Praśna 10, Kaṇḍikā 5

1. Then the Adhvaryu should purify the sacrificer^[1] three times by means of twenty-one clusters of darbha-blades—each time with seven clusters, respectively with the (three) formulas, “May the lord of thought purify you; may the lord of speech purify you; may god Savitṛ purify you.”^[2]

2. To each of these formulas, he should add the portion, “by means of the flawless purifier, by means of the rays of the bright sun.”

3. He should purify him twice above the navel, and once below.

4. While being purified, the sacrificer should murmur the Anuvāka [Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa 1.4.8]:

(1) “(The Soma) who is being passed through the purifier, who is born in the heaven, and who is the beholder of every thing; may be, who himself is the purifier, purify me.

(2) May the groups of gods purify me; may the men purify me through the intellect; may all living beings purify me.

(3) O god jātavedas Agni, do thou, shining, purify me, like a purifier, by thy brilliant purifier following thy (good) intentions.

(4) O Agni, may we purify our divine song through thy purifier which is spread amidst thy flame.

(5) O god Savitṛ, may we purify this divine song through both the purifier and the impulse.

(6) May the goddess pertaining to all gods who purifies (every thing) and who possesses several straight-backed bodies, come (to us).Through her may we, who rejoice in the convivial feasts, become masters of wealth,

(7) May vaiśvānara Agni purify me by his rays. May Vaāta, who is refreshing and giving pleasure, purify me by the vital breath. May Dyāvāpṛthivī, who are lawful and holy, purify me through water and other liquids.

(8) O god Savitṛ, (I pray thee) with exensive, spreading^[3] and-highest prayers. O Agni, do thou purify me by thy powers.

(9) May we purify this (our) divine song through that divine knowledge by which gods purified, by which the waters purified the divine stream.

(10) One who recites these pāvamānī verses, enjoys the entire essence which has been furnished by the Ṛṣis and which has been rendered tasteful by Mātariśvan.

(11) One who recites the pāvamānī verses, enjoys the entire essence furnished by the Ṛṣis. For him Sarasvatī milks out milk, clarified butter, honey, and water.

(12) May the pāvamānī verses be bringing good fortune; may those who abound in milk, bestow ample milk. (The pāvamānī verses are) the essence furnished by the Ṛṣis, and the immortal (fruit) deposited within the Brāhmaṇas.

(13) May the divine pāvamānī verses, accomplished by the gods, direct us to this world and that. May they fulfil our desires.

(14) May the pāvamānī verses be bringing good fortune; may they who abound in milk bestow brilliance on us. (The pāvamānī verses are) the essence furnished by the Ṛṣis, and the immortal (fruit) deposited within the Brāhmaṇas.

(15) May the pāvamānī verses purify me through that thousand-streamed purifier through which the gods always purify themselves.

(16) The purifier, which belongs to Prajāpati, is made of a hundred darbha-blades, and is golden. We, who possess divine knowledge, shall purify the purified divine song through that purifier.

(17) May Indra, together with Sunītī, purify me; Soma together with Svasti; Varuṇa together with Samīcī. May King Yama together with the Pramṛṇās purify me; may jātavedas Agni together with Ūrjayantī purify me.”

5. He should also murmur the following Anuvāka [Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa III.7.12]:

(1) “O gods, the sons of Aditi, do you relieve us of the deed by which we may have disturbed the gods. Relieve me with the best order.

(2) O gods, we, who are desirous of worldly things, have uttered untruth by our speech. May the Gārhapatya fire relieve me of that sin, and also of the misdeeds which we have done. May he make me sinless.

(3) O Dyāvāpṛthivī, O Sarasvatī, relieve me, through order, of the distress, and also of the ill done to us by others.

(4) O jātavedas Agni, relieve me of the accusation made by kinsmen, by the kindred, by the elders and by the youngers, and also of the unknown sin done by us against gods.

(5) The sin which we have done through speech, thought, the two arms, the two thighs, the two knees and the male organ—may the Gārhapatya fire relieve me of that sin....

(6) May the two Apsarases, Dūrepaśyā and Rāṣṭrabhṛt repay the debts resulting from the guilts, which I have done by my two hands while striking the sound of the dies.

(7) The debt which I have drawn without gambling, which not already repaid I promised to the people; may the Gārhapatya fire relieve me of that sin....

(8) The sin which my mother made while I was in the womb, which my father made; may the Gārhapatya fire relieve the of that sin....

(9) I, the son, rejoicing in sucking, distressed my mother, also my father. Let them be not violated by me. May I, O Agni, become free from debt.

