or silently and the adhvaryu does not hold his tongue, nor does he touch the kumbhī while the other cows are being milkeḍ Jai. (XI. 1. 47-53) concludes that the passage of Tai. Br. about milk-ing the other three cows is a mere anuvāda and not a vidhi and Śabara quotes passages of the śruti that on that night no agnihotra is offered with milk and the children in the house do not get any milk (as all milk is used up for the sānnāyya ). When all are milked, if any drops have fallen about (on the ground &c. ) he repeats a mantra (Tai. S. I. 1. 3. 1) and invokes the pot in which sānnāyya is to be prepared with a mantra. He washes the inside of the milking vessel with water and then pours that water into the pot (in which sānnāyya is to be prepared). He heats the milk and pours over it (i. e. does abhighāraṇa) clarified butter silently. He draws the heated pot from the burning coals in such a way as to make a line on the ground and places it to the east, north or north-east with a mantra. When the bottom of the heated vessel cools, he adds curds to it in order to coagulate the fresh milk with ‘I add soma (i. e. curds) to thee in order to turn thee into curds for Indra’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 3).²¹ He adds to the vessel what remains sticking to the pot or sruc after agnihotra was offered with a mantra or silently. He pours water in the vessel that is meant as a lid or cover and places that cover or lid on the pot of heated milk. If the covering be of earthenware he throws thereon grass or a twig. He takes out the śākhāpavitra with a mantra (if a palāśa branch was used) or silently (if one of same was used) and keeps it in a secure place. He keeps the sānnāyya in the gārhapatya side of the vihāra on a śikya or some such contrivance with ‘O Viṣṇu, guard the offering’.

He brings another branch with which or with darbhas he separates the calves for the morning milking (on the principal day). The same procedure as for sāyamdoha is followed in the morning milking (of the principal day). There are a few differences as to mantras, as to not adding coagulating sub- stance, which are passed over.

After the sāyamdoha (evening milking) the adhvaryu directs (āgnīdhra or some other priest or himself) 'strew kuśa grass round the fires, first round āhavaniya, then gārhapatya, then dakṣiṇāgni' or the order may be first gārhapatya, then dakṣiṇāgni and lastly āhavanīya. The darbhas strewn on the south and north have tips turned to the east. The sacrificer mutters a mantra when kuśas are being strewṇ

Having done so much he observes the amāvāsyā as an upavasatha. Thus on the amāvāsyā day he performs agnyan- vādhāna (offering fuel-sticks into fires), separating the calves with the branch, sāyamdoha, bringing barhis and idhna, pre- paring the veda and vedi and observing some vowṣ But two of these viz. separating calves from their mothers and sāyam- doha are performed only by him who has already performed a soma sacrifice. In the case of the pūrṇamāsa iṣṭi if spread over two days, on the Full moon day only agnyanvādhāna and strewing kuśas round the fires are gone through and on the next day are performed the bringing of barhis and idhna and making of veda and all the other riteṣ If the iṣṭi is to be performed in one day only, then kuśa grass is strewn round the fires after the making of the veda bunch.

About sānnāyya Sat. states some divergent viewṣ The Kāpeyas held that even one who has not performed soma-yāga may offer sānnāyya and the deity in his case will be Indra and after he offers Soma, the deity for sānnāyya will be Mahendra. According to Śābara on Jai. X. 8. 44 the Gopā- yanas held that one who has not performed a soma sacrifice may offer sānnāyya. According to Sat. himself, for a year or two after Somayāga the deity will be Indra and then Mahendra if the sacrificer so desireṣ Persons of the Aurva and Gautama gotras and those who are gataśrī (vide note 2259) may if they like offer sānnāyya to Mahendra even before performing Somayāga. Compare Āp. I. 14. 8-11 and vide Jai. X. 8. 35-46 (about the two puroḍāśas and sānnāyya).

On the principal day (i. e. the first day of the dark half in the case of pūrṇamāsa) the sacrificer offers his daily agnihotra before sunrise and begins after sunrise the performance of the pūrṇamāsa iṣṭi (and in the case of the darśeṣṭi before sunrise). He washes his hands with water with the mantra “May I be able to carry out this rite meant for you two and for gods” (Tai. S. I. 1. 4. 1). From the place of the gārhapatya fire he spreads a line of dry kuśa grass continuously with their tips to the east (without leaving any space uncovered) with the mantra ‘thou art the continuity of sacrifice, I spread thee for the continuity of sacrifice, thee for the continuity of the sacrifice’ (Tai. Br. III. 2.4) and then spreads another line of kuśas to the south and another to the north of this first line silently. To the south of the āhavaniya, seats of kuśa grass are made ready for the brahmā priest and the sacrificer, that of the brahmā being to the east of the seat of the sacrificer and directly to the south of the āhavaniya and of the sacrificer to the south of the south corner of the east side of the vedi. To the north of gārhapatya kuśas are strewn with their tips to the east or north and on them the sacrificial implements (yajñapātras) are placed in twos after being washed with water and with their mouths turned down, viz., the sphya and kapālas &c. (vide above note 2233 for the ten). This is called pātrāsādana (placing the utensils near).²²

Then follows brahmavarana.

The sacrificer sitting on a seat with his face to the north then chooses his brahmā priest who faces the east near the utkara with the formula²³ ‘O! Lord of the earth! Lord of the worlds! Lord of great being (Heaven?)! I choose thee as brahmā’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The brahmā priest when so chosen mutters a long formula (which is given in Āp. III. 18. 4 from the Tai. Br. III. 7. 6 and part of which is translated here) ‘I am the Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds, lord of the great being. Being impelled by god Savitr! I shall perform the duties of a priest. God Savitr! Here they choose thee (who art) Lord of speech, as the divine brahmā priest; I proclaim this to mind, mind proclaims to Gāyatrī... the Viśve Devas to Bṛhaspati, Bṛhaspati to Brahmā, Brahmā is bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, suvaḥ. Bṛhaspati is the priest of the Gods, I am the brahmā priest of human beings'. Then he loudly says 'O Bṛhaspati, protect the sacrifice (ibīḍ) and cross- ing the altar by the west of the āhavanīya towards the south of the āhavanīya, stands to the south of his seat with his face to the north, takes a kuśa blade from the blades on the seat prepared for him, casts it to the south-west (the direction of Nir-ṛti, ill-luck) with the words 'avaunt,²⁴ Daidhiṣavya (son of a re-married widow ?), get up from this place, occupy the seat of another, who is more ignorant than me' (Tai. S. III. 2. 4. 4. ), touches water and sits down on his seat with face to the east with a mantra and then faces the āhavanīya with a mantra 'Here do I, impelled by God Savitṛ, sit on the seat of Vasu (or prosperity) lower in level (than the āhavanīya mound), I occupy the seat of Bṛhaspati, this I declare to Agni, to Vāyu, to the Sun, to the Earth' (vide apastamba has chapters 1-2.4, Kāt. II. 1. 24). The brahmā is required to be the most learned in Vedic lore (brahmiṣṭha, as Āp. III. 18. 1 says) and he is to observe silence while mantras are being repeated and superintends all actionṣ His permission is asked by the adhvaryu at the time of doing most of the acts, such as loading forward the praṇītā water, sprinkling the bundle of fuel-sticks and kuśa grasṣ There are four priests in darśa- pūrṇamāsa (vide note 2228 ). The sacrificer also crosses by the west side of the āhavanīya to its south, throws away silently a blade of kuśa from his seat and then sits down on the seat prepared for him, with his face to the east. The adhvaryu takes two darbhas of equal thickness, the tops of which are not cut off and makes them a span in length by cutting off their roots (without using his nails).²⁵

The adhvaryu, sitting to the west (or north) of the gārha- patya fire, takes a camasa (a rather flat vessel or pan) in which water is to be carried forward with 'to thee for Dakṣa' (Āp. I. 17. 1) and washes it thrice with water once with mantra and twice silently. The mantra is 'thou art made of plants, may you be washed for gods, may you shine for the gods, may you be pure for gods' (Āp. I. 16. 3). He keeps the two pavitras in the camasa and pours water in the camasa with ‘who takes you, let him take you, for whom shall I take you, I take you for him, you for prosperity’ (Āp. I. 16. 3) and at the same time contemplates on the Earth with ‘I take you with this’ (not uttered). He fills the vessel so as to leave some space at the top and purifies the water by the process called utpavana (describ- ed above in note 2291 ). He then invokes them with ‘may the divine waters, that are the first purifiers and the leaders carry this sacrifice to the front, may they place the lord of the sacrifice in front, Indra chose you in his fight with Vṛtra, you chose him in the fight with Vṛtra, you are sprinkled’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 5. 1). The adhvaryu then asks the permission of the brahmā priest in the words ‘Brahman! shall I carry forward the water’ and issues a direction ‘sacrificer, observe silence’. The brahmā priest mutters a mantra ‘Lead forward the sacrifice, sustain these deities, may the sacrificer be on the back of heaveṇ Place this sacrifice and the sacrificer in the world where the seven sages and other men of holy deeds dwell’ and loudly says ‘yes, do carry the water forward’. The adhvaryu then repeats the verse ‘who carries you forward? Let him carry you forwarḍ I carry for- ward the divine waters; may they sit round our sacrifice, conveying to the sacrificer thousandfold prosperity, the waters that delight in drink, having a shining ( or oily ) appearance’. He holds the water in a vessel which is covered by the sphya that has its tip to the east and that is held level with his nose and carries it forward without allowing even a drop to fall dowṇ When the water is being carried the sacrificer invokes it with a mantra.²⁶ The adhvaryu places the water vessel (praṇītāpātra) on darbha grass to the north of the āhavaniya with the mantra ‘you are sanctified by brahma ( prayers ); who employs you? Let him employ for (securing) all desires, for the worship of gods (Āp. IV. 4. 4)’ and then covers the vessel with kuśaṣ All these acts constitute praṇītāpraṇayana. While the water is being placed near the āhavaniya the sacrificer invokes it with the immediately preceding mantra and passes his eye over the whole of the sacrificial grounḍ No one is to pass between the āhavaniya and the praṇītā water (Kāt. II. 3. 4). The principal purpose of the pranita waters is that they are used for making the ground grains into a dough for purodāśa and their final disposal is to be poured into the vedi ( Jai. IV. 2, 14–15 ). The adhvaryu comes back by the same way that he went, places down the sphya among the yajñapātras and touches the sacrificial utensils with his hand wearing a pavitra with the mantra ‘may the divine groups enter into the sacrificial utensils’.

Then follows nirvāpa⁹³ ( taking out handfuls of grains or a portion of other sacrificial material ). The adhvaryu takes in his hand the ladle called agnihotra-havanī with ‘thou art made of a tree for dakṣa ( strength ). Then he holds it in his left hand and takes the winnowing basket ( śūrpa ) in his right hand with ‘to thee for the all-pervading ( yajña )’. Then he heats it ( ladle ) on the gārhapatya fire with ‘the rakṣas ( evil spirit ) is burnt, the enemies are burnt’. He then touches water.⁹¹ The adhvaryu asks the permission of the sacrificer in the words ‘sacrificer ! shall I take out sacrificial material’ and the sacrificer replies ‘yes, do take out’. The adhvaryu then utters the words ‘I go towards the wide space’ and approaches a cart or wooden frame ( śakaṭa ) standing to the west of the āhavaniya or gārha-patya containing either rice or barley grains ( in the husk ), which has the shafts turned to the east or north, which has the yoke joined to it and is covered with matṣ While touching the right side of the yoke he mutters ‘thou art dhūr ( destruc-tive fire ), injure the destructive ( enemy ), destroy him who seeks to destroy us and whom we seek to destroy’. He touches the left shaft and mutters the mantra ‘thou art of the gods ( i. e. belongest to them ), thou art the purest ( or the most generous ), the fullest, the dearest, the best carrier, the best summoner of the gods’. He places ( firmly touches with ) his right foot on the left wheel ( of the śakaṭa ) with ‘Viṣṇu tra-versed thee’. He mounts the cart with his left foot with ‘thou art an unbent receptacle of havis, mayst thou be strong and not break (or bend)'. He makes an opening by removing the mats covering the śakaṭa and looks at the corn to be used for making the puroḍāśa and at the mats while repeating twice the mantra 'I look at thee with the eye of Mitra, do not be afraid, do not tremble, I shall not injure thee'. He touches the corn (to be used for puroḍāśa) with 'may you sustain strength', then touches his own heart with 'put milk in me' and touches water. Then he throws aside a blade of grass or clod of earth with 'warded off is the evil spirit', touches water and repeats the Daśahotr mantraṣ²⁹ He places the two pavitras in the winnowing basket (silently), takes one handful of the grain (from the cart) with 'may the five fingers give you for protection, and not to the enemy' (Maitrāyaṇīya S. I. 1. 5), puts (empties) the handful in the sruc (agnihotrahavaṇī) and puts in the winnowing basket (on which the two pavitras have been kept) four handfuls of grain by means of the agnihotra-havaṇī, three with the mantra (repeated thrice) 'at the command of god Savitṛ, with the arms of Aśvins, with the hand of Pūṣan I take out thee that art dear to Agni' ³⁰ and the fourth silently. Jāi. (IX. I. 36-37) concludes that this mantra is the same even in all modifications of the darśapūrṇamāsa and Śabara explains 'savituh prasave' as meaning 'urged by the yajamāna' (or when the sun rises), 'āśvins' as meaning the sacrificer and his wife (as they make a gift of the horse in agnyādheya) and pūṣan as meaning 'yajamāna' himself (who supports all). In Jāi. XI. 4. 44-45 it is stated that the mantra for nirvāpa 'devasya tvā', the mantra for cutting off barhis (barhirdevasadanam dāmi) are to be repeated and not to be uttered only once. In Jāi. V. 2. 4-5 it is established that all the saṁskāras are to be performed on all the grains after four handfuls are taken and not on each handful as it is taken out. The sacrificer invokes with a mantra while the adhvaryu is making the nirvāpa 'I call here Agni, the hotṛ and the gods that are well disposed to sacrifice; may the gods, pleased in mind, come and may they partake of this my offering.' Having finished the taking out of grains in four handfuls, (the adhvaryu) throws on them some more grains with his hanḍ If no cart is available, he keeps an earthen vessel on the sphya placed on the altar with its tip to the north or east and takes out the grains from that vessel (this is the modern practice) and then removes the wooden sword from underneath it. The same procedure is followed in the case of purodāśas for other deitieṣ The adhvaryu touches the grains taken out with ‘this of the gods’ and touches the rest (remaining in the śakaṭa or vessel) with ‘this is ours together (with the gods).’ He invokes the grains taken out with ‘I take (or invoke) thee for increase and not for malevolence.’ He moves out of the mats covering the cart (or from near the vessel) taking with him the śūrpa with ‘thee I release from the fetters of Varuṇa’ (compare Maitrāyaṇī S. I. 1. 5). He looks at the sacrificial ground, the fires, the utensils, the priests with ‘may I see heaven’ and at the āhavanīya with ‘the light of Vaiśvā- nara (Agni).’ He gets down from the cart with ‘may the posts (or mansions) of Heaven and Earth, stand firm’ (if corn is taken from a vessel he only mutters these words). He invokes the grains that have fallen down (when four handfuls were taken out) with ‘to Heaven and Earth, svāhā’ and goes near the gārhapatya with ‘follow wide space (or sky).’ He puts down the śūrpa (containing the corn taken out) near the gārhapatya to its west (or near that fire on which in that particular rite he has to bake the cake) with ‘I make you sit on the lap of Aditi’³¹ and consigns it to the protection of that deity (for which the cake is meant) with ‘O fire! protect the sacrificial material.’³² The adhvaryu pours water in the (agnihotrahavaṇī) ladle to which the awns of the rice or barley grains stick and purifies it thrice with the two pavitras (blades of kuśa) held in the hands and with the mantra ‘may god Savitṛ &c.’ (vide p. 1024 above) and invokes it with ‘may the divine waters’ &c. Then the adhvaryu seeks the permission of the brahmā priest with ‘Brahman! shall I sprinkle’ (with holy water the sacrificial material). The brahmā priest mutters ‘sprinkle the sacrifice, sustain these deities &c.’ and loudly says ‘Yes, do sprinkle.’ The adhvaryu then sprinkles water thrice, once with the mantra ‘at the command of Savitṛ ...... I sprinkle. thee that are dear to Agni' (or Agni and Soma or other deity as the case may be) and twice silently. One should so sprinkle that drops of water may not fall on the fire. He then upturns the sacrificial utensils (i. e. instead of their mouths being down, their mouths are now upturned) and sprinkles them thrice with water with 'may you become pure for divine rite, for worship of gods'. ³³ The rest of the water taken for sprinkling is placed to the east of the gārhapatya (in a śruc). It is stated by Jaimini (IX. 1. 2-3) that the prokṣaṇa of the mortar and pestle or the mill-stones has an unseen spiritual result (apūrva).

