Praśna 7, Kaṇḍikā 9

1. “Do you recite the verses for (the sacrificial post) being wound up.”

2. With the formula, “Thou art wound round; may the divine subjects wind thee;may increase of wealth, may men wind round the sacrificer,”^[1] he should wind round the sacrificial post three times by the right with the three-stranded cord at the height of his navel or in the middle region (of the post).

3. He should set each succeeding winding above the preceding one.

4. He should twist (the two ends of) the cord close to (the windings) and intertwine (the two ends) up to the end.

5. He should bring the ends together and insert the bigger end into the smaller end with the formula, “Thou art the son of the heaven.”^[2]

6. He should take up the svaru, and fix it up into the middle winding of the cord or into the upper one or into all the windings with the formula, “I conceal thee on the top of the midregion.”^[3]

7. Then the animal should be bathed: (It should be) a goat which is not void of any limb, whose teeth are not fallen, which is red, which has short horns, which has two colours, and which is fat.

8. He should take up two darbha-blades with the formula, “For food thee.”^[4]

9. A twig of plakṣa with the formula, “Thou art approaching.”^[5]

10. He should formally dedicate the animal of one, who is desirous of cattle, with a twig having many leaves and many smaller twigs.

11. He should formally dedicate the animal standing facing the west in front of the sacrificial post by means of two darbha-blades and the twig with the two verses, “The offspring is being generated and has been generated by Prajāpati; make it known to him. May he, who has known it, agree.—O Agni, lord of cattle, J fasten this animal today for thee in the midst of good deed. Do thou approve of it; may we offer a good sacrifice. May this oblation be agreeable to gods,”^[6] and also with the formula, “The divine subjects, conveyors of oblations, ardent, have come to the gods. O Bṛhaspati, do thou support the wealth. May the oblation be agreeable to thee. O Tvaṣṭṛ, do thou glorify our possessions. O rich (cows), do you remain here.”^[7]

12. With the formula, “Thou art the generator of fire,”^[8] he should place a chip as base for the churning; with the formula, “You two are the testicles,”^[8] he should place upon it two darbha-blades with their ends towards the east.

13. With the formula, “Thou art Urvaśī,”^[9] he should take up the lower kindling wood; with the formula, “Purūravas,”^[9] the upper kindling wood.

14. With the formula, “Besmeared with ghee, do you support the testicles,”^[10] he should besmear the cavity (in the. lower kindling wood, with the clarified butter) from the vessel of the clarified butter.

15. With the formula, “Thou art Āyu,”^[11] he should join the two kindling woods, and say (to the Hotṛ):^[12]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.6.3.

[2]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra VII. II.6-9 mentions the various optional ways of winding the cord and adjusting its ends following Taittirīya-saṃhitā VI.3.4.5,6.

[3]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.6.3.

[4]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.7.1.

[5]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.7.1.

[6]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.1.4.1.

[7]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.7.1.

[8]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.7.1.

[9]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.7.1.

[10]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.7.1.

[11]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.3.7.1.

[12]:

See the next sūtra.