Prapāṭhaka I, Kāṇḍikā 8

1. To the east (is placed) the Ājya, to the west the mess of cooked food.

2.^[1] Having sprinkled (water) round (the fire) and poured Ājya on the mess of cooked food, he begins to sacrifice simply with the pot-ladle, picking out portions of the sacrificial food (without 'underspreading' and pouring Ājya over the Havis).

3.^[2] If he intends, however, to sacrifice so as to 'underspread' (the Havis with Ājya) and to pour (Ājya) over it, let him sacrifice first the two Ājya portions (in the following way):

4. He should take four portions of Ājya—five portions (are taken) by the Bhṛgus—and should sacrifice from west to east, on the northern side with (the formula), 'To Agni Svāhā!' on the southern side with (the words), 'To Soma Svāhā!'

5. He then cuts off (two or three Avadānas) from the Havis, having 'spread under' (Ājya).

6.^[3] (Two Avadānas) from the middle and from the east side, if he (belongs to the families who) make four Avadānas. (Three Avadānas) from the middle, from the east and from the west side, if (he belongs to those who) make five Avadānas.

7.^[4] He sprinkles (Ājya) on the cut-off portions.

8. He anoints the places from which he has cut them off (with Ājya) in order that the strength (of the Havis) may not be lost.

9. He should sacrifice over the middle of the fire with (the words), 'To Agni Svāhā!'—

10. Once or thrice, in that same way.

11.^[5] Now for the Sviṣṭakṛt (oblation), after having 'spread under' (Ājya), he cuts off once a very big (Avadāna) from the eastern part of the northern part (of the Havis), Twice he should sprinkle (Ājya) on it.

12. But if he (belongs to the families who) make five Avadānas, he should 'spread under' twice, and cut off (the Avadāna), and sprinkle (Ājya) on it twice.

13.^[6] He does not anoint the place from which he has cut off, in order that the strength (of the Havis) may be lost.

14.^[7] With the words, 'To Agni Sviṣṭakṛt Svāhā!' he should sacrifice it over the eastern part of the northern part (of the fire).

15.^[8] He should sacrifice oblations of Ājya on (the chief oblations of cooked sacrificial food), with the Mahāvyāhṛtis.

16.^[9] The insertion (stands) before the Sviṣṭakṛt (oblation).

17. If different sacrifices are performed together, there is only one sweeping (of the ground) round (the fire) (chap. 3, 1), one (putting of) fuel (on the fire) (chap. 7, 19), one Barhis, one sprinkling (of water) round (the fire) (chap. 8, 2), one Ājya, and one offering of the two Ājyabhāgas (chap. 8, 3).

18. Having cut off (the Avadānas) for all (the single sacrifices), he sacrifices the Sviṣṭakṛt oblation only once.

19.^[10] After he has sacrificed, he should throw that pot-ladle (which he has used in the preceding ceremonies) into the fire.

20. Or having washed it, he should take with it (the rest of the sacrificial food), and should eat that.

21. The Sruva he should not throw into the fire, say some (teachers).

22.^[11] By one who has not set up the sacred fires, the mess of cooked food should be offered to Agni at the festivals both of the full and of the new moon.

23. To Agni, or to Agni and Soma, by one who has set them up, at the full-moon (sacrifice);

24. To Indra, or to Indra and Agni, or to Mahendra, at the new-moon (sacrifice).

25. Or also one who has set up the sacred fires, should offer it to Agni at the festivals both of the full and of the new moon.

26.^[12] Having put a piece of wood (on the fire), and having afterwards sprinkled (water) round (the fire), he performs the Yajñavāstu ceremony (in the following way):

27.^[13] From that same Barhis he should take a handful of Kura grass, and should dip it thrice into the Ājya or into the Havis, the points, the middle, and the roots, with (the words), 'May the birds come, licking what has been anointed.'

28. He then should besprinkle that (handful of grass) with water, and should throw it into the fire with (the verse), 'Thou who art the lord of cattle, Rudra, who walkest with the lines (of cattle), the manly one: do no harm to our cattle; let this be offered to thee! Svāhā!

29. This (ceremony) they call Yajñavāstu.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

8, 2. On the sprinkling of water round the fire, comp. above, chap. 3, 1 seq. On the technical meaning of upaghātam, see Bloomfield's note on Gṛhya-saṃgraha Pariśiṣṭa I, 111 (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, XXXV, 568).

[2]:

3 seq. Comp. Khādira-Gṛhya II, 1, 17.

[3]:

Khādira-Gṛhya II, I, 19 seq. The Upastaraṇa (Sūtra 5) and p. 35 the Abhighāraṇa (Sūtra 7) are reckoned as two Avadānas, so that they form together with the two or three portions cut off from the Havis, four or five Avadānas respectively. On the difference of the families regarding the number of Avadānas, comp. Weber, Indische Studien, X, 95.

[4]:

7 seqq. Comp. Khādira-Gṛhya II, I, 21-24.

[5]:

Comp. the corresponding regulations of the Śrauta ritual at Hillebrandt, Neu- and Vollmondsopfer, 117-119.

[6]:

The same rule re-occurs in the Śrauta ritual; Hillebrandt, l.l. 117, note 8.

[7]:

The expression used here uttarārdhapūrvārdhe is also found in most of the corresponding passages of the Śrauta ritual, p. 36 given by Hillebrandt, l.l. 119, note 3. The Khādira-Gṛhya has prāgudīcyām.

[8]:

If the chief oblations consist in Ājya, they are both preceded and followed by the Mahāvyāhṛti oblations. See below, chap. 9, Sūtra 27.

[9]:

On the āvāpa (i.e. the special characteristic offerings of each sacrifice) see Śāṅkhāyana-Gṛhya I, 9, 12, and the note there (vol. xxix, p. 28).

[10]:

According to the commentary, etad would belong to sauviṣṭakṛtam (Sūtra 18): 'After he has sacrificed that, he should throw the pot-ladle into the fire.' The comparison of Baudhāyana 1, 17, 23, atraitan mekṣaṇam āhavanīve^ऽnupraharati (Hillebrandt, p. 119, note 3), shows that the commentary is wrong, and that etad belongs to mekṣaṇam.

[11]:

22-25. Comp. Khādira-Gṛhya II, 2, 1-4.

[12]:

26-29. Khādira-Gṛhya II, 1, 26 seq.; Gṛhya-saṃgraha II, 1 seq.

[13]:

The expression tata eva barhiṣaḥ has occurred already at chap. 7, 21. The Mantra re-occurs in Vāj. Saṃhitā II. 16 e, &c.