The adhvaryu sits to the west of the gārhapatya, takes hold of the black antelope skin lying on the altar with 'thou art the whirl of the wind' and shakes it thrice on the utkara holding it in such a way that the neck portion is up and the hairy portion inside (towards himself) with 'destroyed is the evil spirit, destroyed are the enemies'. To the west of the utkara he spreads the antelope ³⁴ skin with its neck portion westwards (Śat. Br. I. 1. 4. 5 ) and its hairy portion upwards with "thou art the skin of Aditi'. The portion ³⁵ of the skin near the anus (of the animal) is twisted below the hairless part and both parts are held together with 'may the earth know thee'. While still touching the skin he places the mortar on it with 'thou art the adhiṣavaṇa (the utensil for pressing or beating the grains) made of a tree, may the skin of Aditi know thee'. Holding the mortar (ulūkhala) by the left hand he pours into its mouth the sacrificial materials (unhusked grains of rice or barley) thrice with 'thou art the body of Fire, ⁸³¹⁰ thou art a prompter of speech, I take thee for the enjoyment of the gods' and a fourth time silently. He takes the pestle with 'thou art a stone (hard like a stone), though produced from a tree; mayst thou so strike this sacrificial material for the gods that it will be enjoyable to them!' and beats the grains in the mortar thrice with 'may I strike the evil spirit, the enemy of heaven, away!' (the mantra is recited only once according to Jai. XI. 4. 42). After striking thrice the adhvaryu utters a summons to haviṣkṛt, with 'come, O Haviṣkṛt'. (repeated thrice) ⁸³¹¹. When the grains begin to be husked the adhvaryu utters a call to Āgnīdhra 'strike loudly'. The āgnīdhra takes kuṭaru (aśman, a stone) with 'thou art a stone, thou art one that makes a hymn of praise (or glory)' and he strikes therewith the large mill-stone (dṛṣad) that is placed on the altar (twice, once with mantra and once silently) and the smaller one (upalā) once with 'proclaim food (to the gods), proclaim strength; may you (all sacrificial utensils) proclaim that (the food) is full of excellent flavour; may we conquer the hordes (of enemies) by this noise'. The āgnīdhra may strike silently with the yoke-pin (śamyā) instead of using a stone (Āp. I. 20. 4). He repeats this thrice (i. e. striking with a stone or yoke-pin is done nine times in all). After this the sacrificer’s wife or some one else (such as the āgnīdhra) threshes the grains in the mortar (Kāt. II. 4. 14). Jai. (XI. 1. 27) states that the beating has a seen purpose (viz. removal of husk) and so it is to be continued as long as required for effect-ing that purpose. Jai. (IV. 2. 26) further lays down that the Vedic sentence ‘ vṛibin-avahanti ' is a restrictive injunction ( niyamavidhi ) in that, when unhusking can be effected either by using the mortar and pestle or by some other method (such by using the nails ) it restricts one to the former methoḍ The adhvaryu then holds the winnowing basket near the mouth of the mortar to its east or north with the words ' thou art grown by rain '²²¹² (as it is made of bamboo) and touches the beaten grains ( to be used for purodāśa ) with ' you are grown by rain '. He then puts with his hand the beaten grains into the winnowing basket with ' may (the śūrpa) know thee ' (the grains as its own). Holding the śūrpa over the utkura he thrice winnows the grains and frees them from the husk (which falls on the utkura) with ' thrown away is the evil spirit, thrown away are the enemies' (i. e. the husks are meant to be the portion of evil spirits). He makes the husks sticking to the śūrpa fall on the utkura with ' blown away are the enemies '. He puts the husks from the place of the utkura over the (middle) potsherd (on which the cake is to be baked) and places them (the husks) underneath the black antelope skin in its north-west corner with ' thou art the portion of evil spirits '. He does not look at these huskṣ He presses down with his hand the spot where the husks are kept with ' pressed down is the evil spirit '. He touches water, sprinkles the potsherd (on which the husks were) with water and keeps the potsherd in its place. He separates the husked and unhusked grains with ' may the wind separate you.' He then pours out the grains of rice from the śūrpa in the pot with the words ' may the god Savitṛ with his golden hands (rays) accept you '. He then takes them and pours them in the mortar and issues a direction (praiṣa) to the sacrificer’s wife to make the rice free from the thin coating of husk.³⁸ The wife or some one else or a dāsī ( a maid-servant ) does the threshing several times, then she hands over the pestle to the agnīdhra who beats with the pestle the grains and then the wife does the final beating with 'may you become pure for the gods, shine for the gods, purify for the gods'. The adhvaryu puts the kapas (little particles of rice grains) separated from the polished grains of rice in a vessel, cleanses the polished grains that are in the śūrpa with water. That portion which remains after the grains are beaten thrice is made to flow towards the utkara with the water (collected in another vessel) that is used in washing the polished grains with 'this is the portion of evil spiritṣ May the waters carry it forward from this place, svāhā', the water being also poured inside the vedi. Then he repeats the whole procedure about the black antelope skin from its being taken up to its being spread already describeḍ Then the adhvaryu places the yoke-pin (śamyā) with its head (kumba, thick part) to the north on the antelope skin with 'thou art the support of the heavenly world'; he establishes ³⁹ the larger mill-stone (dṛṣad) with its face to the east on the śamyā in such a way as to cover the śamyā with its western half with 'thou art intelligence (though) made of a stone; may the support of heaven know thee'; then he places the smaller mill-stone on the larger one with 'thou art intelligence (though) a child of the mountain; may the dṛṣad know thee'. The adhvaryu then bends and looks at the polished grains that are in the śūrpa with 'you are honeyed rays'. He spreads the polished grains on the larger mill-stone thrice with 'at the command of god Savitṛ......hands of Pūṣan' (vide p. 1024 for the omitted words). I spread you, you are corn, satiate the gods' and once silently. He draws the smaller mill-stone over the grains to the east with 'to thee for prāṇa ⁴¹', to the west with 'to thee for apāna', and holds it firmly in the middle of the lower mill-stone with 'to thee for vyāna'. Ultimately he grinds towards the east with 'I hold this (smaller mill-stone) for the life (of the sacri-ficer) in a long and continuous series ⁴² of actions (here grind-ing)'. Thereafter he continuously grinds the grains at his pleasure. He throws the ground grains from the larger mill-stone with the smaller mill-stone on to the antelope skin with 'May God Savitṛ with his golden hands (rays) accept you' and bends down to look at the ground grains with 'I look at you with an unimpaired eye.' He then issues a direction to the wife 'grind (or pound) without scattering (the grains away from the larger mill-stone or from the antelope skin) and make them into fine flour.' Either the wife grinds or a maid-servant (dāsī) may do so (Āp. I. 21. 8-9); and then keeps aside the well-ground flour in a well-known place. The adhvaryu heats on the gārhapatya water called madantī ⁴³ brought from the praṇītā water. The offerings (of cooked vegetable food) are cooked either on the gārhapatya or on the āhavanīya fire.

The adhvaryu, after sitting to the west of the gārhapatya, takes the upaveśa with 'thou art dhṛṣṭi ( bold one ), give brahma (holy food ?).’ He separates two burning coals from the western portion of the gārhapatya fire with the upaveśa and keeps them on the eastern side of the gārhapatya mound itself. He casts outside one of the two coals to the north-west of the gārhapatya with 'O Fire! Dash aside the fire that eats (cooks) raw food (not cooked in accordance with śāstra); and forbid that fire that eats flesh (cooks ordinary meat food).’ He then touches water, places the remaining coal on that spot on the west (of the gārhapatya mound where he has to place the potsherds) with ‘bring that fire that worships the godṣ’ He then places the middle one ⁴⁴ (of the eight potsherds) thereon with 'thou art firm, make the earth firm, strengthen life, progeny and surround the sacrificer with his kinsmeṇ' He lays a burning coal on that potsherd with 'burnt is the evil spirit, burnt are the enemieṣ' The potsherds, whether eight, eleven or more or less, are arranged on the gārhapatya mounḍ To the east of the central one he places a kapāla with 'thou art the supporter, make the aerial space firm, strengthen prāṇa and apāna, surround the sacrificer with his kinsmeṇ' Then a third is placed to the east of the 2nd with 'thou art dharuņa (supporter), support heaven, the eye, the ear and surround &c.' He places the 4th kapāla to the south-east with 'thou art dharma (supporter), support the directions, the home, progeny, surround &c.'; he places the fifth to the south-west with 'thou art the strength (or host) of maruts'; he places the 6th in the north-west with 'thou art a restrainer, support the directions, wealth, prosperity, surround &c.'; he places the 7th to the north-east with 'I place thee that art uninjured from all the directions for the reconciliation (or love) of all kinsmen'; and lastly the remaining one to the north with 'thou art cit ⁴⁵ (intelligence).' In modern times many agnihotrins do not generally employ eight or eleven potsherds but employ one earthen brick ( that would have the shape of the kapālas when placed together ), on which lines are scratched to indicate the number of kapālaṣ Then taking coals from the gārhapatya he spreads the coals on the potsherds ( whether 8, 11 or more or less ) with the veda bunch repeating for each potsherd ‘ may you be heated by the tapas of Bhrgus and Angiraseṣ’

The adhvaryu heats the pātrī ( the puroḍāśa pātrī, according to Kāt. II. 6. 49 ) that is washed with water on the fire on which the cake is to be baked and when it is heated and slightly cooled he places the pavitras on it and pours on to it across the pavitras the flour ( of ground and bruised grains ) from the black antelope skin with the yajus mantra ⁴⁶ ‘ devasya tvā ... agnaye juṣṭam saṁvapāmi’ thrice and once silently. While pouring the ground grains he restrains his speech and gives up the restraint only when he spreads holy ashes over the puroḍāśa ( vide below ). He purifies the flour by moving for- wards and backwards and raising up the two pavitras ( darbha blades ) the tips of which are turned northwards thrice ( i. e. he performs utpavāna ) once with the mantra ‘haryoṣ-tvā vārā- bhyām-ut-punāmi’ or with the mantra ‘devo vaḥ’ ( vide note 2291 above ). He takes in the sruva ladle water from the praṇītā water, and supporting it on the veda bunch pours that water on the flour with a mantra ‘waters have joined with waters &c.’ ( Tai. S. I. 1. 8. 1 ) and also pours thereon the hot water from the madantī vessel with the mantra ⁴⁷ ‘you are generated from waters’ and mixes the flour through and through on all sides with the water from left to right with ‘may you be well mixed up with water’ ( Tai. S. I. 1. 8. 1 ). He stirs and mixes the flour and water with the mekṣaṇa ⁴⁸ with ‘ I mix thee together for generation’, and makes a ball ( of the flour ) with ‘ thou art the head of the sacrifice’. He then divides the ball into two parts with ‘may you (two) become separate according to the respective shares (of the deities)’. He makes two balls of equal size from the dough and touches the two separately with ‘this for Agni’ and ‘this for Agni and Soma.’⁴⁹ From the group of potsherds to the south he removes the burning coals with the veda bunch with ‘Here do I remove the face from the approaching (or attacking) army’ and then removes the coals also from the group of potsherds that are to the north. Taking the ball of flour that is to be placed on the southern potsherds with ‘thou art the head of the sacrifice’ he bakes the ball with ‘thou art heat and bestower of all life’ and similarly bakes the other ball on the northern group of potsherds in the same way.⁵⁰ He makes the cake assume the shape of a tortoise, but its back should be neither too high nor too low like an apūpa and the cake should be as large as the hoof of a horse.⁵¹ He spreads the cake so that it covers all the potsherds with ‘may thou spread wide’ (i. e. have progeny &c.). He puts water in the vessel (with the water from which the flour was mixed up) and sweeps the surface of the cake from left to right with his wet hand in such a way that the cake will have a skin-like continuous surface with ‘mayst thou take on a skin’. He passes a burning firebrand thrice round each cake with ‘vanished is the evil spirit, vanished are the enemies’. He applies over the cakes the flames of burning darbhas with ‘may the god Savitṛ bake thee in the kindled (fire) called nāka’. He applies heat by passing round the cakes burning fire-brands with ‘may fire not burn thy body! O Fire, protect the offering’. He spreads over the cake ashes in which there are also burning coals with ‘mayst thou be connected with prayer’. The adhvaryu issues a direction (to the āgnīdhra) ‘bake the cakes without burning them’ and here he gives up the restraint of speech (that was imposed as stated above).

He heats with a burning firebrand the water used for wiping the fingers and for scouring the vessels and draws with the sphya to the west of the āhavanīya (or gārhapatya) three lines (on the vedi) running from south to north (or optionally from west to east, according to Ap. I. 25. 14); he pours that water on each of the three lines thrice in such a way that the water let fall on one line does not become mixed with that poured on the next line and that in pouring water he proceeds from east to west with ‘to Ekata, svāhā ! to Dvita, svāhā ! to Trita, svāhā !’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 8. 1).⁵²

