| Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 4 | Title page | Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 6 |
[ p. 232 ]
1. [1] We shall explain (the festival of) the Ashtakâ.
2. The eighth day of the dark fortnight that follows after the full moon of Mâgha, is called Ekâsntakâ.
3. On the day before that Ashtakâ, under (the Nakshatra) Anûrâdhâs, in the afternoon he puts wood on the fire, strews southward-pointed and eastward-pointed Darbha grass around it, and turns rice out of four shallow cups over which he has laid one purifier, with (the Mantra), 'I turn out, impelled by the god Savit_ri_, this cake prepared from four cups (of rice), which may drive away all suffering from the Fathers in the other world. On the impulse of the god Savit_ri_, with the arms of the two Atvins, with Pûshan’s hands I turn thee out, agreeable to the fathers, the grandfathers, the great-grandfathers.’
4. [2] With the same purifier he silently strains the Prokshadî water; he silently sprinkles (with that water the rice and the vessels), silently husks (the rice), silently bakes it in four dishes like a Purodâda, sprinkles (Âdya) on it, takes it from the fire, sprinkles (water) round (the fire) from right to left, and puts a piece of Udumbara wood on (the fire). With the (spoon called) Darvi which is made of Udumbara wood, he cuts off in one continual line which is directed towards south-east, (the Avadâna portions) [ p. 233 ] one after the other, spreading under and sprinkling over them (Âdya), and sacrifices them, one after the other, in one continual line which is directed towards south-east, with (the Mantras), 'The mortars, the pressing-stones have made their noise, preparing the annual offering. Ekâshdakâ! May we be rich in offspring, in valiant sons, the lords of wealth. Svadhâ! Adoration!
‘God Agni! The cake which is prepared with ghee and accompanied by (the word) svadhâ, that the Fathers may satiate themselves—(this our) offering carry duly, Agni. I, the son, sacrifice an oblation to my fathers. Svadhâ! Adoration!
‘Here is a cake, Agni, prepared from four cups (of rice), with ghee, rich in milk, in wealth, in prosperity. May the Fathers gladly accept it all together; may it be well sacrificed and well offered by me. Svadhâ! Adoration!’
5. Then he makes oblations of (other) food with (the verses), ‘The one who shone forth as the first,’ ‘The Ekâshtakâ, devoting herself to austerities,’ ‘She who shone forth as the first’ (Taitt. Sathitâ IV, 3, 11, I. 3. 5).
6. Cutting off (the Avadânas destined for the Svishtaktt oblation) together from the cake and from the (other) food and mixing them with clarified butter, he makes an oblation thereof with (the formula), ‘To Agni Kavyavâhana Svishtaktt svadhâ! Adoration!’
7. [3] That (cake) with ghee and honey and with the food (mentioned in Sûtras 5. 6) he touches in the way prescribed for the Srâddha ceremony and puts [ p. 234 ] down lumps (of it) according to the ritual of the Pinda offerings.
8. (The remains of) that (cake, &c.) he serves to learned Brâhmanas.
9. He gives them food and presents as at the Srâddha ceremony.
10. [4] The known (rites) down to the pouring out of the handfuls of water (are performed here) as at the monthly (Srâddha).
1. On the following day he sacrifices a cow to the Fathers.
2. [5] Having put wood on the fire and strewn southward-pointed and eastward-pointed Darbha grass around it, he sacrifices the oblation for the touching of the animal (see below), with (the verse), ‘This cow I touch for the Fathers; may my assembled fathers gladly accept it (which is offered) with fat and ghee, with the word svadhâ; may it satiate my fathers in the other world. Svadhâ! Adoration!’ Then he touches (the cow) with one (blade of) sacrificial grass and with an unforked Vapâsrapasî of Udumbara wood, with (the formula), ‘I touch thee agreeable to the Fathers.’
3. He sprinkles (the cow with water) with (the words), ‘I sprinkle thee agreeable to the Fathers.’
4. [6] When it has been sprinkled and fire has been [ p. 235 ] carried round it, they kill it to the west of the fire, its head being turned to the west, its feet to the south.
