Praśna 5, Kaṇḍikā 20

1. (As follows:) agnā'gne, agnāv agne, agninā'gne, and agnim agne.^[1]

2. There is a view that he should insert the case-form after the words, ye yajāmahe. There is another view that he should insert it before the vocative case-form.^[2]

3. The Adhvaryu should insert the case-form after the Prayāja-formula and before the vaṣaṭ-utterance^[3] for that sacrificer who, he desires, may prosper.

4. The last Prayāja-formula is self-accomplished.

5. The procedure up to the Ājyabhāgas should be similar.

6. The verse, “Do thou awaken immortal Agni with prayer; may he, enkindled, carry our oblations towards the gods,”^[4] should be the puronuvākyā for the first Ājyabhāga dedicated to budhanvant Agni.

7. The verse, “O Agni, thou purifiest our lives; do thou impel strength and food towards us. Do thou remove away the misfortune,”^[5] should be the puronuvākyā for the second Ājyabhāga dedicated to pavamāna Agni.

8. The yājyā should be, “May pavamāna Agni, rejoicing, win the oblation of clarified butter.”^[6]

9. (In the sacrifice of) a sacrificer, who is desirous of offspring or cattle, (the Hotṛ) should recite the verse, “Agni is the head of the sky, the height, the lord of the earth; he quickens the seed of waters,”^[7] as the puronuvākyā in the place of (one for the second Ājyabhāga).

10. The following verses in the Paṅkti metre should be the puronuvākyās and the yājyās: “O Agni, today we shall promote that (sacrifice) for thee with excellent prayers like a horse, like a heart-touching, good thought.—O Agni, thou hast become the leader of good thought, good might, and great order.—O Agni, we shall worship thee today praying with these prayers. Thy flames thunder as (the clouds) in the sky.—O Agni, do thou, well-disposed, come to us together with all (thy) appearances like the light of the sun through these our prayers.”^[8] The first two should be respectively the puronuvākyā and the yājyā for the principal offering, and the last two for the sviṣṭakṛt.

11. The Adhvaryu should offer two oblations of clarified butter on both the sides of the offering^[9] of the cake with the two verses, “Return with strength, return, O Agni, with food and life. Guard us again on all sides.—Return with wealth, O Agni, swell with the stream gaining all on every side.”^[10]

12. The rites up to the time of giving away the dakṣiṇā should be similar.

13. The sacrificer should give away both the sets of the dakṣiṇā—that relating to the setting up of the sacred fires,^[11] and also that relating to the renewing of the sacred fires.

14. These are the dakṣiṇās relating to the renewing of the sacred fires:

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The word agne in each case forms part of the Prayāja-formula itself.

[2]:

The Prayāja-formulas should be recited either as ye yajāmahe-'gne samidho'gna ājyasya viyantu, or as ye yajāmahe samidho'gnā'gna ājyasya viyantu.

[3]:

That is, he should recite the formula as ye yajāmahe samidho' gna ājyasya viyantv agne vauṣaṭ.

[4]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā IV.1.11.4.

[5]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.6.6.2.

[6]:

The Yājyā relating to the first Ājyabhāga is not given. It should be, “May budhanvant Agni, delighted, win the clarified butter.”

[7]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.5.5.1.

[8]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā IV.4.4.7,8.

[9]:

That is, before and after the same.

[10]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.5.3.3.

[11]:

V.12.14ff.