Praśna I, Paṭala 1, Section 2

1.^[1] And lays the (three) pegs round (the fire).

2. On the west side (of the fire) he places the middle (peg), with its broad end to the north,

3. On the south side (of the fire the second peg), so that it touches the middle one, with its broad end to the east,

4. On the north side (of the fire the third peg), so that it touches the middle one, with its broad end to the east.

5. To the west of the fire (the teacher who is going to initiate the student), sits down with his face turned towards the east.

6. To the south (of the teacher) the boy, wearing the sacrificial cord over his left shoulder, having sipped water, sits down and touches (the teacher).

7.^[2] Then (the teacher) sprinkles water round the fire (in the following way):

8. On the south side (of the fire he sprinkles water) from west to east with (the words), 'Aditi! Give thy consent!'—

9. On the west side, from south to north, with (the words), 'Anumati! Give thy consent!' On the north side, from west to east, with (the words), 'Sarasvatī! Give thy consent!'—

10. On all sides, so as to keep his right side turned towards (the fire), with (the Mantra), 'God Savitṛ! Give thy impulse!' (Taitt. Saṃh. I, 7, 7, 1).

11.^[3] Having (thus) sprinkled (water) round (the fire), and having anointed the fuel (with Ājya), he puts it on (the fire) with (the Mantra), 'This fuel is thy self, Jātavedas! Thereby thou shalt be inflamed and shalt grow. Inflame us and make us grow; through offspring, cattle, holy lustre, and through the enjoyment of food make us increase. Svāhā!'

12. He then sacrifices with the (spoon called) Darvi (the following oblations):

13.^[4] Approaching the Darvi (to the fire) by the northerly junction of the pegs (laid round the fire), and fixing his mind on (the formula), 'To Prajāpati, to Manu svāhā!' (without pronouncing that Mantra), he sacrifices a straight, long, uninterrupted (stream of Ājya), directed towards the south-east.

14. Approaching the Darvi (to the fire) by the southern junction of the pegs (laid round the fire), (he sacrifices) a straight (stream of Ājya), directed towards the northeast, with (the Mantra which he pronounces), 'To Indra svāhā!'

15. Having (thus) poured out the two Āghāra oblations, he sacrifices the two Ājyabhāgas,

16.^[5] With (the words), 'To Agni svāhā!' over the easterly part of the northerly part (of the fire); with (the words), 'To Soma svāhā!' over the easterly part of the southerly part (of the fire).

17.^[6] Between them he sacrifices the other (oblations).

18.^[7] (He makes four oblations with the following Mantras): 'Thou whom we have set to work, Jātavedas! carry forward (our offerings). Agni! Perceive this work (i.e. the sacrifice), as it is performed (by us). Thou art a healer, a creator of medicine. Through thee may we obtain cows, horses, and men. Svāhā!

'Thou who liest down athwart, thinking, "It is I who keep (all things) asunder:" to thee who art propitious (to me), I sacrifice this stream of ghee in the fire. Svāhā!

'To the propitious goddess svāhā!

'To the accomplishing goddess svāhā!'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

2, 1. The 'pegs' are the pieces of wood mentioned above, I, 19.

[2]:

7-10. Gobhila I, 3, 1 seq. The vocative Sarasvate instead of Sarasvatī is given by the MSS. also in the Khādira-Gṛhya 1, 2, 19.

[3]:

As to the Mantra, compare Śāṅkhāyana II, 10, 4, &c.

[4]:

13, 14. The two oblations described in these Sūtras are the so-called Āghāras; see Sūtra 15, and Pāraskara I, 5, 3; Āśvalāyana I, 10, 13. Regarding the northern and the southern junction of the Paridhi woods, see above, Sūtras 3 and 4. According to Mātṛdatta, the words 'long, uninterrupted' (Sūtra 13) are to be supplied also in Sūtra 14.

[5]:

Āśvalāyana I, 10, 13; Śāṅkhāyana I, 9, 7, &c. As to the expressions uttarārdhapūrvārdhe and dakṣiṇārdhapūrvārdhe, comp. Gobhila I, 8, 14 and the note.

[6]:

I.e. between the places at which the two 'Ājya portions' are offered. Comp. Śāṅkhāyana I, 9, 8.

[7]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa XIV, 9, 3, 3 (= Bṛhad Āraṇyaka VI, 3, 1; S.B.E., vol. xv, p. 210); Mantra-Brāhmaṇa I, 5, 6.