Part 4.8: Preparation of the Dhiṣṇyas

[Full title: Rites Performed on the Fourth Day: (g) Preparation of the Dhiṣṇyas (dhiṣṇyanirmāṇa)]

In addition to this, comes the rite of making the Dhiṣṇyas. These are prepared on spots which are raised with earth that has been taken out from the cātvāla pit. The Adhvaryu carries and puts the loose soil with the help of a sphya and thus prepares the Dhiṣṇyas. During the pouring of the loose soil, the sacrificer keeps himself busy in touching the Adhvaryu from behind and the Adhvaryu too performs the rite of pouring of the loose soil by sitting down facing towards the north. While he prepares the Dhiṣṇyas he utters one formula with each.^[1]

The Dhiṣṇyas are small Vedis made of earth for installing the fires on them that belong to the saumika priests—

agnīnāmāśrayabhūtā mṛdā nirmitāḥ svalpavedikā dhiṣṇyānyucyante/^[2]

Vidyadhar in his commentary on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra mentions that the loose soil for the Dhiṣṇyas is taken from the cātvāla and these are the places where after placing the fires, the priests such as the Hotṛ etc. recite their Śastras.^[3] After the pouring of the loose soil on the Dhiṣṇyas , the Adhvaryu scatters sand over them^[4]. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa states that the Dhiṣṇyas are for the protection of the soma and in order to protect the soma the āhavanīya should be in the eastern part, the mārjālīya should be in the south,the āgnidhrīya should be in the north and the Dhiṣṇyas inside the sadas protect the soma from behind.^[5] First of all, the Adhvaryu prepares the āgnidhrīyadhiṣṇya inside the āgnidhrīyamaṇḍapa. Then other six Dhiṣṇyas are made inside the sadas. The Adhvaryu makes these six Dhiṣṇyas while his face is pointing towards the west. He makes first the dhiṣṇya belonging to the Hotṛ in the western side of the eastern door of the sadas. The dhiṣṇya belonging to the Maitrāvaruṇa is prepared in the south-eastern part of the audumbarī post. To the northern part of the dhiṣṇya of the Hotṛ are prepared the Dhiṣṇyas belonging to the Brāhmaṇācchaṃsin, Potṛ, Neṣṭṛ and Acchāvāka keeping same gap among the Dhiṣṇyas.^[6] Vidyadhar states that the Dhiṣṇyas have diameters of 18 Aṅgulas each and the gap among the Dhiṣṇyas is also 18 Aṅgulas.^[7] The last i.e., the mārjālīyadhiṣṇya is made in the opposite direction of the southern side of the āgnidhrīyadhiṣṇya.The Adhvaryu prepares this dhiṣṇya by facing towards the south.^[8] According to Kane, the dhiṣṇya belonging to Acchāvāka is larger of four Aṅgulas than those of the rest. The seats are either square or round.^[9]

The formula to be uttered with the first dhiṣṇya is as follows—

vibhūrasi pravhaṇo raudreṇānīkena pātamāgnayaḥ pipṛtamāgnayo gopāyata mā namo vo’stu mā mā hiṃsiṣṭa/^[10]

The other seven formulae for the seven other Dhiṣṇyas are respectively.^[11] —

(a) vahnirasi havyavāhanaḥ

(b) śvātro’si pracetāḥ,

(c) tuthosi viśvavedāḥ,

(d) uśigasi kaviḥ,

(e) aṅghārirasi bambhāri

(f) avasyūrasi duvasvān

(g) śundhyūrasi mārjālīyaḥ

The last part raudreṇāīkena...etc. is to be added with each of formulae.^[12] The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa states that each dhiṣṇya has double names.^[13] From the commentary of Mahīdhara on Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā, it is clear that vibhū and pravāhaṇa are two names of āgnidhrīyadhiṣṇya, vahni and havyavāhana are the names of the hotṛdhiṣṇya, śvātra and pracetā are two names of maitrāvaruṇadhiṣṇya, the names tutha and viśvavedā belong to the dhiṣṇya of the priest Brāhmaṇāccaṃsin, uśik and kavi belong to the potṛdhiṣṇya, aṅghāri and bambhāri are the two names of the neṣṭṛdhiṣṇya, avasyū and duvasvān are two names of the acchāvākadhiṣṇya, and śundhyū and mārjālīya are two names of the mārjālīyadhiṣṇya.^[14]

After the completion of the preparation the eight Dhiṣṇyas , the Adhvaryu by positioning himself in standing position to the east of the eastern door of the sadas, looks at each of the following one by one—the āhavanīya fire, the place for vahiṣpavamāna, the cātvāla, the śāmitra, the audumbarī post, the seat of the Brahmā priest, and the fires called śālādvārya and prājahita i.e., old gārhapatya. He does this by uttering yajuṣ formula—samrāḍasi...etc in each case.^[15] From the commentary of Mahīdhara it is clear that here the āhavanīya fire refers to the fire of the uttaravedī which is addressed, śāmitra is a place where the animal is killed, the prājahita fire refers to the old gārhapatya fire which is in the west of the patnīśālā.^[16] Vidyadhar states that the place for bahiṣpavamāna is to the south of the cātvāla pit and inside the vedī.^[17] Thereafter the Adhvaryu addresses the utkara with the prescribed yajuṣ formula^[18].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 3.6.1.27; Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 8.6.12

[2]:

Mahīdhara on Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā , 5.31.

[3]:

Vidyadhar Sharma on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,8.6.12.

[4]:

cf., sikatāścopari/ Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,8.6.14.

[5]:

cf., te vā ete somasyaiva guptyai nupyante -āhavanīyaḥ purastāt, mārjālīyo dakṣiṇataḥ, āgnīdhrīya uttarataḥ atha ye sadasi te paścāt/ Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.6.2.21.

[6]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,8.6.13, 16, 17-19.

[7]:

Vidyadhar Sharma on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,8.6.19.

[8]:

cf., āgnīdhrād dakṣiṇaṃ samprati vedyante dakṣiṇamukho mārjālīyam/ Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 8.6.20.

[9]:

P.V. Kane, op.cit., Vol. 2, Part. 2, p.1156.

[10]:

Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā , 5.31, 34.

[11]:

Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā 5.31-32.

[12]:

cf., raudreṇeti sarvartra/ Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 8.6.1

[13]:

cf., te vai dvināmāno bhavanti/ Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 3.6.2.24.

[14]:

Mahīdhara on Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā , 5.31-32.

[15]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,8.6.21.

[16]:

Mahīdhara on Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā , 5.32.

[17]:

cf., cātvālasya samīpadeśe dakṣiṇato’ntarvedi bahiṣpavamānadeśo, yatra ṛtvijo bahiṣpavamānakhyaṃ stotraṃ stuvanti/ Vidyadhar Sharma on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 8.6.21.

[18]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,8.6.22.