Praśna I, Paṭala 2, Section 7

1.^[1] He then causes (the student) to put on the fire seven pieces of fresh Palāśa wood, with unbroken tops, of one span's length, which have been anointed with ghee.

2.^[2] One (of these pieces of wood he puts on the fire) with (the Mantra), 'To Agni I have brought a piece of wood, to the great Jātavedas. As thou art inflamed, Agni, through that piece of wood, thus inflame me through wisdom, insight, offspring, cattle, holy lustre, and through the enjoyment of food. Svāhā!'—

3. (Then he puts on the fire) two (pieces of wood with the same Mantra, using the dual instead of the singular), 'To Agni (I have brought) two pieces of wood;'

4. (Then) four (pieces of wood, using the plural), 'To Agni (I have brought) pieces of wood.'

5.^[3] He then sprinkles (water) round (the fire) as above.

6.^[4] 'Thou hast given thy consent;' 'Thou hast given thy impulse'—thus he changes the end of each Mantra.

7. He then worships the (following) deities (with the following Mantras),

8.^[5] Agni with (the words), 'Agni, lord of the vow, I shall keep the vow;'

9. Vāyu with (the words), 'Vāyu, lord of the vow, (&c.);'

10. Āditya (the sun) with (the words), 'Āditya, lord of the vow, (&c.);'

11. The lord of the vows with (the words), 'Lord of the vows, ruling over the vows (&c.).'

12.^[6] He then gives an optional gift to his Guru (i.e. to the teacher).

13.^[7] (The teacher) makes him rise with (the verse which the student recites), 'Up! with life' (Taitt. Saṃh. I, 2, 8, 1); he gives him in charge (to the sun) with (the words), 'Sun! This is thy son; I give him in charge to thee;' and he worships the sun with (the Mantra), 'That bright eye created by the gods which rises in the east: may we see it a hundred autumns; may we live a hundred autumns; may we rejoice a hundred autumns; may we be glad a hundred autumns; may we prosper a hundred autumns; may we hear a hundred autumns; may we speak a hundred autumns; may we live undecaying a hundred autumns; and may we long see the sun.'

14.^[8] 'May Agni further give thee life. May Agni further grant thee bliss. May Indra with the Maruts here give (that) to thee; may the sun with the Vasus give (it) to thee'—with (this verse the teacher) gives him a staff, and then hands over to him a bowl (for collecting alms).

15. Then he says to him, 'Go out for alms.'

16.^[9] Let him beg of his mother first;

17.^[10] Then (let him beg) in other houses where they are kindly disposed towards him.

18. He brings (the food which he has received) to his Guru (i.e. to the teacher), and announces it to him by saying, '(These are) the alms.'

19. (The teacher accepts it) with the words, 'Good alms they are.'

20.^[11] 'May all gods bless thee whose first garment we accept. May after thee, the prosperous one, the well-born, many brothers and friends be born'—with (this verse the teacher) takes (for himself) the former garment (of the student).

21. When the food (with which the Brāhmaṇas shall be entertained) is ready, (the student) takes some portion of boiled rice, cakes, and flour, mixes (these substances) with clarified butter, and sacrifices with (the formulas), 'To Agni svāhā! To Soma svāhā! To Agni, the eater of food, svāhā! To Agni, the lord of food, svāhā! To Prajāpati svāhā! To the Viśve devās svāhā! To all deities svāhā! To Agni Sviṣṭakṛt svāhā!'

22. Thus (let him sacrifice) wherever (oblations of food are prescribed) for which the deities (to whom they shall be offered) are not indicated.

23.^[12] If the deity is indicated, (let him sacrifice) with (the words), 'To such and such (a deity) svāhā!' according to which deity it is.

24.^[13] Taking (again) some portion of the same kinds of food, he offers it as a Bali on eastward-pointed Darbha grass, with (the words), 'To Vāstupati (i.e. Vāstoṣpati) svāhā!'

25.^[14] After he has served those three kinds of food to the Brāhmaṇas, and has caused them to say, 'An auspicious day! Hail! Good luck!'—

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

7, 1 seq. Comp. Āśvalāyana I, 21, 1; Sāṅkhāyana II, 10, &c. 'The putting of fuel on the fire, and what follows after it, form a part of the chief ceremony, not of the recitation of the Sāvitrī. Therefore in the case of one who has not yet been initiated (see I, 2, 6, 7), it ought to be performed immediately after (the student) has been given in charge (to the gods and demons; I, 2, 6, 5).' Mātṛdatta.

[2]:

Pāraskara II, 4, 3.

[3]:

Comp. above, I, 1, 2, 7 seq.

[4]:

He says, 'Anumati! Thou hast given thy consent!' &c.

[5]:

8 seq. Comp. Gobhila II, 10, 16.

[6]:

Comp. Śāṅkhāyana I, 14, 13 seq.

[7]:

Pāraskara I, 8, 7; I, 6, 3.

[8]:

Śāṅkhāyana II, 6, 2, &c.

[9]:

16 seq. Śāṅkhāyana II, 6, 4 seq.; Āpastamba I, 3, 28 seq.

[10]:

The commentary explains rātikuleshu by jñātiprabhṛtishu;—comp. yo^ऽsya rātir bhavati, I, 3, 9, 18.

[11]:

See above, I, 1, 4, 2, and comp. Atharva-veda II, 13, 5.

[12]:

Comp. above, I, 1, 3, 3.

[13]:

'The same,' of course, refers to Sūtra 21.

[14]:

See above, I, 1, 1, 6.