To the west of the āhavanīya he constructs a vedi, which is in length as much as the height of the sacrificer or which is as long as required for one’s purpose and which has curved sideṣ⁵³ The sacrificer repeats a verse ‘I make a mansion for him &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6) and touches the spot where the vedi is to be made. The adhvaryu sweeps the spot of the vedi with the veda bunch once with the mantra ‘they knew the vedi by means of the veda bunch &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 3. 9) and twice silently before the dust and weeds are removeḍ⁵⁴ The yajamāna invokes the vedi when it is being swept by repeating certain verses viz. ‘you, a young lady, with four tufts of hair &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The adhvaryu takes the sphya ( wooden sword ) along with two darbhas with ‘ I take you at the impulse of Savitṛ ... with the hands of Pūṣan’, invokes it with ‘thou art the arm of Indra’, cleanses upwards the tip of the sphya with a darbha with ‘ thou art wind with a thousand tips ( or edges ) and a hundred sharp brilliances’ and places a darbha with its tip to the north or east on the eastern portion of the vedi at a spot which is 32 angulas from the eastern side of the vedi ( i. e. ⅓ of the length of the vedi ) with ‘ thou art armour for the earth.’⁵⁵ He strikes the darbha with the sphya saying ‘O Earth, meant as the place for worshipping gods, may I not injure the root of thy herb’. He moves aside with the sphya the dust together with the cut blade of darbha with ‘struck aside is the demon Araru from the earth’. He removes the dust and the blade with the sphya outside the vedi towards the utkara⁵⁶ with ‘ go to the cowpen, the place of the cowṣ’ While this is being done the sacrificer recites by way of invocation ‘O gods! I cut off with the bolt of Indra the head of him who hates me &c.’ ( Tai. Br. III. 7. 6 ). The adhvaryu looks at the vedi with ‘may Heaven rain on thee’ and at the sacrificer with ‘may rain shower on thee’. The āgnīdhra sits down with the palms of his hands turned upwards to the north of the vedi and outside it on a spot at the distance of two padas ( footsteps ) from the north side of the vedi with ‘ salutation to heaven and to the earth.’ The adhvaryu spreads near the āgnīdhra the dust together with the cut blade of grass at the distance of one prakrama to the north of the vedi from a spot which is 32 angulas ( or ⅓ of the vedi ) from the eastern side of the vedi⁵⁷ with ‘O God Savitṛ! bind with a hundred fetters in the most distant region him who hates us and him whom we hate; do not free them from the fetters’. The āgnīdhra covers with both his hands⁵⁷ joined together the place of the restless one is held down' and remains so. The adhvaryu strikes the vedi with the sphya a second time and a third time and the same procedure is followed by him and by the āgnīdhra as at the first striking except that one mantra is different for each priest at each of the two strikingṣ The adhvaryu strikes with the sphya a fourth time but silently and all actions of the first striking are repeated but without mantraṣ The adhvaryu removes all the remnants of the darbhas from the vedi, the yajamāna recites the invocatory verse 'I cut off the head' &c. and the āgnīdhra covers a fourth time with his hands with 'may Araru not spring upwards to thy heaven'. The adhvaryu then draws with the sphya on the vedi a line from the south corner of the west side of the vedi towards the east up to the southern shoulder (on the east side of the vedi) with 'may the Vasus enfold you with the Gāyatrī metre'. He draws a line on the western side of the vedi towards the north with 'may the Rudras enfold thee with the Triṣṭubh metre' and draws a line from the northern corner of the west side towards the east with 'may the Ādityas enfold thee with the Jagatī metre'. While this is being done the yajamāna mutters a verse 'O Bṛhaspati, envelope the vedi &c.'. He makes the shoulders of the vedi raised up and envelope the āhavanīya mound and the two corners on the western side turned towards the gārhapatya and the vedi is contracted in the middle. The adhvaryu issues a direction⁵⁷ (to himself or to the āgnīdhra or to the attendants if any) 'O men! make this vedi and make it occupied by the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas &c.' (Kāṭhaka Saṁ. I. 9). The āgnīdhra digs up with the sphya the upper layer of dust with 'Araru has been struck off from the earth, bring here him who worships the gods' and carries the dust so dug towards the utkāra. When this is being done the sacrificer recites two textṣ The āgnīdhra digs the ground from west to east for making the vedi with 'at the prompting of God Savitr, the worshippers do their work'. Whatever roots remain in the ground he removes with the sphya, and all dust that remains he removes to the utkāra. The adhvaryu addresses the brahmā priest 'O brahman! shall I undertake the further enfolding of the vedi'. The brahmā priest mutters a mantra 'O Bṛhaspati, enfold the vedi &c.' and loudly replies, 'Yes (om), do enfold'. He enfolds the vedi from the south, west, and north respectively ⁵⁸ with 'thou art ṛta (right), thou art the abode of ṛta, thou art the glory of ṛta'. The yajamāna mutters 'while this is being done a verse 'O Bṛhaspati! enfold the vedi' (same as the one recited by the brahmā above). The adhvaryu says 'thou art dhā (support of the havis), thou art svadhā (the source of piṇḍas offered to Manes), thou art the wide earth, thou art rich' and makes the surface of the vedi level by means of the sphya from east to west. The yajamāna invokes the vedi with a mantra 'Having become the earth, it nourished greatness &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The adhvaryu addresses a mantra ⁵⁹ (Tai. S. I. 1. 9) to the vedi 'O virapśin! Before the cruel (Araru) creeps out &c.', holds the sphya in a slanting position in a spot which is beyond ⅓ of the length of the vedi from its western side and issues a direction ⁶⁰ 'obtain or set down the water for sprinkling, put down the idhma (fuel-sticks) and barhis (kuśa grass), clean the sruva and the sruc ladles, gird up the wife (of the sacrificer), and come out with clarified butter.' Then the āgnīdhra (or adhvaryu) places two pavitras inside the agnihotrahavaṇī (sruc), pours water into it, draws the sphya in a slanting position (from the spot where it had been held fixed) a short distance to the north thereby causing a furrowed line on the vedi, holds the sphya in the left hand inside the vedi and the agnihotrahavaṇī in the right hand, drops a little water from the agnihotrahavaṇī on to the furrowed line made by the sphya and places the agnihotrahavaṇī (con- taining the water) on the spot where the sphya had been originally held fixed slantingly with 'O abode of ṛta.' The adhvaryu brings to his mind him whom the yajamāna hateṣ When the prokṣaṇī waters are being placed the yajamāna mutters a mantra. The adhvaryu throws the sphya in such a way that it falls on the utkara with 'thou art produced from a tree, thou hast a hundred points, thou art the death of the enemy.' Then seizing the sphya with his fist by the bulging part thereof he draws it towards the east from the utkara. He washes his hands on the utkara and also the sphya with water but does not touch with his bare hand the point of the sphya (i. e. he cleans the other parts of the sphya with his hand by pouring the water thereon and cleans the point by only pouring water thereon). To the north of the āhavanīya he places with both hands the idhma and barhis, the latter to the north of the former. The sphya is placed near the praṇītā waters to their west (Kāt. II. 6. 43).

With the ends of the blades cut off in making the veda bunch he (the āgnīdhra or adhvaryu himself) wipes the sruva and the three ladles viz. juhū, upabbṛt and dhruvā ), invokes them with 'you are not sharpened (and yet) you destroy our enemieṣ' He takes up the sruva and the sruc ladles with 'Agni summons you, who are filled with butter, for the worship of the gods, heats them on the āhavanīya or gārhapatya with burnt is the evil spirit, burnt are the enemies, I heat you with the very dazzling light of Agni.' He cleans the sruva, the bowl by rubbing its inside several times and its outside on all sides once with the tips⁶² (of the vedaparivāsanāni) and its rod with the roots (of the portions of the cut blades) with 'May I not brush the place of cows! I clean thee that art strong (or possessed of food) and that subduest enemies' (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 1). He cleans the juhū ladle, the bowl by rubbing its inside several times from west to east with the tips (of the cut portions), its outside from east to west with the middle portions and its rod with the roots with 'may I not brush out speech and life-breath, I clean thee &c.' He cleans the upabhṛt, the inside from east to west (as for sruva ), the outside from west to east with the middle portions and the rod with the roots with 'may I not rub out the eye and the ear, I clean thee &c.' He cleans the dhruvā ladle as he did the sruva, with the difference that the mantra is 'may I not rub out progeny and home &c.' He does not allow a cleaned vessel to come in contact with one that is not cleaned, but if they are brought in contact he again heats the vessel (already cleaned) and cleans it agaiṇ He takes up the vessel called prāśitraharaṇa,⁶³ heats it on the fire (but without mantras ) and cleans it, the bowl with the tips (of cut blades) on all sides from the outside to the inside and the rod with the roots 'with may I not brush out food, progeny and prosperity, I clean thee that art strong and subduest enemies'. According to Āp. II. 4. 10 and coṃ on Sat. I 7 p. 158 the sruc ladles and the prāśitraharaṇa are laid on darbhas in front of the utkara or to its west on the north side of the vedi. He sprinkles with water the cut portions of the veda bunch with which the vessels were cleaned and offers them into that fire ⁶⁴ (gārhapatya or āhavanīya) on which the vessels were heated with ‘this artistic thing ( the darbha that springs from water ) spread down from heaven, it resorts to the spaces of the earth; we destroy our enemy with it that that has a thousand shoots, svāhā !’ (Tai. Br. III. 3. 2 ).

Then comes patnīsaṁnāhana ( girding up of the sacrificer's wife ).

The āgnīdhra takes up the veda bunch, the āyasthālī, ⁶⁵ yoktra, and the two darbha blades used as pavitra. The wife (of the sacrificer), while sitting to the south-west of the gārhapatya with knee raised up or standing is girt up by the āgnīdhra ( by the adhvaryu, according to coṃ on Āp. II. 5. 6 ) with the yoktra (cord of muñja grass) with the mantra, ‘I hoping for a favour-ably disposed mind, progeny, good luck, beautiful body and observing the vratas of Agni, gird up myself for meritorious actions’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 1). In modern practice the wife girds up her waist with the yoktra herself. He does not gird her up over the garment worn round the waist but inside it ( Āp. II. 5. 5 says there is an option). The yoktra has a loop at one end in which the other end is inserted and the cord is passed round the waist of the wife twice, a knot like that of the top-knot (śikhā of a man) is made to the north of the navel with ‘may Pūṣan tie a knot for you’ and it is drawn to the south of the navel from left to right. She waits upon (does adoration to) the gārha-patya by standing and saying ‘O fire, Lord of the house, call me near’. Standing to the west of the gārhapatya she pays adoration to the wives of the gods ⁶⁶ with 'May you wives of the gods summon me near you' and she looks at the same spot (west of gārhapatya and not east ) with ‘O wife, O wife (of the god)! this is thy world, salutation to thee, do not injure me’. She sits facing the north at a place which is south-west of the gārhapatya with 'May I have no widowed state just as Indrānī has none. ⁶⁷ May I have good sons like Aditi! O gārhapatya endowed with all means, I sit down near thee for good progeny' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). On sitting down she mutters (japati ⁶⁸ ) 'O fire! we, who have virtuous husbands and who have good progeny, who are not treated with contempt, have sat down near thee, that destroyest enemies and that cannot be destroyed (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 1–2); may my sons be destroyers of enemies and my daughter be ruling (a queen); I also am victorious (over my co-wives) and my glory with my husband is highest (Rg. X. 159. 3).' The āgnīdhra opens the mouth of the big jar (covered with a piece of cloth or the like ) in which ghee has been stored with 'May Pūṣan open thy mouth' and takes from it into another vessel ghee that should be a little more than what would be required in the rite, heats it on the dakṣiṇa fire with 'Viṣṇu traversed this' (Rg. I. 22. 17). He takes up from the spot where all utensils have been placed the ājyasthālī (pot for clarified butter) with 'thou art Aditi, whose pavitra is not cut off' and pours into that pot in which two pavitras are placed plenty of clarified butter ⁶⁹ 'thou art the milk of the great ones (the cows), the fluid of herbs, I take out from thee that art inexhaustible a portion for the worship of gods (this is the nir-vāpa of clarified butter). He melts the butter in the ājyasthālī on the burning coals of the southern portion of the gārhapatya fire with 'to thee for sap', takes it down ( from the coals ) with 'to thee for strength', holds it over the veda bunch and hands both the pot and the veda bunch to the wife. She first closes her eyes and then holding her breath ( opens her eyes and ) looks down on the clarified butter with 'thou art the milk of cows; the fluid of herbs, I look on thee for securing good progeny with an invincible eye' ( Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 3 ). The agnidhra places the āiyasthāli on the northern portion of the garhapatya fire and melts it with 'thou art light'; he takes it from the fire with 'to thee for light' and carries it to the south of the āhavaniya with 'follow after light'. He melts it on that fire with 'may Agni not remove thy light'. He takes up the pot and returns by the way he went and places it with a mantra 'thou art the tongue of Agni' ( Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 3 ) to the north of the proksaṇī waters on the line drawn with the sphya.

The adhvaryu and the yajamāna both close their eyes, holding their breath, ( open their eyes and ) look down upon the clarified butter with 'thou art ājya, thou art truth ...... may I partake of thee' ( a long mantra from Tai. S. I. 6. 1. 1-2 ). The adhvaryu purifies ( performs utpavāna of ) the ājya thrice with two pavitras ⁷⁰ the points of which are held towards the north by continuously carrying them backwards and forwards with 'thou art bright, thou art the flame, thou art light' ( Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 3 ). He performs utpavāna of the proksaṇī water with 'devo vaḥ savitotpūnātu &c.' ( Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 3 ). The adhvaryu fills with the sruva ladle that has no trace of any-thing sticking to it and that is held in the right hand clarified butter inside the vedi, while holding the sruc together with the veda bunch in the left hanḍ The juhū ladle is so held that its bowl is alongside of the hollow of the āiyasthāli that of the upabhṛt is near the middle of the āiyasthāli and the dhruvā is on the grounḍ In the juhū and dhruvā four ladlings are made with sruva while in the upabhṛt eight are made ⁷¹, but the upabhṛt contains the smallest portion of ājya, the juhū contains a good deal and the dhruvā contains The largest quantity. When the juhū is being filled the mantras are four śukram tvā...gṛhṇāmi pañcānām tvā...dhartrāya gṛhṇāmi' (Tai. S. I. 10. 3 and I. 6. 2-3); in the case of the upabhṛt the mantras are eight 'pañcānām tvartunāṃ.. suviryāya tvā...gṛhṇāmi'; in the case of the dhruvā the mantras are 'suprajāstvāya tvā gṛhṇāmi...... devatābhyo gṛhṇāmi' (Tai. S. I. 6. 1. 3). The yajamāna also invokes with the same mantras when the ladling is going oṇ The adhvaryu removes the ājyasthalī together with the veda and sruva from the vedi, keeps the ājya in some place other than the utkara, invokes the prokṣaṇī waters with 'the divine waters (āpo devīr &c., Tai. S. I. 5. 1) and seeks the permission of the brahmā priest with 'brahman, shall I sprinkle.' When the brahmā says 'yes' he sprinkles thrice the idhma (fire-wood brought, vide p.1014 above), the veda bunch and the vedi, each with a separate mantra (from Tai. S. I. 11. 1). He places the whole bundle of barhis with the knot to the east inside the vedi with a (sautra) mantra 'we had recourse to barhis &c.' and sprinkles the tips, the middle portions and the roots of the barhis respectively with 'to thee for heaven', 'to thee for the aerial region', 'to thee for the earth.' While the sprinkling proceeds the yajamāna repeats a verse 'may the waters and herbs be well disposed to the yajamāna &c.' (Ap. IV. 6. 1). He dips the tips of the barhis in the water contained in the agnihotra-havanī and then the roots also. He sprinkles over the knot of the barhis from east to west water from the sruc over which he places his hand (so that water oozes over it from his finger tips) with 'to you for nourishment' (Tai. S. VII. 1. 11). He pours down the remain-ing prokṣaṇī water from the southern corner (śroṇī) of the west side of the vedi to its north corner with 'svadhā to the pitṛs, mayst thou be strength for the barhiṣad pitṛs, may you (the particles of water) go to the earth with strength' and the yajamāna says 'this is for the Barhiṣad pitṛṣ'

Now comes barhirāstaraṇa (strewing the vedi with kuśa grass). He loosens the knot of the bundle of barhis with 'may Pūṣan loosen thy knot'. He takes in his hand the pras-tara bunch drawing it towards the east slowly from the bundle of barhis (as if towards the āhavanīya) with 'thou art the crest (stūpa) of viṣṇu i. e. yajña (Tai. S. I. 1. 11). With 'I implant prāṇa and apāna in the yajamāna' he places the two pavitra blades (used in utpavanna above) on the prastara, hands it over to the brahmā priest, who passes it on to the yajaṁāna who holds it in his hanḍ He strews darbha⁷² grass on the vedi and places the cord that tied the barhis thereon with ‘God Barhis! I strew thee that art soft like wool, as a good seat for the gods’. The darbhas are spread in three or five series (or divisions) beginning from the west side of the vedi towards the east (or the reverse according to some) in such a way that the tips of one set that is already spread cover the roots of the next and the grass is so thickly strewn that the ground below cannot be easily seeṇ When the kuśa grass is being strewn the yajamāna recites a mantra ‘O barhis, that are soft like wool, being spread .... place me in heaven &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6), when the vedi is covered with the middle division of the barhis he recites the mantra ‘this young lady with four tufts of hair &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6) and when the vedi is completely covered he recites a long passage ‘May you be auspicious to me ........ increase food, strength, spiritual lustre, martial brilliance, prosperity, progeny, cattle for me &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6).’

