Praśna 1, Kaṇḍikā 16

1. Next day, the Adhvaryu should strew the sacrificial grass round the sacred fires as before,^[1] cleanse his hands with water with the formula, “May I be able (to perform the rites) for the gods,”^[2] cleanse the sacrificial utensils, and arrange them in pairs—ten towards the west and ten towards the east.

2. The wooden sword, the potsherds, the Agnihotra-ladle, the winnowing basket, a skin of a black antelope, the yoke-pin, the mortar and the pestle, and the lower and upper crushing stones, towards the north of the Gārhapatya fire.

3. The spoon, the Juhū-ladle, the Upabhṛt-ladle, the Dhruvā-ladle, the prāśitra-vessei, a vessel for clarified butter, the veda, the pan (pātrī), the praṇītā-goblet, and the Iḍā-vessd, towards the north of the Āhavanīya fire.

4. He should arrange the remaining utensils according to space; lastly the utensils for the morning milking.

5. The spoon, the wooden sword, the yoke-pin, and the prāśitra-vessel should be made of the wood of khadira, the Juhū-ladle of the wood of palāśa, the Upabhṛt-ladle of tie weed of aśvattha (Ficus religiosa) and the Dhruvā-ladle and the Agnihotra-ladle of the wood of vikaṅkata.

6. The ladles should have the length of a span or of an aratni^[3] or of an arm; they should have their bowls towards the skin of the wood, the handles towards the root; they should be like the lip of an elephant or the tail of a crow; or they should have beaks like the beak of a swan.

7. The utensils, for which (wood of) no specific tree is prescribed; should be prepared out of wood of any sacrificial tree. So says Āśmarathya.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I.11.2.

[2]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.4.1.

[3]:

aratni = 24 aṅgulas.