Praśna 6, Kaṇḍikā 6

1. (Standing between the Gārhapatya and the Āhavanīya fires, he should murmur the verse,) “O Mitra-Varuṇa, you have guarded my house. Pūṣan has guarded it uninjured and unbroken until our return.”^[1]

2. He should put three fire-sticks on the Āhavanīya fire with the three formulas beginning with, “Thou art a fire-stick of Agni....”^[2]

3. Having put (the fire-sticks) he should pray (to that fire) with the four verses, “My name and thine, O jātavedas, which we bear like men changing garments, let us exchange again—thou for life and we to live.—Obeisance to Agni, the unpierced, obeisance to the unapproachable, obeisance to the king. Agni is irresistible, very vigorous, allconquering, powerful, the best, the Gandharva.—O Agni, the gods have thee for father, they offer oblations to thee, and have thee as an umpire. Do thou endow me.with life, with lordship of cattle, and bestow on me good fortune.—Agni here is the best of all, he is most adorable; most ready to win us a thousand; may all good strength be to him.”^[3]

4. He should offer, in connection with his having gone out on a journey, the oblation with the verse, “May mind rejoice in the light, the clarified butter; may he unite the scattered sacrifice. I unite the offerings at dawn and evening with oblation and clarified butter.”^[4]

5. He should not offer the oblation if he has returned before the tenth (night).^[5]

6. If, after having baited at least for nine nights, he has to proceed together with his household, he should load all things (on the carts); to all other carts bullocks should be yoked.

7. The right-side bullock should be yoked to the cart which is standing by the fire; the left-side one should remain unyoked.

8. Then he should offer the vāstoṣpatīya oblation.

9. Having recited the verse, “O Vāstoṣpati, accept us; be of kind entrance for us and free from ill. That which we seek from thee, do thou accord us, and do thou be auspicious to our biped and quadruped,”¹ he should offer the oblation with the next verse, “O Vāstoṣpati, may we be friends of thee in a friendship, effectual, joyful and proceeding well. Support our wishes in peace, in action. Do thou guard us ever with blessings.”^[6]

10. After he has made this offering, he should not load anything (on the cart).

11. Having extinguished the smouldering embers, he should consign separately within the kindling woods as many fires as are maintained by him—each with the verse, “This is thy natural birth-place, O Agni, born from which thou hast shone. Knowing it, do thou rise up, and increase our wealth.”^[7]

12. As the next best alternative, he should consign it within himself with the verse, “Do thou come and rise up, O Agni, with that form of thine which is sacred, giving us ample wealth, dear to men. Becoming a sacrifice, do thou seat thyself in the sacrifice, thy birth-place. O jātavedas (Agni), being born from the earth, do thou come to thy own place.”^[8]

13. When he is about to churn out the fire, he should murmur the verse, ‘O jātavedas (Agni), do thou descend down again; knowing, do thou carry out oblation for gods. Do thou give us life, offspring and wealth, and shine uninterruptedly in our house.”^[9]

14. If there is any luggage to be carried,^[10] it should be carried or taken out before (the offering to Vāstoṣpati).

15. If any luggage is left behind, he should not load it after (the oblation has been once offered).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf. VI.4.11.

[2]:

VI.2.3.

[3]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.5.10.1,2.

[4]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.5.10.2.

[5]:

He should offer the oblation if he halts at one time for five, seven, nine, or ten nights. If he returns to a place where he had previously halted for nine nights, and again stays there even for one day, he should offer the oblation while leaving that place. cf. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra VI.28.5,6.

[6]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa III.4.10.1.

[7]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.4.10.4; Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa I.2.1.16.

[8]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.4.10.5; Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa II.5.8.8.

[9]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa II.5.8.8.

[10]:

It would be better to read anuvāhaḥ instead of anovāhaḥ, cf. Śrautakośa Vol. I English section p. 108, f.n. 2 and p. 120 f.n. 1.