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


KANDIKÂ 15.

1. When a son has been born, (the father) should, before other people touch him, give him to eat from gold (i.e. from a golden vessel or with a golden spoon) butter and honey with which he has ground gold(-dust), with (the verse), 'I administer to thee the wisdom ('veda') of honey, of ghee, raised by Savitri the bountiful. Long-living, protected by the gods, live a hundred autumns in this world!'

2. Approaching (his mouth) to (the child's) two ears he murmurs the 'production of intelligence:' 'Intelligence may give to thee god Savitri, intelligence may goddess Sarasvatî, intelligence may give to thee the two divine Asvins, wreathed with lotus.'

3. He touches (the child's) two shoulders with (the verse), 'Be a stone, be an axe, be insuperable gold. Thou indeed art the Veda, called son; so live a hundred autumns'—and with (the verses), 'Indra, give the best treasures' (Rig-veda II, 21, 6), Bestow on us, O bountiful one, O speedy one' (Rig-veda III, 36, 10).

4. And let them give him a name beginning with

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a sonant, with a semivowel in it, with the Visarga at its end, consisting of two syllables,

5. Or of four syllables;

6. Of two syllables, if he is desirous of firm position; of four syllables, if he is desirous of holy lustre;

7. But in every case with an even number (of syllables) for men, an uneven for women.

8. And let him also find out (for the child) a name to be used at respectful salutations (such as that due to the Âkârya at the ceremony of the initiation); that his mother and his father (alone) should know till his initiation.

9. When he returns from a journey, he embraces his son's head and 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!'—(thus) he kisses him three times on his head.

10. The rite only (without the Mantra is performed) for a girl.


Footnotes

182:1 15, 1. Comp. Âsv.-Grihya-Parisishta I, 26. I follow Professor Stenzler, who corrects maghonâm into maghonâ; comp. Sâṅkh.-Grihya I, 24, 4.

182:3 Vedo may as well be the nominative of veda as that of vedas ('property').


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