He takes out two blades (to be used later) for the anuyājas and keeps them separately to the east, feeds the āhavaniya with fire-wood, takes back the prastara from the hand of the yaja māna, and while holding the prastara himself places the three encircling fuel-sticks (paridhi) round the āhavaniya fire. The middle paridhi is placed on darbhas to the west of the āhavanīya with the tip towards the north with⁷³ ‘thou art gandharva &c.’ While the middle paridhi is being placed the yajamāna recites a mantra (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The other two paridhis are laid to the south and north of the āhavaniya place with their tips to the east, the southern one extending a little beyond the āhavaniya place and touching the middle paridhi and the northern one also touches the middle paridhi. The yajamāna repeats two long passages when the southern and northern paridhis are being laid (portions of which are identical with that repeated by the yajamāna for the middle paridhi). The adhvaryu invokes the āhavanīya 'may the sun guard you against all injuries whatever' (Tai. S. I. 1. 11). He places (in the midst of the āhavanīya fire) two samidhs with their ends turned upwards on which the āghāras (will be offered later on), one to the south with the mantra 'O Fire, the wise one, may we kindle thee &c.' (vitihotram tvā gave &c. Rg. V. 26. 3 or Tai. S. I. 1. 11) and the other to the north of it silently. From the midst of the barhis he takes two darbhas of equal length, that have no blade hhooting from inside of them; these are called vidhṛti and are laid down on the barhis strewn on the vedi in the middle portion of the latter with their tips turned northwards with 'you two are the regulators of people'. When the vidhṛtis are being laid down the yajamāna repeats a long passage 'I cut off my enemies with the vidhṛtiṣ....may you support life, progeny and cattle in me' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The adhvaryu keeps the prastara bunch on these two vidhṛtis with 'sit in this abode of Vasus, Rudras and Ādityas' (Tai. S. I. 1. 11) and the yajamāna repeats a mantra 'this prastara is the support of both Prayājas and Anūyājas &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The adhvaryu places the juhū on the prastara in such a way that its rod will be alongside of the roots of the prastara bunch with a mantra.⁷⁴ The upabhṛt is placed to the north of the juhū in such a way that its root is very much to the west of the root of the juhū and it is underneath the vidhṛtis, and the dhruvā is placed to the north of the upabhṛt over the vidhṛtis and its root is very much to the west of that of the upabhṛt. The three should not be so placed as to touch each other. The yajamāna repeats three passages (all from Tai. Br. III 7. 6) addressed to the three ladles when they are being placeḍ The adhvaryu lays down the sruvā to the south of the juhū (or to the north of the dhruvā but a little behind its bowl) with 'thou art a bull possessed of strength, I seat thee in the extent of vaṣaṭkāra'. He places the ājyasthālī also in such a spot as space would permit. The yajamāna repeats a mantra for sruvā and another for ājyasthālī (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The adhvaryu invokes the ladles (srucs) with 'these sat in the world of good deeds; O Viṣṇu! protect them, protect the sacrifice and the lord of sacrifice and me who bring sacrifice’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 11, Vāj. S. II. 6). He invokes the clarified butter with ‘you are all-pervading, belong to Viṣṇu and are the abodes of Prajāpati’. He takes in his hand the ajyasthālī together with the sruva and the veda bunch, removes with the veda bunch the burning coals from the southern puroḍāśa with ‘Here do I remove the mouth from the attacking army’ and then removes them also from the northern puroḍāśa. He invokes the puroḍāśa with ‘O Sun, O Light, shine forth for great vigour.’ He spreads a little clarified butter in the puroḍāśapātrī for each of the two cakes with ‘I make a happy seat for you, I arrange for a seat full of pleasure with a stream of butter’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5 ) and drops clarified butter over (i. e. performs abhighāraṇa ) the southern puroḍāśa which is intended for Agni with ‘May Agni whose source is ghee increase (or be pleased), may he accept the offerings, anoint the holes, anoint the skin ; I sprinkle thee that art good looking, that art dear to Agni and that securest wealth with the lustre of cattle (i. e. ghee) for Agni’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5 ) and drops butter silently on the northern puroḍāśa. If the second offering be sānnāyya (instead of a puroḍāśa) he drops clarified butter over the boiled milk with a mantra ‘May that self of yours that has entered cattle…go to the gods and secure heaven for me who am a sacrificer’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5 ). He removes the puroḍāśa into the pātrī (vessel) from the potsherds without allowing it to break up into pieces and without making it roll about with ‘this baked (puroḍāśa) that is moist and has broad prominences, that is the protector of the world, that is the generator of thoughts (or prayers) comes out for a bath’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). He brushes away the ashes (sticking on the back of the puroḍāśa) with the veda bunch and lays it down in the puroḍāśa pātrī on the butter that has already been sprinkled over it with ‘Sit on that, be firmly placed in nectar, O offering, that art the essence of rice grains,⁷⁵ with a favourable mind’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). He sprinkles clarified butter over it a second time and keeps it aside with ‘mayst thou be strong.’ He sprinkles clarified butter over each of the potsherds ( on which the puroḍāśa was baked), counts them and keeps them aside with ‘may not prosperity in the form of food and the flavour of earth pass away’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). He anoints both the puroḍāśas with butter with 'may god Savitṛ anoint thee with honey' (the mantra is repeated twice), the upper part being anointed by the sruva ladle with plenty of ghee in such a way that there are no mere drops of ghee on it as there are specks on the back of the tortoise (but the ghee is well spread over the whole surface) and that the lower skin of the puroḍāśa is anointed with ghee by the right hanḍ He lays down the two puroḍāśas to the west of the srucs, that for Agni being to the south and the other being to the north with 'may you occupy this loved seat by your lovable lustre.' If sūnnāyya is to be offered, he brings together (makes them touch each other) in the middle of the vedi the two jars of it and then keeps them separate, the one containing the boiled milk on the southern corner of the west side of the vedi and that containing curds on the northern corner thereof. When the sūnnāyya is being thus placed the yajamāna repeats a verse 'yasta ātmā' &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5) and repeats a mantra (from Tai. Br. III. 7. 6) invoking the puroḍāśa for Agni, that for Agniṣoma (or Indra and Agni), the hot milk, the curds (the sūnnāyya in cases where it is offered).

The adhvaryu lays down the veda bunch in front of the dhruvā ladle with 'this veda sought the earth that was concealed &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6), strews darbhas round the corners of the vedī,⁷⁶ and prepares the seat for the hotṛ which is to the north of the northern 'śroṇi' of the vedi and the darbhas spread on the seat have their points turned eastwards or northwardṣ The adhvaryu invites the hotṛ in the words 'O Hotṛ! come'. The hotṛ priest sits down to the north-east of the Āhavanīya with face to the east, performs ācamana with the sacred cord in the upavita form, enters the sacrificial ground (vihāra) by the way called tīrtha (vide p. 984 above). He enters with his right foot first, plants his heel alongside of the northern śroṇi and steps upon the barhis (spread on the vedi) with his toes, spreads out the fingers of both hands which he joins together and holds them on a level with his heart, looks straight at the horizon (and neither upwards nor downwards) and stands facing the east. This is always the position of the limbs of the body in the case of the hotṛ unless there be any express direction to the contrary. The adhvaryu takes a samidh from the Idhma and issues a direction to the hotṛ 'recite for Agni that is being kindled’. The hotṛ recites ‘salutation to the expounder, salutation to the supervisor, salutation to him who reports, who will repeat (or respond to) this? He will repeat thiṣ May the six broad (or great) ones, viz. heaven and earth, day and night, waters and plants save me from siṇ Speech has stood firm (and so has) yajña. I shall deal with (i. e. recite) the metres well. I resort to myself so and so (here the hotṛ utters his name in the objective case). In the past and in future, as to things born and to be born I have recourse to (Agni) who is apāvya (?). Bring me the non-cessation of speech’. So saying he contracts his fingers towards himself and then extends them as before by saying ‘O fire! make the cattle take delight in me’. (Then he should proceed) ‘Heaven and earth are my armour. Fire is my armour, the Sun is my armour and may the intermediate quarters be my armour! O gods! I shall to-day reflect over that highest part of speech, whereby we may vanquish the asuras; O five people, who deserve sacrifices and food accept my offering.⁷⁷ Having finished this japa, the hotṛ sets about repeating the Sāmidhenī verseṣ⁷⁸ The yajamāna repeats the daśa-hotṛ mantras before the sāmīdhenīs (vide note 2247 for daśahotṛs). First he utters the syllable ‘him’ thrice (or once) and the mystic words ‘bhūr bhuvaḥ svarom’ are muttered inaudibly by hiṃ⁷⁹ Then come the sāmīdhenī verseṣ The sāmīdhenī verses are (vide Āśv. I. 2. 7) eleven viz. Ṛg. III. 27. 1, VI. 16. 10-12, III. 27. 13-15, I. 12. 1, III. 27. 4, V. 28. 5-6. But fifteen sāmīdhenī verses are to be repeated in Darśa-pūrṇamāsa and the number fifteen of the verses is obtained by repeating each of the first (pra vo vājā, Ṛg. III. 27. 1) and the last verse (ā juhota

hotṛ invokes the names of the pravara sages⁸⁰ of the sacrificer as many as he may have (1, 2, 3 or 5), the most remote one being first uttered, then the more remote and so oṇ In the case of a kṣatriya or a vaiśya sacrificer, the invocation is made of the pravara sages of the purohita of the sacrificer or of the names 'Mānava, Aila, Paurūravasa' or of 'Mānava' for all in case of doubt (Āśv. I. 3. 3-5). He then proceeds '(Agni) that was kindled by the Gods and by Manu, that was sung by the sages, whom wise men gladdened, that was praised by the sages, that was aroused by prayers, that is offered ghee, the bringer (or leader) of sacrifices, the charioteer of sacri-fices, the unobstructed hotṛ, the swift carrier of offerings'. He takes breath here and proceeds 'thou art the mouth and the vessel of the gods, the juhū of the gods, a camasa (cup) with which the gods drink; O fire! as the spokes are centered in the felly, so thou encompassest the gods, bring the gods to this sacrificer'.⁸¹ Then he calls upon Agni to bring the several deities, viz. Agni, Soma, Agni, Prajāpati, Agni-somau, the ghee-drinking gods and adds 'bring Agni for the hotra (the function or office of hotṛ), bring thy own greatness, O Jātavedas (fire), bring and sacrifice with a good offering'. This part of the formula is given below.⁸² These are the deities in this invocation in pūrṇamāsa but in the darśeṣṭi, Indrāgnī are to be substituted Agniṣoma for him who does not offer sānnāyya and Indra or Mahendra for him who offers sānnāyya and Prajāpati is omitteḍ

Having thus invoked the deities (i. e. the whole of the invocation up to this is done standing), the hotṛ sits down with knees raised up, removes the kuśa (on the vedi) to its north and measures the space of a span on the vedi ' Aditi is his mother, do not cut him off from the air,....with yajuā, with vaṣaṭkāra as the thunderbolt I kill him who hates us and whom we hate' (Āśv. I. 3. 22). The yajamāna repeats a verse ' fire in whom offerings have been thrown is kindled &c.' (Kāṭhaka Saṃ IV. 14), when the fire flames up with the fuel-sticks that are offered and another mantra 'Gods and pitṛs, whatever I may be I sacrifice &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5) is repeateḍ He fans after the deities are summoned as above the āhavaniya fire thrice with the veda bunch. He while sitting takes clarified butter from the dhru-vā ladle with the sruvā, holds it on the veda, passing the sruvā over the north-west corner (of the āhavaniya) where the two pari-this meet he pours,⁸³ while revolving in his mind the mantra 'to Prajāpati Manu, svāhā', a continuous, long and straight stream of clarified butter on the fire bursting into flames in the āhava- nīya place towards the south-east and makes all the fuel-sticks (already thrown over the fire) come in contact with (the butter so poured). The yajamāna says ‘this is for Prajāpati’ and invokes the butter poured as āghāra with ‘thou art the mind of Prajāpati, enter into me with minḍ’ Taking ājya from the ājyasthālī in the sruva he strengthens (or increases or adds to) the dhruvā with ‘let the dhruvā be strengthened with ghee &c.’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1). He then issues a direction to the āgnīdhra ‘O Āgnīdhra, clean thrice each of the paridhis and the fire.’ The āgnīdhra holds the tying cords of the idhma on the sphya and silently cleans (or wipes) the paridhis with them in the order in which they were placed (round the fire) from their roots to the tips i. e. he cleans the middle one first, moving with his right towards the paridhi from the north with his face towards the east; then he cleans the southern one by going to the south in front of the āhavanīya; then he cleans the northern paridhi by going from behind (the west of) the āhavanīya towards the north; then he returns by the way he went to his usual place and wipes the fire thrice, once with the mantra, ‘O fire, that securest strength (or food)! I wipe thee....that eatest food for the sake of food’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6) and twice silently. When about to make the āghāra he folds his hands in adoration to the gods with his fingers to the east in front (i. e. to the east of) the juhū and upabhṛt with⁸⁴ ‘O fire ! thou art the world, spread in all directions; O sacrificer (Agni), adoration to thee’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 12. 1). He folds his hands towards the south in adora- tion with ‘to the pitṛs, svadhā.’ He then touches water and takes up the juhū in the right hand with ‘O juhū! come, Agni summons thee for the worship of the gods’ and takes the upabhṛt in the left hand with ‘O upabhṛt! come, god Savitṛ calls thee for the worship of gods’ (Tai. S. I. 12. 1). He places the upabhṛt on juhū with ‘O well-controlling ones, may you two abound in ghee to-day for me, may you be well covered and well surrounded’ (compare Vāj. S. II. 7). He takes the juhū from under the upabhṛt to the east completely and holds it on the upabhṛt in such a way that their bowls are placed on each other and when he is about to throw the ājya into fire he merely holds the upabhṛt in his left and holding the juhū in his right makes the offering with it.⁸⁵ He crosses over to the south of the āhavanīya with the right foot but without treading upon the prastara and after repeating the mantra ‘O Agni and Viṣṇu! May I not step down on you! May you become apart from me! May you not cause trouble (or heat) to me; may you, who are the makers of worlds, make a place (or world) for me’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 12 and Tai. Br. III. 3. 7). He stands to the south of the āhavanīya with ‘thou art the seat of Viṣṇu; from here Indra performed his exploits’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 12). He places his right foot inside the vedi and makes the toes of the left foot touch the heel of the right. Then inserting the juhū by the point where the southern paridhi joins the middle one (i. e. from the south-west) he, while standing, pours from it towards the north-east (as in the first) a continuous stream of ājya with ‘having well begun, the sacrifice of the sacrificer, which is to rise (i. e. to bring prosperity), which is uninjured and which is offered to Indra, touches heaven; svāhā’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 12) and makes the ghee come in contact with all the fuel-sticks (idhma) thrown into the fire. The yajamāna says ‘this is for Indra.’ The adhvaryu, after making this offering (the 2nd āghāra), lets out his breath which he had held up at the time of making the offering. After pouring ājya over the fire he raises up the juhū over the āhavanīya with ‘(fire) is kindled pre-eminently.’ He crosses over to the north separating the juhū and upabhṛt with ‘save me, O fire, from evil (or sin) and establish me in good deeds’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 12). With the ājya in the juhū he smears the dhruvā thrice, once with ‘ghee is anointed by fire, sacri- ficial offering is anointed by sacrificial offering, the aerial regions are anointed by fire-flame’ and twice silently. He takes ājya from the dhruvā ladle with the sruvā and sprinkles it over ⁸⁶ the (ājya in the) juhū with ‘suvīrāya svāhā’ and sprinkles ājya from the juhū over that in the dhruvā with ‘sacrifice is spread continuously by sacrifice’. After keeping the two ladles (juhū and dhruvā) in their proper places, he (the adhvaryu) sets about choosing (invoking) the pravara. The adhvaryu brings in contact; with (twice round) the sphya the tying cords of the idhma and one blade from the the kuśas strewn on the vedi and stands to the north of the vedi (or near the utkura) for reciting the pravara mantra. He faces the south (the east according to coṃ on Kāṭ. III. 2. 3). The āgnīdhra stands to the west of the adhvaryu facing the south near the utkura. The adhvaryu then inaudibly utters a formula ‘who will become the adhva- ryu here?’ He will become the adhvaryu here. Yajña (will be adhvaryu) of yajña, I stand in the abode of Viṣṇu. May speech perform the function of a priest, may mind do so, I resort to speech. Bhūḥ bhuvaḥ suvaḥ !’ (Āp. II. 15. 1 and Śat. II. 1. p. 186). The āgnīdhra after touching the binding cords of idhma, the sphya and the kuśa blade also inaudibly repeats a similar mantra ‘who will become the āgnīdhra here &c.’ (Āp. II. 15. 2). The adhvaryu addresses the brahmā priest ‘O brahman! shall I call on (the āgnīdhra) to listen to the pra- vara?’ The brahmā priest first repeats inaudibly ‘O lord of speech! make (him) listen to this speech, make the sacrifice be heard among gods, and me among men (Āp. III. 19. 3); sustain these deities in heaven &c.’ and then loudly says ‘yes, do make him listen (om3aśrā3vaya). The adhvaryu says ⁸⁷ ‘a3 śrā̃vaya’ (make to listen) and the āgnīdhra holding the sphya covered with the binding cord responds with ‘astu śrauṣaṭ’ (lit. yes, let him hear). The adhvaryu then utters ‘May Agni, the divine hotṛ, the wise one, the discriminating one, sacrifice for the gods, like Manu, like Bharata, like that one, like that one. Let him bring (the gods) to the accompaniment of holy prayer. The brāhmaṇas are the protectors of this sacrifice. This (so and so by name) is the human hotṛ⁸⁸ While the adhvaryu is engaged in the āśrāvaṇa call the hotṛ should follow him with an ‘invocation‘ make the sacrifice heard among gods, and make me heard among men for fame, glory and spiritual eminence’ (Āśv. I. 3. 23). When the adhvaryu chooses the hotṛ (in the words ‘so and so is the human hotṛ’) the hotṛ should repeat ‘God Savitṛ! they here choose thee that art fire for the office of hotṛ together with thy father Vaiśvānara. May Heaven and Earth protect me. Agni is the (divine) hotṛ. I am the human hotṛ’ (Āśv. I. 3. 23). He gets up with a mantra ‘udāyuṣā &c.’ (Tai. S. I. 2. 8. 1) and on getting up recites ‘O Adhvaryu! sixty plus ninety chains are spread near (or inside) Agni, the hotṛ. They bind the ignorant, (but) the wise one goes beyond (overcomes) them’ (Āśv. I. 3. 24). Having approached the adhvaryu with ‘I, a hotṛ priest, follow the path of ṛta’ (Āśv. I. 3. 25 ) the hotṛ should touch the adhvaryu on the latter’s shoulder with his right hand that hangs by his side and the āgnīdhra also with his left with ‘we touch Indra as the purohita in this rite of choosing the hotṛ, whereby the gods reached the highest Heaven and the Angirases also did so’ (Āśv. I. 3. 27). He should wipe (purify) his face thrice with the blades used in binding the idhma, once with ‘thou art a cleaner (or purifier), purify me together with my progeny and cattle,' and twice silently. After touching water he should, standing to the west of the seat and with face to the east, address the seat of hotṛ (Āśv. I. 3. 30) with 'away, O daidhisavya &c.' (vide above p. 1021). He should take a blade of kuśa from the hotṛ's seat with the thumb and the finger next to the smallest and cast it away to the south-west with 'the demon that keeps off wealth is cast aside.' With (Āśv. I. 3. 31) 'here do I like a horse sit down in the seat of vast' (wealth) he should sit down, the right leg being placed on the left one. He sits down with 'God barhis, may I sit down on thee that occupiest a good seat' (Āśv. I. 4. 7). With the cap of his knee he touches the barhis (spread on his seat) with 'O Hotṛ! May you pre-eminently occupy the barhis' (Āśv. 1. 4. 8). Then he mutters (performs japa of) certain texts viz: 'bhū-pataye namaḥ ....... chandāṃsi prapadye' (Āśv. I. 4. 9), Ṛg. X. 158. 1, I. 27. 13, X. 52. 1, X. 53. 2 and 4. When the jāpa is finished and the fuel-sticks (idhma) thrown on to the fire are blazing he should make the adhvaryu hand over to him the two śrucs with this prose formula (nigada) 'may Agni, the hotṛ, know (undertake) the duty of hotṛ, that gives protectioṇ O sacrificer! The deity is well disposed to you in that you have chosen Agni as the hotṛ'. He should finish the nigada (Āśv. I. 4. 11) 'Hold the adhvaryu's śruc that abounds in ghee, that is devoted to the gods and is possessed of all boons; let us praise the gods that deserve praise, let us bow to them that deserve adoration and offer sacrifice to the gods that deserve it' (Āśv. I. 4. 11).

