Praśna 13, Kaṇḍikā 17

1. They should sit down to the south of the cātvāla.

2. The Adhvaryu should sit down in front of the Prastotṛ, and while handing over a bunch of sacrificial grass to the Prastotṛ, he should initiate the (Bahiṣpavamāna) Stotra with the formula, “The hiṃ sound-maker is Vāyu; the Prastotṛ is Agni, the Sāman is Prajāpati; the Udgātṛ is Bṛhaspati, the Upagātṛs are Viśve Devas, the Pratihartṛs are Maruts, the end of Sāman is Indra; may the gods, possessors of vital breath, give me vital breath.^[1] The Soma is being purified.”^[2]

3. The Adhvaryu should initiate all the (Pavamāna) stotras with this very formula.

4. Except in the case of the Pavamāna Stotras he should initiate^[3] any Stotra with the call, “Do you resort to (the chanting).”

5. The Sāman-chanters should chant the Stotra while gazing at the cātvāla.

6. Four priests should join in the chanting of the Stotra. They should do so (sitting) towards the (four) quarters.

7. The priests with the sacrificer as the fifth should join in the chanting.

8. “The Adhvaryu should not join in the chanting.” So is it said.^[4]

9. The priests should join in the chanting by (uttering) ‘o;’ the sacrificer by ‘ho.’

10. While the Stotra is being chanted, the sacrificer should murmur the anvāroha formula, “Thou art the eagle, with Gāyatrī as the metre; I touch thee, do thou lead me across safely.”^[5]

11. He should follow the chant with the formula, “Thou art the praised of the praised; may the praised milk strength for me; may the praised of the praised come to me. Possessed of strength may we desire, may we milk out offspring and food. May my benediction in relation to the gods be true; may the brahman-splendour reach me. The sacrifice has prospered; it has prospered on all sides; it has sprung up; it has increased; it has become the lord of gods; may it make us lords; may we be possessors of wealth.”^[6]

12. He should follow all the Stotras with this very formula.

13. As soon as the chanting is over, the Adhvaryu should, standing up, call out, “O Āgnīdhra, do thou spread out fires (on the Dhiṣṇyas), strew the Barhis, bring the Savanīyapuroḍāśa to perfection; O Pratiprasthātṛ, do you come along with the animal.”

14. After having come back (to his place), the sacrificer should pray to Soma with the verse, “O conquering Viṣṇu, do thou, nearest to us, grant us shelter. The sweet-flowing streams milk out for thee the unceasing spring.”^[7]

15. The Āgnīdhra should fetch burning embers from the Āgnīdhra fire, and spread out fire on the Dhiṣṇyas in the order in which they were raised.^[8]

16. The Pratiprasthātṛ should sit down towards the east and facing towards the west, and pour down the āghāra libations on the Dhiṣṇyas.

17. He should take up Soma with the filling spoon (pariplavā) from the Droṇakalaśa and offer an āghāra-libation of that Soma on the Āhavanīya fire, the Āgnīdhra fire, and the Hotṛ’s Dhiṣṇya, of five spoonfuls of clarified butter on the other Dhiṣṇyas, and (again) of Soma on the Mārjāiīya Dhiṣṇya.

18. The formulas which were employed for the raising of the Dhiṣṇyas^[9] should be employed also for the āghāra libations.

19. For the Savanīyapuroḍāśa the Āgnīdhra should cleanse and arrange such utensils as are required for preparing the oblations of grains.

20. The Adhvaryu should prepare the two strainers, and call out, “O sacrificer, do you restrain speech.”

21. The Adhvaryu should restrain speech, and touch the utensils.^[10]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.3.2.1.

[2]:

Mānava-śrauta-sūtra II.3.6.6; KātŚS IX.6.34.

[3]:

The meaning of the word anantaram in the sūtra is not clear.

[4]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā VI.3.1.5.

[5]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.2.1.1.

[6]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.2.7.1,2.

[7]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.1.10.2.

[8]:

XII.14.

[9]:

XII.14.

[10]:

I.18.9..