Fetching
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One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1mineM' Should he have no son, let him insert his own name. 22. He then steps up to the Ahavaniya fire. Silently he steps to it, thinking, ' In the east my sacrifice shall be completed !' 23. Thereupon he divests himself of the vow, with the text (Va^. S. II, 28 b), ' Now am I he that I really am.' For, in entering upon the vow, he becomes, as it were, non-human ; and as it would not be becoming for him to say, ' I enter from truth into untruth;' and as, in fact, he now again becomes man, let him therefore divest himself of the vow, with the text, 'Now am I he that I really am^' ^ The Madhyandina text of the Va^. S. does not give this formula. The Ka«va text of the Sawhit^ has the following (Weber's edition, p. 59), 'Woven art thou, a web art thou: weave me along (? extend my life) at this sacrifice, at this holy deed, in this food, in this world ! ' ' May my son weave on (continue) this work, this manly deed of mine !' Thus also Katy. Ill, 8, 25. The Ka«va text of the Brahmawa, however, mentions only the formula given above. According to Laugakshi he names his favourite son ; according to -S'ankhayana, his eldest son, or as many sons as he has. See comm. on Katy. IV, 12, 11. • ^ See I, 1, 1,6. For another mode of divesting oneself of the vow, see I, i, 1,3. [12] 2 74 ^-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA. SECOND KANDA. THE AGNYAdhAnA, THE AGNIHOTRA, THE VINDAVITRIYAGNA, THE AGRAYAA^ESHn, AND THE ATATURMASYANI. I. THE AGNYADHANA or ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SACRED FIRES. First Adhyaya. First Brahmajva. The Agny-adhana (or Agny-adheya), or ceremony of esta- blishing a set of sacrificial fires, on the part of a young householder, is, as a rule, performed on the first day of the waxing moon. Some authorities also allow the performance to take place at full moon, probably in order to enable the newly-married couple to enter on their sacred duties with as little delay as possible. Moreover, special benefits are supposed to accrue to the performer of the ceremony from the conjunction of the new moon with certain lunar asterisms; though the author of our work, at any rate, does not seem greatly to encourage this practice, but rather to urge the pious householder to set up fires of his own, whenever he feels a longing for the sacrifice.
2n of the new moon with certain lunar asterisms; though the author of our work, at any rate, does not seem greatly to encourage this practice, but rather to urge the pious householder to set up fires of his own, whenever he feels a longing for the sacrifice. The normal performance of the Agnyadhana, as that of the full and new-moon off'erings, requires two days ; the first of which is taken up with preliminary rites, while the second — that is, the first day of the respective half-moon — is devoted to the chief ceremonies, beginning with the production of the sacred fire by friction. (See II, I, 4, 8 seq.) After the sacrificcr has chosen his four ofl!iciating priests — viz. the Brahman, Ilotr/, Adhvaryu, and Agnidhra (or Agnidh) — he proceeds, together with them, to erect the two sheds or ' fire- houses.' In order to determine their exact sites, the Adhvaryu first draws from west to east the so-called 'easterly' line (cf I, 2, 5, 14), and on it marks, at 8, 1 1, or 12 prakramas or steps from each other, the centres of the Garhapatya and Ahavaniya fire-places, the outlines of which he then traces, making each a square aratni or cubit in area, the former circular, the latter square. The Dakshi- II KANDAy I ADHYAYA, I BRAIIMAJVA. 275 «agni or Anvaharya-pa^ana, if it is requiredatall, is of the same area, but of semicircular form, and lies south of the space between the altar and the Garhapatya fire. The Garhapatya fire-house is constructed with its laths running either from west to east, or from south to north, and a door on the south side ; and so as to enclose both the Garhapatya and Dakshiwa fires. The Ahavaniya fire-house, on the other hand, with its laths necessarily running from west to east, and an entrance from the east, contains the Ahavaniya fire and the altar (vedi) adjoining it on the west, and partly enclosing it with its ' shoulders' on the north and south sides. The two houses are also open to each other on the inner side ; and sufficient space is left on all sides for freely moving around the fires. The Adhvaryu then procures a temporary fire, — either producing it by friction, or obtaining it from certain specified sources in the village, — and after the usual fivefold lustration of the Garhapatya fire-place (cf p. 2), he lays down the fire thereon.
