Adhyāya II, Kaṇḍikā 6

1. When he has finished the Veda, he should take the bath (by which he becomes a Snātaka);

2^[1]. Or when (he has gone through) a studentship of forty-eight years;

3^[2]. Or also after (a studentship) of twelve years, according to some (teachers).

4. (Let him take the bath only) if his Guru has given his permission.

5^[3]. Rules (regarding the performance of sacrifices), (texts) to be used (at the sacrifices according to those rules), and reasoning (on the meaning of the rites and texts): that is the Veda.

6^[4]. Some say (that the Veda should be studied) with its six Aṅgas;

7. Not so that he only knows the ceremonial.

8. But optionally by one who knows the sacrifices (the bath may be taken).

9. (The student) after having embraced (the feet of) his teacher, and put the pieces of wood on the fire, places himself northwards of an enclosure, on eastward-pointed Kuśa grass, to the east of eight vessels with water.

10^[5]. 'The fires that dwell in the waters; the fire which must be hidden, the fire which must be covered, the ray of light, the fire which kills the mind, the unwavering one, the pain-causing one, the destroyer of the body, the fire which kills the organs—those I leave behind. The shining one, that I seize here'—with (this formula) he draws water out of one (of the eight vessels);

11. With that he besprinkles himself with (the words), 'Therewith I besprinkle myself for the sake of prosperity, of glory, of holiness, of holy lustre.'

12^[6]. (A second time he draws water out of a second of the eight vessels with the formula given in Sūtra 10, putting instead of the words, 'The shining one, &c.,' the verse): 'By which you have created prosperity, by which you have touched surā, with which you have anointed the eyes, which is your' glory, O Aśvins.'

13. (And he draws water out of three other vessels) with (the three verses), 'Ye waters are' (Vāj. Saṃh. XI, 50-52), verse by verse.

14. With (water drawn out of) the three other (vessels he besprinkles himself) silently.

15. Having loosened his girdle with (the verse), 'The highest band' (Vāj. Saṃh. XII, 12), having put it down, having put on another garment, he worships the sun—

16^[7]. With (the formulas), 'Rising, bearing a shining spear, Indra stands with the Maruts; he stands with the gods who walk in the morning. Thou art a tenfold winner; make me a tenfold winner. Make me attain to renown.

Rising, bearing a shining spear, Indra stands with the Maruts; he stands with the gods who walk in day-time. Thou art a hundredfold winner; make me a hundredfold winner. Make me attain to renown.

Rising, bearing a shining spear, Indra stands with the Maruts; he stands with the gods who walk in the evening. Thou art a thousandfold winner; make me a thousandfold winner. Make me attain to renown.'

17. Having eaten curds or sesamum seeds, and having had his matted hair, the hair of his body, and his nails cut, he should cleanse his teeth with an Udumbara branch with (the verse), 'Array yourselves for the enjoyment of food. Here has come king Soma: he will purify my mouth with glory and fortune.'

18. Having anointed himself and bathed again, he takes up the salve for nose and mouth with (the words), 'Satiate my up-breathing and down-breathing; satiate my eye; satiate my ear!'

19. Having poured out to the south the water with which he has washed his hands, with (the words), 'Ye fathers, become pure,' he should salve himself and murmur, 'May I become well-looking with my eyes, well-shining with my face, well-hearing with my ears.'

20^[8]. He then should put on a garment which has not yet been washed, or not been soaked in lie, with (the formula), 'For the sake of putting on, of bringing fame, of long life I shall reach old age. I live a hundred long autumns. For the sake of the increase of wealth I will clothe myself.'

21. Then the upper garment with (the verse), 'With glory (come) to me, Heaven and Earth. With glory, Indra and Bṛhaspati! May glory and fortune come to me! may glory be my lot!'

22^[9]. If (he has only) one (garment), he should cover himself (with a part of that garment as if it were an upper garment) with the second part of the former (Mantra; Sūtra 20).

23^[10]. He takes flowers with (the formula), '(The flowers) which Jamadagni has brought for the sake of faith (has brought to Śraddhā?), of love, of the senses, them I take with glory and with fortune.'

24. He then ties them (to his head) with (the verse), 'The high, wide glory, which Indra has created for the Apsarases, the flowers bound up with that, I tie on to me, to bring me glory!'

25^[11]. He binds a turban to his head with (the verse), 'A youth, well attired.'

26. (He puts on) the two ear-rings with (the words), 'An ornament art thou; may more ornaments be mine.'

27. He salves his two eyes with (the formula), 'Vṛtra’s' (Vāj. Saṃh. IV, 3 b).

28. With (the words), 'Brilliant art thou,' he looks at his image in a mirror.

29. He takes a parasol with (the words), 'Thou art Bṛhaspati's covering. Shelter me from evil. Do not shelter me from splendour and glory.'

30. With (the words), 'You are supports; protect me from all sides,' he puts on the two shoes.

31. With (the words), 'From all powers of destruction protect me on all sides,' he takes a bamboo staff.

32. (For) the tooth-cleaner, &c. (the Mantras stated above are to be used) in every case; (for) the garment, the parasol, and the shoes, the Mantra (should only be recited) if they have not been used before.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

6, 2. See above, chap. 5, 13.

[2]:

See chap. 5, 14.

[3]:

The expressions of the text for the three categories are, vidhi, vidheya, tarka.

[4]:

I.e. with the supplementary treatises on ritual, grammar, astronomy, etymology, pronunciation of the Mantras, and metrics.

[5]:

As to the names of the eight hostile powers of Agni, comp. Śāṅkhāyana-Gṛhya V, 2; Atharva-veda XIV, I, 38; XVI, 1; Mantrabrāhmaṇa I, 7, I.

[6]:

The reading of the Mantra seems to be corrupt. Compare the form in which it is given by Bhavadeva, quoted in Professor Stenzler's note on this Sūtra. Instead of śriyam we have probably to read, as Bhavadeva has, striyam; instead of akṣyau, akṣān. Professor Stenzler very pertinently compares Atharva-veda XIV, 1, 35. 36. Comp. also Mantrabrāhmaṇa I, 7, 5.

[7]:

In the Mantra the Pāraskara MSS. give bhrājabhṛṣṇuḥ and bhrājabhṛṣṭiḥ, and the Gobhila MSS. (Gṛhya III, 4) bhrājabhṛṣṭibhiḥ. Possibly the instrumental case is right. Böhtlingk and Roth propose to read bhrājadṛṣṭiḥ.

[8]:

Comp. Kātyāyana, Śrauta-sūtra VII, 2, 18, to which Sūtra Professor Stenzler refers.

[9]:

I give this translation merely as tentative. Professor Stenzler translates: Wenn er nur Ein Gewand hat, so bedecke er sich (noch einmal) mit dem oberen Theile des zuerst angelegten. Jayarāma (MS. Chambers 373) says: ekaṃ cet tatrāpi paridhānamantraṃ paṭhitvā vastrārdham paridhāya dvir ācamya uttarārdhe gṛhītvā uttarīyaṃ [sic] mantraṃ paṭhitvottarīyaṃ kṛtvā punar dvir ācamed ity arthaḥ.

[10]:

Hiraṇy.-Gṛhya I, 3, 11, 4.

[11]:

See above, chap. 2, 9.