Praśna 3, Kaṇḍikā 5

1. The Adhvaryu should take the Juhū and the Upabhṛt, bring the clarified butter from the Upabhṛt in the Juhū, cross (the altar towards the south), cause (the Āgnīdhra) to announce (and after the latter has responded,) say (to the Hotṛ), “Do you recite the yājyā for Devas.”

2. At the vaṣaṭ-utterance (by the Hotṛ) he should make the offering.

3. Having caused (the Āgnīdhra) to announce each time, he should simply say (to the Hotṛ), “Do you recite the yājyā,” with regard to the next two (Anūyājas).

4. He should offer the Anūyāja-oblations in front of the joint of the two āghāra-oblations, each latter oblation to the west of the former.

5-6. He should finish the last Anūyāja-oblation (from the west) towards the east. (In doing so) he should break through the other two oblations with the last one.^[1]

7. He should recross (the altar towards the north), deposit the two ladles (at their places) and then separate them with the two vājavant verses.

8. He should lift up the Juhū, together with the prastara, with the right hand with its palm turned upwards, with the verse-half, “With the impulse of strength, Indra has lifted me up with elevation.”^[2] He should press down the Upabhṛt with the left hand with its palm turned downwards, with the verse-half, “Indra has made my enemies humble by depression,”¹

9 With “The elevation”^[3] he should lift up the Juhū (for the second time); with “The depression”¹ he should press down the Upabhṛt (for the second time.)

10. With the remaining portion of the verse-half,“The gods have increased the prayer,”^[4] he should move the Juhū towards the east.

11. With the latter verse-half, “Then do you, O Indra-Agni, scatter my foes on all sides,”^[5] he should throw away the Upabhṛt^[6] towards the west outside the altar.

12. He should sprinkle the Upabhṛt with water and bring it back; he should then besmear the enclosing sticks^[7] with the drops of clarified butter from the Juhū—the middle one with the formula, “For the Vasus thee,”^[8] the southern one with the formula, “For the Rudras thee,”^[8] and the northern one with the formula, “For the Ādityas thee.”^[8]

13. He should not deposit the Juhū on the prastara.^[9]

14. He should collect the prastara from the two vidhṛti-blades, mix up with the vidhṛti-blades with the Barhis, and besmear the prastara (with the clarified butter) within the ladles—the ending portion within the Juhū with “Licking the anointed,”^[10] the middle portion within the Upabhṛt with “Let the birds go asunder,”^[10] and the root within the Dhruvā with the formula, “May I not brush the offspring and the womb.”^[10]

15. With the same procedure, he should besmear for the second time, with the same procedure, for the third time.

16. He should take a darbha-blade out of the prastara, which has been besmeared, with the formula, “For (long) life thee,”^[11] hold the prastara on the Juhū, cause (the Āgnīdhra) to announce, and, while he is seated, say to the Hotṛ, “The divine Hotṛs have been beseeched for the felicitous pronouncement; the human (Hotṛ) is bequeathed to recite the sūktavāka; (O Hotṛ,) do you pronounce the sūkta.”^[11]

17. While the sūktavāka is being recited (by the Hotṛ).^[12]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra III.5.2 prescribes that he should offer the first oblation on the eastern part of the fire-stick, and the second in the middle.

[2]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.13.1.

[3]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.13.1.

[4]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.13.1.

[5]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.13.1.

[6]:

With its end pointing towards the west.

[7]:

Only a part of the same.

[8]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.13.1.

[9]:

He should deposit it within the altar outside the prastara.

[10]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.13.1. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra III.64-3 mentions three different sets of formulas to accompany the besmearing optionally; (i) aktaṃ irihāṇā viyantu vayaḥ, prajāṃ yonim mā nirmṛkṣam, and āpyāyantām āpa oṣadhayaḥ; (ii) divy aṅkṣva, antarikṣe'ṅkṣva, and pṛthivyām aṅkṣva, or (iii) pṛthivyai tvā, antarikṣāya tvā, and dive tvā. With the set of formulas are to be besmeared respectively the root, the middle portion and the ending portion.

[11]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa III.3.8.11.

[12]:

See the next sūtra.