Philosophy and Religion / Grihya-Sûtra

Pâraskara-Grihya-Sûtra: Kânda I

Kandikâ 1

1¹. Now henceforth the performance of the domestic sacrifices of cooked food (will be explained).

2². Having wiped (around the surface on which he intends to perform a sacrifice), having besmeared it (with cowdung), having drawn the lines thereon, having taken the earth out (of the lines), having besprinkled (the place with water), having established the (sacred) fire, having spread out the seat for the Brahman to the south, having carried forward (the Pranîta water), having spread (Kusa grass) round (the fire), having put down (the different things used at the sacrifice) according as they are wanted, having prepared two (Kusa blades used as) strainers, having consecrated the Prokshanî water, having sprinkled (with that water the sacrificial implements) according to what is needed, having poured out (the Âgya or sacrificial butter into the pot), and having put the sacrificial butter on the fire, he should (lustrate the butter by) moving a fire-brand round it.

3. Having warmed the (sacrificial spoon called) Sruva, having wiped it, having besprinkled it (with water), and warmed it again, he should put it down.

4³. Having taken the Âgya from the fire, having purified it, having looked at it, and (having purified) the Prokshanî water as above, having taken up the Kusa blades with which he is to take hold (of the Âgya pot) by its under surface, having put pieces of wood on (the fire), and having sprinkled (water round it), he should sacrifice.

5. This is the rite wherever a sacrifice is performed.

Kandikâ 2

1⁴. The setting up of the Âvasathya (or sacred domestic) fire (is performed) at the time of his wedding.

2⁵. At the time of the division of the inheritance, according to some (teachers).

3⁶. After he has fetched fire from the house of a Vaisya who is rich in cattle,—

4⁷. All ceremonies are performed as at the cooking of the kâtushprâsya food.

5⁸. Some (say that) the handing over of the kindling sticks (should take place),

6⁹. Because the Sruti says, 'There are five great sacrifices.'

7¹⁰. Having cooked a mess of sacrificial food for the deities of the Agnyâdheya, and having sacrificed the two Âgya portions, he sacrifices (the following) Âgya oblations:

8¹¹. 'Thou, Agni' (Vâg. Samhitâ XXI, 3); 'Thus thou, Agni' (Vâg. Samhitâ XXI, 4); 'This, O Varuna' (XXI, 1); 'For this I entreat thee' (XXI, 2); 'Thy hundred' (Kâty.-Sraut. XXV, 1, 11); 'And quick, Agni' (Kâty. l.l.); 'The highest one' (Vâg. Samh. XII, 12); 'Be both to us' (ibid. V, 3)—with (these verses he sacrifices) eight (oblations) before (the oblations of cooked food).

9. Thus he sacrifices also afterwards, after he has made oblations of the mess of cooked food to the deities of the Agnyâdheya.

10. And to (Agni) Svishtakrit,

11¹². With (the formulas), 'Into the quick one (has been put) Agni's (sacrificial portion) over which the word vashat has been spoken;' 'What I have done too much;' 'O gods who know the way.'

12¹³. Having sacrificed the Barhis, he partakes (of the sacrificial food).

13. Then food is given to the Brâhmanas.

Kandikâ 3

1¹⁴. To six persons the Arghya reception is due: to a teacher, to an officiating priest, to the father-in-law, to the king, to a friend, to a Snâtaka.

2¹⁵. They should honour them (with the Arghya reception) once a year.

3. But officiating priests (they should receive) whenever they intend to perform a sacrifice.

4. Having ordered a seat to be got (for the guest), he says, 'Well, sir! sit down! We will do honour to you, sir!'

5. They get for him a couch (of grass) to sit down on, another for the feet, water for washing the feet, the Argha water, water for sipping, and the honey-mixture, i.e. curds, honey, and ghee, in a brass vessel with a brass cover.

6¹⁶. Another person three times announces (to the guest) the couch and the other things (when they are offered to him).

7. He accepts the couch.

8¹⁷. He sits down thereon with (the verse), 'I am the highest one among my people, as the sun among the thunder-bolts. Here I tread on whosoever infests me.'

9¹⁸. With the feet (he treads) on the other (bundle of grass).

10. When he is seated on the couch, he washes (for his guest) the left foot and then the right foot.

11¹⁹. If (the host) is a Brâhmana, the right first.

