Somasaṃsthā (6): Atirātra

[Full title: Forms (Saṃsthās) of Somayāga (6): Atirātra]

The peculiarities of the Atirātrasaṃsthā is found in the third soma pressing of this rite. The saṃsthā covers the day of the Soḍaśisaṃsthā along with the succeeding night. Hence, it is called Atirātra^[1]. The Atirātrasaṃsthā differs from the Ṣoḍaśisaṃsthā in the third soma pressing where it adds nine more Stotras and Śastras. In the third pressing, a sacrificial bread (purodāśa) cooked on two potsherds is offered to the Aśvins along with a rice pap to Soma^[2].After the completion of the Ṣoḍaśisaṃsthā, the Adhvaryu continues it through the night with the night rounds.

The Tāṇḍyamahābrāhmaṇa states that the rite which crosses the Ukthyasaṃsthā and is performed till the night is Atirātrasaṃsthā—

yadukthye bhy’tiricyeta’tirātraḥkāryyo rātriṃ vā eṣa nikāmayamāno’bhyatiricyate …/^[3]

Here the additional Stotras and Śastras are known Rātri^[4] Stotras and Rātri Śastras which are chanted and recited in three rounds i.e., Paryāyas. Each paryāya is made of four Stotras and four Śastras.^[5] Kātyāyana too has referred to this procedure and he adds that in Atirātrasṃsthā, the soma libation is made by means of goblets^[6]. The deity of all the offerings made by goblets is Indra^[7]. After the offering of the ṣoḍaśī cup, the Adhvaryu proceeds to perform the rites of the first paryāya. Each paryāya contains four Gaṇas and each gaṇa contains the rites of filling up of the goblets, chanting of the first Rātristotra and reciting of the first Rātriśastra, offering of the goblets in the āhavanīya fire and consumption of the remnants of the goblets by the priests etc^[8]. In the first gaṇa, the goblet belonging to the Hotṛ is the principal graha, in the second gaṇa, the Maitrāvaruṇa’s goblet is primary graha, in the third gaṇa, the goblet of the Brāhmaṇācchaṃsin is primary and in the last gaṇa, the goblet belonging to the Acchāvāka is primary. The first two Gaṇas are led by the Adhvaryu while the next two Gaṇas are led by the Pratiprasthātṛ^[9].The other two rounds are also completed in the same way. As stated in the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra, at the end of the rounds, the goblets are filled with soma juice and the sandhistotra is sung by the Sāmavedic priests^[10]. The sandhistotra which consists of nine verse is sung in rathantara tune.Till the rise of the sun, the Hotṛ priest recites the āsvinaśastra i.e., prātaranuvāka which contains more than one thousand Ṛks.^[11] The Pratiprasthātṛ offers the Purodāśa made on two potsherds to Aśvins. He offers it with the goblet filled with soma juice—

śastrānta āśvinena sarvahutena carati ekapradānascamasaiḥ/^[12]

In the Atirātra saṃsthā, an animal as the fourth offering is offered to Sarasvatī.

The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa states as follows—

yadatirātraḥ syāt sārasvataṃ caturthamālabheta … /^[13]

The animal may be an ewe—

sarasvatyai caturtho’tirātre meṣī vā/^[14]

According to Vidyadhar, the animal of the Atirātra may be either a he-goat or ewe for Sarasvatī^[15]. Thus, the Atirātrasaṃsthā contains four animals i.e., the animals of the Agniṣṭoma, Ukthya, Ṣoḍaśī and the animal of the Atirātra.^[16] In the Āpastamba Śrautasūtra, it is said that one who wants to fulfil all desires should perform the Atirātrasaṃsthā^[17].

Thus, to state in brief in the third soma pressing of Atirātrasaṃsthā, it adds thirteen additional Stotras and thirteen Śastras to the Stotras and Śastras contained in the Ṣoḍaśisamsthā. Out of the thirteen Stotras, twelve are known as Rātristotras and one as sandhistotra. Thus, there are twelve Rātriśastras and one āśvinaśastra. Thus it has twenty nine Stotras and twenty nine Śastras and four Stomas like the former Saṃsthās.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf., ṣoḍaśiṇāpracārya rātriparyāyaiḥ pracarati/ Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 14. 3. 9; Sāyaṇa has explained the word atirātra as follows -rātrimatītya vartate ityatirātra/, Sāyaṇa on Ṛgveda Saṃhitā , 7.103.7

[2]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 12. 6. 3

[3]:

Tāṇḍya Mahābrāhmaṇa , 9.7. 21

[4]:

cf., rātrāveva stuyamānatvādeṣāṃ rātristotrāṇīti saṃjñā / Cinnasvamishastri, Pattabhiramashastri(ed.),op.cit., p. 73

[5]:

cf., yaḥ soma ukthyebhyo’tiricyate rātrāvanuṣṭīhiyamānāstrayaḥ paryāyāḥ pratyekaṃ catuṣṭayastutaśastrāstā ime rātriśabdenocyante / Sāyaṇa on Tāṇḍya Mahābrāhmaṇa , 9.7. 21

[6]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 12. 6. 4

[7]:

Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 14. 3. 12

[8]:

Cinnasvamishastri, Pattabhiramashastri(ed.),op.cit., p.72

[9]:

Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 14.3.10, 14

[10]:

cf.,tadantecamasānunnīyastotropākaraṇaṃ sandheḥ / Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 12.6.6

[11]:

Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 14. 4. 3-4; A.B, Kieth., The Religion And Philosophy Of The Veda And Upanishads, p. 335

[12]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 12. 6. 8

[13]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 4. 2.5. 14

[14]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.8.3

[15]:

Vidyadhar Sharma on ibid., 9.8,5

[16]:

cf., …atiratre saṃstheāgneyaindrāgnaindrasārasvataścatvāraḥ/ Vidyadhar Sharma on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 12.6.15

[17]:

Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 14. 1. 2