Praśna 13, Kaṇḍikā 10

1. After having made the Soma swell with the formula, “You are savoury, conquerors of Vṛtra, delightful through your gifts, spouses of immortality; do you, O goddesses, place this sacrifice among the gods; do you, invoked, drink the Soma; invoked by you let Soma drink,”^[1] he should recite over it the formula, “O Soma, do thou spread wealth widely for this sacrificer with thy light which is in the sky, on the earth and in the wide midregion; speak highly about the giver.”^[1]

2. He should recite over the two pressing boards the formula, “O (the two) Dhiṣaṇās, do you, who are strong, be strengthened; gather strength; give me strength; let me not harm you; do not harm me.”^[2]

3-4. The pressing stone should be above, the stalks below. Then he should stir up by the right the stalks in the Hotṛ’s goblet and cause the water to be characterised as nigrābha with the formula, “Forward, backward, upward, downward, let these quarters hasten to you. O mother, come forth.”^[3]

5. He should take away six stalks. The stalks, while being wet, should not be sticking together.^[4]

6. Having lifted up the pressing stone, he should say,^[5] “Do thou not be afraid; do thou not tremble:”^[6]

7. If he finds any darbha-blade or root, he should press it with the verse “We, who are innocent, are sent to thee by Indra; may Vāyu be partly with you; may Varuṇa be partly with you; king Soma has not been killed by me.”^[7]

8. Hereafter he should press the Soma with this very verse.

9. Having first pressed eight times, he should again cause the water in the Hotṛ’s goblet to be characterised as nigrābha.

10. He should cause the water to be characterised as nigrābha twice at the first turn and twice at the last turn. He should cause it to be so four times.

11. He should collect the juice (in a pot) three times by means of the filling spoon.^[8] So is it said.

12. The Pratiprasthātṛ should take up the Upāṃśu cup, cover it with the two stalks taken out of the stalks already taken away,^[9] and then hold it towards the north.

13. The Adhvaryu should take up Soma-juice within his folded hands, and pour it into the Upāṃśu cup with the formula, “O mighty one, be pure for the lord of speech; strong, purified by the arms with the shoots of the strong; thou art the god, purifier of gods; for those thee whose portion thou art.”^[10]

14. There should be two more pressings (abhiṣava) as prescribed above.^[11]

15. Alternatively, the Adhvaryu should press eleven times^[12] at the second pressing and twelve times at the third.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.4.1.1,2.

[2]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.4.2.1.

[3]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.4.1.2. According to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XII.9.9, the sacrificer should utter the formula, “O mother, come forth,” while inwardly thinking of that one of his wives whom he desires; she herself desires him. Moreover, according to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XII.9.10; 10.1, the nigrābhya-rite precedes making the Soma swell, and the abhimantraṇa of the Soma and the pressing boards.

[4]:

According to Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XII.9.10, they should be sticking together.

[5]:

The sūtra has the plural vadanti; one expects vadati.

[6]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.4.1.

[7]:

Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa III.7.9.1. mayā is wanting in the sūtra-text.

[8]:

The translation is tentative.

[9]:

XIII.10.5.

[10]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.4.2.1.

[11]:

XIII.10.3-13.

[12]:

Instead of eight times, cf. XIII.10.9.