Praśna 5, Kaṇḍikā 11

1. The Adhvaryu should pour out clarified butter across the strainers, purify it, heat the spoon and the ladle, cleanse them, take four or twelve spoonfuls into the ladle, and offer a pūrṇāhuti on the fire with the verse, “Seven are thy fire-sticks, O Agni, seven thy tongues, seven Ṛṣis, seven dear abodes, seven priesthoods, sacrifice to thee sevenfold; do thou fill seven birth-places with ghee,”^[1] ending with svāhā.

2. After the pūrṇāhuti has been offered, the sacrificer should give a boon to the Adhvaryu.

3. Hereafter in all Darvihomas, the Adhvaryu should pour out clarified butter, purify it, heat (the ladle and the spoon), cleanse (them) and make the offering with the relevant verse ending with svāhā.

4. Such offerings are called Darvihomas as are offered to the accompaniment of the recitation of the mantras and the injunction for which is characterised by the word “juhoti”.

5. Then the sacrificer should pray to the Āhavanīya fire with the remaining portion of the Anuvāka, “Thy two forms, O Agni, which are auspicious, Virāṭ and Svarāṭ, may they enter into me; may they impel me. Thy forms, O Agni, which are auspicious, Samrāṭ and Abhibhū, may they enter into me; may they impel me. Thy forms, O Agni, which are auspicious, Vibhū and Paribhū, may they enter into me; may they impel me. Thy forms, O Agni, which are auspicious, Prabhvī and Prabhūti, may they enter into me; may they impel me. Thy forms, O Agni, which are auspicious, I set thee up with them.”^[2]

6. Then he should offer an oblation with the verse, “The fires which came from the heaven and from the earth, giving food and strength, may they give wealth to this (sacrificer). Do you, O Fires, be pleased with the sacrifice, receive the oblations, and return to your respective regions, svāhā.”^[3]

7. While the fires are illuminating, he should pray to them with the virājakrama verses—to the Dakṣiṇa fire with the verse, “O Atharva, do thou guard here my nourishment—drink and food for long life. Do thou, whose life is uninjured and whose form is hot, make our nourishment poisonless;”^[4] to the Gārhapatya fire with the verse, “O manly (Agni), do thou guard my offspring, born and to be born, stabilised in immortality and truth, for immortality and life;”^[4] to the Āhavanīya fire with the verse, “O praiseworthy Agni, do thou guard here my animals which are two-footed and four-footed, eight-hoofed and one-hoofed, swift-goers;”^[4] to the Sabhya fire with the formula, “O spreading wide, do thou guard my meeting place and the members sitting at that place. Do thou make them rich in strength. May they attain the whole life;”^[4] to the Āvasathya fire with the verse, “O Ahir Budhnya, do thou guard my prayer which the Ṛṣis studying the three Vedas have known, namely, the Ṛks, Sāmans and Yajus. That is the immortal wealth of the good;”^[4] and to all the fires with the verse, “The Virāṭ created by Prajāpati has stepped out upon the fires fivefold. Rohiṇī, the birth-place and stability of Agni has risen upwards.”^[4]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.5.3.2.

[2]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa I.1.7.2,3.

[3]:

Maitrāyaṇī-saṃhitā I.6.2.

[4]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa I.1.7;2.1.