Chapter 3(j) - The Final Purificatory Bath (Avabhritha)

The yajamana, his wife and all the priests go to the river or other place of water for the final purificatory bath (Avabhritha) after collecting the articles placed near the catvala. The yajamana offers the purastad homa oblations with ‘apsu te rajan...’, in the water and the samsthita homa oblations related to the patras of the extractions of Soma. The commentators gives the specific mantras related to the samsthita homas, which are ‘etam bhagam,; etam sadhasthah^[1] ; ulukhale^[2]. The oblations of ekakapala purodasa to Varuna in the sarvahuta homa is consecrated by the mantras ‘tvam no agne...’^[3] and ‘sa tvam nah’^[4]. The Avabhrita ishti ends with the rite of partaking of Ida. Some of the sutrkaras hold that this ishti ends with the anuyaja offerings. The Adhvaryu throws the vessels and the utensils of pressing, smeared with Soma, in to the river or running water. At that time the yajamana offers the oblations of curd at that place, where the Somapatras are thrown with the mantras in abhuddeva...^[5] and with yatte grave the Vaitana Shrauta Sutra^[6], gives six mantras in full for above said offerings which do not found in any Samhitas or any other ritual literature, except some parts of these mantras, which are found in Taittiriya Brahmana.^[7].

The yajamana puts the ‘Krishnamrigacarma’ on the earth, sprinkles it with water, reciting the concerned mantras^[8]. The Vaitana Shrauta Sutra gives here the beginning and the end of a series of rites, which is described in details in the Kausika Sutra. i.e. beginning from ‘apam sukta’ up to the touching of water^[9]. The commentator gives the reference of the Kausika Sutra^[10] as: all the rites performed at river or any other place of water should be performed in the north side of the water. After sprinkling water on each other with the hymns related to waters (apah) and having a pradaksina of the water and after touching the water they return home without looking at the (anaveksamana), reciting the mantras ‘apam somam...’^[11] and ‘aganma svah’^[12] in their way to the place of ritual. After reaching the Vedi, they pray to the Ahavaniya fire with the mantra ‘apo divyah’^[13] and offer three samidhas in the fire with three mantras respectively, beginning from ‘vmuncami...’^[14]. At the end of this ishti they touch their mouth with their hands, reciting the mantra ‘tejo si tejo mayi dhehi...’