Sankhayana-grihya-sutra
by Hermann Oldenberg | 1886 | 37,785 words
The Grihya-sutra ascribed to Shankhayana, which has been edited and translated into German in the XVth volume of the "Indische Studien", is based on the first of the four Vedas, the Rig-veda in the Bashkala recension, and among the Brahmana texts, on the Kaushitaka. Alternative titles: Śāṅkhāyana-gṛhya-sūtra (शाङ्खायन-गृह्य-सूत्र), Shank...
Adhyāya I, Khaṇḍa 7
1[1]. When assent has been declared (by the girl's father, the bridegroom) sacrifices.
2. He besmears a quadrangular space with cow-dung.
3[2]. (Let him consider in the ceremonies to be performed,) of the two eastern intermediate directions, the southern one as that to which (the rites) should be directed, if the rites belong to the Manes,
of the two eastern intermediate directions, sacred to Īśāna, should be considered as that to which the ceremonies sacred to the gods, such as oblations, &c., are to be directed.'—Comp. Āśvalāyana-Śraut. I, 12, 4.}
4. The northern one, if the rites belong to the gods,
5. Or rather the east (itself) according to some (teachers).
6[3]. He draws in the middle (of the sacrificial ground) a line from south to north,
7. Upwards from this, turned upwards, to the south one line, in the middle one, to the north one.
8. These he sprinkles (with water),
9[4]. Carries forward the fire with the verse, 'I carry forward Agni with genial mind; may he be the assembler of goods. Do no harm to us, to the old nor to the young; be a saviour to us, to men and animals,'
10. Or (he carries it forward) silently,
11. Then he wipes with his wet hand three times around the fire, turning his right side to it. This they call SAMŪHANA (sweeping together).
12. Once, turning his left side to it, in the rites belonging to the Manes.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
7, 1 seq. Here follows a description of the sacrifice which is to be performed when the girl's father has declared his assent (pratiśrute) to give her away in marriage: this is the general model for all Gṛhya sacrifices.—'Varo juhoti,' Nārāyaṇa.
[2]:
'He here states an exception to the rule, "The ceremonies sacred to the Manes are directed towards the south" (Śrauta-sūtra I, 1, 14) . . . . He should consider the south-eastern direction, sacred to Agni, as that to which the ceremonies are to be directed (prācīm pūrvāṃ kalpayet) which are sacred to the Manes, such as p. 23prescribed in the Sūtra, "Let him make oblations every month to the Fathers" (IV, 1, 1) . . . . He states an exception to the rule, "The ceremonies sacred to the gods are directed towards the east" (Śraut. I, 1, 13) . . . . The northern
[3]:
See the quotations from Rāmacandra's and Nārāyaṇa's commentaries, p. 123 of the German edition. An illustration of the form of the sthaṇḍila with the lines drawn thereon is given by Dr. Bloomfield in his note on the Gṛhya-saṃgraha-pariśiṣṭa I, 52 seq.; instead of the three lines, however, which are here prescribed in Sūtra 7, there are four indicated in accordance with the doctrine of that Pariśiṣṭa and of Gobhila himself, which are stated to be sacred to Pṛthivī, Prajāpati, Indra, and Soma, while the line turned from south to north is sacred to Agni.
[4]:
On the Agnipraṇayana (carrying forward of the fire) see the Gṛhya-saṃgraha-pariśiṣṭa I, 64-69.