5. [7] After it has been killed, he silently ‘strengthens’ its sense-organs (by touching them) with water, and silently takes out the omentum, the heart, and the kidneys.
6. With the Vapâsrapasî of Udumbara wood he roasts the omentum; with spits of Udumbara wood the other (parts mentioned in Sûtra 5) separately.
7. After he has roasted them, and has sprinkled Âgya over them, and has taken them from the fire, he sprinkles water round (the fire) from right to left, puts a piece of Udumbara wood on (the fire), and sacrifices with a Darvi spoon of Udumbara wood the omentum, spreading under and sprinkling over it (Âgya), with (the verse), ‘Carry the omentum, Gâtavedas, to the Fathers, where thou knowest them resting afar. May streams of fat flow to them; may their wishes with all their desires be fulfilled. Svadhâ! Adoration!’
8. [8] He sacrifices the omentum entirely. The other parts (Sûtra 5) he should offer to the Brâhmanas and should feed them (with those parts of the cow).
9. When the food (for the Brâhmanas) is ready, he cuts off (the Avadânas) together from the mess of boiled rice, and from the pieces of meat, and mixing them with clarified butter he makes oblations [ p. 236 ] thereof with the verses, ‘Behold the Ekâshnakâ, the giver of food with meat and ghee, (which is offered) with (the word) svadhâ. By the Brâhmanas that food is purified. May it be an imperishable (blessing) to me! Svadhâ! Adoration!’
‘The Ekâshtakâ, devoting herself to austerities, the consort of the year, exuberant (with milk), has poured forth milk. May you live on that milk, O Fathers, all together. May this (food) be well offered and well sacrificed by me! Svadhâ! Adoration!
‘The image of the year’ (Taitt. Samh. V, 7, 2, 1).
10. After he has sacrificed, he cuts off (the Avadânas) from the food and from the pieces of meat, and mixing them with clarified butter he makes an oblation with (the formula), ‘To Agni Kavyavâhana Svishtaktt svadhâ! Adoration!’
11. [9] The known (rites) down to the pouring out of the handfuls of water (are performed here) as at the monthly (Srâddha).
12. [10] The gifts of food and presents, however, are not necessary here.
13. [11] On the following day, he prepares food for the Fathers with the rest of the meat, and sacrifices with (the two verses), ‘Thou, Agni, art quick,’ (and), Pragâpati!’ (see above, I, 1, 3, 5).
14. (= Sûtra 11).
End of the Fifth Patala.
| Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 4 | Title page | Grihya Sûtra of Hiranyakesin — Prasna II, Patala 6 |
232:1 14, 1. Hiranyakenin describes only one Ashnakâ, the Ekâshnakâ, while the other texts speak of three or four Ashnakâs; comp. the quotations in the note on Sâṅkhâyana III, 12, 1. ↩︎
232:4 The rules of the Srauta ritual regarding the baking of the Purodâda are given by Hillebrandt, Neu- and Vollmondsopfer, p. 43. ↩︎
233:7 Comp. above, chap. II, 4; 12, 2 seq. ↩︎
234:10 See above, chap. 12, 13. ↩︎
234:2 15, 2. On the Vapâsrapasî, comp. Kâtyâyana VI, 5, 7; Âsval.-Gshya I, II, 8. Comp. besides, Taitt. Sash. VI, 3, 6; Âpastamba-Srauta-sûtra VII, 8, 3; 12, 5 seq. ↩︎
234:4 The Udîriyas read, as Mâtridatta states, ‘to the south of the fire.’ ↩︎
235:5 On the ‘strengthening’ of the sense-organs of an immolated victim, comp. Âpastamba-Srauta-sûtra VII, 18, 6 seq. Schwab, Thieropfer, 110.—On matasne, see Indische Studien, IX, 248; Schwab 127. ↩︎
235:8 Possibly the reading of the Udîriyas indicated by Mâtridatta, vyâkritya instead of upâkritya, is correct. The translation would be, ‘With the rest, distributing it, &c.’ ↩︎
236:11 See above, chap. 14, 10. ↩︎
236:12 See chap. 14, 9. ↩︎
236:13 This is the so-called Anvashtakya ceremony. ↩︎