Praśna 14, Kaṇḍikā 9

1. The sacrificer should maintain contact with the Āditya cup with the formula, “I from above, I from below, I revealed the darkness with the light. The midregion has become my father. On both sides have I seen the sun. May I become the highest of my equals.”^[1]

2. The Adhvaryu should agitate the cup with darbha-blades with the verse, “Prajāpati makes the cloud fall from the ocean, from the midregion. May Indra distil it; may Maruts cause it to rain.”^[2]

3. After having covered the cup with darbha-blades, he should go out with the verse, “The sage stretches the path of the sacrifice on the back of the vault above the light of the heaven, along which thou earnest the oblation. Thou goest as messenger hence wisely, thence with more gain.”^[3]

4. He should cross over, cause the Āgnīdhra to announce and (after the latter has responded,) give out a call (to the Maitrāvaruṇa,) “Do you address a call to the Hotṛ to recite the yājyā relating to the offering for theĀdityas, the beloved, having lovely abode, whom ordinances are dear, guardians of big home, lords of wide midregion.”^[4]

5. He should throw the darbha-blades on the fire with the verse, “O Agni, all the sticks that are thine, or on earth, on the strew, or in the sun, let these of thine approach the oblation of clarified butter, a protection to the pious sacrificer.”^[5]

6. At the vaṣaṭ-utterance he should make the offering while gazing elsewhere.^[6] There is no secondary vaṣaṭ-utterance.

7. After having made the offering; he should not gaze at it.

8. For one who is desirous of rain, he should recite, at the offering, the verse, “Flood the earth, break this divine cloud, give us the heavenly water; ruling, do thou loosen the leather-bag.”^[7]

9. After having placed on the mound the Āditya cup with remnants of Soma, he should give out the call, “O Pratiprasthātṛ, do you pour out materials for the Savanīyapuroḍāśa.”^[8]

10. After having filled in the Hotṛ’s goblet with vasatīvarī water, he should cause the sacrificer to recite the formula relating to the nigrābhya water at the morning pressing.^[9]

11. After the Adhvaryu has inserted one of the stalks of Soma from the Upāṃśu cup^[10] into the sediment of Soma, the relevant officiating priests should press^[11] Soma as at the morning pressing.^[12]

12. The rites up to the filling in of cups should be similar.^[13]

13. The Adhvaryu should not fill in the Śukra and the Manthin cups on this occasion.

14. He should fill in the Āgrayaṇa vessel from four streams:

15. He should pour down the Soma from Āgrayaṇa vessel into another vessel, and pour it as the second stream^[14] (into the Āgrayaṇa vessel). He should cause the third stream to flow from the Āditya cup; and the fourth one from the Aditya vessel.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.5.5.1.

[2]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.5.5.2.

[3]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.5.53.

[4]:

Or he should give out the calls simply as “Do you recite the puronuvākyā relating to the offering for Adityas, “Do you address a call to the Hotṛ to recite the yājyā relating to the offering for Adityas.” cf. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XIII.10.1.

[5]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.5.5.3.

[6]:

He should not gaze at the cup. cf. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra XIII.9.11, CALAND renders the word Āditya as the sun, not as the cup.

[7]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā III.5.5.2.

[8]:

XIV.7.4.

[9]:

XIII.6.10.

[10]:

XIII.11.10.

[11]:

XIV.7.4.

[12]:

XIII.12.1.

[13]:

XIII.13.1.

[14]:

The first stream consists of filling in the Āgrayaṇa vessel with Soma passing through the woollen filter.