Praśna 13, Kaṇḍikā 9

1. Then he should press the Soma once without breathing in, cause it to flow in an unbroken stream through the filter, and then take up the juice once into the Adābhya cup.

2. He should take up the Soma while mentally chanting the Vāmadevyasāman. So is it said.^[1]

3. According to some teachers, he should take it up while reciting one of the basic verses of the Vāmadevyasāman, namely, “With what help....”^[2]

4. One, who is breathing out, should take up; one, who is breathing in, should take up; one, who is holding his breath after first having breathed out and breathed in, should take up. So is it said.^[3]

5. Having taken the Soma, he^[4] should hold his breath on a piece of a hundred mānas gold, with the verse, “Let the breath come to us from afar, from the midregion, from the sky, life from the earth; thou art ambrosia, for breath thee.”^[5]

6. After having covered the cup with a piece of gold, he should touch water with the verse, “May Indra-Agni confer radiance upon me; may Soma and Bṛhaspati confer radiance; may Viśve Devas confer radiance upon me; O Aśvins, do you confer radiance upon me.”^[6]

7. He should then make the offering at once without breathing in, with the verse, “When one hastens towards him, or utters prayers, he accepts it; he embraces all knowledge as a rim does a wheel.”^[7]

8. If he is unable either to take up or to offer without breathing in, he should (take up or) offer after the sacrificer has given him a boon.

9. After having made the offering, he should consume the remnants in the Sadas as before.^[8]

10. The sacrificer should give him as dakṣiṇā twelve heifers and a skin for sitting and lying down.^[9]

11. Then he should take up the Upāṃśusavana pressing stone^[10] with the formula, “Under the impulse of god Savitṛ, I take thee with the arms of Aśvins, with the hands of Pūṣan. Thou art the stone which makes the sacrifice for the gods; make this sacrifice deep with thy highest edge; make the Soma well-pressed for Indra, rich in sweetness, in milk, and bringing rain.”^[11]

12. Having taken up that stone, he should restrain his speech until the (taking up of the) Āgrayaṇa vessel.^[12]

13. Having held the stone with its face upwards, and holding a piece of gold in his hand, he should measure Soma with the formulas, “For Indra, the killer of Vṛtra, thee; for Indra overcoming Vṛtra thee; for Indra, the smiter of enemies, thee; for Indra accompanied by the Adityas thee; for Indra accompanied by Viśve Devas thee.”^[13]

14. Here the procedure of measuring (Soma) should be similar to that of the purchase of Soma,^[14] except for the keeping back of some quantity.^[15]

15. Then he should take up the LJpāṃśu cup.

16. On the pressing skin he should pour down as much Soma as he considers to be adequate for one cup.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā VI.6.10.1.

[2]:

XI.11.15.(15).

[3]:

Maitrāyaṇī-saṃhitā IV.7.7.

[4]:

The Adhvaryu and the sacrificer. Then the Pratiprasthātṛ should cause both of them to touch a piece of gold and sprinkle them with water, cf. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XI.8.7,8 based on Caraka-kaṭha-saṃhitā XXlX.6.

[5]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.3.3.3,4.

[6]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.3.3.3,4.

[7]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.3.3.4.

[8]:

XIII.8.3.

[9]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XII.8.12-14 adds: One who has enemies should take up the Adābhya cup; one who is desirous of prosperity should take up the Aṃśu cup. These should not be taken up in every sacrifice. They should be taken up in the Vājapeya,the Rājasūya or the Sarvavedasa sattra (in which all wealth is to be distributed as dakṣiṇā). The Adhvaryu should, however, take up these cups for a sacrificer who is very dear to him and very reliable.

[10]:

Before taking up the stone, the Adhvaryu should, according to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XII.9.1, fill in the Hotṛ’s goblet with vasatīvarī-water on the imprint of the northern wheel, and cause the sacrificer to recite over the nigrābhya-water the formula, “You are nigrābhya-water hearing the gods” etc.

[11]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.4.2; I.4.1.1.

[12]:

XIII.15.10.

[13]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.4.1.1.

[14]:

X.16.6.

[15]:

According to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XII.9.4,5 he should measure with the formulas, “For Indra the smiter of Vṛtra thee” etc. He should measure five times with the formula, five times without any formula.