12²⁰. (He does so) with (the formula), 'The milk of Virâg art thou. The milk of Virâg may I obtain. (May) the milk of Padyâ Virâg (dwell) in me.'

13²¹. He accepts the Arghya water with (the words), 'Waters are ye. May I obtain through you all my wishes.'

14. Pouring it out he recites over (the waters the formula), 'To the ocean I send you; go back to your source. Unhurt be our men. May my sap not be shed.'

15. He sips water with (the formula), 'Thou camest to me with glory. Unite me with lustre. Make me beloved by all creatures, the lord of cattle, unhurtful for the bodies.'

16²². With (the formula), 'With Mitra’s' (Vâg. Samh., Kânvasâkhâ II, 3, 4) he looks at the Madhuparka.

17²³. With (the formula), 'By the impulse of the god Savitri' (Vâg. Samh. l.l.) he accepts it.

18²⁴. Taking it into his left hand he stirs it about three times with the fourth finger of his right hand with (the formula), 'Adoration to the brown-faced One. What has been damaged in thee, when the food was eaten, that I cut off from thee.'

19. And with the fourth finger and the thumb he spirts away (some part of the Madhuparka) three times.

20. He partakes of it three times with (the formula), 'What is the honied, highest form of honey, and the enjoyment of food, by that honied, highest form of honey, and by that enjoyment of food may I become highest, honied, and an enjoyer of food.'

21²⁵. Or with (the verses) that contain the word 'honey,' verse by verse.

22²⁶. Let him give the remainder (of the Madhuparka) to a son or a pupil who is sitting to the north.

23²⁷. Or let him eat the whole of it (himself).

24²⁸. Or he should pour out (the remainder) to the east, at an unfrequented spot.

25. Having sipped water, he touches his bodily organs with (the formula), 'May speech dwell in my mouth, breath in my nose, sight in my eyes, hearing in my ears, strength in my arms, vigour in my thighs. May my limbs be unhurt, may my body be united with my body!'

26. When (the guest) has sipped water, (the host), holding a butcher's knife, says to him three times, 'A cow!'

27. He replies, 'The mother of the Rudras, the daughter of the Vasus, the sister of the Âdityas, the navel of immortality. To the people who understand me, I say, "Do not kill the guiltless cow, which is Aditi." I kill my sin and N.N.'s sin,'—thus, if he chooses to have it killed.

28. But if he chooses to let it loose, he should say, 'My sin and N.N.'s sin has been killed. Om! Let it loose! Let it eat grass!'

29²⁹. But let the Argha not be without flesh.

30. On the occasion of a sacrifice and of a wedding let (the guest) say, 'Make it (ready).'

31³⁰. Even if he performs more than one Soma sacrifice during one year, let only priests who have received (from him) the Arghya reception, officiate for him, not such who have not received it; for this has been prescribed in the Sruti.

Kandikâ 4

1³¹. There are four kinds of Pâkayagñas, viz. the huta, the ahuta, the prahuta, and the prâsita.

2. On the following five occasions, viz. the wedding, the tonsure (of the child's head), the initiation (of the Brahmakârin), the cutting of the beard, and the parting of the hair, (on these occasions) in the outer hall,

3. On a place that has been smeared (with cow-dung), which is elevated, and which has been sprinkled (with water), he establishes the fire,

4. Having kindled it by attrition, according to some teachers, at his marriage.

5. During the northern course of the sun, in the time of the increasing moon, on an auspicious day he shall seize the hand of a girl,

6³². Under one of the (three times) three Nakshatras of which a constellation designated as Uttara is first,

7. Or under (the Nakshatras) Svâti, Mrigasiras, or Rohinî.

8. Three (wives are allowed) to a Brâhmana, in accordance with the order of the castes,

9. Two to a Râganya,

10. One to a Vaisya,

11. One Sûdra wife besides to all, according to some (teachers), without using Mantras (at the ceremonies of wedding, &c.).

12³³. He then makes her put on the (under) garment with (the verse), 'Live to old age; put on the garment! Be a protectress of the human tribes against imprecation. Live a hundred years full of vigour; clothe thyself in wealth and children. Blessed with life put on this garment!'

13³⁴. Then the upper garment with (the verse), 'The goddesses who spun, who wove, who spread out, and who drew out the threads on both sides, may those goddesses clothe thee for the sake of long life. Blessed with life put on this garment!'

