Praśna 11, Kaṇḍikā 1

[The Jyotiṣṭoma Sacrifice (Continued)]

[Pravargya]

1. The Adhvaryu, who is going to prepare the Pravargya-utensils, should put on the sacred fire a thorny fire-stick in the bright half of the month under an auspicious constellation or on the full-moon day or the new-moon day, and, if the sacrificer is not consecrated, offer an oblation of four spoonfuls of clarified butter with the verse, “The wise and learned direct the thought and the notion of the great wise. He, the only knower of ways and means, has arranged the oblations. The praise of god Savitṛ is great.”^[1]

2. If the sacrificer is already consecrated, the Adhvaryu should put the thorny fire-stick on the fire with this verse. There is another view that be should not offer an oblation; he should simply recite the verse.

3. He should then take a shovel of the wood of khadira or of udumbara or of bamboo or of vikaṅkata.

4. It should be of the same size as the one (used) in connection with the piling up of the fire-altar.^[2]

5. He should take up the shovel with the formula, “In the impulse of god Savitṛ, by means of the two arms of Aśvins, by means of the two hands of Pūṣan 1 take thee. Thou art a shovel, thou art a woman, offering sacrifice for gods,”^[3] and call upon the Brahman with the verse-half, “O Brahmaṇaspati, do thou get up. Serving the gods we approach thee.”^[4]

6. The Brahman should come up.

7. Both (the Adhvaryu and the Brahman) should murmur the latter half of the verse, “May the Maruts, giving richly, come to us. O Indra, do thou come quickly to us.”^[5]

8. One should take up the skin of a black antelope.

9. A she-goat having a male young one, a horse, and a bull should be carried along.

10. With the verse, “May Brahmaṇaspati, may goddess Sūnṛtā, come to the strong hero (Pravargya) possessing fivefold bounty; may the gods carry through our sacrifice,”^[6] all should proceed towards the east with the horse in front.

11. Or these materials^[7] should be brought for his sake into an enclosure.

12. In front of the Āhavanīya fire should be the (place fixed for the) pit from which earth is to be dug out; other substances should be placed towards the east of the same—one in front of another.

13. Towards the north of the pit, the Adhvaryu should spread the skin of a black antelope with its neck towards the east and the hairy side upwards, and recite over Dyāvāpṛthivī or (the place fixed for) the pit the formula, “O divine Dyāvāpṛthivī, you have given me consent.”^[8]

14. With the formula, “May I flourish today; (thou art) the head of the sacrifice,”^[9] he should strike on the (place fixed for the) pit by means of the shovel.

15. He should carry (the earth) with the formula, “For the sacrifice thee; for the head of the sacrifice thee.”^[10]

16. He should pour out the earth on the skin of a black antelope without reciting any formula.

17. Similarly he should carry for the second time; similarly for the third time.

18. For the fourth time he should pour out, without reciting any formula, so much earth as is considered adequate for preparing the Pravargya-utensils.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.1.

[2]:

The portion of the Bhāradvāja-śrauta-sūtra dealing with the piling up of the firealtar is not available, cf. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XV.1.4 and CALAND’s note on it.

[3]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.3,4.

[4]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.1.

[5]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.1.

[6]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.2.

[7]:

Mentioned in the sequel.

[8]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.2.

[9]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.2.

[10]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.2.2.