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The Grihya Sutras, Part 1 (SBE29), by Hermann Oldenberg, [1886], at sacred-texts.com


KHANDA 7.

1. When assent has been declared (by the girl's father, the bridegroom) sacrifices.

2. He besmears a quadrangular space with cow-dung.

3. (Let him consider in the ceremonies to be performed,) of the two eastern intermediate directions, the southern one as that to which (the rites) should be directed, if the rites belong to the Manes,

of the two eastern intermediate directions, sacred to Îsâna, should be considered as that to which the ceremonies sacred to the gods, such as oblations, &c., are to be directed.'—Comp. Âsvalâyana-Sraut. I, 12, 4.}

p. 23

4. The northern one, if the rites belong to the gods,

5. Or rather the east (itself) according to some (teachers).

6-7. He draws in the middle (of the sacrificial ground) a line from south to north,

7. Upwards from this, turned upwards, to the south one line, in the middle one, to the north one.

8. These he sprinkles (with water),

9. Carries forward the fire with the verse, 'I carry forward Agni with genial mind; may he be the assembler of goods. Do no harm to us, to the old nor to the young; be a saviour to us, to men and animals,'

10. Or (he carries it forward) silently,

11. Then he wipes with his wet hand three times around the fire, turning his right side to it. This they call SAMÛHANA (sweeping together).

p. 24

12. Once, turning his left side to it, in the rites belonging to the Manes.


Footnotes

22:1 7, 1 seq. Here follows a description of the sacrifice which is to be performed when the girl's father has declared his assent (pratisrute) to give her away in marriage: this is the general model for all Grihya sacrifices.—'Varo guhoti,' Nârâyana.

22:3 'He here states an exception to the rule, "The ceremonies sacred to the Manes are directed towards the south" (Srauta-sûtra I, 1, 14) . . . . He should consider the south-eastern direction, sacred to Agni, as that to which the ceremonies are to be directed (prâkîm pûrvâm kalpayet) which are sacred to the Manes, such as p. 23prescribed in the Sûtra, "Let him make oblations every month to the Fathers" (IV, 1, 1) . . . . He states an exception to the rule, "The ceremonies sacred to the gods are directed towards the east" (Sraut. I, 1, 13) . . . . The northern

23:6-7 See the quotations from Râmakandra's and Nârâyana's commentaries, p. 123 of the German edition. An illustration of the form of the sthandila with the lines drawn thereon is given by Dr. Bloomfield in his note on the Grihya-samgraha-parisishta I, 52 seq.; instead of the three lines, however, which are here prescribed in Sûtra 7, there are four indicated in accordance with the doctrine of that Parisishta and of Gobhila himself, which are stated to be sacred to Prithivî, Pragâpati, Indra, and Soma, while the line turned from south to north is sacred to Agni.

23:9 On the Agnipranayana (carrying forward of the fire) see the Grihya-samgraha-parisishta I, 64-69.


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