14³⁵. (The bride's father?) anoints the two, (while the bridegroom recites the verse,) 'May the Visve devâs, may the waters unite our hearts. May Mâtarisvan, may Dhâtri, may Deshtrî (the 'showing' goddess) join us.'

15. (The bridegroom), having accepted her who is given away by her father, takes her and goes away (from that place) with (the verse), 'When thou wanderest far away with thy heart to the regions of the world like the wind, may the gold-winged Vaikarna (i.e. the wind?) grant that thy heart may dwell with me! N.N.!'

16³⁶. He then makes them look at each other (while the bridegroom repeats the verses), 'With no evil eye, not bringing death to thy husband, bring luck to the cattle, be full of joy and vigour. Give birth to heroes; be godly and friendly. Bring us luck, to men and animals.

'Soma has acquired (thee) first (as his wife); after him the Gandharva has acquired (thee). Thy third husband is Agni; the fourth is thy human husband.

'Soma has given thee to the Gandharva; the Gandharva has given thee to Agni. Wealth and children Agni has given to me, and besides this wife.

'Pûshan! Lead her to us, the highly blessed one. Sâ na ûrû usatî vihara, yasyâm usantah praharâma sepam yasyâm u kâmâ bahavo nivishtyâ (nivishtâ?) iti.'

Kandikâ 5

1. Having led her around the fire, keeping it on his right side, according to some (teachers)—

2. Having pushed with his right foot a bundle of grass or a mat to the west of the fire, he sits down.

3³⁷. While (the bride) touches him, (the following oblations are made:) the two Âghâra oblations, the two Âgya portions, the Mahâvyâhritis, the general expiation, the Prâgâpatya oblation, and the Svishtakrit.

4. These are regular (oblations) at every sacrifice.

5. The Svishtakrit comes before the Mahâvyâhritis, if the sacrificial food is different from Âgya.

6³⁸. The place for the insertion (of the peculiar oblations belonging to the different sacrifices) is the interval between the general expiation and the oblation to Pragâpati.

7. At the wedding (he may make oblations) with the Râshtrabhrit formulas (i.e. the formulas procuring royal power), if he likes, and with the Gaya and Abhyâtâna formulas (i.e. the formulas procuring victory, and aiming [at the hostile powers]), if he knows them—

8³⁹. Because it has been said, 'By what sacrifice he wishes to attain success.'

9⁴⁰. (The Gaya formulas run thus): 'Thought and thinking. Intention and intending. The understood and understanding. The mind and the Sakvarî (verses). The new moon and the full moon. Brihat and Rathantara.

'Pragâpati, the powerful one in victorious battles, has given victories (or, the Gaya formulas) to manly Indra. To him all subjects bowed down; he has become powerful and worthy of sacrifice. Svâhâ!

10⁴¹. (The Abhyâtâna formulas run thus): 'May Agni, the lord of beings, protect me. May Indra, (the lord) of the noblest, Yama, of the earth, Vâyu, of the air, the Sun, of heaven, the Moon, of the Nakshatras, Brihaspati, of the Brahman, Mitra, of truth, Varuna, of the waters, the sea, of the rivers, food, the lord of royalty, protect me. May Soma, (the lord) of herbs, Savitri, of impulses, Rudra, of cattle, Tvashtri, of forms, Vishnu, of mountains, the Maruts, the lords of hosts, protect me. May the fathers, the grandfathers, the former, the later, the fathers, the grandfathers protect me here in this power of holiness, in this worldly power, in this prayer, in this Purohitaship, in this sacrifice, in this invocation of the gods. Svâhâ!'—this is added each time.

11. (He then makes other oblations with the following texts:)

'May Agni come hither, the first of gods. May he release the offspring of this wife from the fetter of death. That may this king Varuna grant, that this wife may not weep over distress (falling to her lot) through her sons. Svâhâ!

'May Agni Gârhapatya protect this woman. May he lead her offspring to old age. With fertile womb may she be the mother of living children. May she experience delight in her sons. Svâhâ!

'Make, Agni, all ways of heaven and earth blissful to us, O thou who art worthy of sacrifices. What is great, born on this (earth); and praised, (born) in heaven, that bestow on us, rich treasures. Svâhâ!

'Come hither, showing us an easy path. Give us bright, undecaying life. May death go away; may immortality come to us. May Vivasvat's son make us safe from danger. Svâhâ!

