Praśna I, Paṭala 2, Section 5

1.^[1] 'To him who comes (to us), we have come. Drive ye away death! May we walk with him safely; may he walk here in bliss; (may he) walk in bliss until (he returns) to his house'—this (verse the teacher repeats) while (the boy) walks round the fire so as to keep his right side turned towards it.

2.^[2] (The teacher) then causes him to say, 'I have come hither to be a student. Initiate me! I will be a student, impelled by the god Sāvitrī.'

3. (The teacher then) asks him:

4. 'What is thy name?'

5.^[3] He says, 'N.N!'—what his name is.

6.^[4] (The teacher says), 'Happily, god Savitṛ, may I attain the goal with this N.N.'—here he pronounces (the student's) two names.

7.^[5] With (the verse), 'For bliss may the goddesses afford us their protection; may the waters afford drink to us. With bliss and happiness may they overflow us'—both wipe themselves off.

8.^[6] Then (the teacher) touches with his right hand (the boy's) right shoulder, and with his left (hand) his left (shoulder), and draws (the boy's) right arm towards himself with the Vyāhṛtis, the Sāvitrī verse, and with (the formula), 'By the impulse of the god Savitṛ, with the arms of the two Aśvins, with Pūṣan's hands I initiate thee, N.N.!'

9.^[7] He then seizes with his right hand (the boy's) right hand together with the thumb, with (the words), 'Agni has seized thy hand; Soma has seized thy hand; Savitṛ has seized thy hand; Sarasvatī has seized thy hand; Pūṣan has seized thy hand; Bṛhaspati has seized thy hand; Mitra has seized thy hand; Varuṇa has seized thy hand; Tvaṣṭṛ has seized thy hand; Dhātṛ has seized thy hand; Viṣṇu has seized thy hand; Prajāpati has seized thy hand.'

10.^[8] 'May Savitṛ protect thee. Mitra art thou by rights; Agni is thy teacher.

'By the impulse of the god Savitṛ become Bṛhaspati's pupil. Eat water. Put on fuel. Do the service. Do not sleep in the day-time'—thus (the teacher) instructs him.

11.^[9] Then (the teacher) gradually moves his right hand down over (the boy's) right shoulder and touches the place of his heart with (the formulas), 'Thy heart shall dwell in my heart; my mind thou shalt follow with thy mind; in my word thou shalt rejoice with all thy heart; may Bṛhaspati join thee to me!

'To me alone thou shalt adhere. In me thy thoughts shall dwell. Upon me thy veneration shall be bent. When I speak, thou shalt be silent.'

12. With (the words), 'Thou art the knot of all breath; do not loosen thyself'—(he touches) the place of his navel.

13.^[10] After (the teacher) has recited over him (the formula),

'Bhūḥ! Bhuvaḥ! Suvaḥ! By offspring may I become rich in offspring! By valiant sons, rich in valiant sons! By splendour, rich in splendour! By wealth, rich in wealth! By wisdom, rich in wisdom! By pupils, rich in holy lustre!'

And (again the formulas),

'Bhūḥ! I place thee in the Ṛcas, in Agni, on the earth, in voice, in the Brahman, N.N.!

'Bhuvaḥ! I place thee in the Yajus, in Vāyu, in the air, in breath, in the Brahman, N.N.!

'Suvaḥ! I place thee in the Sāmans, in Sūrya, in heaven, in the eye, in the Brahman, N.N.!

'May I be beloved (?) and dear to thee, N.N.!

May I be dear to thee, the fire (?), N.N.! Let us dwell here! Let us dwell in breath and life! Dwell in breath and life, N.N.!'—

14.^[11] He then seizes with his right hand (the boy's) right hand together with the thumb, with the five sections, 'Agni is long-lived.'

15. 'May (Agni) bestow on thee long life everywhere' (Taitt. Saṃh. I, 3, 14, 4)—

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

5, 1. I read, pra su mṛtyuṃ yvyotana; comp. Mantra-Brāhmaṇa I, 6, 14 (Ṛg-veda I, 136, 1, &c.). As to the last Pāda, comp. Ṛg-veda III, 53, 20.

[2]:

2 seq. Comp. Gobhila II, 20, 21 seq.; Pāraskara II, 2, 6; Śāṅkhāyana II, 2, 4, &c.

[3]:

Mātṛdatta, 'As it is said below, "he pronounces his two names" (Sūtra 6), the student should here also pronounce his two names, for instance, "I am Devadatta, Kārttika."'

[4]:

'His common (vyāvahārika) name and his Nakṣatra name.' Mātṛdatta.

[5]:

Ṛg-veda X, 9, 4.

[6]:

The word which I have translated 'draws . . . towards himself' is the same which is also used in the sense of 'he initiates him' (upanayate). Possibly we should correct the text: dakṣiṇaṃ bāhum anv abhyātmam upanayate, 'he turns him towards himself from left to right (literally, following his right arm).' Comp. Śāṅkhāyana II, 3, 2.—Regarding the Mantra, comp. Śāṅkhāyana II, 2, 12, &c.

[7]:

Śāṅkhāyana II, 2, 11; 3, 1, &c.

[8]:

Śāṅkhāyana II, 3, 1; 4, 5. We ought to read apo^ऽśāna, instead of apo^ऽsānaḥ as the MSS. have.

[9]:

Śāṅkhāyana II, 4, 1, &c.

[10]:

The reading of the last Mantra is doubtful. Iṣṭatas should possibly be iṣṭas, but the genitive analasya, or, as some of the MSS. have, anaḷasya (read, analasasya?), points rather to a genitive like icchatas. If we write icchatas and analasasya, the translation would be: 'May I be dear to thee, who loves me, N.N.! May I be dear to thee, who art zealous, N.N.!' Comp. Śāṅkhāyana II, 3, 3.

[11]:

Comp. above, Sūtra 9.