The adhvaryu, when the hotṛ sits down, throws down on the vedi the blade of grass (that was brought in contact with the sphya).⁸⁹ The yajamāna says 'O gods and pitṛs, O pitṛs and gods &c.'. The yajamāna should repeat the Caturhotṛ mantras before the prayājas are offered (vide note 2248).

The adhvaryu takes the juhū and upabhṛt, crosses from behind the paridhis to the south of the vedi with the right foot first and facing the north-east offers the five prayāja oblations of clarified butter beginning to the west of the place where the two streams of the āghāras meet and ending in the east (Āp. II. 17. 1) or he offers the five offerings in the four principal quarters from the east to the north respectively and the last in the middle of the āhavaniya (Sat. II. 2. p. 199). The procedure of prayājas is as follows:—⁹³ First he says ‘āśrāūśrāūvaya’, the agnīdhra standing near the utkara facing the south and holding the sphya makes the response ‘astu śrauṣaṭ’. Then the adhvaryu gives a direction to the hotṛ with reference to the first prayāja ‘Samidho yaja’ (recite the yājyā verse for the deity Samidhah). The hotṛ recites “Whoever we are, we sacrifice to the deity samidhah; may the samidhs, O fire, partake of the ājya. Vauṣaṭ”. When the sound vaṣaṭ is heard the adhvaryu offers ājya from the juhū towards the eastern and the most blazing part of the āhavanīya fire. He may either occupy the same position or proceed eastwards as he offers each offering. Jai. III. 1. 19-20 deals with this question viz. that he may offer the prayājas ⁹¹ by proceeding eastwardṣ After each vaṣaṭkāra the hotṛ repeats 'speech is energy. He (vaṣaṭkāra) is indeed energy. May prāṇa and apāna be in me ' (Āśv. I. 5. 17). The yajamāna says when the first prayāja is offered 'this is for the Samidhṣ I gratify Vasanta among the seasons, May he (Vasanta) being gratified gratify me'. The same procedure is followed as to the remaining four prayājas viz. there is first āśrāvaya, then pratyāśrāvaya by the āgnīdhra, praisa to hotṛ, recital of the yājyā by the hotṛ with vaṣaṭ- kāra at end, offering of ājya into fire by the adhvaryu, the tyāga by the yajamāna and connecting the five prayājas with the five ṛtus (seasons) in order from Vasanta (hemanta and śiśira being taken as one). The second prayāja offering is meant for Tanūnapāt, but those who belong to the Vasiṣṭha, Śunaka, Atri. Vadhryaśva and Rājanya (Viśvāmitra?) gotras substitute Narā- śamsa for Tanūnapāt (Śāṇ I. 7. 3 is slightly different). The whole procedure is briefly indicated in Sanskrit in the note below.⁹² The first three prayāja offerings are made with the ājya in the juhū, but as to the 4th (to Barhis) he pours half of the ājya contained in the upabhṛt into the juhū and then makes the offering. Wherever there are more prayājas than 5 (e. g. in Varuna-praghāsa there are nine, in Paśubandha ten) the 4th, 7th and 10th are offered in this way (vide Sat. II. 2. p. 199 and Kāṭ. III. 2. 22–23). Vide Jai. IV. 1. 40 and 41–45. These mantras (in the note ) occur in Tai. Br. III. 5. 5 where ' viyanțu ' is substituted for 'vyanțu' (as is usual with the Taittirīyas). The words 'yeз yajāmahe' used at the beginning of each yājyā are called 'āgūḥ'; but there are no such words in the anuyājas (Āśv. I. 5. 4). Vaṣaṭkāra is uttered at the end of all yājyās and in anuyājas also. The yājyā is pronounced very loudly and with great distinctness as to the 'ye ' of 'ye yajāmahe' and the last syllable of the yājyā is made pluta. In Āśv. I. 5. 9. 9–14 there are other rules not set out here. The pronouncing of vaṣaṭ was a very solemn and mystic matter and even in modern times the word is uttered very loudly and forcibly. The Ait. Br. XI. 6 says that 'the vaṣaṭkāra is a thunderbolt; when a man utters vaṣaṭkāra he should think of his enemy; thereby he plants the thunderbolt on hiṃ' Āśv. I. 5. 18 states that vaṣaṭkāra was to be uttered only by day and not by night. There are three tones (mand ra, madhyama and uttarna). Up to the prayājas and after śamyuvāka the mandra tone is employeḍ After prayājas up to sviṣṭakṛt the tone is to be madhyama. Thereafter up to śamyuvāka it is to be high. Vide Āśv. I. 5. 25-28 and Āśv. I. 5. 4-8 for these and several other ruleṣ Āśv. II. 15. 12 states that the āgūḥ (the words ye3 yajāmahe ), the om (at the end of an anuvākyā) and the vaṣaṭkāra are pronounced in a high tone everywhere.

The adhvaryu after the five prayāja offerings comes back and pours some ājya⁹⁴ (left in the juhū after the prayāja offer ings ) over the several offerings (havimsi), first over the dhruva, then over the purodāśas, the boiled milk, the curds in the order in which they are sacrificed later oṇ Lastly he pours a little ājya over the upabhṛt. He lays down the ladles (sruc). He holds them in his hands from the time when he offers the ājyabhāgas up till the offering to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt. He puts into the juhū four ladlings of ājya with the sruva with 'may the dhruvā be strengthened with ghee in each sacrifice for those who serve the gods &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1) and anoints the blades of the prastara with a drop of ājya.

Now follow Ājyabhāgaṣ⁹⁵ The adhvaryu issues a direction to the hotṛ 'recite the anuvākyā (invitatory) verse for Agni.' The hotṛ repeats Rg. VI. 16. 34 (Agnir-vṛtrāṇi......āhutaḥ) with om added at the enḍ Then there is āśrāvaṇa by adhvaryu and pratyāśrāvaṇa by āgnīdhra, then the praiṣa of adhvaryu to the hotṛ to repeat the yājyā for Agni. The hotṛ repeats the yājyā "may Agni who is favourable (or pleased), partake of the ājya' preceded by 'ye3 yajāmahe' and followed by 'vau3 ṣaṭ.'" On hearing 'vauṣaṭ' the adhvaryu offers ājya in the northern and most blazing part of the āhavaniya. The yajamāna recites 'Agni has his eye (everywhere). May I become possessed of sight by worship offered to hiṃ' The same procedure is follow-ed as to the second ājyabhāga to Soma which is offered in the southern and most blazing part of the āhavaniya fire. In pūrṇa-māsa the two ājyabhāgas are called Vārtraghna and in the darśeṣṭi they are called 'Vṛdhanvantau' (Āśv. I. 5. 32 and 35). Vide Jai. III. 1. 23. The adhvaryu is on the north side of the vedi when he takes up portions of ājya in the juhū and issues the direction to recite the anuvākyā from there. Then he crosses to the south of the āhavaniya, performs āśrāvaṇa and issues the praiṣa for the recital of the yājyā after the āgnīdhra responds with 'astu śrauṣaṭ.' The whole procedure is briefly set out in the note below.⁹⁶

Puronuvākyā and Yājyā are required in ājyabhāgas, in āvāpa, in Sviṣṭakṛt and in Patnīsaṁyājas, but in prayājas and anuyājas there are only yājyās (vide Sat. II. 2. p. 189). The puronuvākyā is recited by the priest while sitting, while the yājyā is recited standing and the recitation of these is only a saṁskāra and not a principal act (vide Jai. X. 4. 39-41). Four ladlings with sruva are made in the juhū for all sacrificers in ājyabhāgas and other homas, but in the case of sacrificers whose gotra is Jamadagnya five (pañcāvatta) ladlings are made in the juhū (Āp. II. 18. 2, Sat. II 2 pp. 190-191) and one whose gotra is not Jamadagnya may have five ladlings after taking the permission of a Jamadagnya. The puronuvākyās for the ājyabhāgas in darśeṣṭi are Ṛg. VIII 44. 12 (for Agni) and Ṛg. I. 91. 11 (for Soma). The adhvaryu having gone across (towards the purodāśa that are made ready) sprinkles clarified butter on the sruc (juhū) with ‘āpyāyatām dhruvā &c.’ (vide p. 1059 above), touches the several sacrificial offerings with ‘do not be afraid, do not tremble, may I not injure thee; may not thy lustre leave thee; carry across this sacrificer who brings offerings, rain on the earth, in order I shall offer the cut portions; I make an adoration to you, do not injure me’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5).⁹⁷ With his thumb and two fingers (viz. the middle and anāmikā, but using only the fleshy parts and not the nails) he cuts off a portion from the middle of the purodāśa (cake) meant for Agni and from its front half. Sat. II. 2. p. 191 and Āp. II. 18. 9 say that the avadāna (portion cut or severed) is as much as the front joint of the thumb (as a general rule) but that the sviṣṭakṛt offering is larger than the ordinary offering for other deities⁹⁹ &c. For the Jāma- dagnyas a third portion is cut off from the hind part of the purodāśa. Portions from ājya and sānnāyya are taken out with the sruva and of cooked food (caru) with the mekṣaṇa. The por- tion cut from the middle is placed in the eastern part of the bowl of the sruc and the second portion in the western part of the bowl. He sprinkles clarified butter with the sruva (in which ājya is taken from the ājyāsthālī) on the cut portions and on the purodāśa from which they were cut¹⁰⁰ with ‘when cutting portions from thee I acted against thee, I anoint that again with ājya, may that grow again in thee’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). Everytime he offers a fourfold (caturavatta) portion he smears a drop of ājya on the blades of the prastara.

Then follows the principal sacrifice. The adhvaryu issues a direction to the hotṛ ‘recite an anuvākyā for Agni’. Hotṛ recites (as anuvākyā) Ṛg. VIII. 44. 16 followed by ‘om’ (as agnirmūrdhā...jinvato3m). Then there is āśrāvaṇa and pratyā- śravaṇa. Then the adhvaryu issues his direction to the hotṛ to recite the yājyā which is Rg. X. 8. 6 (ye3 yajāma- heṣgnim bhuvo....havya'āho3m vauṣaṭ). Then the adhva- ryu throws the oblation (āhuti) of puroḍāśa portions on to the fire. The method of this is ⁸⁸⁷⁶ that he drops a part of the ājya from the sruc first (that was sprinkled in it at upastaraṇa and abhighāraṇa), then the two puroḍāśa portions are thrown and lastly he allows the remaining ājya from the bill-like mouth of the sruc to flow over the puroḍāśa offerings as if covering them but without disturbing theṃ The principal āhutis are introduced at the point of the confluence of the two āghāras and each one is offered in the āhavaniya to the east (or north-east) of the preceding one but in contact with the latter. The yajamāna makes the tyāga 'this is for Agni' with 'may I have food to eat on account of this worship of Agni.' After this offering of puroḍāśa to Agni, there is an upāmśuyājya (a silent sacrifice) with clarified butter offered to Prajāpati or to Agniṣomau or Viṣṇu. When offered to Prajāpati the anuvākyā and yājyā are Rg. X. 121. 10 and Tai. Br. II. 8. 1⁸⁸⁷⁷ (taveme lokā &c.) and when offered to Agniṣomau they are Rg. I. 93. 2 and 6. According to Āp. I. 19. 12 and Jai. X. 8. 51-61 it is offered only on Paurṇamāsī. In this, the reference to the deity is always inaudible, but even here the āśruta, the pratyāśruta, and two directions for reciting anuvākyā and yājyā and the vaṣaṭkāra are uttered loudly. The sacri- ficer says in this upāmśuyājya 'thou art a destroyer; may I be uninjured and may I subdue evil.' The offering is made of the ājya in the dhruvā (Jai. X. 8. 47-48) and the devatā is either Prajāpati or Agni or Viṣṇu (Jai. X. 8. 49-50) and the offering is caturavatta (Jai. X. 8. 33-34). The second puroḍāśa is offered to Agni and Soma on pūrṇamāsa in the same way, the anuvākyā and yājyā being respectively Rg. I. 93. 9 and 5 and to Indrāgni in darśeṣṭi, the anuvākyā and yājyā being Rg. VII. 94. 7 and VII. 93. 4. This is the case when the sacrificer does not offer sännāyya to Indra or Mahendra. When the sacrificer offers sännāyya to Indra the anuvākya and yājyā are respectively Rg. I. 8. 1 and X. 180. 1 and when it is offered to Mahendra they are respectively Rg. VIII. 6. 1 and X. 50. 4.¹⁰³ In the case of sännāyya he takes two portions of the boiled milk and two of curds (or three of curds for pañcāvattins) and there is upastarana in the sruc only once and abhīghārana also once.