3fires. The Adhvaryu then procures a temporary fire, — either producing it by friction, or obtaining it from certain specified sources in the village, — and after the usual fivefold lustration of the Garhapatya fire-place (cf p. 2), he lays down the fire thereon. Towards sunset the sacrificer [while seated east of the Ahavaniya house] invokes the gods and manes with ' Gods, fathers ! fathers, gods ! I sacrifice, being who 1 am ; neither will I exclude him whose I am : mine own shall be the off"ering, mine own the toiling, mine own the sacrifice !' He then enters the Ahavaniya house from the east, passes through it to the Garhapatya, and sits down behind (west of) the fire ; his wife at the same time entering the Garhapatya house from the south and seating herself south of him, — both facing the east. Thereupon the Adhvaryu hands to the sacrificer two pieces of wood (arawi), — if possible, of ajvattha, grown out of a jami tree, — to be used next morning for the production (or 'churning') of the sacred fire by one of them (the upper arawi) being rapidly drilled in a hole in the other (or lower ara;n). [The sacrificer and his wife then lay the upper and lower sticks respectively on their laps ; whereupon certain propitiatory ceremonies are performed by them, and honours are paid to the priests and the sticks ; and the latter are finally deposited on a seat.] In the house of the Garhapatya a he-goat may then be tied up for the night, which, if it belong to the sacrificer, is to be pre- sented by him to the Agnidhra on the completion of the sacrifice. After sunset the Adhvaryu measures out four vessels of husked rice grains — each containing three handfuls, which quantity is con- sidered sufficient to furnish a meal for one man — on an ox-hide died red [and spread out with the hairy side upwards and the neck- part to the east]. With this rice the (odana) /Jatushprajya, or ' (P^P) ^o be eaten by the four (priests),' is prepared on the provi- sional Garhapatya fire. When it is ready, the Adhvaryu makes a hollow in the pap and pours clarified butter into it. He then takes T 2 276 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA. three kindling-sticks (samidh), anoints them with some of that ghee, and puts them on the fire one after another, with texts {cf. note on II, I, 4, 5). Thereupon the sacrificer [having paid due honours to the priests by washing their feet and giving them perfumes and wreaths, &c., and assigned to each his share] bids them eat. During the night the sacrificer and his wife have to remain awake and keep up the fire.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1mineM' Should he have no son, let him insert his own name. 22. He then steps up to the Ahavaniya fire. Silently he steps to it, thinking, ' In the east my sacrifice shall be completed !' 23. Thereupon he divests himself of the vow, with the text (Va^. S. II, 28 b), ' Now am I he that I really am.' For, in entering upon the vow, he becomes, as it were, non-human ; and as it would not be becoming for him to say, ' I enter from truth into untruth;' and as, in fact, he now again becomes man, let him therefore divest himself of the vow, with the text, 'Now am I he that I really am^' ^ The Madhyandina text of the Va^. S. does not give this formula. The Ka«va text of the Sawhit^ has the following (Weber's edition, p. 59), 'Woven art thou, a web art thou: weave me along (? extend my life) at this sacrifice, at this holy deed, in this food, in this world ! ' ' May my son weave on (continue) this work, this manly deed of mine !' Thus also Katy. Ill, 8, 25. The Ka«va text of the Brahmawa, however, mentions only the formula given above. According to Laugakshi he names his favourite son ; according to -S'ankhayana, his eldest son, or as many sons as he has. See comm. on Katy. IV, 12, 11. • ^ See I, 1, 1,6. For another mode of divesting oneself of the vow, see I, i, 1,3. [12] 2 74 ^-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA. SECOND KANDA. THE AGNYAdhAnA, THE AGNIHOTRA, THE VINDAVITRIYAGNA, THE AGRAYAA^ESHn, AND THE ATATURMASYANI. I. THE AGNYADHANA or ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SACRED FIRES. First Adhyaya. First Brahmajva. The Agny-adhana (or Agny-adheya), or ceremony of esta- blishing a set of sacrificial fires, on the part of a young householder, is, as a rule, performed on the first day of the waxing moon. Some authorities also allow the performance to take place at full moon, probably in order to enable the newly-married couple to enter on their sacred duties with as little delay as possible. Moreover, special benefits are supposed to accrue to the performer of the ceremony from the conjunction of the new moon with certain lunar asterisms; though the author of our work, at any rate, does not seem greatly to encourage this practice, but rather to urge the pious householder to set up fires of his own, whenever he feels a longing for the sacrifice.
