Adhyāya III, Kaṇḍikā 4

1. Now the building of the house.

2. Let him have his house built on an auspicious day.

3^[1]. Into the pits (in which the posts shall be erected) he pours an oblation with (the words), 'To the steady one, the earth-demon, svāhā!'

4^[2]. He erects the post.

'This navel of the world I set up, a stream of wealth, promoting wealth. Here I erect a firm house; may it stand in peace, dropping ghee.

'Rich in horses and cows, rich in delight be set up, for the sake of great happiness. To thee may the young calf cry, to thee the lowing cows, the milk-cows.

'To thee (may) the young child (go), to thee the calf with its companions, to thee the cup of Parisrut, to thee (may they go) with pots of curds.

'The consort of Peace, the great one, beautifully attired—bestow on us, O blessed one, wealth and manly power, which may be rich in horses and cows, full of sap like a tree's leaf. May our wealth increase here, clothing itself with prospering'—with (these four Mantras) he approaches the four (posts).

5. Having established the fire inside (the house), having made the Brahman sit down towards the south, having placed a water-pot to the north, and cooked a mess of sacrificial food, he goes out (of the house), and standing near the door, he addresses the Brahman, 'Brahman, I enter (the house)!'

6. When the Brahman has given his consent, he enters with (the formula), 'To right I advance, to luck I advance!'

7^[3]. Having prepared Ājya and sacrificed two Ājya oblations with (the two parts of the Mantra), 'Here is joy' (Vāj. Saṃh. VIII, 51 a), he sacrifices other oblations with (the verses):

(a) 'Vāstoṣpati! Receive us (into thy protection); give us good entering and drive away from us evil. For what we ask thee, with that favour us: be a saviour to us, to men and animals. Svāhā!

(b) 'Vāstoṣpati! Be our furtherer; make our wealth increase in cows and horses, O Indu (i.e. Soma). Free from decay may we dwell in thy friendship; give us thy favour, as a father to his sons. Svāhā!

(c) 'Vāstoṣpati! Let us be in a fellowship with thee, which may be valiant, joyful, and well proceeding. Protect our wishes when we rest and when we do our work. Protect us always, ye (gods), and give us welfare. Svāhā!

(d) 'Driving away calamity, Vāstoṣpati, assuming all shapes, be a kind friend to us. Svāhā!

8. He makes offerings of the mess of cooked food (with the following Mantras):

(a^[4]) Agni, Indra, Bṛhaspati, the Viśve devās I invoke, Sarasvatī and Vājī. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svāhā!

(b^[5]) 'To all the divine hosts of serpents, to the Himavat, the Sudarśana (mountain), and the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Īśāna with his companions, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svāhā!

(c) 'To forenoon and afternoon both together with noon, to evening and midnight, to the goddess of dawn with her wide path, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svāhā!

(d) 'To the Creator and the Changer, to Viśvakarman, to the herbs and trees, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svāhā!

(e) 'To Dhātṛ and Vidhātṛ, and to the Lord of treasures together with them, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svāhā!

(f) 'As a lucky, a happy (place), give me this dwelling-place, Brahman and Prajāpati, and all deities. Svāhā!'

9. After he has partaken (of the sacrificial food), let him put into a brass vessel the different things which he has brought together, Udumbara leaves with strong liquor, green turf, cowdung, curds, honey, ghee, Kuśa grass, and barley, and let him besprinkle the seats and shrines (for the images of the gods).

10. He touches (the wall and the posts) at their eastern juncture with (the words), 'May luck and glory protect thee at thy eastern juncture.'

11. He touches (them) at their southern juncture with (the words), 'May sacrifice and sacrificial fee protect thee at thy southern juncture.'

12. He touches (them) at their western juncture with (the words), 'May food and the Brāhmaṇa protect thee at thy western juncture.'

13. He touches (them) at their northern juncture with (the words), 'May vigour and delight protect thee at thy northern juncture.'

14. He then goes out (of the house) and worships the quarters (of the horizon, the east) with (the formulas), 'May Ketā (i.e. will?) and Suketā (i.e. good-will?) protect me from the east.

'Agni is Ketā; the Sun is Suketā: to them I apply; to them be adoration; may they protect me from the east.'

15. Then to the south: 'May that which protects and that which guards, protect me from the south.

'The Day is that which protects; the Night is that which guards; to them I apply; to them be adoration; may they protect me from the south.'

16. Then to the west: 'May the shining one and the waking one protect me from the west.

'Food is the shining one; Breath is the waking one; to them I apply; to them be adoration; may they protect me from the west.'

17. Then to the north: 'May the sleepless one and the not-slumbering one protect me from the north.

'The Moon is the sleepless one; the Wind is the not-slumbering one; to them I apply; to them be adoration; may they protect me from the north.'

18^[6]. When (the house) is finished, he enters it with (the formulas),

'Law, the chief post! Fortune, the pinnacle! Day and night, the two door-boards!

'Indra's house is wealthy, protecting; that I enter with my children, with my cattle, with everything that is mine.

'Hither is called the whole number (of relatives), the friends whose coming is good. Thus (I enter) thee, O house. May our dwellings be full of inviolable heroes from all sides!'

19. Then (follows) feeding of the Brāhmaṇas.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

4, 3. Āśvalāyana-Gṛhya II, 8, 15.

[2]:

On gagadaiḥ saha (in the third verse) see my note on Śāṅkhāyana-Gṛhya III, 2, 9.

[3]:

Rig-veda VII, 54; 55, 1.

[4]:

8 a. Vājī is, as the name shows, the goddess of quick vigour. Jayarāma explains Vājī, a name of Sītā, as a personification of food.

[5]:

Comp. Āśvalāyana II, I, 14. On jagada, comp. above, § 4.

[6]:

Comp. Śāṅkhāyana-Gṛhya III, 3, 7 seq.; chap. 4, 10. The comparison of Sāṅkhāyana shows that we have to divide saha prajayā paśubhiḥ, saha yan me kiñcid asty, upahūtaḥ, &c. Sādhusaṃvṛtaḥ (if the reading is correct) seems to me to be the nom. plur. of sādhusaṃvṛt. I understand this to be a Bahuvrīhi compound, in which saṃvṛt means 'the approaching.' In Atharva-veda VII, 60, 4 we have sakhāyaḥ svādusaṃmudaḥ. After śāle a verb meaning 'I enter,' or something like that, has been lost.