After the principal offerings comes the offering to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt.¹⁰⁴ He sprinkles a little ājya in the sruc, cuts off one portion from each of the several remnants of the havis from their northern halves in the order in which the several sacrifi- cial ingredients are offered to the deities (twice in the case of pañcāvattins), sprinkles over these cut portions clarified butter twice, but does not sprinkle ājya on the remnants of havis and offers them in a spot in the north-east of the fire but not so as to come in contact with the other āhutis already offered (viz. ājyabhāgas and purodāśa). In this also there is the direction to repeat anuvākya, recital of anuvākya, āśrāvaṇa, pratyāśrāvaṇa, direction for yājyā, the yājyā itself and vaṣaṭkāra. The anu- vākya for Sviṣṭakṛt offering is Rg. X. 2. 1 and the yājyā is long and is set out below.¹⁰⁵ The whole of it is to be recited without taking breath or he may take breath after reciting half of Rg. VI. 15. 14. The yajamāna says 'this is for Agni Sviṣṭakṛt and not mine. May I attain to stability and long life by the worship offered to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt. May Agni protect me from bad sacrifice (or a curse); may Savitr save me from him who speaks evil of me. May I vanquish him who, whether far or near, is my enemy!' (Tai. S. 1. 6. 2. 4). Jai. VI. 4. 3 lays down that if after portions are cut for Sviṣṭakṛt as directed they are destroyed accidentally, there is no fresh cutting for Sviṣṭakṛt agaiṇ

The adhvaryu comes back to the north of the vedi from the spot where he offered to Sviṣṭakṛt, fills the juhū with water and pours it round the paridhis (or their places) beginning from the middle one and proceeding from left to right with 'I offer this offering into Vaiśvānara, it is a spring with a hundred or a thousand streamṣ May he support in this that is being filled, my father, grandfather and great-grandfather' (Tai. Ā. VI. 6) and then touches water. The sacrificer makes the tyāga with 'this is for (my) father &c.' and then touches water. The adhvaryu lays down the two srucs in their proper placeṣ Then he tears the surface (or top) of the puroḍāśa meant for Agni from west to east, inserts his thumb and the anāmikā (ring-finger) and takes out from inside the cake a portion which is as much as a barley grain or the pippala¹⁰⁶ berry with 'let this be cut off, somewhat bigger than a barley grain or than the wound made by an arrow. May we not injure this holy and well-offered havis of the sacrifice' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). He takes off a portion from the other puroḍāśa also in the same way but without piercing the top. These portions are called prāśitra. The brahmā priest looks at the prāśitra when it is being taken out with 'I look at thee with the eye of Mitra' (Āśv. I. 13. 1). The adhvaryu sprinkles clarified butter on the vessel called prāśitraharaṇa (that in which prāśitra is carried), keeps the prāśitra in it and sprinkles ājya over it (does abhighāraṇa), takes it to the east of the āhavanīya by the space between the brahmā and yajamāna on one hand and the āhavanīya on the other and then lays it down to the west. of the āhavanīya (to the west of the pranīta waters, according to Bauḍ I. 17). The adhvaryu then sprinkles ājya in the idāpātra, he cuts off the first portion of idā from the southern half of the purodāśa meant for Agni with ‘from the southern half I cut off (idā) seen by Manu, from whose foot ghee oozes, that is moved by Mitra and Varuṇa, that has a face in one direction only (in the south), without mixing it with others’ ¹⁰⁷ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). From the eastern half of the same purodāśa he cuts off a thin but long slice which is the portion of the yajamāna (according to Bauḍ I. 18 it is three or four aṅgulas long) and which is anointed (or smeared) with ājya and placed near the dhruvā (or to the east of the dhruvā) in some vessel on the barhiṣ Then he cuts off a part from the portion of the cake that is between its southern and eastern partṣ In the same way (i. e. repeating the verse ‘seen by Manu’ &c.) he cuts off a portion as idā from the northern purodāśa and other things offered (such as the boiled milk and curds). He then sprinkles ājya over the cut portions and removes them towards the east on the vedi. He crosses to the south in front of the hotr, sits behind the hotr with his face to the east and anoints the front two joints of the fore-finger of the hotr with ājya from the sruvā, first the front joint and then the one next to it. The hotr wipes with the palm of the hand turned towards his chest the uppermost joint of the finger on the upper lip and the next joint on his lower lip with ‘I partake of thee that art sacrificed by the lord of speech for food, for prāṇa’ and ‘I partake of thee that are offered by the lord of the mind for strength, for apāna’ respectively (Āśv. I. 7. 1-2; compare Śat. Br. I. 8. 1. 14-15). He touches water. The adhvaryu turns from right to left, comes back to the place whence he went, sits down to the east of the hotr with his face turned westwards, offers the iḍā to the hotṛ and the sacrificer recites a long mantra (Tai. S. I. 6. 3. 1-2, ‘Surūpa-varṣa-varṇa ebhimāṇ..devān-apyetu’) and looks at the iḍā when it is being taken to the hotṛ. The hotṛ accepts the iḍā (i. e. the vessel of iḍā) in his joined hands, places the iḍā in his left hand, keeps his right hand near the iḍā to its west with the fingers turned northwards and makes the adhvaryu cut off from the iḍā itself a portion called avāntareḍā into the right hand in the following manner. The adhvaryu spreads drops of ājya on the right hand of the hotṛ with the sruva in which are poured the remnants of ājya in the iḍāpātra, then the adhvaryu takes a portion from the iḍāpātra and drops it on to the right hand and the hotṛ himself cuts a second portion from the middle of the iḍā with the space between his thumb and the fore-finger; then the adhvaryu sprinkles over the iḍā in the right hand of the hotṛ ājya as above.¹⁰⁸ The hotṛ grasps the two portions with the thumb of his right hand, draws in the fingers of the right hand, but (keeping the thumb outside) does not close them into a fist, takes into his right hand the iḍā placed in his left. He (the hotṛ) raises the iḍā on a level with his mouth or nose and invokes it.

The iḍopahvānam or iḍopa—(invocation of the iḍā) is described at length by Āśv. I. 7. 7.¹⁰⁹ By this invocation it is supposed that the deity Iḍā becomes favourable to the sacrificer. It is a nigada, but a large part of it is said inaudibly (up to ‘vṛṣṭir hvayatām’) and the rest loudly. The sentences run in pairs e. g. ‘Iḍā has been invoked with the Heaven, with the great Āditya; may iḍā together with Heaven and the great Āditya call us near’. In the portion that is loudly uttered, there are three pauses, viz. after ‘iḍopahūtā,’ after ‘manusyāḥ’ and after ‘devī devaputre’. The adhvaryu, the āgnīdhra and the sacrificer touch the iḍāpātra with their hands¹¹⁰ and remain so till the end of the invocatioṇ When the invocation goes on inaudibly the yajamāna mutters (japati) ‘O Iḍā ! come ...... (Āp. IV. 10. 4)’ and when it is loudly uttered he mutters ‘thou art cit &c.’ (Āp. IV. 10. 4, where they are called Manusyagavi mantras) and utters loudly ‘May you breathe into all beings, may all beings breathe on account of you &c.’ and several other mantras (Āp. IV. 10. 4 and 7). He looks at the hotṛ and thinks of Vāyu in his mind ‘O Vāyu ! Iḍā is thy mother’ (Āp. IV. 10. 5); when the words ‘this yajamāna has been called’ are uttered, he mutters ‘May I, so invited, be endowed with cattle’. When the invocation of Iḍā is finished, he repeats ‘may Indra put in us vigour &c.’ When the words ‘the divine adhvaryus ’ are uttered, the adhvaryu mutters ‘May I be endowed with cattle.’

When the invocation of Iḍā is finished the adhvaryu passes round the āhavaniya towards its east and takes the prāśitra to the brahmā priest and hands it over to hiṃ Āśv. I. 13. 2 describes in detail what thereon the brahmā doeṣ He looks at the prāśitra when it is being brought with ‘I look at thee with the eye of Mitra.’ He receives the prāśitra in his joined hands with ‘I accept thee at the impulse of god Savitṛ.....with the hands of Pūṣaṇ’ He lays down the vessel containing prāśitra to the west of the āhavaniya inside the vedi on kuśa grass, with its rod to the east, ‘I place thee in the navel of the earth, in the lap of Aditi.’ He takes the prāśitra with the thumb and the ring-finger and eats without masticating it with the teeth with ‘I eat thee with the mouth of Agni, with the mouth of Bṛhaspati.’ Then he performs ācamana and again drinks water with ‘I sprinkle truth over thee; may the deities that dwell inside waters avert (the evil in) thiṣ Do not injure my eye, my ear, my life.’ He should touch his navel with ‘I hold thee in the belly of Indra.’ Then he washes the vessel in which prāśitra was contained, fills it with water, pours water thrice from it holding the vessel and the palm of the hand towards one’s chest.

The hotṛ eats the avāntaredā¹¹¹ after the brahmā eats the prāśitra with a mantra ‘O Iḍā ! favour this our portion &c.’ All the four priests together with the sacrificer as the fifth then partake of the idā with a mantra ‘thou art idā, thou art agree- able, thou art the bringer of happiness, place us in abundance of wealth and good progeny. I eat thee for the lustre of the face, for the fragrance of the mouth.’ After eating idā they observe silence till they perform mārjana. They perform mārjana¹¹² inside the vedi near the prastara bunch with ‘May mind resort to light. May all gods regale themselves here’ (Tai. S. I. 5. 3. 2).

The adhvaryu divides the purodāśa baked for Agni into four parts (and no other purodāśa nor sānnāyya) by piercing its surface and keeps it on the barhis (kuśas strewn on the vedi), the last part being made the biggest of all four. Vide Jai. III.1.26-27. The yajamāna recites a mantra ‘bradhna piṇvasva &c.’ (Tai. Br. III.7.5) and directs the four parts of that purodāśa separately as portions of the priests by saying ‘this is for brahmā, this for hotṛ, this for adhvaryu, this for āgnīdhra’ beginning in order from the south-east. The adhvaryu points out the portion of the yajamāna (vide p. 1065 above). When that is done, the adhvaryu makes the biggest of the four parts which is meant for the āgnīdhra ‘ṣaḍāvatta’ (cut sixfold).¹¹³ The āgnīdhra eats his portion with ‘thou art the portion of heaven, thou art the āgnīdhra of fire, thou art the śāmitra of fire, I eat thee with the mouth of fire, salutation to thee! Do not injure me.’ The adhvaryu brings the portions of brahmā and yajamāna where they are sitting in separate vessels with the veda bunch. The portions of the hotṛ and adhvaryu are brought by the adhvaryu in other vesselṣ The adhvaryu, hotṛ and brahmā eat their portions respectively with ‘thou art the portion of the aerial region,’ ‘thou art......of the earth,’ ‘thou......of heaveṇ’¹¹⁴ The conclusion of Jaimini (III. 4. 48-50) is that these portions are not meant as the fee paid to the priests (parikraya), but the four parts are meant to be eaten by theṃ

Plenty of rice is cooked on the dakṣiņa fire. This is called anvāhārya. The adhvaryu sprinkles ājya over ¹¹⁵ it (i. e. performs abhighāraṇa) and takes it from the dakṣiņa fire to the north of it. He issues a direction to the yajamāna 'offer (the boiled rice) to the priests that sit to the south' and when the sacrificer says 'come to the south' the priests do as requested (i. e. come to the south). The yajamāna issues a direction to the four priests 'this boiled rice is yours, take it according to your shares'. The rice is divided into four parts and the priests accept their respective portions with 'I accept thee at the impulse of God Savitṛ ......... with the hands of Pūṣan; may king Varuṇa take you. Who gave to whom ? Desire (Kāma) has given to Kāma ...... O Kāma, this is thy fee. May Aṅgirasa with upturned palm accept it' (the whole formula occurs in Āp. XIV. 11. 2).¹¹⁶ The priests come back to the north (and then brahmā comes to his usual seat). The adhvaryu keeps aside the remnants of the several offerings (such as the agnīṣomīya cake or sannāyya) and of the boiled rice outside the vedi to its north.

He throws into the āhavanīya the two blades that are now kindled at the fire and had been kept aside (vide p. 1040 above ). The adhvaryu says to the brahmā priest 'O brahman! we shall start or commence' (Tai. S. II. 6. 9. 1). The brahmā priest first mutters 'Bṛhaspati is Brahmā, he sat in the seat of Brahmā; O Bṛhaspati! you protected the sacrifice; protect the sacrifice and me' (Āśv. I. 13. 6) and loudly gives permission 'yes, do start' (03m pratiṣṭha ). The adhvaryu directs the āgnīdhra 'O agnīt, take the samidh (that is left) and wipe the paridhis and fire, each once'. The āgnīdhra takes the samidh and offers it into fire with the mantra 'O fire, this is thy samidh;¹⁸ may you increase and be strengthened by it. May the lord of the sacrifice (the yajamāna) increase and be strengthened; svāhā' (Śat. II. 4. p. 212). The yajamāna says as usual 'agnaya idam' and repeats 'O fire, this is thy samidh &c.' (Āp. III. 4. 6) and implores Agni to vanquish and destroy his enemies (the lengthy formula is in Āp. IV. 11. 5). He (the āgnidhra) without moving about wipes the paridhis as before with the tying cords of idhma (but without holding the sphya), the middle one from south to north and the other two from west to east, and wipes the fire also from west to east with 'O fire, that securest food &c.' (Āp. III. 4. 7 gives the whole). He sprinkles water over the tying cords (with which wiping was done) and throws them into the āhavanīya with 'do not injure our cattle, (you) who are Rudra, the lord of beings &c.' (Sat. II. 3. p. 213). The yajamāna makes the tyāga 'this is for Rudra, the lord of beings, who moves among rows (of Maruts)'.

The yajamāna touches water and mutters a mantra (which is in Āp. IV. 11. 6 'vedirbarhiḥ &c.). The yajamāna also performs japa of the Saptahotr¹⁹ formulas before the anuyājas are offereḍ The adhvaryu takes into the juhū the ājya from the upabhṛt (leaving some in the latter), crosses over to the juhū and sets about offering the three anuyājaṣ First there is the āśrāvaṇa (O3śrāvaya), then pratyāśrāvaṇa (astu śrau3ṣaṭ) by āgnīdhra who always holds the sphya when saying thiṣ Then the adhvaryu issues a direction to the hotṛ 'recite the yājyā for the devaṣ' When the hotṛ recites the yājyā and utters vau3ṣaṭ the adhvaryu standing in one place offers the first ājya offering on the samidh (offered for anuyājas as stated on 1069 above) to its east, the 2nd and 3rd to the west on the samidh itself (but all three are offered to the east of the meeting point of the two āghāras). The third and last offering of ājya is begun on the west but carried east in a continuous stream so as to become mixed up with the first two. In each case the yajamāna repeats the formula of tyāga. The yājyās and tyāga are given below in the note.¹¹⁷ The adhvaryu then comes back to the north, lays the two ladles (sruc) in their proper places and he and the yajamāna mutter the two formulas (Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 2 called vājāvatī). The adhvaryu takes up in his right hand with palm upwards the juhū and prastara (prastara being placed over the palm and juhū over the prastara) with ‘vājāsya......grabhīt’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 2) and holds down (so as to bring it in contact with barhis) with palm turned downwards in the left hand the upabhṛt ladle (which is under the palm) with ‘athāsapatnāṇ.....akaḥ’ (ibid). He again takes up the juhū with ‘udgrābham ca’ (ibid) and presses down the upabhṛt with ‘nigrābham ca.’ At this time the juhū held in the right hand is far apart from the upabhṛt held in the left. Then he moves with the right hand having palm turned upward towards the east on the vedi itself the juhū with ‘brahma devā avivṛdhan’ (the gods increased holy prayer) and with the left hand having palm downwards he leaves outside the vedi the upabhṛt with ‘athāsapatnāṇ..vyasyatām’ (ibiḍ Indra and Agni hurled away my enemies' &c.). Then he touches water, sprinkles water over the upabhṛt, takes it up and anoints with the butter remaining in the juhū the three paridhis, the middle one with ‘to thee for Vasus,’ the southern one with ‘to thee for Rudras’ and the northern one with ‘to thee for Ādityaṣ’ The yajamāna recites in each case ‘this is for Vasus,’ ‘this is for Rudras,’ ‘this is for Ādityas’ followed in each case with a prayer noted below.¹¹⁸ After keeping the juhū in some spot on the vedi other than where the prastara is, the adhvaryu, having mixed the prastara with the two vidhṛtis (vide above p. 1045) with ‘may heaven and earth be of the same mind; may Mitra and Varuṇa help you with rain’ he leaves the vidhṛtis on the barhis and smears the prastara (with the remnants of ājya) in the three ladles (sruc), the points in juhū with ‘licking the one that is smeared’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 1), middle portions in upabhṛt with ‘viyantu vayaḥ’ (ibid) and the roots in dhruvā with ‘prajām yonim’ ¹¹⁹ (ibid). He does the anointing a second time (with the same mantras). He anoints a third time in the reverse order viz. the roots first in dhruvā, the middle portions in upabhṛt and the tops last in juhū (the mantras being the same for each ladle). The yajamāna repeats, while the prastara is being anointed, a mantra ‘may kuśa be anointed with ghee’ (Āp. IV. 12. 3). Taking out a blade from the prastara so anointed with ‘to thee for long life’, he places it in a known place (for use later on). When the blade is taken away from the prastara the yajamāna recites a mantra (apipred yajño...yajamānaṃ viśantu).

