1. Let him send out as his wooers friends who have assembled, who are versed in the Mantras.
2. He should recite over them the first two verses (Mantrap. I, 1, 1. 2).
3. When he himself has seen (the bride), let him murmur the third (verse; M. I, 1, 3).
4. With the fourth (M. I, 1, 4) let him behold her.
5. Let him seize with his thumb and fourth finger a Darbha blade, and let him wipe (therewith) the interstice between her eye-brows with the next Yagus (M. I, 1, 5), and let him throw it away towards the west.
6. If an omen occurs (such as the bride’s or her relations’ weeping), let him murmur the next (verse; M. I, 1, 6).
7. With the next (verse; M. I, 1, 7) let him send an even number of persons who have assembled there, and who are versed in the Mantras, to fetch water.
8. [1] With the next Yagus (M. I, 1, 8) he places a round piece of Darbha net-work on her head; on that, with the next (verse; M. I, 1, 9) he places a right yoke-hole; on this hole he lays with the next (verse; M. I, 1, 10), a piece of gold, and washes her with the next five verses (M. I, 2, 1-5), (so that the [ p. 259 ] water runs over that gold and through the yoke-hole); with the next (verse; M. I, 2, 6) he causes her to dress in a fresh garment, and with the next (M. I, 2, 7) he girds her with a rope.
9. Then he takes hold of her with the next (verse; M. I, 2, 8) by her right hand, leads her to the fire, spreads a mat, west of the fire, so that the points of the blades in it are directed towards the north, and on this mat they both sit down, the bridegroom to the north.
10. After the ceremonies have been performed from the putting of wood on the fire down to the Âgyabhâga oblations, he recites over her the first two (verses of the third Anuvâka).
11. Then he should take with his right hand, palm down, her right hand which she holds palm up.
12. If he wishes that only daughters may be born to him, he should seize only the fingers (without the thumb);
13. If he wishes that only sons may be born to him, the thumb.
14. He takes (her hand) so as just to touch her thumb and the little hairs (on her hand),
15. With the four verses, ‘I take thy hand’ (Mantrap. I, 3, 3-6).
16. He then makes her step forward with her right foot, to the north of the fire, in an easterly or northerly direction, with (the formula), ‘One step for sap’ (M. I, 3, 7).
17. At her seventh step he murmurs, ‘Be a friend’ (M. I, 3, 14).
[ p. 260 ]
1. Having before the sacrifice gone round the fire, so that their right sides are turned towards it,
2. [2] They sit down in their former position, and while she takes hold of him, he offers the oblations (indicated by the) next (Mantras), with (the Mantras), ‘To Soma, the acquirer of a wife, Svâhâ!’ (M. I, 4, I-16), one oblation with each Mantra.
3. [3] He then causes her, to the north of the fire, to tread with her right foot on a stone, with (the verse), ‘Tread’ (M. I, 5, 1).
4. Having ‘spread under’ Âgya into her joined hands, he pours roasted grain twice (into them), and sprinkles Âgya over it.
5. Some say that an uterine relation of hers pours the grain (into her hands).
6. [4] He (?) sacrifices (that grain) with (the verse), ‘This wife’ (M. I, 5, 2).
7. [5] Having gone round the fire, with the right side turned towards it, with the next three (verses; M. I, 5, 3-5) he makes her tread on the stone as above (M. I, 5, 6).
8. And the oblation (is performed) with the next (verse; M. I, 5, 7).
9. (Then follow) again the circumambulation (M. I, 5, 8-10), the injunction to tread on the stone [ p. 261 ] (I, 5, 11), and the oblation with the next (verse; I, 5, 12);
10. (Then) the circumambulation again (I, 5, 13-15).
11. [6] He enters upon the performance of the Gaya and following oblations.
12. [7] Having performed (the rites) down to the sprinkling (of water) round (the fire), and having untied the rope with the next two verses (I, 5, 16. 17), he should then make her depart (from her father’s house in a vehicle), or should have her taken away.
13. Having put that fire (with which the marriage rites have been performed, into a vessel), they carry it behind (the newly-married couple).
