Chapter 3(f) - Carrying of Fire, Soma and Carts

The next step after the construction of Mahavedi is to carry to the place of ritual the fire, Soma and two carts carrying them. This act is known as agni-pranayana, havih-pranayana and havirdhana-pranayana. Havirdhana is the name given to the cart carrying the havis obviously because of the fact that the havis which in this case is Soma is kept on it^[1]. The act of carrying Agni, Soma and havirdhana are performed simultaneously.

The fire is taken from the Shalamukhiya fire to the Uttaravedi^[2]. The Brahma follows this rite by pronouncing the mantra ‘agne prehi’^[3] and sits outside the Mahavedi. The Brahma supervises from his seat the activities going on at the Mahavedi^[4].

While the Adhvaryu offers oblations on the south and north tracks of the havirdhana carts, the Brahma recites the mantra ‘idam Vishnu’^[5] and ‘trini pada...’^[6] respectively. The Brahma pronounces two mantras viz ‘itasea mamutasea’ and ‘svasathe bhavata’^[7] when both the havirdhana carts are made to move and when the wooden supports (upastambhana) are adjusted under the carts, he recites the mantra ‘visnornukam...’. The Brahma recites a mantra when the oblation of ajya is offered at the top of the audamabrya^[8]. The Brahma invited by the Adhvaryu for carrying the fire and the Soma, proceeds towards the patnisala, through the tirtha way^[9]. In the next Sutra the Vaitana specifies the ‘tirtha way’ that ‘as passing between the catvala and the utkara along the north of the spot meant for the Agnidhriya fire and of the Sadasa^[10]. After the directions of samcarana the Vaitana Shrauta Sutra hits at the series of acts beginning from acamana and ending at viksana^[11]. The details of these rites are not given perhaps keeping in mind the details given in the Kausika Sutra^[12], which the commentators alludes to by stating that these acts are described in the Darshapurnamasa ritual. In the description of the ‘Darshapurnamasa’ he explains the sutra as ‘Samhitavidhivad bhavati’^[13]. The Brahma goes after the Agni and Soma, which are carried forth, pronouncing the half verse, Samam rajanam....^[14]. After giving an oblation in the agnidhriya fire, the Brahma takes his seat, reserved in the south of the Vedi, passing through northern side of the Agnidhriya fire and the western side of Ahavaniya fire.