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


KHANDA 11.

1. Now when the bride is to be carried away (to the bridegroom's house) that night, or on the next, or on the third night,

2. On that night, when (the darkness of) night is gone, they wash the girl up to her head with (water that has been made fragrant by) all sorts of herbs and the choicest fruits together with scents;

p. 32

3. They put on her a newly-dyed garment or (a new one) which has not yet been washed;

4. Then (the Âkârya of the bride's family) makes the girl sit down behind the fire, and while she takes hold of him he sacrifices with the Mahâvyâhritis, and then he makes Âgya oblations to Agni, to Soma, to Pragâpati, to Mitra, to Varuna, to Indra, to Indrânî, to the Gandharva, to Bhaga, to Pûshan, to Tvashtar, to Brihaspati, to the king Pratyânîka.

5. After they have regaled four or eight women, who are not widows, with lumps of vegetables, Surâ, and food, these should perform a dance four times.

6. The same deities (they worship also) on behalf of the man,

7. And Vaisravana and Îsâna.

8. Then follows the distribution of food to Brâhmanas.


Footnotes

31:1 11, 1. The ceremony described in this chapter is called Indrânîkarman. The goddess Indrânî is mentioned in Sûtra 4 among the deities to whom Âgya oblations are made.

31:2 Nisâkâle, nisâ madhyastham praharadvayam, tasmin kale atîte. Nârâyana.

On the anvârambha, comp. Weber's Indische Studien, IX, 224.

32:4 The 'king Pratyânîka' has given origin to a very curious misunderstanding in the Sâmbavya-Grihya and its commentary; see p. 127 of the German edition.


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