Praśna 3, Kaṇḍikā 14

[The Duties of the Brahman in connection with The New-moon and the Full-moon Sacrifices]

1. Next day^[1] the sacrificer should choose the Brahman with the formula, “O lord of the earth, lord of the mid-region, lord of the heaven, we choose thee as the Brahman.”^[2]

2. After being chosen, the Brahman should murmur the formula, “I am the lord of the earth, the lord of the mid-region, the lord of the heaven. Impelled by the god Savitṛ, I shall officiate as a priest. O god Savitṛ, they are choosing you, Bṛhaspati, the divine Brahman. I speak it to the mind; the mind to the Gāyatrī metre; Gāyatrī to the Triṣṭubh metre; Tnṣṭubh to the Jagatī metre; Jagatī to the Anuṣṭubh meter: Anuṣṭubh to the Paṅkti meter, Paṅkti to Prajāpati; Prajāpati to Viśve Devas; Viśve Devas to Bṛhaspati; Bṛhaspati to Brahman; brahma bhūr bhuvaḥ suvaḥ. Bṛhaspati is the Brahman of the gods; myself of the human beings. O Bṛhaspati, do thou guard the sacrifice.”^[3] After having said so, he should cross (the altar) to the rear of the Āhavanīya fire, and throw away a darbha-blade from the seat of the Brahman towards the south with the formula, “Parāvasu is expelled.”

3. He should touch water, and sit on the Brahman’s seat facing the Āhavanīya fire with the formula, “Here I sit in the house of Arvāgvasu. Impelled by god Savitṛ, I sit in the house of Bṛhaspati. I speak it out to Agni, to Vāyu, to Sūrya, to the earth.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I.17.5.

[2]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa III.7.6.1.

[3]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa III.7.6.1-3.