2n of the new moon with certain lunar asterisms; though the author of our work, at any rate, does not seem greatly to encourage this practice, but rather to urge the pious householder to set up fires of his own, whenever he feels a longing for the sacrifice. The normal performance of the Agnyadhana, as that of the full and new-moon off'erings, requires two days ; the first of which is taken up with preliminary rites, while the second — that is, the first day of the respective half-moon — is devoted to the chief ceremonies, beginning with the production of the sacred fire by friction. (See II, I, 4, 8 seq.) After the sacrificcr has chosen his four ofl!iciating priests — viz. the Brahman, Ilotr/, Adhvaryu, and Agnidhra (or Agnidh) — he proceeds, together with them, to erect the two sheds or ' fire- houses.' In order to determine their exact sites, the Adhvaryu first draws from west to east the so-called 'easterly' line (cf I, 2, 5, 14), and on it marks, at 8, 1 1, or 12 prakramas or steps from each other, the centres of the Garhapatya and Ahavaniya fire-places, the outlines of which he then traces, making each a square aratni or cubit in area, the former circular, the latter square. The Dakshi- II KANDAy I ADHYAYA, I BRAIIMAJVA. 275 «agni or Anvaharya-pa^ana, if it is requiredatall, is of the same area, but of semicircular form, and lies south of the space between the altar and the Garhapatya fire. The Garhapatya fire-house is constructed with its laths running either from west to east, or from south to north, and a door on the south side ; and so as to enclose both the Garhapatya and Dakshiwa fires. The Ahavaniya fire-house, on the other hand, with its laths necessarily running from west to east, and an entrance from the east, contains the Ahavaniya fire and the altar (vedi) adjoining it on the west, and partly enclosing it with its ' shoulders' on the north and south sides. The two houses are also open to each other on the inner side ; and sufficient space is left on all sides for freely moving around the fires. The Adhvaryu then procures a temporary fire, — either producing it by friction, or obtaining it from certain specified sources in the village, — and after the usual fivefold lustration of the Garhapatya fire-place (cf p. 2), he lays down the fire thereon.
3fires. The Adhvaryu then procures a temporary fire, — either producing it by friction, or obtaining it from certain specified sources in the village, — and after the usual fivefold lustration of the Garhapatya fire-place (cf p. 2), he lays down the fire thereon. Towards sunset the sacrificer [while seated east of the Ahavaniya house] invokes the gods and manes with ' Gods, fathers ! fathers, gods ! I sacrifice, being who 1 am ; neither will I exclude him whose I am : mine own shall be the off"ering, mine own the toiling, mine own the sacrifice !' He then enters the Ahavaniya house from the east, passes through it to the Garhapatya, and sits down behind (west of) the fire ; his wife at the same time entering the Garhapatya house from the south and seating herself south of him, — both facing the east. Thereupon the Adhvaryu hands to the sacrificer two pieces of wood (arawi), — if possible, of ajvattha, grown out of a jami tree, — to be used next morning for the production (or 'churning') of the sacred fire by one of them (the upper arawi) being rapidly drilled in a hole in the other (or lower ara;n). [The sacrificer and his wife then lay the upper and lower sticks respectively on their laps ; whereupon certain propitiatory ceremonies are performed by them, and honours are paid to the priests and the sticks ; and the latter are finally deposited on a seat.] In the house of the Garhapatya a he-goat may then be tied up for the night, which, if it belong to the sacrificer, is to be pre- sented by him to the Agnidhra on the completion of the sacrifice. After sunset the Adhvaryu measures out four vessels of husked rice grains — each containing three handfuls, which quantity is con- sidered sufficient to furnish a meal for one man — on an ox-hide died red [and spread out with the hairy side upwards and the neck- part to the east]. With this rice the (odana) /Jatushprajya, or ' (P^P) ^o be eaten by the four (priests),' is prepared on the provi- sional Garhapatya fire. When it is ready, the Adhvaryu makes a hollow in the pap and pours clarified butter into it. He then takes T 2 276 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA. three kindling-sticks (samidh), anoints them with some of that ghee, and puts them on the fire one after another, with texts {cf. note on II, I, 4, 5). Thereupon the sacrificer [having paid due honours to the priests by washing their feet and giving them perfumes and wreaths, &c., and assigned to each his share] bids them eat. During the night the sacrificer and his wife have to remain awake and keep up the fire.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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