12. And the (verse), 'Another way, O death' (Vâg. Samh. XXXV, 7), after the eating (of the remnant of the sacrificial food), according to some (teachers).

Kandikâ 6

1⁴². The girl's brother pours out of his joined hands into her joined hands fried grain mixed with Samî leaves.

2⁴³. This she sacrifices, with firmly joined hands, standing, (while the bridegroom recites the verses,)

'To the god Aryaman the girls have made sacrifice, to Agni; may he, god Aryaman, loosen us from here, and not from the husband. Svâhâ!

'This woman, strewing grains, prays thus, "May my husband live long; may my relations be prosperous." Svâhâ!

'These grains I throw into the fire: may this bring prosperity to thee, and may it unite me with thee. May Agni grant us that. N.N.! Svâhâ!'

3⁴⁴. He then seizes her right hand together with the thumb, with (the verses),

'I seize thy hand for the sake of happiness, that thou mayst live to old age with me, thy husband. Bhaga, Aryaman, Sâvitrî, Purandhi, the gods have given thee to me that we may rule our house.

'This am I, that art thou; that art thou, this am I. The Sâman am I, the Rik thou; the heaven I, the earth thou.

'Come! Let us marry. Let us unite our sperm. Let us beget offspring. Let us acquire many sons, and may they reach old age.

'Loving, bright, with genial minds may we see a hundred autumns, may we live a hundred autumns, may we hear a hundred autumns!'

Kandikâ 7

1⁴⁵. He then makes her tread on a stone, to the north of the fire, with her right foot, (repeating the verse,) 'Tread on this stone; like a stone be firm. Tread the foes down; turn away the enemies.'

2. He then sings a song: 'Sarasvatî! Promote this (our undertaking), O gracious one, bountiful one, thou whom we sing first of all that is, in whom what is, has been born, in whom this whole world dwells—that song I will sing to-day which will be the highest glory of women.'

3. They then go round (the fire) with (the verse, which the bridegroom repeats,)

'To thee they have in the beginning carried round Sûryâ (the Sun-bride) with the bridal procession. Mayst thou give back, Agni, to the husbands the wife together with offspring.'

4⁴⁶. Thus (the same rites are repeated) twice again, beginning from the fried grain.

5⁴⁷. The fourth time she pours the whole fried grain by the neb of a basket (into the fire) with (the words), 'To Bhaga svâhâ!'

6. After he has led her round (the fire) three times, and has sacrificed the oblation to Pragâpati—

Kandikâ 8

1⁴⁸. Then he makes her step forward in a northern direction seven steps (with the words),

'One for sap, two for juice, three for the prospering of wealth, four for comfort, five for cattle, six for the seasons. Friend! be with seven steps (united to me). So be thou devoted to me.'

2. (The words), 'May Vishnu lead thee' are added to every part (of the formula).

3⁴⁹. From the moment of their going away a man who holds a water-pot on his shoulder, stands silent to the south of the fire;

4. To the north, (according to the opinion) of some (teachers).

5. From that (pot) he sprinkles her (with water) on her head (with the formula),

'The blessed, the most blessed waters, the peaceful ones, the most peaceful ones, may they give medicine to thee'—

6. And with the three (verses), Ye waters are' (Vâg. Samh. XI, 50-52).

7. He then makes her look at the sun with (the verse), 'That eye' (Vâg. Samh. XXXVI, 24.).

8⁵⁰. He then touches her heart, (reaching) over her right shoulder, with (the words), 'Into my will I take thy heart; thy mind shall follow my mind; in my word thou shalt rejoice with all thy heart; may Pragâpati join thee to me.'

9⁵¹. He then recites over her (the verse), 'Auspicious ornaments does this woman wear. Come up to her and behold her. Having brought luck to her, go away back to your houses.'

10⁵². A strong man snatches her up from the ground, and sets her down in an eastern or northern direction in an out-of-the-way house, on a red bull's hide, with (the words),

'Here may the cows sit down, here the horses, here the men. Here may sacrifice with a thousand gifts, here may Pûshan sit down.'

11. And what (the people in) the village tell them, that they should do.

12⁵³. For it is said, 'At weddings and funerals he shall enter the village;'

13. (And) because the Sruti says, 'Therefore on these two occasions authority rests with the village.'

14. To the teacher (who helps at the wedding ceremonies) he gives an optional gift.

15⁵⁴. A cow is the optional gift to be given by a Brâhmana,

16. A village by a Râganya,

17. A horse by a Vaisya.

18⁵⁵. A hundred (cows) with a chariot (he gives to a father) who has only daughters.