(10) I have injured the atmosphere, the earth and the heaven, my mother and the father. May the Gārhapatya fire relieve me of that sin....

(11) The sin new or old which I have made through desire, refusal and slandour; may the Gārhapatya fire relieve me of that sin....

(12) I pass over the misdeed, the sin; I abandon the impurity in the highest abode. I rise to the region of the good-doers, where the gooddoers go, the evil doers do not.

(13) The gods wiped off this sin towards Trita; Trita wiped it off towards men. If any sin reached me therefrom, may the Gārhapatya fire relieve me of that sin....

(14) May the purifying waters, which are born in the heaven, in water, from the plants, and from the fire, purify us.

(15) O golden-coloured water, purify us from that sin, new and old, which we have done at night or by day.

(16) Do thou, O Varuṇa, harken....^[4]

(17) Praying to thee with the divine song...^[5]

(18) Do thou, O Agni, the wise....^[6]

(19) Do thou, O Agni, be nearest to us...^[7]

(20) Thou art quick, O Agni....”^[8]

He should also murmur the formula,“O lord of the purifier, with thy purifier for whatsoever I purify myself, that I may have the strengtḥ to accomplish.”^[9]

6. With the verse, “O gods, that have true ordinances, we approach you at the sacrifice, while O gods, we, desirous of performing a sacrifice, call you for approval,” be should enter the prāgvaṃśa through the eastern door, cross (the altar) to the rear of the Āhavanīya -fire, stand towards the south, and recite over the Āhavanīya fire the remaining portion of the Anuvāka, “Indra-Agni, Dyāvāpṛthivī, waters and plants; thou art the overlord of consecrations; do thou guard me that am here.”^[10]

7. This is the way for his coming and going until the Soma-pressing day.

8. Some teachers prescribe the performance of the Dīkṣaṇīyeṣṭi at this stage.

9. The Adhvaryu should offer by means of the spoon four dīkṣāhutis of the clarified butter from the Dhruvā taken in the Dīkṣaṇīyeṣṭi with the formulas, “To the purpose, to the impulse, to Agni svāhā; to wisdom, to thought, to Agni svāhā; to consecration, to penance, to Agni svāhā; and to Sarasvatī, to Pūṣan, to Agni svāhā.”^[11]

10. He should offer the fifth oblation by means of the ladle with the verse, “O you divine, vast, all-soothing waters, Dyāvāpṛthivī, and wide mid-region, may Bṛhaspati rejoice in our oblation, svāhā.”^[12]

11. He should fill in the ladle with four or twelve spoonfuls, and offer the pūrṇāhuti with the verse, “Let every man choose the friendship of the god who leads. Every man prays for wealth; let him choose glory that he may prosper, svāhā.”^[13]

12. According to some teachers, he should make the offering by means of the ladle in whose bowl a vaccum [vacuum?] has been left.

13. He should stitch the right front foot of the skin of a black antelope.

14. Or he should stitch the two front feet, joining the portions along the fleshy part.

15. He should spread within the altar the skin of a black antelope with its neck towards the east, and with its hairy part turned upwards, and the sacrificer should rub the white and the black stripes of the skin with the formula, “You are the images of the Ṛk and the Sāman. I grasp you two. Do you protect me until the completion of this sacrifice.”^[14]

16. Bending his knee, the sacrificer should get upon the skin from the rear side with the two verses, “O god Varuṇa, do thou sharpen this prayer of him who implores thee; sharpen his strength, his insight. May we mount that safe ship whereby we may pass over all our difficulties,”^[15] and “Let us mount for prosperity the well-protecting earth, the unrivalled sky, Aditi who gives good protection and good guidance, the divine ship with good oars, the blameless, which does not leak.”^[16]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Towards the north outside the prāgvaṃśa, according to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XJ.5.

[2]:

TSL2.1.2.

[3]:

The text reais: savitastṛbhiḥ. Sāyaṇa renders tṛbhiḥ as pāpataraṇasādhanaiḥ. CALAND probably changes it into tribhiḥ. I take it as stṛbhiḥ.

[4]:

III.10.2.

[5]:

III.10.2.

[6]:

III.10.2.

[7]:

III.10.2.

[8]:

III.10.2.

[9]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.2.1.2.

[10]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.2.1.2.

[11]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.2.2.1.

[12]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.2.2.1.

[13]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.2.2.1.

[14]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.2 2.1.

[15]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.2.2.2.

[16]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.5.11.5.