Part 5.1: Recitation of morning litany (prātaranuvāka)

[Full title: Rites Performed on the Fifth Day: (a) Recitation of morning litany (prātaranuvāka)]

The ritual of the fifth day of the Agniṣṭoma Somayāga involves the following sub-headings:

1. Recitation of morning litany (prātaranuvāka)
2. Morning soma pressing (prātaḥsavana)
3. Savanīya animal sacrifice (Savanīyapaśuyāga)
4. Midday soma pressing (mādhyandinasavana)
5. Third soma pressing (tṛtīyasavana)
6. Concluding bath (Avabhṛtheṣṭi)
7. Rite of rising out of the water (Udayanīyeṣṭi)
8. Sacrifice of stereli cow (Anubandhyāpaśuyāga)
9. Udavasānīyeṣṭi

The fifth day of the Agniṣṭoma Somayāga is called the sutyā day i.e., the day of soma pressing. This day starts officially from the later half of the night of the fourth day i.e., aupavasathya day. At that time, the priests are made to leave their beds as early as possible.^[1] Sāyaṇa mentions that the Adhvaryu and his helpers awaken the priests.^[2] But, Karka states that the sacrificer and his helpers awaken the priests.^[3] The priests too quickly respond to them and after having purified themselves with water water, they move towards the āgnīdhrīya shed. Then having scooped up ghee, they again move forward towards the uttaravedī and place it near the uttaravedī^[4] But, Kātyāyana is of the opinion that some rites prior to the acts of scooping of the ghee are to be completed near the old āhavanīya fire such as the rites of the scattering of the sacrificial grass around the fire, placing of the vessels and sprinkling of water on the vessels as well as on the materials, pouring out ghee, heating of the ghee on the fire,cleaning of the offering ladle, taking of the vessel of the heated ghee from the fire, ceremonial looking at the ghee by the wife of the sacrificer, entering in āgnīdhrīya shed and purification of the ghee and so on and so forth.Thereafter, the Adhvaryu takes the ghee needed to perform the animal sacrifice i.e. the Savanīya animal sacrifice.^[5] As stated in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, the Adhvaryu brings down the soma creepers to the place of the adhiṣavaṇacarma. During this time, he has to follow the path between the shafts of the cart.He puts the soma creeper on the pounding stones.^[6] It is noteworthy that Kātyāyana states that the soma is placed in the āsandī inside the āgnīdhrīya shed on the previous day of soma pressing. But, the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa does not mention this. Hence, in the language of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, the Adhvaryu brings down the soma directly from the cart.

While he places the soma, he utters the following formula—

hṛde tvā manase tvā dive tvā sūryāya tvā/ ūrdhvamimamadhvaraṃ divi deveṣu hotrā yaccha/ soma rājan viśvāstvaṃ prajā upāvarohantu/^[7]

But, Kātyāyana states that after the rite of taking the ghee, the soma stalks, the pounding stones, droṇakalaśa etc, the Adhvaryu comes to the āhavanīya fire and completes the rites of sprinkling water on the Idhmas beside the āhavanīya fire. This Savanīya animal sacrifice has similarity with the Agnīṣomīya animal sacrifice in case of acts like the scattering of the sacrificial grass. After the rite of putting the ghee by the side of the uttaravedī, the Adhvaryu takes half of the soma stalks between the shafts and places them on the stones. The stones are placed pointing each other.^[8] The sacrificer first touches the stalks and then worships the soma with a prescribed formula.^[9] But According to Devayājñika, it is the Adhvaryu who worships the soma stalks^[10]. The formula to be uttered here runs as follows viśvāstvaṃ prajā upāvarohantu/^[11] Kātyāyana is of the opinion that during soma pressing, the materials for soma pressing should be brought through the gap between the shafts of the havirdhāna carts. But, these should not be taken back by the same path. Even, the soma which has already been pressed in the morning pressing is also restricted from being taken back by the same path.^[12] During this time the Hotṛ sits for morning recitation (prātaranuvāka). At that time, the Adhvaryu throws a kindling stick into the āhavanīya fire and directs the Hotṛ to start the morning recitation for the gods who are known as prātaryāvāṇa (who come to the sacrifice in early morning). According to the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, these gods are Agni, Uṣā and the Aśvins.^[13] As stated by Chitrabhanu, before the recitation of the morning litany, a libation of ghee is made in the āhavanīya fire and after this, the Hotṛ sits between the yokes of the two havirdhāna carts and starts the recitation which is followed by the prātaḥsavana.

