The Grihya-Sûtras: Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies, Part I — SBE Vol. 29 (trans. Hermann Oldenberg, 1886)

Sinkhayana I, 18, 3; 14, 1; Asvaldyana I, 7, 13.
3. Rig-veda X, 85, 36; Sinkhayana I, 13, 4, &c.
7, 1. Asvaldyana-Grthya I, 7, 7; Sankhayana-Grrhya I, 13, 12.

I KAnpDA, 8 KANDIKA, I. 283

verse,) ‘Tread on this stone; like a stone be firm. Tread the foes down ; turn away the enemies.’

2. He then sings a song: ‘Sarasvatt! 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
Sfrya (the Sun-bride) with the bridal procession.
Mayst thou give back, Agni, to the husbands the
wife together with offspring.’

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

5. The fourth time she pours the whole fried grain by the neb of a basket (into the fire) with (the words), ‘To Bhaga svaha!’

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

KawpikA 8.

1. 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.’

4. See chap. 6, 1.

5. Comp. Khadira-Grthya I, 3: sfirpena sish/4n agnav opya pragudifim utkramayet. See also Gobhila II, 2; Asvalayana I, 7, 14.

8, 1. The parallel texts have sakh4 and saptapadi for sakhe and saptapada of P4raskara.

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2. (The words), ‘May Vishzu lead thee’ are added to every part (of the formula).

3. 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’
(Vag. Samh. XI, 50-52).

7. He then makes her look at the sun with (the verse), ‘That eye’ (Vag. Samh. XX XVI, 24).

8. 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 Pragdpati join thee to me.’

9. 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.’

10. A strong man snatches her up from the

3. See above, I, 4, 15. The water mentioned here is designated as sthey4 4pah; see Sankhayana-Grzhya I, 13, 5 seq.; Grthya-samgraha II, 26. 35.

8. See the note on Sankhayana-Grehya II, 3, 3.

g. Rig-veda X, 85, 33.

A strong man snatches her up from the

3. See above, I, 4, 15. The water mentioned here is designated as sthey4 4pah; see Sankhayana-Grzhya I, 13, 5 seq.; Grthya-samgraha II, 26. 35.

8. See the note on Sankhayana-Grehya II, 3, 3.

g. Rig-veda X, 85, 33.

10. The Atharva-veda (XX, 127, 12) has the reading pra gayadhvam instead of ni shidantu (in the first Pada); the second hemistich there runs thus: iho sahasradakshizo = pi Pasha ni shidati.

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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 Pashan sit down.’

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

12. 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.

15. A cow is the optional gift to be given by a
Brahmaza,

16. A village by a Réganya,

17. A horse by a Vaisya.

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

19. 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!

12. I have ventured, differing from Professor Stenzler (‘ Bei der Hochzeit und auf der Leichenstatte richte er sich nach dem Dorfe’), to translate pravisatat according to its original meaning. Could this possibly be a rule for Vanaprasthas who live in the forest and enter the village only on exceptional occasions?

15-17. Sankhayana I, 14, 13 seqq.

18, Sankh@yana I, 14, 16. Comp. the note there.

1g. In the text the word ‘firm’ (dhruva) is neuter in the two first instances, and refers to the ‘firm star;’ the third time it is feminine, referring to the bride. Péraskara has the vocative poshye for the nominative poshy4 of Sankhayana I, 17, 3; comp. above, § 1 sakhe for sakha.

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‘To me Brzhaspati 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.

21. 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.

KawnpikA 9.

• 1. Beginning from the wedding the worshipping of the Aupdsana (i.e. sacred domestic) fire (is prescribed).
• 2. After sunset and before sunrise (the fire should

21. Sankhayana I, 17, 5. 6; Asvalayana I, 8, ro. 1.

KawnpikA 9.

• 1. Beginning from the wedding the worshipping of the Aupdsana (i.e. sacred domestic) fire (is prescribed).
• 2. After sunset and before sunrise (the fire should

21. Sankhayana I, 17, 5. 6; Asvalayana I, 8, ro. 1.

9, 1. The expression which I have translated ‘beginning from the wedding’ is upayamanaprabhriti. The Indian commentators and Professor Stenzler explain the term upayamana as implying a reference to the Sfitra I, 1, 4, upayamanan kusan Adaya (‘having taken up the Kusa blades with which he is to take hold of the lower surface of the Agya pot’). ‘The worshipping of the domestic fire,’ says Stenzler, following the native authorities, ‘consists in the rites which have been prescribed above (I, 1, 4), beginning from the word upayamana, i.e. in the taking up of the Kusa blades, the putting of wood on the fire, the sprinkling and sacrificing. As the rites preceding that word, such as the preparation of the sacrificial spoon (I, 1, 3), are hereby excluded, the oblations are offered with the hand.’ It would be easy to show that the upayamanaA kusaf have nothing at all to do with the regular morning and evening oblations of which these Sftras treat. The comparison of Asvalayana- Grthya I, 9, 1 (see also Manu III, 67, &c.) leaves no doubt that upayamana is to be understood here as derived from upayakkhati in its very frequent meaning of marrying. I have translated the Sfitra accordingly.

2. On the different statements of Vedic authors with regard to the proper time of the morning oblations, see Weber’s Indische Studien, X, 329.

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be worshipped) with (oblations of) curds, (rice) grains, or fried grains.

3. (He sacrifices) in the evening with (the formulas), ‘To Agni svaha! To Pragâpati svaha!’

4. In the morning with (the formulas), ‘To Sfarya svéhé! To Pragdpati svaha!’

5. ‘Men are both Mitra and Varuza ; men are both the Asvins; men are Indra and Sfrya. May a man be born in me! Again sv4h4!’—with (this verse) a wife who desires to conceive, (should offer) the first (oblation).

KawpikA 10.

1. 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 Agya, and sacrifices (two Agya oblations) separately with the two Mantras, ‘ Here is joy’ (V4g. Samh. VIII, 51a).

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’

5. Comp. Sankhdyana-Grzhya I, 17, 9, where the reading and the construction slightly differ. The words puna svaha at the end of the Mantra seem to be corrupt; the frequent repetition of pum4msam and pum4n through the whole verse suggests the correction pumse sv4ha, or pumbhyaé svaha, ‘to the man svaha !’ or ‘to the men svahé |’