Praśna 11, Kaṇḍikā 11

1. with the formula, “Thou art a support, strong support; do thou place the Brahman within us.”^[1]

2. “...do thou place the Kṣatra wthin us...” in the sacrifice of a Rājanya; “...do thou place the Viś within us...” in the sacrifice of a Vaiśya.

3. He should add to the above-mentioned formula the portion, “Let the wind not spill thee out.”^[2]

4. If he wants to practise abhicāra, he should say with regard to him whom he hates, “I place thee in the vital breath of N.N.; go out to the desired place with N.N. who hates us and whom we bate.”^[3]

5. At this stage the Pratiprasthātṛ should offer the northern rauhiṇa cake as before.^[4]

6. The Adhvaryu should put on the Āhavanīya fire (five) chips of wood after having besmeared them^[5] (with the remnants of the hot curds) in the supporting ladle respectively with the formulas, “For Pūṣan the cream, svāhā; for the pressing stones, svāhā; for the promoting ones,^[6] svāhā; for Dyāvāpṛthivī, svāhā; for Gharma-ḍrinking Pitṛs, svāhā.”^[7]

7. He should besmear the sixth chip with the remnants of all the oblations connected with Gharma and, without looking at it, throw away towards the north^[8] with the formula, “To Rudra having the Rudras as the Hotṛs, svāhā.”^[9]

8. He should then touch water.

9. Some teachers^[10] prescribe the putting of the chips before the offering of the (northern) rauhiṇa cake.

10. He should put a thorny fire-stick on the Āhavanīya fire without reciting any formula, and offer the Agnihotra without reciting any formula.

11. Or (he should offer the Agnihotra) with the formula, “Bhūḥ svāhā.”^[11]

12. All the officiating priests should seek acquiescence of one another and consume the remnants in the supporting ladle—first the Hotṛ, then the Adhvaryu, then the Brahman, then the Pratiprasthātṛ, then the Āgnīdhra, and lastly the sacrificer.

13. All should actually consume the remnants. Or the sacrificer should actually consume, and the others should do so through smelling.

14. All should consume the remnants of the Gharma with the formula, “The oblation, the sweet oblation is offered on the most powerful fire. O Gharma, thou art our father; do not injure me. May we, O god Gharma, enjoy thee who thou art sweet, full of treasure, full of food, relating to the Aṅgirases, and containing sweet drink. Let us enjoy thee. Do not injure me.”^[12] The Adhvaryu should hand over the supporting ladle to the Pratiprasthātṛ.

15. The Pratiprasthātṛ should cleanse the supporting ladle on the mound for leavings (ucchiṣṭakhara), and place the same within the altar, whereupon the Adhvaryu should place the silver and golden plates within the supporting ladle, pour out the madantī-waters into it, and cause the appeasement (śānti) with the last Anuvāka:¹

(1) “May the wind residing in the midregion blow auspiciously for us; may the sun illumine auspiciously for us; may the days be auspicious for us; may the night be auspicious.

(2) May the dawn shine auspiciously for us; may the sun rise auspiciously for us. O Sarasvatī, do thou become most auspicious and favourable to us; let there be no emptiness under thy supervision.

(3) (O earth,) thou art the residence of Iḍā; thou art possessed of residence; may we be possessed of residence; may we not be deprived of residence. Let him be without residence who hates us and whom we hate.

(4) Thou art stability; may we be possessed of stability; may we not be deprived of stability. Let him be without stability who hates us and whom we hate.

(5) O wind, do thou carry remedy; carry away what is evil. Possessed of all remedies, thou movest as the messenger of gods.

(6) These two winds blow as far as the ocean and as far as the farthest regions. May the one bring forth grace; may the other carry away what is evil.

(7) O wind, the treasure of ambrosia which is deposited in thy house—do thou give us a part of it for our life; do thou give us remedy out of it; do thou bring lustre out of it.

(8) May the wind, gracious and auspicious to our minds, bring forth remedy; may he extend our life.

(9) (O sun,) thou art the home of Indra. I submit to thee with the cows, the horses and what is mine.

(10) I resort to Bhūḥ; I resort to Bhuvaḥ; I resort to Suvaḥ; I resort to Bhūḥ Bhuvaḥ Suvaḥ; I resort to Vāyu; I resort to the health-giving divinity; I resort to the unbreakable rock; I resort to Brahman; the treasure of Brahman belonging to Prajāpati; I resort to the praṇava.

(11) May the midregion be wide for me; the fires and mountains be great. May the wind grant me the grace with which it blows. May our minds be full of grace.

(12) O Prāṇa and Apāna, do you guard me from death; O Prāṇa and Apāna, do you not leave me.

(13) May Agni place within me intellect, offspring and lustre; may Indra place within me intellect, offspring and strength; may Sūrya place within me intellect, offspring and brilliance.

