| Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 3 | Title page | Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 5 |
[ p. 225 ]
1. [1] On the new-moon day, in the afternoon, or on days with an odd number in the dark fortnight the monthly (Srâddha is performed).
2. Having prepared food for the Fathers and having arranged southward-pointed Darbha grass as seats (for the Brâhmanas whom he is going to invite), he invites an odd number of pure Brâhmanas who are versed in the Mantras, with no deficient limbs, who are not connected with himself by consanguinity or by their Gotra or by the Mantras, (such as his teacher or his pupils).
3. In feeding them he should not look at any (worldly) purposes.
4. [2] Having put wood on the fire and strewn southward pointed and eastward-pointed Darbha grass around it, having prepared the Âya in an Âya in an Âya in an Âya pot over which he has laid one purifier, having sprinkled water round (the fire) from right to left, and put a piece of Udumbara wood on (the fire), he sacrifices with the (spoon called) Darvi which is made of Udumbara wood.
5. Having performed the rites down to the Âgyabhâga offerings, he suspends his sacrificial cord over his right shoulder and calls the Fathers (to his sacrifice) with (the verse), ‘Come hither, O Fathers, friends of Soma, on your hidden, ancient paths, bestowing on us offspring and wealth and long life, a life of a hundred autumns.’ [ p. 226 ]
6. [3] He sprinkles water in the same direction (i.e. towards the south) with (the verse), ‘Divine waters, send us Agni. May our Fathers enjoy this sacrifice. May they who receive their nourishment every month bestow on us wealth with valiant heroes.’
7. [4] Having performed the rites down to the Vyâhriti oblations with his sacrificial cord over his left shoulder, he suspends it over his right shoulder and sacrifices with (the following Mantras):
‘To Soma with the Fathers, svadhâ! Adoration! 'To Yama with the Aṅgiras and with the Fathers, svadhâ! Adoration!
‘With the waters that spring in the east and those that come from the north: with the waters, the supporters of the whole world, I interpose another one between (myself and) my father. Svadhâ! Adoration!
‘I interpose (another one) through the mountains;
‘I interpose through the wide earth; through the sky and the points of the horizon, through infinite bliss I interpose another one between (myself and) my grandfather. Svadhâ! Adoration!
‘I interpose (another one) through the seasons, through days and nights with the beautiful twilight. Through half-months and months I interpose another one between (myself and) my great-grandfather. Svadhâ! Adoration!’
Then he sacrifices with their names: ‘To N.N. svadhâ! Adoration! To N.N. svadhâ! Adoration!’
[ p. 227 ]
‘Wherein my mother has done amiss, abandoning her duty (towards her husband), may my father take that sperm as his own; may another one fall off from the mother. Svadhâ! Adoration!’
In the same way a second and a third verse with the alteration of the Mantra, ‘Wherein my grandmother,’ ‘Wherein my great-grandmother.’
1. [5] 'The Fathers who are here and who are not here, and whom we know and whom we do not know: Agni, to thee they are known, how many they are, Gâtavedas. May they enjoy what thou givest them in our oblation. Svadhâ! Adoration!
‘Your limb that this flesh-devouring (Agni) has burnt, leading you to the worlds (of the Fathers), Gâtavedas, that I restore to you again. Unviolated with all your limbs arise, O Fathers! Svadhâ! Adoration!
‘Carry the Âgya, Gâtavedas, to the Fathers, where thou knowest them resting afar. May streams of Âgya flow to them; may their wishes with all their desires be fulfilled! Svadhâ! Adoration!’
In the same way a second and a third verse with the alteration of the Mantra, ‘to the grandfathers,’ ‘to the great-grandfathers.’
2. In the same way he sacrifices of the food, altering the Mantra, ‘Carry the food, &c.’
3. Then he sacrifices the Svishtaktt oblation [ p. 228 ] with (the formula), ‘To Agni Kavyavâhana Svishtaktt svadhâ! Adoration!’
4. He then touches the food with (the formulas), 'The earth is thy vessel, the heaven is the lid. I sacrifice thee into the Brahman’s mouth. I sacrifice thee into the up-breathing and down-breathing of the Brâhmanas. Thou art imperishable; do not perish for the Fathers yonder, in yon world! The earth is steady; Agni is its surveyor in order that what has been given may not be lost.
‘The earth is thy vessel, the heaven is the lid, &c. Do not perish for the grandfathers yonder, in yon world. The air is steady; Vâyu is its surveyor, in order that what has been given may not be lost.
‘The earth is thy vessel, the heaven is the lid, &c. Do not perish for the great-grandfathers yonder, in yon world. The heaven is steady; Âditya is its surveyor, in order that what has been given may not be lost.’
5. [6] With (the words), ‘I establish myself in the breath and sacrifice ambrosia,’ he causes the Brâhmanas to touch (the food).
1. While they are eating, he looks at them with (the words), ‘My soul (âtman) dwells in the Brahman that it may be immortal.’
When they have eaten (and go away), he goes after them and asks for their permission to take the remains of their meal (for the rites which he is going [ p. 229 ] to perform). Then he takes a water-pot and a handful of Darbha grass, goes forth to a place that lies in a south-easterly intermediate direction, spreads the Darbha grass out with its points towards the south, and pours out on that (grass) with downward-turned hands, ending in the south, three handfuls of water, with (the formulas), ‘May the fathers, the friends of Soma, wipe themselves! May the grandfathers . . . the great-grandfathers, the friends of Soma, wipe themselves!’ or, ‘N.N.! Wash thyself! N.N.! Wash thyself!’
