Praśna 5, Kaṇḍikā 1

[The setting up of the Sacred Fires]

1. One, who is going to set up the sacred fires, should fetch the two kindling woods of such aśvattha tree as is grown over a śamī tree and as has not touched the ground by means of its root.

2-3. (He should fetch the two kindling woods) with the verse, “The aśvattha growing on śamī which has grown together with thee (O kindling wood), I carry it for thee with a prayer together with the sacrificial signs.”^[1] Or with the next verse.

4. The substances should be those which are prescribed in the Brāhmaṇa, namely, the seven derived from the earth and the seven derived from the vegetable kingdom.

5. He should bring them respectively with the verses, “The manifestation of Vaiśvānara, the rubbish, may enter upon us on this earth with pleasure.—What the heaven and earth, united together, granted to each other, that from the heaven and that from the earth,may the black guard the alkaline earth, may the alkaline earth guard the black; thou hast attained the sacrificial form of both.—That f rm of mouse in which thou, O Agni, making ways, movest about on the earth having hidden thyself, may we, collecting here that thy form which is concealed, live a hundred autumns, having heroic sons.—O Earth, collecting the strong sap of earth gained by white ants in hidden places, thy ear, may we live a hundred autumns; may we not become deaf.—May we attain good result towards the satisfaction of hunger of the progeny of Prajāpati. I collect the crumbled earth from dried pond, the food and strength for the progeny and essence for the house.—Bearing whose form he found out this (earth) entered deep into the water, collecting this (earth) dug out by him, may we worship (the god) on this earth without failing.—I take up that which he saw within water, on which he saw the extensive (earth), the support of the living, that born out of the place of the lotus, the leaf expanding the earth.—With which Prajāpati stabilised this earth, the support of the world, the feeder of all men, may all those gravels be auspicious to me.—The semen virile of Agni, the bright gold, the immortal among the progeny, has been created from water. While collecting it, I have put it towards the north. Throwing it away, may I cross over the distress.—That form of horse which thou didst become and didst stay in the aśvattha tree after having hidden from the gods for a year, collecting here that the form which is concealed, may we live a hundred autumns having heroic sons.—Thou art come up from the strength of earth. O plant, do thou sprout with a hundred twigs. May we, rejoicing in the food and strength through you, rejoice together with abundance of prosperity and food.—O palāśa, the leaf of thine, who wast being brought by Gāyatrī, fell down in the third heaven; this palāśa has been born from the Soma-leaf. From that I take it up for the attainment of Soma-drink.—Since thou hast heard of gods uttering divine speech, thou art known as Suśravas. May the Brahman-splendour enter me therefrom. Collecting it (=palāśa), may I attain it directly.—By means of which Prajāpati pacified the weapon of Agni who was generated, I collect that (piece of) śamī for non-burning and peace.—O jātavedas (Agni), the lustre of thine who wast generated, was transferred to vikaṅkata; furnished with that lustre, do thou shine widely over our region.—O jātavedas (Agni), that heart of thine, exhausted, which Maruts captured by choking thee through water, that heart of thine I collect in the form of the (piece of wood dried up by) lightning. O Agni, do thou be here with soul and with heart.”^[2]

6. The sacrificer should touch each substance as it is collected, with the verse, “O jātavedas (Agni), I have collected thee who wast concealed among the beings; do thou, collected, be seated being auspicious to the-offspring; do thou, knowing,' lead us to the wide region.”^[3]

7. A Brāhmaṇa, who desires that he should be full of Brahman-splendour, should set up the sacred fires under the Kṛttikā constellation.^[4]

8. One, who desires that he should have all his desires fulfilled, should set up the sacred fires under the Rohiṇī constellation.

9. One, who desires that he should become full of glory, should set up the sacred fires under the Mṛgaśīrṣa constellation.^[5]

10. One, who formerly having been rich, has later on become wretched, should set up the sacred fires under the Punarvasu constellation,

11. One, who desires that his subjects should present him with gifts, should set up the sacred fires under the Pūrvā Phalgunī constellation.

12. One, who desires that:he should be capable of enjoyment,^[6] should set up the sacred fires under the Uttarā Phalgunī constellation.

13. Some teachers consider the desires the other way round.^[7]

14. One, who desires that gifts should be given to him, should set up the sacred fires under the Hasta constellation.

15. One, who has an enemy, should set up the sacred fires under the Citrā constellation.

16. According to some teachers, a Rājanya should set up the sacred fires under the Citrā constellation.

17. One desirous of offspring should set up the sacred fires under the Viśākhā constellation; one desirous of prosperity on the Anurādhā; one desirous of stability under the Proṣṭhapadā.^[8] So is it said.

18. According to some teachers, one should take these constellations to be the solar ones.^[9]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa I.2.1.8.

[2]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa I.2.1.1-7.

[3]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa I.2.1.9,

[4]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.3.4 adds that in this case the fire, however, burns his house.

[5]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.3.6 mentions the desires of Brahman-splendour and sacrifice.

[6]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.3.9 mentions the desire, namely, “capable of enjoyment and of eating food.”

[7]:

That is to say, the desires mentioned in the sūtras 11 and 12 should be interchanged. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V. 3.11 adds another view that by setting up the sacred fires under the Pūrvā Phalgunī, one becomes wretched, by doing so under the Uttarā Phalgunī, one becomes wealthier.

[8]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.3.14 adds the Śravaṇa constellation for one desirous of abundance.

[9]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.3.15 mentions a view that the sun himself for the constellation. (That is to say, one should set up the sacred fires when the sun has risen irrespective of the constellation. cf. Jaiminīya-brāhmaṇa II.1.2.19.)