Praśna I, Paṭala 4, Section 12

1. They bring him a chariot, (or) a horse, or an elephant.

2.^[1] 'Thou art the (Sāman called) Rathantara; thou art the Vāmadevya; thou art the Bṛhat;' the (verse), 'The two Aṅkas, the two Nyaṅkas' (Taitt. Saṃhitā I, 7, 7, 2); (the verse), 'May this your chariot, O Aśvins, not suffer damage, neither in pain nor in joy. May it make its way without damage, dispersing those who infest us;' (and the formula), 'Here is holding, here is keeping asunder; here is enjoyment, here may it enjoy itself:' with (these texts) he ascends the chariot, if he enters (the village) on a chariot.

3.^[2] 'A horse art thou, a steed art thou'—with these eleven 'horses’ names' (Taitt. Saṃh. VII, 1, 12) (he mounts) the horse, if (he intends to enter the village) on horseback.

4.^[3] With (the formula), 'With Indra's thunderbolt I bestride thee; carry (me); carry the time; carry me forward to bliss. An elephant art thou. The elephant's glory art thou. The elephant's splendour art thou. May I become endowed with the elephant's glory, with the elephant's splendour'—(he mounts) the elephant, if (he intends to proceed to the village) on it.

5.^[4] He goes to a place where they will do honour to him.

6. With (the verse), 'May the quarters (of the horizon) stream together with me; may all delight assemble (here). May all wishes that are dear to us, come near unto us; may (our) dear (wishes) stream towards us'—he worships the quarters of the horizon.

7. While approaching the person who is going to do honour to him, he looks at him with (the words), 'Glory art thou; may I become glory with thee.'

8. Then (the host who is going to offer the Argha reception to the Snātaka), having prepared the dwelling-place (for his reception), says to him, 'The Argha (will be offered)!'

9. (The guest) replies, 'Do so!'

10.^[5] They prepare for him (the Madhuparka or 'honey mixture') consisting of three or of five substances.

11. The three substances are, curds, honey, and ghee.

12. The five substances are, curds, honey, ghee, water, and ground grains.

13. Having poured curds into a brass vessel, he pours honey into it, (and then the other substances stated above).

14.^[6] Having poured (those substances) into a smaller vessel, and having covered it with a larger (cover than the vessel is), (the host) makes (the guest) accept (the following things) separately, one after the other, viz. a bunch of grass (to sit down on), water for washing the feet, the Argha water, water for sipping, and the honey-mixture (Madhuparka).

15.^[7] Going after (the single objects which are brought to the guest, the host) in a faultless, not faltering (?) voice, announces (each of those objects to the guest).

16. The bunch of grass (he announces by three times saying), 'The bunch of grass!'

17.^[8] (The guest) sits down thereon facing the east, with (the formula), 'A giver of royal power art thou, a teacher's seat; may I not withdraw from thee.'

18. (The host) then utters to him the announcement, 'The water for washing the feet!'

19.^[9] With that (water) a Śūdra or a Śūdra woman washes his feet; the left foot first for a Brāhmaṇa, the right for a person of the two other castes.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

12, 2. Comp. Pāraskara III, 14, 3-6.

[2]:

In this Sūtra three 'horses’ names' are given as the Pratīka of the Yajus quoted, 'Thou art aśva, thou art haya, thou art maya.' Mātṛdatta observes that the third of them is not found in the Taittirīya Saṃhitā, which gives only ten, and not eleven, horses’ names.

[3]:

Pāraskara III, 15, 1 seq.

[4]:

Āśvalāyana III, 9, 3; Śāṅkhāyana III, 1, 14.

[5]:

10 seq. Pāraskara I, 3, 5; Āśvalāyana I, 24, 5 seq.

[6]:

Pāraskara, loc. cit.; Āśvalāyana, loc. cit., § 7.

[7]:

The text is corrupt and the translation very doubtful. The MSS. have, anusaṃvṛjinā so^ऽnupakiñcayā vācā. Mātṛdatta's note, which is also very corrupt, runs thus: anusaṃvrajinā saha kūrcādinā dravyeṇa tad agrataḥ kṛtvānugantā. anusaṃvṛjineti (sic: anugachaṃnnusaṃv°, Dr. Kielhorn's MS.) pramādapāṭhaḥ. sampradātānupakiñcayā na vidyata upaghātikā vāg yasya [yasyā, Dr. K.’s MS.] seyam anupakiñcā vāk . . . kecid anusaṃvṛjineti (anusaṃvrajineti, Dr. Kirste) pāṭhāntaraṃ kṛtvā vāgviśeṣaṇam icchanti yathā mṛṣṭā vāk saṃskṛtā vāk tathā ceti. apare yathāpāṭham evārtham icchanti.—Perhaps we may correct, anusaṃvṛjinayānupakiñcayā vācā. Comp. below, I, 4, 13, 16.

[8]:

See above, I, 2, 6, 9.

[9]:

Pāraskara I, 3, 10. 11; Āśvalāyana I, 24, 11.