Praśna 7, Kaṇḍikā 6

1. If the Adhvaryu has carried forth the fire on the preceding day, the rites beginning with the strewing of the Barhis commence at this stage. If he has closed the procedure of the preceding day with the sprinkling of the uttaravedi with water, the rites beginning with the strewing of the Barhis commence at that very hour.^[1]

2. He should fasten within the Barhis two ikṣ [ikṣu?] leaves as the vidhṛtis and the prastara of aśvavāla grass (Saccharum spontaneum).

3. (He should fasten) within the faggot enclosing sticks of kārṣmarya (Gmelina arborea).

4. He should prepare a faggot of twenty three fire-sticks.

5. The rites up to the arrangement of utensils should be similar.^[2]

6. He should (however) arrange a second Juhū-ladle being the vasāhoma-havanī; a second Upabhṛt-ladle being the pṛṣadājyadhānīl; two vessels for clarified butter;^[3] a small pitcher for cooking the organs of the animal; the two omentum-bakers (vapāśrapaṇī) of kārṣmarya—one having two forks and another having only one; a heart-pike (hṛdaya-śūla); a svaru; a knife; two tethering cords; a twig of plakṣa (Ficus infectoria); a staff of udumbara wood for the Maitrāvaruṇa priest, and any other utensil which he may require.

7. The rules, which are applicable to the Upabhṛt and also to the Dhruvā, should be applied also to the pṛṣadājyadhānī.

8. Those, which are applicable to the vessel used for the sāṃnāyya, should be applied to the small pitcher for cooking the organs of the animal, the two omentum-bakers, the heart-pike and the twig of plakṣa.

9. The rules in respect of the spoon should be applied to the knife, and those in respect of the milk to the animal.

10. The Adhvaryu should not carry forth the praṇītā-water.

11. He should strew sacrificial grass round the sacred fires, wash his hands, arrange the utensils, spread out ulapa grass, prepare the two strainers, and say to the sacrificer, “O sacrificer, do you restrain speech.”

12. Restraining his speech, the Adhvaryu should touch the utensils.

13. He should purify the prokṣaṇī-water in the manner prescribed for the same,^[4] invite the Brahman, sprinkle the utensils with water, release his speech with the call given out to the preparer of the oblation-material, and then do the second tracing out of the altar.

14. The rites up to the giving out of the call should be similar.^[5]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

If the fire is carried forth at the time of the Agnihotra, the Agnihotra should be offered on that very fite. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra VII.7.1. Bhāradvāja Pariśeṣasūtra 102.

[2]:

I.16.1.

[3]:

One for clarified butter and the other for the curds mixed with clarified butrer (pṛṣadājya). cf. VII.7.7.

[4]:

II.6.13.

[5]:

II.3.11.