Praśna 1, Kaṇḍikā 10

1. He should insert the fire-brand (into the Dakṣiṇa fire) with the verse, “The jātavedas Agni has become the carrier of our oblations; he has carried the oblations, making them fragrant. (O Agni), thou hast given over (the oblations) to the Pitṛs; they have partaken of them with flavour. O Agni, knowing (this), do thou go back to the gods.”^[1]

2. He should return (to the Gārhapatya fire) with the prājāpatya verse, “O Prajāpati, none other than thou has encompassed all the creations. With whatever desire we offer unto thee, may we attain that desire. May we be lords of wealth.”^[2]

3. He should pray to the Gārhapatya fire with the verse in the paṅkti metre, namely, “Whatever harm we have done to the midregion, to the earth, and to the sky, to mother and to father, may Agni, the lord of the house, free me from that sin; may he make me blameless in respect of all the evils that we have committed.”^[3]

4. Having thrown on the fire the Barhis cut at one stroke, he should sprinkle with water by means of the hand with the palm turned upwards, the utensils used in the Piṇḍapitṛyajña and then put them away in pairs.

5. He should throw the balls into water, or cause a Brāḥmaṇa to eat them, or throw them on the fire.

6-7. He should throw the first ball (on the fire) with the verse, “The Pitṛs, who, common and harmonious, are in the kingdom of Yama, may the region belong to them, svadhā; obeisance and offering may rest with gods,” and the remaining two with the verse, “May the splendour of them who are kindred, harmonious, and my own breaths among the living beings, rest in me for a hundred years in this world.”^[4]

8. Or the sacrificer’s wife should consume the middle rice-ball.^[5]

9. She gives birth to a male child. So is it said.^[6]

10. The verse, “O Pitṛs, do you deposit a male womb wearing a lotus garment, so that, O Pitṛs, he may live a long life in this world,”^[7] is prescribed for consuming the rice-balls.

11. The Piṇḍapitṛyajña thus comes to an end.

12. (The Piṇḍapitṛyajña) of one, who has not set up the sacred fires, is performed in this very manner except for the praying to the Gārhapatya fire.^[8]

13-15. There is a view that he should substitute another (relevant) word for gārhapatya (the lord of the house) (in that prayer). There is another view that he should pray to that fire on which he throws (the balls). There (in the prayer, however,) the word gārhapatya should be dropped because of the absence of the accomplishment (pertaining to the setting up) in respect of that fire.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf. Taittirīya-saṃhitā II. 6.12.5.

[2]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.8.14.2.

[3]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.8.5.3.

[4]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa II.6.3.5.

[5]:

According to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra 1.10.10-12, one should give the middle ball to the sacrificer’s wife with the formula, “I make thee drink the sap of water and plants; do thou conceive an embryo fashioned by the elements.” She should consume it with the verse, “O Pitṛs, do you place a male embryo wearing a lotus garland so that a male child be (born) here.” With the verse, “Those who are kindred...,” the sacrificer should consume one of the remaining balls; or he may not.

[6]:

This quotation is not found in any Vedic text.

[7]:

cf. Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā II.33.

[8]:

I.10.3.