Praśna 4, Kaṇḍikā 15

1. He should recite over the Ida being taken up^[1] the formula, “O thou of fair rain-colour, come to this blessed home; approach me in devotion. Touch the heads. O Iḍā, come hither; O Aditi, come hither; O Sarasvatī, come hither. Thou art delight; thou art delighting; thou art fair. O thou, in whom joy is taken, may I attain joy from thee. O thou, who art invoked, may I obtain invocation from thee.”^[2]

2. While the Iḍā is being invoked in a low tone, he should murmur the seven formulas called devagavī, “O plentiful one, come; O good one, come; 0 glorious one, come; O desired one, come; O bold one, come; O Iḍā, come; O dear one, come.”^[3]

3. While it is being invoked loudly, he should murmur the seven formulas called manuṣyagavī, “Thou art Cit; thou art Manā; Vasvī, Rantī, Ramati, Sūnu, and Sūnarī,” the formula, “O goddesses, do you turn towards me together with the gods; you mild ones, with comfort. Do you sprinkle me with ghee,” and also the verse, “May this what the Ṛṣi, the Brahman, has given, not be injured, as drawing with a ladle from the ocean. The speech stands in front of the singer, showing with ten horns.”

4. When the Hotṛ is invoking the Iḍā, the sacrificer, while he is gazing at the Hotṛ, should inwardly pray to Vāyu with the formula, “Vāyu is the calf of Iḍā. Do thou, O Iḍā, yield me through the calf faith, penance, and the heaven.”

5. While the Iḍā is being invoked,^[4] he should murmur the formula, “May the prayer of the sacrificer be fulfilled for me. With untroubled mind, may I have strength [for this. May the sacrifice mount the sky; may the sacrifice reach the sky. The path that leads to the gods, along it may the sacrifice go to the gods. May Indra bestow power on us. May wealth and sacrifices attend us. May the blessings be ours. May she be dear to us, victorious and beautiful. Thou art joy, give joy to us; thou art enjoyed by us; may I attain joy from thee.”^[5]

6. He should follow the Iḍā, which has been invoked, with the formula, “May I become the possessor of prosperity and cattle through the offering to Iḍā.”

7. He should recite over the Iḍā fetched for being consumed^[6] the verse, “The cow Iḍā has come to us together with the calf, yielding strength, and swollen with milk. That Iḍā has come to us together with food, oblation, and cows.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

III.l.l.

[2]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.6.3.1.

[3]:

Maitrāyaṇī-saṃhitā IV.2.5.

[4]:

III.1.17.

[5]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.6.3.2.

[6]:

III.2.4.