19⁵⁶. After sunset he shows her the firm star (i.e. the polar-star) with (the words),

'Firm art thou; I see thee, the firm one. Firm be thou with me, O thriving one!

'To me Brihaspati has given thee; obtaining offspring through me, thy husband, live with me a hundred autumns.'

20. If she does not see (the polar-star), let her say notwithstanding, 'I see,' &c.

21⁵⁷. Through a period of three nights they shall eat no saline food; they shall sleep on the ground; through one year they shall refrain from conjugal intercourse, or through a period of twelve nights, or of six nights, or at least of three nights.

Kandikâ 9

1⁵⁸. Beginning from the wedding the worshipping of the Aupâsana (i.e. sacred domestic) fire (is prescribed).

2⁵⁹. After sunset and before sunrise (the fire should be worshipped) with (oblations of) curds, (rice) grains, or fried grains.

3. (He sacrifices) in the evening with (the formulas), 'To Agni svâhâ! To Pragâpati svâhâ!'

4. In the morning with (the formulas), 'To Sûrya svâhâ! To Pragâpati svâhâ!'

5⁶⁰. 'Men are both Mitra and Varuna; men are both the Asvins; men are Indra and Sûrya. May a man be born in me! Again svâhâ!'—with (this verse) a wife who desires to conceive, (should offer) the first (oblation).

Kandikâ 10

1⁶¹. If (in the chariot) of a king the axle breaks, or something that is bound loosens itself, or the chariot is overturned, or if another accident happens, or (if one of these same things occurs) when a bride is carried home, he establishes the same fire, prepares Âgya, and sacrifices (two Âgya oblations) separately with the two Mantras, 'Here is joy' (Vâg. Samh. VIII, 51 a).

2. Having got ready another chariot, he (i.e. the Purohita or the bridegroom) should make the king or the woman sit down thereon with (the formula), 'In royal power' down to the word, 'in sacrifice' (Vâg. Samh. XX, 10), and with the (verse), 'I have seized thee' (ibid. XII, 11).

3. The two beasts that draw the chariot, constitute the sacrificial fee.

4. (This is) the penance.

5. Then (follows) feeding of the Brâhmanas.

Kandikâ 11

1. In the fourth night (after the wedding), towards morning, (the husband) establishes the fire within (the house), assigns his seat, to the south (of it), to the Brahman, places a pot of water to the north, cooks a mess of sacrificial food, sacrifices the two Âgya portions, and makes (other) Âgya oblations with (the following Mantras):

2⁶². 'Agni! Expiation! Thou art the expiation of the gods. I, the Brâhmana, entreat thee, desirous of protection. The substance which dwells in her that brings death to her husband, that extirpate in her. Svâhâ!

'Vâyu! Expiation! Thou art the expiation of the gods. I, the Brâhmana, entreat thee, desirous of protection. The substance which dwells in her that brings death to her children, that extirpate in her. Svâhâ!

'Sûrya! Expiation! Thou art the expiation of the gods. I, the Brâhmana, entreat thee, desirous of protection. The substance which dwells in her that brings death to cattle, that extirpate in her. Svâhâ!

'Kandra! Expiation! Thou art the expiation of the gods. I, the Brâhmana, entreat thee, desirous of protection. The substance which dwells in her that brings destruction to the house, that extirpate in her. Svâhâ!

'Gandharva! Expiation! Thou art the expiation of the gods. I, the Brâhmana, entreat thee, desirous of protection. The substance which dwells in her that brings destruction to fame, that extirpate in her. Svâhâ!'

3. He sacrifices of the mess of cooked food with (the words), 'To Pragâpati svâhâ!'

4⁶³. Each time after he has sacrificed, he pours the remainder of the oblations into the water-pot, and out of that (pot) he besprinkles her on her head with (the words), 'The evil substance which dwells in thee that brings death to thy husband, death to thy children, death to cattle, destruction to the house, destruction to fame, that I change into one that brings death to thy paramour. Thus live with me to old age, N.N.!'

5. He then makes her eat the mess of cooked food with (the words), 'I add breath to thy breath, bones to thy bones, flesh to thy flesh, skin to thy skin.'