The adhvaryu takes the prastara (and also the śākhā i. e. twig used at the time of milking cows when sānnāyya is to be offered), introduces the prastara (together with the twig) at the corner in the north where the middle and northern paridhis meet and says ‘śuśrāvaỵa.’ When the āgnīdhra responds with ‘astu śrauṣaṭ,’ he issues a direction to the hotṛ ‘the divine hotṛs are desired (or requested); you being human and directed to utter the words of success recite hymns for the god called sūktāvāka.’ The hotṛ begins the recitation of sūktavāka ¹²⁰ which is given below.²⁸⁰⁸ The contents of the sūktavāka may be briefly indicateḍ He begins 'O heaven and earth, this blissful event has taken place; we have so flourished as to pronounce the good words (viz. 'fire has accepted this havis &c.') and our adoration (to the gods); O fire, you should declare good words, so that we may feel elevated; thou art the declarer of good wordṣ' Then numerous words follow that state the various attributes of heaven and earth. Then it is declared that Agni and other deities (named) have accepted the offering and made it flourish. Then the sacrificer is named and it is said that he hopes for various blessings such as long life, worthy sonṣ The whole is concluded with 'we men belong to Agni. May we have (the fruits of) sacrifice and wealth. May both heaven and earth save us from sin (or evil). May the most desirable thing come here. Here is adoration to the godṣ' After the sūktavāka the adhvaryu throws upon the āhavanīya the prastara (and the sākhā, in case of sānnāyya) with 'may waters and plants be strengthened; you are the drops of Maruts; go to heaven and send thence rain to us'¹²² Jaimini makes it clear (VI. 4. 43-47) that śākhā is not a subordinate complement of the prastara but the real meaning of the text 'he throws the prastara with the śākhā' is to indicate the time when the śākhā is to be thrown into fire. Jaimini (IV. 2. 10-13) states that the throwing of the śākhā into fire is pratipattikarma (i. e. that is the final disposal of the śākhā). When throwing the prastara he does not bend his hand but holds it rather straight and hanging downwards and the tips of the prastara are not put beyond the fire nor are they turned upwards, nor are the tips allowed to be first scorcheḍ He raises it up, brings it slowly down and rolls it on the hearth of the āhavaniya (making the upper portion come down and vice versa). The adhvaryu, when the hotṛ says 'this sacrificer seeks (hopes for) blessings' directs the āgnīdhra to consign the prastara to fire. The āgnīdhra thrice raises with his joined hands the prastara into the āhavaniya fire. The sacrificer makes the tyāga to the several deities mentioned in the sūktavāka (agnaya idam, somāyedam &c.) and adds (Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 1) 'may I win victory following the victory of Agni' (then of Soma and so on for the other deities)¹²³ When the hotṛ mentions the name of the sacrificer the latter recites 'these blessings have come here' (Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 2 and Āp. IV. 12. 5). The adhvaryu directs the āgnīdhra to throw into fire on the prastara the blade of kuśa taken from the prastara and kept aside (as described above p. 1072) and the āgnīdhra¹²⁴ does so with 'Good speed to the tanūs, svāhā'. The yajamāna mutters 'this for the Tanūs' and proceeds 'This pillar spread down from heaven and was raised over the earth. With it that has a thousand shoots we worry our enemy etc.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6 and Āp. IV. 12. 8). The adhvaryu points out thrice with his forefinger the blade thrown into fire with 'this, this' and touches his nose and eyes with 'Agni! thou art the protector of life, protect my life, thou art the protector of eyes' (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 2). Then the adhvaryu touches the earth inside the vedi with 'thou art stable' (ibid). The agnidhra then addresses the adhvaryu 'talk with me'. The adhvaryu asks 'has (the prastara) been consigned to flames'? The agnidhra replies 'it has gone to the fire'. Then after āśrāvaya and pratyāśrāvaya the adhvaryu touching the middle enclosing stick (paridhi) issues a direction to the hotṛ 'Good speed to the divine hotṛs (here the paridhis) and bliss to human hotṛṣ Recite for śam-yoh'¹²⁵ Then the hotṛ recites the verse 'we long for that śam-yoh, for (the) path to sacrifice and to the lord of sacrifice. May divine bliss be ours! May there be bliss for human beingṣ May the means (of bliss) ascend upwards! All health to the two-footed and the four-footed that are ours' (i. e. to men and cattle).¹²⁶ When the Śamyuvāka is repeated the yajamāna mutters 'may I attain stability by yajña, śamyoh (health and wealth) by the worship of Viṣṇu' (Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 3). The adhvaryu then throws into the fire the middle paridhi with 'O God Agni, that paridhi which you laid dowṇ..... svāhā' (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 2).

The adhvaryu then pushes on to the burning coals of the āhavaniya the other two paridhis together (the southern and northern ones) with 'the food of sacrifice has come together.' He thrusts the tip of the northern paridhi underneath the middle one in the burning coals and keeps the tip of the southern over the middle one. When the paridhis are being thrown on the fire the yajamāna mutters 'I loosen thy girdle &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 3). After the paridhis are thrown the adhvaryu invokes them 'may you spread (i. e. prolong the life of) the sacrificer'.

The adhvaryu then lays on the bowl of the juhū the upabhṛt and lets flow from the two ladles the remnants of butter into fire with 'O Viśve Devas! You have for your share the remnants (samsrāva) of ājya,...svāhā' (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 2).¹²⁷ The yajamāna makes the tyāga with ‘this is for Vasus, Rudras Ādityas who are sharers in the saṁsrāva (remnants of ājya),’ then utters a benedictory formula invoking blessings (vide Ap. IV. 12. 10 and Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 4) and touches the veda bunch lying inside the vedi.

The priests partake of the remnants of ājya and wash the ājya sticking to the ladleṣ¹²⁸

The adhvaryu takes up the juhū and upabhṛt, the hotṛ takes the veda bunch and the āgnīdhra takes the pot of ājya (ājya-sthālī) together with the sruva. Being about to perform the patnīsaṁyājas ¹²⁹ the adhvaryu passes to the south of the gārhapatya fire (from its east side) and the other two priests (hotṛ and āgnīdhra) pass to its north. The adhvaryu places the two ladles on the sphya with ‘I place you in the abode of Agni whose house is indestructible; may you who are happy place me in happiness for the sake of happiness; may you who are the foremost (or leaders) protect me when I am in front’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 2–3). They sit to the west of the gārhapatya and set about the offerings of Patnīsaṁyājas with the two ladles in the dhvāna tone. They three sit to the west of the gāṛhapatya with knees raised up, the adhvaryu being seated to the south, the āgnīdhra to the north and the hotṛ between the two. The hotṛ hands over the veda bunch to the adhvaryu who takes it with ‘ I have stood up following the immortals with long life &c. ’ (Tai. S. I. 2. 8. 1) stands up and sits down to the west of the gārhapatya. When the wife (of the sacrificer) holds the veda bunch and touches the adhvaryu with a blade of darbha, the adhvaryu takes into the juhū four ladlings of ājya with sruva (from the pot of ājya). Then the procedure for each of the four offerings resembles the prayāja offerings, viz. The adhvaryu issues a direction to the hotṛ to recite an anuvākyā (invitatory prayer) for Soma (then for Tvaṣṭṛ and so on), then the hotṛ recites the anuvākyā, then there is āśruta and pratyāśruta, followed by adhvaryu directing the hotṛ to recite the yājyā for Soma (or Tvaṣṭṛ or others as the case may be), and when the hotṛ utters 'vat 3ṣaṭ' the adhvaryu pours the ājyā oblation from the juhū into the gārhapatya (in this rite). The offering to Soma is made in the northern part of the gārhapatya, that to Tvaṣṭṛ in the southern part and for the rest between these two. The offering to the wives of the gods may be made in an enclosed space (i. e. by placing a screen to the east of the gārhapatya) so as to shut the gārhapatya from view on the eastern side.¹³⁰ Additional offerings were allowed to be made to Rākā, Sinīvālī and Kuhū by those who desired sons, cattle or prosperity respectively either before or after the offering to the wives of the godṣ The procedure is briefly indicated in the note below.¹³¹

The yajamāna makes a tyāga (of the offering) with 'this for Soma' (or for Tvaṣṭṛ and so on) and adds a separate formula in each case invoking separate blessings of vigour, cattle, progeny and stability (vide Āp. IV. 13. 1 and Tai. S. I. 6. 4. 3-4). The adhvaryu offers in the gārhapatya with the sruva an oblation of ājya with¹³² 'may the wife unite with her husbanḍ.. svāhā' (Tai. Br. II. 7. 5 quoted on p. 556 ṇ 1291 ). The sacrificer's wife touches the adhvaryu (with a blade of darbha) when he makes the last offering. The yajamāna makes the tyāga 'this is for the undecaying Great Soul, the light in Heaveṇ'

The adhvaryu then smears the two front joints of the hotṛ's finger as before, first the hind joint and then the front joint. He breathes over it and touches water. The adhvaryu drops into the palm of the right hand of the hotṛ four drops of ājya as iḍā¹³³ and six in that of the āgnīdhra. The hotṛ inaudibly invokes both (viz. his own iḍā and āgnīdhra's, the hand of the latter being held underneath the former's) in the same words as before (vide Appendix under note 2384). When the words 'this yajamāna has been summoned' are uttered, the wife mutters 'being summoned may I surpass in the possession¹³⁴ of cattle,' and the adhvaryu also performs japa as above. When the iḍā is being invoked the adhvaryu, the āgnīdhra and the wife (with a darbha blade) touch the hotṛ. The yajamāna invokes ājya iḍā with 'may iḍā cover us with ghṛta &c.' (Āp. IV. 13. 4). At the end of the invocation of iḍā the hotṛ eats the iḍā (drops of ājya) and the āgnīdhra eats his with 'father Heaven has been invoked, may the fire summon me from āgnīdhra for my life, lustre &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). He silently performs mārjana after partaking of iḍā. The patnīsaṁyājas and with the invocation of iḍā or they may be finished after reciting Śamyuvāka (Sat. II. 5, p. 225; Āśv. I. 10. 9; Kāt. III. 7. 13 ).

The adhvaryu sitting to the west of the dakṣiṇa fire places on it the chips cut from the idhma (idhma-pravraścana, vide above p. 1014) and offers two oblations called phallakaraṇa and piṣṭalepa.¹³⁵ Having thrown into the ājya ladled into the juhū four times with the sruva the smallest grains (that were produced when rice grains were husked and pounded for making puroḍāśas), the adhvaryu offers them into the dakṣiṇa fire with ‘O fire, that hast unhurt life and not cool body, guard me against the sky (lightning)… make our food free from poison… svāhā’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 3). When this homa is made the yajamāna rubs (wipes) his mouth with ‘svāhā to thee, that art Sarasvatī Yaśobhāginī’ (who loves laudation) and makes the tyāga with ‘this is for Agni who has long life and not cool body’ and wipes his face with ‘svāhā to thee, that art Sarasvatī Veśabhāginī’ ¹³⁶ (who loves residing together, Āp. III. 10. 2). The adhvaryu takes again four ladlings of ājya with the sruva into the juhū and pours therein the remnants of ground grains which still stick to the several utensils and offers them into the dakṣiṇa fire with ‘whatever stuck to the mortar, pestle and the winnowing basket…! Svāhā’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6 and Āp. III. 10. 1). The yajamāna says ‘this is for the All-Gods’.

The hotṛ hands over the veda bunch to the sacrificer’s wife and makes her repeat aloud ‘thou art veda…may I secure progeny. To thee for Kāma’ (Āśv. I. 11. 1) and the sacrificer recites, when the veda bunch is being given to the wife ‘thou art Veda …… may I secure gifts’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 4) and when the veda is placed on her lap by the wife ¹³⁷ she repeats ‘may veda give &c.’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 4). The wife thrusts it with ‘drive out the enemy, the hater’ (Āp. III. 10. 4). The wife touches her navel with the top of the veda bunch if she desires progeny.

The hotṛ unties the yoktra (the girdle) of the wife with ‘I release thee from the fetter of Varuṇa &c.’ (Rg. X. 85. 24)¹³⁸. The wife lays aside the yoktra and the adhvaryu makes her recite ‘here do I unloosen the fetters of Varuṇa &c.’ (Tai. S. I. 10. 2). The hotṛ winds round the yoktra twofold, places it to the west of the gārhapatya fire with its loop and end to the east, keeps over it the blades of the veda with their points to the north and lays down a pūrṇapātra¹³⁹ (a vessel filled with water) to the east of the blades but touching theṃ The hotṛ touches that vessel and makes the wife who touches it repeat a 'mantra 'thou art full &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1). The hotṛ sprinkles water from the pūrṇapātra in all directions and makes the wife, who also sprinkles water from it in all directions, repeat 'Let the gods and the priests purify (or wipe) in the eastern direction &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1-2, quoted in Āśv. I. 11. 7). The hotṛ places into the joined hands of the sacrificer's wife with the palm upwards the yoktra, and places his left hand with palm turned upwards on the wife's folded hands (but in modern practice the hotṛ does not hold his hand over the wife's) and pours down the water from the pūrṇapātra on the hands (his and the wife's) and makes her repeat 'May I not throw away progeny &c.' (Āśv. I. 11. 8). The hotṛ holds by his right hand the tops of the blades of the veda bunch (the binding cord of which has already been unloosened), proceeds from the gārhapatya to the āhavanīya, repeats Rg. X. 53. 6 (tantum tanvan &c.) and without shaking them, strews continuously some of them from the gārhapatya to the āhavanīya. The rest of the blades the hotṛ lays down and, standing to the north-east of the āhavanīya, takes ājya from the pot of ājya (ājyasthālī) in the sruva and offers with svāhā at the end of the mantras oblations of ājya, which are called 'sarvaprāyaścitta' (expiation for all lapses). The mantras are given below.¹⁴⁰ Having made the oblations the hotṛ pays homage with the 'saṁsthājapa (lit. the prayer muttered on completion)¹⁴¹ and goes out of the sacrificial ground by the way called tīrtha (vide above p. 984). The adhvaryu pours from a vessel full of water (pūrṇapātra) water into the joined hands of the wife in which the yoktra is helḍ When the wife lets down the water on the ground she mutters ‘May I be united with long life, progeny &c.’ (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 2). After pouring the water she wipes her face with her wet right hand and goes out as she desireṣ¹⁴² When the hotṛ strews the blades of the veda, the sacrificer repeats ‘through you they knew the vedi &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 4).

The adhvaryu comes back by the way he went, repeats ‘may the dhruvā be strengthened &c.’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1) and offers two āhutis of ājya to Sarasvatī with the juhū into the āhavanīya with ‘to thee, who are Sarasvatī, called Yaśobhāginī, svāhā’ and with ‘to thee Sarasvatī called Veśabhāginī, svāhā.’ The yajamāna makes the tyāga in similar wordṣ The adhvaryu again takes ājya in the juhū and offers an āhuti to Indra with ‘Indropānasya kehamanaso veśān kuru sumanasaḥ sajātān’ (Sat. II. 5. p. 230, Āp. III. 10. 2) ¹⁴³ and the yajamāna says ‘this is for Indra &c.’ The adhvaryu offers an oblation of ājya with sruva on the pūrṇamāsa iṣṭi with ‘we offer worship to pūrṇamāsa the foremost &c. svāhā’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5 quoted by Sat. II. 5 p. 230) and a similar oblation on darśeṣṭi with ‘Amāvāsyā is fortunate and full of happiness &c. svāhā.’ The yajamāna makes tyāga. These are called pārvaṇahoma and according to some they are optionally performed before the offering to Sviṣṭakṛt. Jaimini (IX. 2. 51-56) establishes that these two homas are not performed in other iṣṭis that are the modifications (vikṛti) of darśapūrṇamāsa and in IX. 2. 57-58 establishes that both are not performed on pūrṇamāseṣṭi and darśeṣṭī, but the first homa (in which there is an oblation to pūrṇamāsa) is alone performed on pūrṇamāseṣṭi and the other on darśeṣṭī. The adhvaryu takes ājya six times with the mantra ‘āpyāyatām dhruvā &c.’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1) and offers six homas called Nārīṣṭha homas with six mantras ¹⁴⁴ (with svāhā at the end of each ) and the yajamāna repeats the tyāga six times 'to Nāriṣṭhas Agni and Vāyu,' to Nāriṣṭhas Indra and Vāyu (twice),' 'to Nāriṣṭhas Soma and Maruts,' 'to Nāriṣṭha Brahman,' 'to Nāriṣṭha Paramātmaṇ'

The adhvaryu recites 'apyāyatām dhruvā' (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1), takes ājya thirty-eight times and offers with the juhū oblations called sarvaprāyaścittas to thirty-eight deities in the āhavaniya with a mantra for each, ¹⁴⁵ and there is an appropriate tyāga in each case.