3. [7] On that (grass) he puts down, with downward-turned hands, ending in the south, the lumps (of food for the Fathers). To his father he gives his lump with (the words), ‘This to thee, father, N.N.!’ to the grandfather with (the words), ‘This to thee, grandfather, N.N.!’ to the great-grandfather with (the words), ‘This to thee, great-grandfather, N.N.!’ silently a fourth (lump). This (fourth lump) is optional.
4. Should he not know the names (of the ancestors), he gives the lump to the father with (the words), ‘Svadhâ to the Fathers who dwell on the earth,’ to the grandfather with (the words), ‘Svadhâ to the Fathers who dwell in the air,’ to the great-grandfather with (the words), ‘Svadhâ to the Fathers who dwell in heaven.’
5. Then he gives, corresponding to each lump, collyrium and (other) salve and (something that represents) a garment. [ p. 230 ]
6. [8] The collyrium (he gives), saying three times, ‘Anoint thy eyes, N.N.! Anoint thy eyes, N.N.!’
7. The salve, saying three times, ‘Anoint thyself, N.N.! Anoint thyself, N.N.!’
8. [9] With (the formula), ‘These garments are for you, O Fathers. Do not seize upon anything else that is ours,’ he tears off a skirt (of his garment) or a flake of wool and puts that down (for the Fathers), if he is in the first half of his life.
9. He tears out some hairs of his body, if in the second half.
10. Then he washes the vessel (in which the food was of which he had offered the lumps), and sprinkles (the water with which he has washed it), from right to left round (the lumps) with (the Mantra), ‘These honey-sweet waters, bringing refreshment to children and grandchildren, giving sweet drink and ambrosia to the Fathers, the divine waters refresh both (the living and the dead), these rivers, abounding in water, covered with reeds, with beautiful bathing-places; may they flow up to you in yon world!’ Then he turns the vessel over, crosses his hands so that the left hand becomes right and the right hand becomes left, and worships (the Fathers) with the formulas of adoration, ‘Adoration to you, O Fathers, for the sake of sap’ (Taitt. Samh. III, 2, 5, 5).
11. Then he goes to the brink of some water and pours down three handfuls of water (with the following Mantras):
[ p. 231 ]
1. 'This is for thee, father, this honey-sweet wave, rich in water. As great as Agni and the earth are, so great is its measure, so great is its might. As. such a great one I give it. As Agni is imperishable and inexhaustible, thus may it be imperishable and inexhaustible, sweet drink to my father. By that imperishable (wave), that sweet drink, live thou together with those, N.N.! The Rikas are thy might.
‘This is for thee, grandfather, &c. . . . As great as Vâyu and the air are . . . As Vâyu is imperishable . . . to my grandfather. . . . The Yagus are thy might.
‘This is for thee, great-grandfather, &c. . . . As great as Âditya and the heaven are . . . "The Sâmans are thy might.’
2. Returning (from the place where he has performed the Pinda offerings) he puts the substance cleaving (to the Sthâlî) into the water-pot and pours it out, with (the verse), ‘Go away, O Fathers, friends of Soma, on your hidden, ancient paths. After a month return again to our house and eat our offerings, rich in offspring, in valiant sons.’
3. [10] Thereby the (Srâddha) celebrated in the middle of the rainy season has been declared.
4. There (oblations of) flesh are prescribed;
5. Of vegetables, if there is no flesh.
End of the Fourth Patala.
| Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 3 | Title page | Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 5 |
225:1 10, 1. Comp. Sâṅkhâyana IV, 1; Âsvalâyana II, 5, 10 seq.; IV, 7; Pâraskara III, 10; Gobhila IV, 3. ↩︎
225:4 Comp. above, I, 1, 1, 11 seq. 27; 2, 7 seq. ↩︎
226:6 Comp. Atharva-veda XVIII, 4, 40. ↩︎
226:7 Comp. Sâṅkhâyana III, 13, 5. The translation there given of the words anyam antah pitur dadhe ought to be changed accordingly.—For âbhur anyopapadyatâm read mâtur anyo ऽvapadyatâm as Sâṅkhâyana has. ↩︎
227:1 11, 1. Rig-veda X, 15, 53; Atharva-veda XVIII, 4, 64; Ârivalâyana-Grihya II, 4, 13, &c. Before the verse, ‘Carry the Âriya,’ the Udîriyas, as Mâtridatta states, insert the words, ‘He then makes oblations of Âriya (with the Mantra, &c.).’ According to this reading the words of the second Sûtra, ‘In the same way, &c.,’ would refer only to these last oblations. ↩︎
228:5 Comp. Taittirîya Âranyaka X, 84. ↩︎
229:3 According to the commentary after each formula the words are added, ‘and to those who follow thee;’ comp. Taitt. Samh. I, 8, 5, 1; III, 2, 5, 5; Kâty.-Sraut. IV, 1, 12. ↩︎
230:6 6 seq. A fourth time he gives the same thing silently; comp. Sûtra 3. ↩︎
230:8 8, 9. If his age is under fifty years or over fifty years (Mâtridatta; comp. the commentary on Kâtyâyana-Sraut. IV, 1, 17.18). ↩︎
231:3 Mâdhyâvarsham. Comp. the note on Sâṅkhâyana III, 13, 1. ↩︎