6⁶⁴. Therefore one should not wish for sport with the wife of a Srotriya who knows this; for the other one is a person who knows this (and is thereby enabled to destroy a lover of his wife).

7. After he has led her to his house, be should cohabit with her after each of her monthly periods,

8⁶⁵. Or as he likes, because it has been said, 'May we have intercourse as we like, until a child is born.'

9⁶⁶. He then touches her heart, (reaching) over her right shoulder, with (the verse), 'O thou whose hair is well parted! Thy heart that dwells in heaven, in the moon, that I know; may it know me. May we see a hundred autumns; may we live a hundred autumns; may we hear a hundred autumns.'

10. In the same way afterwards.

Kandikâ 12

1⁶⁷. At the beginning of each half-month he cooks a mess of sacrificial food, sacrifices to the deities of the festivals of the new and full moon (as stated in the Srauta ritual), and then sacrifices to the following deities: to Brahman, to Pragâpati, to the Visve devâs, and to Heaven and Earth.

2⁶⁸. To the Visve devâs a Bali is offered, to the domestic deities, and to Âkâsa (i.e. the Ether).

3⁶⁹. From the Vaisvadeva food he makes oblations in the fire with (the formulas), 'To Agni svâhâ! To Pragâpati svâhâ! To the Visve devâs svâhâ! To Agni Svishtakrit svâhâ!'

4. Outside (the house) the wife offers the Bali with (the formulas), 'Adoration to the wife! Adoration to the man! To every time of life, adoration! To the white one with the black teeth, the lord of the bad women, adoration!

'They who allure my offspring, dwelling in the village or in the forest, to them be adoration; I offer a Bali to them. Be welfare to me! May they give me offspring.'

5. The remainder he washes out with water. Then (follows) feeding of the Brâhmanas.

Kandikâ 13

1⁷⁰. If she does not conceive, he should, after having fasted, under (the Nakshatra) Pushya, lay down (in his house) the root of a white-blooming Simhî plant, and on the fourth day, after (his wife) has bathed, he should in the night-time crush it in water and insert it into her right nostril with (the verse), 'This herb is protecting, overcoming, and powerful. May I, the son of this great (mother), obtain the name of a father!'

Kandikâ 14

1. Now the Pumsavana (i.e. the ceremony to secure the birth of a male child),

2. Before (the child in his mother's womb) moves, in the second or third month (of pregnancy).

3⁷¹. On a day on which the moon stands in conjunction with a Nakshatra (that has a name) of masculine gender, on that day, after having caused (his wife) to fast, to bathe, and to put on two garments which have not yet been washed, and after having in the night-time crushed in water descending roots and shoots of a Nyagrodha tree, he inserts (that into her right nostril) as above, with the two (verses), 'The gold-child' (Vâg. Samh. XIII, 4) and 'Formed of water' (ibid. XXXI, 17);

4⁷². A Kusa needle and a Soma stalk, according to some (teachers).

5⁷³. And he puts gall of a tortoise on her lap.

If he desires; 'May (the son) become valiant,' he recites over him (i.e. over the embryo), modifying the rite (?), 'The Suparna art thou' (Vâg. Samh. XII, 4), (the Yagus) before (the formulas called) 'steps of Vishnu.'

Kandikâ 15

1. Now the Sîmantonnayana (or parting of the pregnant wife's hair).

2⁷⁴. (it is performed) like the Pumsavana;

3. In her first pregnancy, in the sixth or eighth month.

4⁷⁵. After he has cooked a mess of sacrificial food, containing sesamum and Mudga beans, and has sacrificed to Pragâpati, he parts for the wife, who is seated to the west of the fire on a soft chair, her hair upwards (i.e. beginning from the front) with a bunch containing an even number of unripe Udumbara fruits, and with three bunches of Darbha grass, with a porcupine's quill that has three white spots, with a stick of Vîratara wood, and with a full spindle. with the words, 'Bhûr bhuvah svah.'

5. Or (he parts the hair once) with each of the (three) Mahâvyâhritis.

6⁷⁶. He ties (the Udumbara fruits, &c.) to a string of three twisted threads with (the words), 'Rich in sap is this tree; like the tree, rich in sap, be thou fruitful.'

7⁷⁷. (The husband) then says to two lute-players, 'Sing ye the king, or if anybody else is still more valiant.'

8⁷⁸. Here some also prescribe a certain stanza (to be sung by the lute-players): 'Soma alone is our king. May these human tribes dwell on thy banks, O (river) whose dominion is unbroken, N.N.!'—here he names the name of the river near which they dwell.