The adhvaryu repeats the mantra 'āpyāyatām &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1), increases the dhruvā (with ājya), stands erect inside the vedi and offers with the dhruvā three homas called Samiṣṭayajus ¹⁴⁶ in the āhavanīya with 'ye path-finding gods! after finding the path, return by it. O Lord of the mind! place this our sacrifice among the gods, in speech, in the wind' (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 3). When the word svāhā is repeated the second time he throws the barhis into the fire. The yajamāna says 'this is for the path-finding gods, for Yajña—for Para- mātman' and utters the invocation 'agne adabdhāyo' (Tai. S. I. 1. 13. 3.) and after the barhis is thrown the verse 'divaḥ khilo' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6). The yajamāna then eats his own share of the sacrificial food with 'let the lord of sacrifice be united with prayer &c.' (Tai. S. I. 3. 8. 1).

But if it is the sānnāyya, he takes in the boiled milk with 'May this havis, a giver of progeny, be for my welfare &c.' (Tai. Br. II. 6. 3) and curds with 'dadhikrāvaṇo' (Ṛg. IV. 39. 6). Āp. IV. 14. 2 notes that a yajamāna who is not a brāhmaṇa should not eat sānnāyya. The adhvaryu strews the vedi with The darbhas spread on the seat of the hotṛ with ‘strew over the vedi &c.’ (Tai. Br. III. 7. 5). He carries the prapitā waters from the eastern side with ‘to you for prosperity’ and pours them down inside the vedi with ‘may he who joined you together separate you’. The adhvaryu pours on those prapitā waters a continuous stream of water for the yajamāna who holds it in his joined hands and mutters ‘thou art true, be true to me ...... do not perish for me’ (sadasi ...... kṣeṣṭhāḥ Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 1), throws up water in different directions with ‘may gods and priests cleanse with water in the east &c.’ (Āśv. I. 11. 6–7), pours the rest inside the vedi with ‘I discharge you to the ocean, that is your origin’ (Āp. IV. 14. 4) and wipes his face with his wet right hand with ‘O Sarasvatī! that honey which you have in waters &c.’ (Tai. Br. II. 5. 8 quoted in Āp. IV. 14. 4).

The adhvaryu then takes up the upaveṣa and conceals it inside the dust of the utkara ( vide Āp. III. 13. 6) and if it is desired to practise magic against one's enemy, then he throws the upaveṣa on the utkara after taking the enemy’s name (Āp. III. 14. 1, Sat. II. 6. p. 237). Vide Tai. Br. III. 3. 11 for the upaveṣa and the mantraṣ The adhvaryu takes leave of the Yajña with ‘Let him who yokes you discharge you’ (Tai. S. I. 5. 10. 3 quoted in Sat. II. 6. p. 237) and passes his eye over the whole sacrificial grounḍ¹⁴⁷ Then he discharges the kapālas with ‘the kapālas that were in the cauldron’ (Tai. S. I. 5. 10. 3–4 quoted in Sat. II. 6. p. 237), counts them and keeps them aside. Then the adhvaryu goes out. The brahmā also places a fuel-stick on fire with ‘the fire has been worshipped &c.’ (Āp. III. 13. 1 and Sat. II 8. p. 261) and then leaves by the way he came.

The yajamāna gets up from his seat and takes what are called ‘the strides of Viṣṇu’ (viṣṇukrama).¹⁴⁸ These are four taken from the south corner (śroṇi) on the south side of the vedi. He starts towards the east putting the right foot always first, never allows the left foot to come in front, does not go beyond the āhavanīya place and each succeeding step covers more ground than each preceding one. He first recites four mantras 'thou art the stride of Viṣṇu &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 5. 2) when taking the strideṣ Then he mutters a long prayer to the Sun 'O Light of Mitra rising to-day &c.' (Tai. Br. III. 7. 6 and Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 1, quoted in Āp. IV. 15. 1 and I. 16. 1). He contemplates the destruction of his enemy with the words 'Here do I exclude from a share my enemy the evil-doer &c.' He revolves round himself from left to right with 'I turn the turning of Indra' (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 2) and goes round the āhavaniya with 'Let me have auspicious riches and may evil riches remain away from me' (Āp. IV. 15. 4). He bends over the āhavaniya with 'thou art light' (Tai. S. I. 1. 10. 3), pays homage to it with 'May I be united with my children and may my children be united with me &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 2, Āp. IV. 15. 4). He puts the fire into flames 'O fire, being kindled, shine for me &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 2, Āp. IV. 16. 5). He prays to the āhavaniya with 'The sacrifice is endowed with riches, may I be endowed with riches &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 2, Āp. IV. 15. 5.). He prays to the dakṣiṇa fire 'O fire, cook food pleasantly eaten for our progeny' (Āp. IV. 16. 5). He prays to the gārhapatya fire with the two verses to Agni Pavamāna (Rg. IX. 66. 19-20, Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 2), and with 'O Agni Gṛhapati! I am a good house-holder &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 3). If he has no son he prays ¹⁴⁹ 'I pray for that blessing full of spiritual lustre for my son (to be)' and if he has a son he prays 'I pray for my son so and so that blessing &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 3). He sits between the two fires inside the vedi with 'to thee (unborn or born son as the case may be) who art light &c.' (Āp. IV. 16. 6). He places on his lap the blades of the veda (that had been unloosened) and sitting inside the vedi mutters the Atimokṣa mantras 'May Agni guard me against those gods that strike the sacrifice &c.' (Tai. S. III. 5. 4. 1-2 indicated in Āp. IV. 14. 10).

He then comes to his seat, looks at the whole sacrifice with 'who yokes thee? Let him free thee' (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 3). He then discharges himself from vrata with 'O fire, lord of vratas, I observed vrata &c.' (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 3, Tai. Ā. IV. 41, Vaj. S. II. 28). He then mutters the mantra which speaks of the re-performance of yajña ‘Yajña hath become, it has come into being ..... let him make us overlords, may we be lords of wealth’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 4). He then gets up and mutters a text after going out with his face to the east ‘O fire, the sacri-fice is endowed with cows ..... May this sacrifice be rich in food in halls’ (Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 4) and a further prayer (given in Ap. IV. 16. 15).¹⁵⁰ Then after saying ‘thou art rain ..... a bow to you’ he touches water. Then the sacrificer issues a direction ‘the brāhmaṇas have to be satiated’ (with dinner &c.). Lastly the yajamāna offers final prayers by repeating Rg. I. 189. 1, VII. 4. 1, VII. 10. 3, I. 189. 3, I. 189. 2, III. 6. 1 and winds up with ‘salutation to thee once, twice, thrice, four times, five times, ten times, a hundred timeṣ May there be salutation to thee up to a thousand timeṣ Do not injure, may we be free from debts in this world, in the next world, in the third world; may we, free from debts, dwell in all the paths, those that are Devayāna (lead to the gods) and those that lead to the pitrṣ’ According to Tai. S. II. 5. 3. 1 and Āp. III. 15. 1–5 there is an additional puroḍāśa offered to Indra Vaimṛdha. Jai. (IV. 3. 32–35) declares that this puroḍāśa is offered only on the Full Moon day sacrifice and not in the New Moon sacri-fice. Vide Jai. X. 8. 17–19 for seventeen sāmidhenī verses in the Vaimṛdha iṣṭi. There are differences in the procedure of darśeṣṭi as com-pared with that of the pūrṇamāseṣṭi which have been noted in the above at the respective placeṣ There are several modifications of the darśapūrṇamāsa such as the Dākṣāyaṇa yajña, the Vaimṛdha, Sākamprasthīya, which are omitted here for want of space. Jaimini (II. 3. 5–11) establishes that the Dāk-ṣāyaṇa, Sākamprasthīya and Samkrama yajñas are modifica-tions of darśapūrṇamāsa.

Piṇḍapitryajña It is so called because balls of rice are offered to the pitṛs¹⁵¹ in this rite. According to Jaimini IV. 4. 19–21 Piṇḍapitryajña is an independent rite and not a mere subordinate part of the darśa sacrifice. On the other hand several writers held that it was a subordinate part (aṅga) of darśa e. g. Kāt. IV. 1. 30 appears to be of that opinion and the paddhati on it notes that all bhāṣyakāras like Karka stick to that opinioṇ¹⁵² The piṇḍapitṛyajña is briefly described below. For details, vide Śāt. Br. II. 4. 2, Tai. Br. I. 3. 10, II. 6. 16, Āśv. II. 6-7, Āp. I. 7-10, Kāt. IV. 1. 1-30, Sat. II. 7, Bauḍ III. 10-11. It is performed on amāvasyā day when the moon cannot be seen and its distance from the sun is the least, in the last third part of the day or when only the rays of the sun are visible on the tops of treeṣ¹⁵³ The caru (boiled rice) is cooked on the dakṣiṇāgni and the oblation is offered in the same. In this and other ways a contrast is brought out between rites for gods and for Maneṣ He kindles a blade on the dakṣiṇa fire and carries it to the south-east of that fire with the mantra ‘ye rūpāṇi &c.’ (Vāj. S. II. 30).¹⁵⁴ All actions are to be done facing the south-east unless otherwise specifieḍ The darbha grass (to be employed in this rite) is severed at one stroke and is brought with or without its roots (Āp. I. 7. 3-4). Strewing round the dakṣiṇāgni darbha grass (paristarana) with their ends turned to the south in the case of those that are placed to the north or south he spreads darbhas to the north. He places to the north-east or to the north-west of the dakṣiṇāgni singly the yajñapātras required in this rite on darbha grass viz. carusthālī, śūrpa, sphya, mortar and pestle, sruvā, dhruvā, antelope-skin, fuel-sticks cut off at one stroke, mekṣaṇa, kamaṇḍalu, and whatever else may be necessary. The adhvaryu going to the south of the śakaṭa (the wooden frame on which the paddy is stored and which is to the west of the fire) fills the carusthālī (vessel for cooking rice) that is placed on the śūrpa with paddy to the brim and removes the grains (that rise above the brim) on to the śūrpa (which overflowing grains are returned to the śakaṭa). The mortar is then placed on the black antelope-skin and the wife with her face to the south-east beats with the pestle the paddy grains taken out in the carusthālī and removes the husks by means of the winnowing basket. Without trying to separate the husked grains from the unhusked ones the grains are washed once and cooked on the dakṣiṇa fire (in such a way that the grains of rice are not entirely soft). He should draw with the sphya a line between the gārhapatya and dakṣiṇa fires or to the south-east of the latter with the words ‘the asuras and evil-spirits that occupy the vedī are scattered away’ (Vāj. S. II. 29 quoted in Sat. II. 7. p. 249 and Āp. I. 7. 13). He should then sprinkle that line (as the vedī for this rite) with water, spread round it the darbha grass (cut off with one stroke), take clarified butter in the dhruvā spoon, place it to the south of the dakṣiṇāgni, sprinkle on the mess of cooked rice clarified butter from the dhruvā. He places to the south of the dakṣiṇāgni, collyrium, unguents, a mat and a pillow. Wearing the sacred thread in the prācīnāvīta form (accord-ing to Āp. I. 8. 3 and Sat. II. 7. p. 248 the adhvaryu wears it in the upavīta form) he offers on the fire the idhma (i. e. fifteen fuel-sticks), takes a portion of the boiled rice with the mekṣaṇa, pours clarified butter over it, cuts off two portions of the rice on it, again sprinkles clarified butter over¹⁵⁵ the portions and the rice from which they are taken, ‘Somāya pitṛmate svadhā namaḥ’, then again sprinkles clari-fied butter on the portion cut off and offers it with the words ‘Agnaye kavyavāhanāya svadhā namaḥ’. He ¹⁵⁶ then throws the mekṣaṇa on to the fire. Then on the line made with the sphya he sprinkles water thrice ¹⁵⁷ with the mantras ‘Śundhantām pitarah, śundhantām pitāmahāḥ, śundhantām prapitāmahāḥ’ (may the fathers, grand-fathers and great-grand-fathers wash themselves pure). He offers three balls of rice on that line one after another with the hand turned sideways (i. e. the piṇḍa is let off on the line from the part of the palm between the thumb and the index finger ) with appropriate mantras, the first to the father with the words 'this is for you father,¹⁵⁸ N. N. and those who come after you', to the grand-father with the words 'this is for you grand-father &c.', to the great-grandfather with similar wordṣ The piṇḍa (ball of rice) for the great-grand-father is the biggest of the three, that for the grand-father being larger than that for the father. There was a difference of view among the teachers as to the procedure when any of the three ancestors was living, Gāṇagāri holding that piṇḍas were offered only to the deceased ancestors and he who was living was only honoured, while Taulvali said that piṇḍas were to be offered to three ancestors whether living or dead and Gautama stating that if any ancestor out of the first three above the sacrificer was alive, three piṇḍas were to be offered and an ancestor beyond the great-grand-father may then be includeḍ Āśv. (II. 6. 20-23) refutes all these views by saying that no piṇḍa can be offered to any ancestor beyond the great-grand-father and none to those who are alive nor to any ancestor between whom and a preceding ancestor a living ancestor intervenes, but that the piṇḍas meant for ancestors that are alive may be thrown into fire (with svāhā at the end and not svadhā). According to Āp. I. 9. 8 and Sat. p. 252 if the householder's father be living he should not offer piṇḍas but should stop after he performs the homa. If he has¹⁵⁹ two fathers or grand-fathers or great-grand-fathers (owing to adoption or niyoga) he should take two names with reference to the piṇḍa offered to that ancestor. When the piṇḍas are placed on the line referred to above he invokes the piṇḍas with a formula 'Here you may regale yourselves, O pitṛs and may you partake according to your shares'(Vāj.S.II.31).¹⁶⁰ Then he turns round and faces the north, sits down holding his breath till he feels exhausted, then again turns round and faces the piṇḍas and utters the invocation 'the pitṛs have regaled themselves and have partaken according to their shares' (Vāj. S. II. 31). He smells the boiled rice. Then he again offers water (ninayana) with the words 'Śun- dhantām &c.', (vide above p. 1087) on the line made with the sphya, he puts on the three piṇḍas one after another the unguents and collyrium respectively with the words 'asau abhyankṣva' (you by name so and so father &c. apply the unguents) and 'asau añkṣva' (you so and so father, &c. put the collyrium in the eye). He should then place as garment on each of the piṇḍas the hem of a garment (daśā) or woolen tuft or a hair from his own body (the part above navel) if he is beyond fifty years of age with the words 'O pitṛs, this is the garment for you, may you not come in contact with any other (garment) than this' (Āśv. II. 7. 6). Then he should wait upon the pitṛs with salutation and mutter the mantra 'saluta- tion to you, Pitṛs, for (securing) food, salutation to you, Pitṛs, for strength' &c. ¹⁶¹ and also the three verses 'manonvā- huvāmahe' (Ṛg. X. 57. 3-5).¹⁶² He should then make the pitṛs start forward on a stream of water (i. e. by pouring water on the piṇḍas) with the mantra 'O well-disposed pitṛs! May you depart away by the ancient and awe-inspiring paths, after bestowing on us wealth and welfare. May you send down to us prosperity including all manly sons' (vide Tai. S. I. 8. 5. 2 for first half). He should walk a little towards the dakṣiṇāgni with the verse Ṛg. IV. 10. 1 and then towards the gārhapatya with the mantra 'May the gārhapatya fire deliver me from whatever sin I may have committed against Heaven and Earth, or parents and may the same fire make me sinless' (Tai. S. I. 8. 5. 3). He should take hold of the middle piṇḍa with the words 'O pitṛs! bestow'on me a valiant (son)' and should make his wife eat that ball of rice with the mantra ¹⁶³ 'O pitṛs! may you deposit an embryo that will be a young boy wearing a lotus wreath, so that he may be unhurt' (compare Vāj. S. II. 33). The other two piṇḍas may be thrown into water or fire or a person who has recently lost all appetite for food may eat the two or one who is harassed by some incurable disease (such as leprosy or tuberculosis) may eat them, the result being that he is either cured or dieṣ Kāt. IV. 1. 20 adds that the adhvaryu collects the piṇḍas in a pot and the house-holder bends down and takes the smell thereof. ¹⁶⁴ Then the darbha blades taken out with one stroke are thrown into the fire, the utensils are sprinkled with water and then taken up in twos and laid aside.

A householder who had not consecrated the three vedic fires also had to perform the piṇḍa-pitṛ-yajña on amāvāsyā, but he offered it in the gṛhya fire. Vide Āśv. Śr. II. 7. 18, Sāṃ K. p. 838 ff, Sāṃ Pr. 908 ff. Gaut. V. 5 prescribes that a householder should at least daily offer water to the pitṛs and do more (i. e. offering food &c.) according to his ability and inclinatioṇ Manu II. 176 prescribes daily pitṛ-tarpaṇa (satiating the pitṛs with water), for which see pp. 668-69.