The litany consists of three parts each known as a kratu and these are—

1. āgneyakratu,
2. uṣasaḥkratu and
3. āśvinakratu^[14].

Prātaranuvāka begins in the second half of the night of the fourth day of Agniṣṭoma and ends before day break^[15].After having directed the Hotṛ to recite the morning litany,the Adhvaryu directs the Subrahmaṇya priest for singing the Subrahmaṇyā sāman.^[16] Vidyadhar in his commentary on Kātyāyana says that this litany contains the names of the father and the son of the sacrificer.^[17] The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa states that the Adhvaryu should respond to the Hotṛ’s recitation by winking his eyes and should attend the recitation without falling asleep. But, the same text rejects this view and says that the Adhvaryu may sleep if he feels sleepy.^[18] Hence, Kātyāyana states it optionally i.e., he may either stay awaken or fall sleep.^[19] The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa mentions the oblation materials related to the Savanīyapaśupurodāśa rite along with the names of the deities. Accordingly, the purodāśa belongs to Indra, the scorched grains for the bay steeds of Indra, karambha i.e., the barley flour with curds for Puṣāṇ, curds for Sarasvatī and milkmess for Mitrā and Varuṇa or these oblation may all belong to Indra.^[20] The Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra clarifies that while the morning litany goes on, the Āgnīdhra makes ready the oblation materials for Indra in order to prepare the savanīya sacrificial bread to be prepared on eleven potshreds and some other materials for other deities. Moreover, it states that all these oblations can be offered to Indra who is with his steeds and accompanied by Pu ṣāṇ, Sarasvatī and Mitrā and Varuṇa respectively.^[21]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf., tān samprabodhayantil/ Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.9.3.1; cf., apararātra ṛtvija prabodhayanti/ Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.1.

[2]:

cf., tān ṛtvijaḥ rātreraparabhāge prabodhayeyuradhvaryavaḥ/ Sāyaṇa on Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.9.3.1.

[3]:

cf., bahuvacanopadeśācca yajamānena saha kecanāprākṛtaḥ…/ Karka on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.1.

[4]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.9.3.1; cf., uttaravedisamīpam/ Sāyaṇa on Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.9.3.1.

[5]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.2.

[6]:

cf., atha rājānamupāvaharati/, antareṇeṣi’upāvaharati/, grāvasu sammukhesvadhinidadhāti/, sa upāvaharati/ hṛde…/ Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.9.3.2-4.

[7]:

Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā ,6.25-26

[8]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.3-5.

[9]:

cf., athānusṛjyopatiṣṭhate/ viśvāstvāṃ…/ Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.9.3.7; Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.6

[10]:

cf., tato’dhvaryureva somādhastaṃ visṛjya viśvāstvamiti mantreṇa somamupatiṣṭhate…/ Devayājñika on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.6.

[11]:

Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā , 6.26.

[12]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.7-9.

[13]:

cf., ete vāva devāḥ prātaryavāṇa yadagniruṣā aśvinau ta ete saptabhiśchandobhiragacchanti/ Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, 7.5.

[14]:

Chitrabhanu Sen, op.cit., p.93

[15]:

Aitareya Brāhmaṇa , 2.5.15

[16]:

cf., subrahmaṇyāṃ ca preṣyati/ Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.12.

[17]:

Vidyadhar Sharma on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.12.

[18]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 3.9.3.11.

[19]:

cf., prātaranuvākaṃ jāgradupāsītādhvaryuḥ/, svapyādvā/ Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.13-14.

[20]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 4.2.5.22, 17

[21]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 9.1.15-16.