Praśna 5, Kaṇḍikā 3

1. When the sun has come up above the tops of trees,^[1] ore should tale out fire out of the Aupāsana fire-place,^[2] and place it as the Brāhṃa-udanika fire to the rear of the Gārhapatya fire-place.

2. At night he should pour out as brahmaudana four panfuls of grains on a skin or in a basket made of bamboo without reciting any formula.

3. Or he should pour out the first panful with the formula, “In the impulse of god Savitṛ, with the arms of Aśvins, with the hands of Pūṣan, I pour out (grains) approved by the Brahman, the Prāṇa.”

4. The second with the formula, “...by Brahman, the Apāna.”

5. The third with the formula, “...by Brahman, the Vyāna.”

6. He should pour out the fourth panful with the formula, “...by Brahman,” and should cook the rice in milk.^[3]

7. Or he should cook the rice in four pots filled with water.

8. According to some teachers, he should not take any water out of the pot, nor should he add water to the pot.

9. He should cook the rice in such a way that the grains remain slightly raw, take down the pots, and offer an oblation out of the cooked rice with the verse, “May this humble speech be for the Creator, the wise, the holy, sprinkling bull. Let that be fearless for us from which there is fear. I remove by sacrifice the angry gods.”^[4]

10. He should take out the cooked rice in four pans, pour out clarified butter in each of the pans, and carry those pans without lifting them up towards the four priests.

11. He should give away a common boon to the priests after they have consumed the cooked rice.

12-13. He should put clarified butter into the remaining portion of the brahmaudana, move round^[5] into the brahmaudana three fire-sticks of an indicative^[6] aśvattha which are sappy, having leaves and fruit, and which are one span in length. If the sacrificer is a Brāhmaṇa, the Adhvaryu should put them on the fire^[7] with the (three) Gāyatrī verses, “Do you worship Agni with a fire-stick; do you illumine him with ghee; do thou offer oblations unto him.—O Agni, desired by all, may the fire-sticks full of oblations and equipped with ghee approach thee; do thou approve of my fire-sticks.—O Aṅgiras, we feed thee with fire-sticks and ghee;O youngest, do thou shine amply.”^[8] If the sacrificer is a Rājanya, with the (three) Triṣṭubh verses, “Agni, being kindled, the first law, granting all treasures, is anointed with ointment. Agni, flame-haired, clothed in ghee, purifier, receiving a good sacrifice, (has come) for making offerings to gods.—Agni is smeared with ghee, having ghee as his birth-place, enkindled with ghee; ghee is his food, (O Agni,) the rivers sprinkling ghee carry thee. Drinking ghee, do thou make offerings to gods with a good sacrifice.—O Agni, do thou become giver of life, receiver of oblations, smeared with ghee, having ghee as thy birth-place. Drink of ghee, honey and sweet milk and guard this (sacrificer) as father the son.”^[8] And if the sacrificer is a Vaiśya, with the (three) Jagatī verses, “O Agni, the youngest, gods have made thee, being kindled, a messenger carrying oblation, having wide expanse, having ghee as the birth-place and whom offerings have been made. They have placed sharp eye within thee impelling the thought (of men).—O Agni, the ancient pious have enkindled thee with fire-sticks whom offerings have been made. Being increased with pieces of wood, sprinkled (with ghee), thou spreadest thyself over earthly wide expanses.—The enkindler strives for Agni, clothed in ghee, supporter of the holy order like a friend. The enkindled, swift Agni, shining in the religious assemblies, carrieś upwards our bright prayer.”^[8]

14-18. The sacrificer should observe this vow: Until the setting up of the sacred fires, he should not eat meat; he should not approach a woman (for sexual intercourse). One should not carry out fire from his house, nor should he bring fire from elsewhere. The sacrificer should not allow this fire to be extinguished. He should not go out on a journey.

19. If the fire is extinguished, or^[9] if the sacrificer goes out on a journey, he should cook the brahmaudana in the same manner, put fire-sticks on that fire, pass out the remaining period involved in the maintenance of the fires, and set up the fires.

20. If the setting up of fires does not turn up to him at the end of one year^[10], he should repeat the same procedure.^[11]

21-22. One,^[12] who is going to deposit that fire on the next day, should observe (the following) vow during this night: He should not eat meat; he should not approach a woman (for sexual intercouse); he should not sit on an elevated seat. He should avoid untruthful speech.

23. There is a view that the Adhvaryu himself should observe this vow; there is another view that all the officiating priests should do so.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.4.12 optionally mentions the afternoon,

[2]:

According to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.4.14, 15, he should either take out the fire from the Aupāsana fire or churn it. He should optionally deposit the entire Aupāsana fire. If he has taken out the entire Aupāsana fire, he should prepare a cake (apūpa) each of barley and rice, take it by means of two leaves of udumbara, and put it into the fireplace—that of bailey to the rear and that of rice in front. There is a view that he should not put the cakes even though he has taken out the Aupāsana fire.

[3]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.5.6 mentions the cooking of rice in milk as a view of some teachers.

[4]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa.I.2.1.9.

[5]:

The sūtra reads vivṛtyā”dadhāti. In place of vivṛtya one expects the causal form vivartya. cf. vivartayati, Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.5.10. vivartayitvā) Maitrāyaṇī-saṃhitā I.6.12.

[6]:

Indicative (citriya) means by which a village or a river or a pool of water is known, cf. Baudhāyana-śrauta-sūtra XXIV.12.

[7]:

According to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.7.1, the sacrificer should give away as dakṣiṇā three heifers after the fire-sticks have been put on the fire.

[8]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa I.2.1.9-13.

[9]:

One expects pra vā yāyāt instead of prayāyāt.

[10]:

Or any other period chosen by him, vide, V.2.26.

[11]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra V.7.15 clearly prescribes that in any case he should again cook the brahmaudana on the day preceding that on which he is to set up the fires.

[12]:

That is, the Adhvaryu.