9. Then (follows) feeding of the Brâhmanas.

Kandikâ 16

1⁷⁹. Soshyantîm adbhir abhyukshaty egatu dasamâsya iti (Vâg. Samh. VIII, 28) prâg yasyai to iti (ibid. 29).

2⁸⁰. Athâvarâvapatanam, avaitu prisni sevalam sune garâyv attave, naiva mâmsena pîvari na kasmims kanâyatam ava garâyu padyatâm iti.

3. When the boy is born, he performs for him, before the navel-string is cut off, the medhâganana (production of intelligence) and the âyushya (rite for procuring long life).

4⁸¹. (The medhâganana is performed in the following way:) With his fourth finger and with (an instrument of) gold he gives (to the child) honey and ghee, or ghee (alone), to eat with (the formulas), 'Bhûh I put into thee; bhuvah I put into thee; svah I put into thee. Bhûr bhuvah svah everything I put into thee.'

5. He then performs the âyushya.

6. Near his navel or his right ear he murmurs: 'Agni is long-lived; through the trees he is long-lived. By that long life I make thee long-lived.

'Soma is long-lived; through the herbs he is, &c.

'The Brahman is long-lived; through the Brâhmanas it is, &c.

'The gods are long-lived; through ambrosia (amrita) they are, &c.

'The Rishis are long-lived; through their observances they are, &c.

'The Fathers are long-lived; through the Svadhâ oblations (or oblations made to the Manes) they are, &c.

'Sacrifice is long-lived; through sacrificial fee it is, &c.

'The ocean is long-lived; through the rivers it is long-lived. By that long life I make thee long-lived;'

7. And three times the verse, 'The threefold age' (Vâg. Samh. III, 62).

8. If he desires, 'May he live his full term of life,' he should touch him with the Vâtsapra hymn (Vâg. Samh. XII, 18-29).

9. From the Anuvâka beginning with 'From heaven' (XII, 18 seqq.) he omits the last Rik (XII, 29).

10. Having placed five Brâhmanas towards the (five) regions, he should say to them, 'Breathe ye upon this (child).'

11⁸². The (Brâhmana placed) to the east should say, Up-breathing!

12. The one to the south, 'Back-breathing!'

13. The one to the west, 'Down-breathing!'

14. The one to the north, 'Out-breathing!'

15. The fifth one, looking upwards, should say, 'On-breathing!'

16. Or (the father) may do that himself, going round (his child), if he can find no (Brâhmanas).

17⁸³. He recites over the place at which (the child) is born: 'I know, O earth, thy heart that dwells in heaven, in the moon. That I know; may it know me. May we see a hundred autumns; may we live a hundred autumns; may we hear a hundred autumns.'

18⁸⁴. He then touches him with (the verse), 'Be a stone, be an axe, be imperishable gold. Thou indeed art the Self called son; thus live a hundred autumns.'

19⁸⁵. He then recites over his mother (the verse), 'Thou art Idâ, the daughter of Mitra and Varuna; thou strong woman hast born a strong son. Be thou blessed with strong children, thou who hast blessed us with a strong son.'

20. He then washes her right breast, and gives it to the child with (the verse), 'This breast' (Vâg. Samh. XVII, 87);

21⁸⁶. The left (breast) with (the verse), 'Thy breast which' (ibid. XXXVIII, 5)—with these two (verses).

22. He puts down a pot of water near her head with (the verse), 'O waters, you watch with the gods. As you watch with the gods, thus watch over this mother who is confined, and her child.'

23⁸⁷. Having established near the door the fire that has been kept from (the wife's) confinement, he throws into that fire at the time of the morning and evening twilight, until (the mother) gets up (from childbed), mustard seeds mixed with rice chaff (pronouncing the following names of demons and goblins): 'May Sanda and Marka, Upavîra, Saundikeya, Ulûkhala, Malimluka, Dronâsa, Kyavana vanish hence. Svâhâ!

'May Âlikhat, Animisha, Kimvadanta, Upasruti, Haryaksha, Kumbhin, Satru, Pâtrapâni, Nrimani, Hantrîmukha, Sarshapâruna, Kyavana vanish hence. Svâhâ!'