(14) O Aśvins, do you guard us with brilliant food and uninjured fortunes. May Mitra, Varuṇa, Aditi, Sindhu, and Dyāvāpṛthivī glorify our gain.

(15) With what help, with which most powerful help will the wonderful and ever-growing friend come to us?

(16) Which of the intoxications of the drink, truthful and the most bountiful, will intoxicate thee so that thou shalt break the closed treasures?

(17) Do thou become the guardian of us, thy praising friends, with a hundred aids.

(18) Priyamedha Ṛṣis approached Indra for seeking help like the fair-winged birds. Do thou (O Indra,) clear the darkness; grant the sight; release us who are fastened as if with a cord.

(19) May the divine waters be auspicious to us for protection and favourable drinking. May they flow happiness and welfare towards us.

(20) I ask for remedy to the waters which are capable of granting boons and providing shelter to men.

(21) May the waters and plants be friendly to us, and unfriendly to him who hates us and whom we hate.

(22) O waters, you are welfare-bringing; do you grant us strength so that we may see the great good,

(23) Give us here your most gracious essence like the dear mothers.

(24) We approach you for that essence whose presence you like. O waters, create that essence for us.

(25) The earth is appeased; it is appeased by fire; appeased may it appease my ailment.

(26) The midregion is appeased; it is appeased by the wind; appeased may it appease my ailment.

(27) The heaven is appeased; it is appeased by the sun; appeased may it appease my ailment,

(28) The earth is the appeasement, midregion the appeasement, heaven the appeasement, quarters the appeasement, intermediate quarters the appeasement, the fire the appeasement, the mind the appeasement, the sun the appeasement, the moon the appeasement, constellations the appeasement, waters the appeasement, plants the appeasement, herbs the appeasement, cow the appeasement, she-goat the appeasement, horse the appeasement, man the appeasement, Brahman the appeasement, Brāhmaṇa the appeasement, appeasement itself the appeasement. May there be appeasement for me.

(29) With the appeasement, the entire appeasement, I cause appeasement for myself, the two-footed and the four-footed; may there be appeasement for me.

(30) May radiance, modesty, restraint, penance, intellect, stability, faith, truth and law rise up following me who am rising up. May radiance, modesty, restraint, penance, intellect, stability, faith, truth and law not leave me.

(31) I have risen up following the immortal gods with life, good life, essence of plants, and the strength of rains.

(32) May we perceive for a hundred autumns the brilliant eye placed in the east by gods; may we live for a hundred autumns; may we prosper for a hundred autumns; may we rejoice for a hundred autumns; may we succeed for a hundred autumns; may we hear for a hundred autumns; may we speak for a hundred autumns; may we be unconquered for a hundred autumns so that we may be able to behold the sun for ever.

(33) May the sun, the red-eyed bull, wise, who, illuminating, has come up from the middle of the water of the great ocean, purify my mind.

(34) Thou art the dropper of the Brahman; you two are the leaders of the Brahman; thou art the support of Brahman. This large earth is supported by the Brahman; the wide midregion is supported by him;he has supported the heaven and the earth together with the gods. May I realize what I know. May the Veda not be loosened from me.

(35) May the intellect and grasping faculty enter me concurrently for the attainment of the past and the future. May I enjoy the whole span of life; may I enjoy the whole span of life.

(36) O Indra, being supported with these utterances, do thou fill up for us what is wanting here. When thou hast broken the big stables for the purpose of thy worshippers, we shall be receiving plenty from thee.

(37) We have pronounced the Brahman; may it not leave us. Om; (let there be) appeasement, appeasement, appeasement.”^[13]

He should pour down the water, collect all Pravargya-utensils into the supporting ladle, and say (to the Hotṛ)^[14]:

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.10.2.

[2]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.10.2.

[3]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.10.3.

[4]:

XI.10.6.

[5]:

He should besmear them in such a way that drops of hot curds drop down on the fire. He should put the chips with the sacred cord over his right shoulder and under the left arm. cf. Rudra-datta on Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XV.II.6.

[6]:

CALAND has rendered the word pratirebhyaḥ by “holes of a shell” (Den Schalllöchern, svāhā). He has, however, stated the meaning to be uncertain.

[7]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV 10.3.

[8]:

Outside the prāgvaṃśa. cf. Rudradatta on Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XV.11.7.

[9]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.10.3.

[10]:

Satyāṣāḍha-sūtra XXIV.5.1, VaikhŚS XIII.13, KātŚS XXVI.6.11.

[11]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.10.5.

[12]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.10.5.

[13]:

Taittirīya-āraṇyaka IV.42. Other Sūtra-writers (e.g. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XV. 12.3) have prescribed the reciting of this Anuvāka later on after the cow is released (XI.12.3).

[14]:

See the next sūtra.