14. It should be kept constantly.
15. If it goes out, (a new fire) should be kindled by attrition,
16. Or it should be fetched from the house of a Srotriya.
17. Besides, if (the fire) goes out, one of them, either the wife or the husband, should fast.
18. Or he may sacrifice with the next (verse; M. I, 5, 18), and not fast.
19. The next (verse; M. I, 6, 1) is for putting the chariot (on which the young couple is to depart), in position;
20. With the next two (verses; M. I, 6, 2. 3), he puts the two animals to the chariot;
21. First the right one.
22. When she mounts (the chariot), he recites over her the next (verses; M. I, 6, 4-7). [ p. 262 ]
23. With the next (verse; M. I, 6, 8), he spreads out two threads in the wheel-tracks (in which the chariot is to go), a dark-blue one in the right (track), a red one in the left.
24. With the next (verses; M. I, 6, 9-11), he walks on these (threads).
25. And when they pass by bathing-places, posts, or cross-roads, let him murmur the next (verse; M. I, 6, 12).
1. The next (verse; M. I, 6, 13), he recites over a boat (with which they are going to cross a river).
2. And let the wife, when she is crossing, not see the crew.
3. When they have crossed, let him murmur the next (verse; M. I, 6, 14).
4. If they have to pass over a cemetery, or if any article (which they carry with them), or their chariot is damaged, the ceremonies from the putting of wood on the fire down to the Âgyabhâga oblations are performed, and while she takes hold of him, he offers the oblations (indicated by the) next (Mantras; M. I, 7, 1-7), then he enters upon the performance of the Gaya and following oblations, and performs (the rites) down to the sprinkling (of water) round (the fire).
5. If they pass by trees with milky sap or by other trees that serve as marks, by rivers or by deserts, he should murmur the next two (verses; M. I, 7, 8. 9), according to the characteristics in them (which refer to these different cases).
6. With the next (verse) he shows her the house(M. I, 7, 10). [ p. 263 ]
7. With the next two (verses; M. I, 7, 11. 12) he unyokes the two animals; the right one first.
8. Having, with the next (verse; M. I, 8, 1), spread out, in the centre of the house, a red bull’s skin with the neck to the east, with the hair up, he causes her to recite the next (verse; M. I, 8, 2), while he makes her enter the house, (which she does) with her right foot.
9. And she does not stand on the threshold.
10. In the north-east part of the house the ceremonies from the putting of wood on the fire down to the Âgyabhâga oblations are performed, and while she takes hold of him, he offers the oblations (indicated by the) next (Mantras; M. I, 8, 3-15); then he enters upon the performance of the Gaya and following oblations, and performs (the rites) down to the sprinkling (of water) round (the fire). Then they sit down with the next (verse; M. I, 9, 1) on the skin, the bridegroom to the north.
11. He then places with the next (verse; M. I, 9, 2), the son of a wife who has only sons and whose children are alive, in her lap, gives fruits to the (child) with the next Yagus (M. I, 9, 3), and murmurs the next two (verses; M. I, 9, 4-5). Then he (and his wife) observe silence until the stars appear.
12. When the stars have appeared, he goes out (of the house with her) in an easterly or northerly direction, and shows her the polar star and (the star) Arundhatî with the next two verses (M. I, 9, 6-7), according to the characteristics (contained in those verses).
[ p. 264 ]
258:8 4, 8. As to the last sentence of this Sûtra, comp. the statements collected by Hillebrandt, Neu- and Vollmondsopfer, p. 59. ↩︎
260:2 5, 2. See 4, 9. ↩︎
260:3 See below, IV, 10, 9. ↩︎
260:6 ‘The action of sacrificing belongs to the bridegroom; the hands of the wife represent the sacrificial vessel.’ Haradatta.—‘It is the bridegroom who sacrifices the grain with the verse, “This wife.”’ Sudarsanârya. ↩︎
260:7 See above, Sûtra 3. ↩︎
261:11 11, 12. See Section 2, Sûtras 7. 8; Section 4, Sûtra 8. ↩︎
261:12 12 seq. Comp. Hiranyakenin I, 7, 22, 1 seq. ↩︎