24⁸⁸. If (the demon bringing disease) Kumâra attacks the boy, the father covers him with a net or with an upper garment, takes him on his lap, and murmurs: Kûrkura, Sukûrkura, Kûrkura, who holds fast children. Ket! ket! doggy! let him loose. Reverence be to thee, the Sîsara, barker, bender.

'That is true that the gods have given a boon to thee. Hast thou then chosen even this boy?

'Ket! ket! doggy! let him loose. Reverence be to thee, the Sîsara, barker, bender.

'That is true that (the divine she-dog) Saramâ is thy mother, Sîsara thy father, the black and the speckled (two dogs of Yama) thy brothers.

'Ket! ket! doggy! let him loose. Reverence be to thee, the Sîsara, barker, bender.'

25. He then touches (the boy) with (the words), 'He does not suffer, he does not cry, he is not stiff, he is not sick, when we speak to him and when we touch him.'

Kandikâ 17

1⁸⁹. On the tenth day (after the birth of the child) the father, having made (his wife) get up, and having fed the Brâhmanas, gives a name (to the child),

2. Of two syllables, or of four syllables beginning with a sonant, with a semivowel in it, with a long vowel (or) the Visarga (at its end), with a Krit (suffix), not with a Taddhita;

3. With an uneven number of syllables, ending in â, with a Taddhita (suffix) to a girl.

4. (The name) of a Brâhmana (should end in) sarman (for inst. Vishnusarman), that of a Kshatriya in varman (for inst. Lakshmîvarman), that of a Vaisya in gupta (for inst. Kandragupta).

5. In the forth month (follows) the going out.

6. He makes (the child) look at the sun, pronouncing (the verse), 'That eye' (Vâg. Samhitâ XXXVI, 24).

Kandikâ 18

1⁹⁰. When he returns from a journey, he approaches his house in the manner stated above.

2. When he sees his son, he murmurs, 'From limb by limb thou art produced; out of the heart thou art born. Thou indeed art the Self called son; so live a hundred autumns!'

3. He then kisses his head with (the words), 'With the himkâra (the mystical syllable hiṅ) of Pragâpati, which gives thousandfold life, I kiss thee, N.N.! Live a hundred autumns!'—

4. And three times with (the words), 'With the himkâra of the cows.'

5⁹¹. In his right ear he murmurs, 'Bestow on us, O bountiful, onward-pressing Indra, plentiful, rich treasures. Give us a hundred autumns to live; give us many heroes, strong jawed Indra;'

6⁹². In the left ear, 'Indra, bestow on us the best treasures, insight of mind, happiness, increase of wealth, health of our bodies, sweetness of speech, and that our days may be good days.'

7. For a girl he only kisses the head silently.

Kandikâ 19

1. In the sixth month the Annaprâsana (or first feeding with solid food).

2⁹³. Having cooked a mess of sacrificial food, and sacrificed the two Âgyabhâgas, he offers two Âgya oblations, (the first with the verse,) 'The gods have generated the goddess Speech; manifold animals speak her forth. May she, the sweet-sounding, the cow that (for milk) gives sap and juice to us, Speech, the highly-praised one, come to us. Svâhâ!'

3. And the second (oblation) with (the verse), 'May vigour us to-day' (Vâg. Samhitâ XVIII, 33).

4. He then sacrifices (four oblations) of cooked food with (the formulas),

'Through up-breathing may I enjoy food. Svâhâ!

'Through down-breathing may I enjoy smells. Svâhâ!

'Through my eye may I enjoy visible things. Svâhâ!

'Through my ear may I enjoy renown. Svâhâ!'

5. After he has eaten (himself), he should set apart food of all kinds, and of all different sorts of flavour, and should give it to him (i.e. to his son) to eat,

6⁹⁴. Silently or with (the word), 'Hanta' (i.e. Well!). For it is said in the Sruti, 'Men (live on) the word hanta.'

7. (He feeds the child) with flesh of (the bird called) Bhâradvâgî, if he wishes (to the child) fluency of speech,

8. With flesh of partridge, if abundance of nourishment,

9. With fish, if swiftness,

10. (With flesh) of (the bird) Krikashâ, if long life,

11. (With flesh) of (the bird) Âti, if desirous of holy lustre,

12. With all, if desirous of all.

13. Or each (sort of) food one by one. Then (follows) feeding of the Brâhmanas, or each (sort of) food one by one. Then feeding of the Brâhmanas.

End of the First Kânda.

Footnotes

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE