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


KANDIKÂ 14.

1. Now (follows) the Sravana ceremony,

2. On the full-moon day of the Srâvana month.

3. He cooks a mess of sacrificial food, fried grains, and a cake in one dish, pounds the greater part of the grains, sacrifices the two Âgya portions, and two (other) Âgya oblations (with the following verses):

4. 'Beat away, O white one, with thy foot, with the fore-foot and with the hind-foot, these seven [children] of Varuna and all (daughters) of the king's tribe. Svâhâ!'

5. 'Within the dominion of the white one, the Serpent has seen nobody. To the white one, the son of Vidarva, adoration! Svâhâ!'

6. He makes oblations of the mess of cooked sacrificial food to Vishnu, to Sravana, to the full moon of Srâvana, and to the rainy season,

7. (And oblations) of the grains with (the verse), 'Accompanied with grains' (Vâg. Samh. XX, 29).

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8. He sacrifices flour, over which ghee has been poured, to the serpents (with the following Mantras):

9. 'To the lord of the serpents belonging to Agni, of the yellowish, terrestrial ones, svâhâ!

'To the lord of the white serpents belonging to Vâyu, of the aerial ones, svâhâ!

'To the lord of the overpowering serpents belonging to Sûrya, of the celestial ones, svâhâ!

10. The (cake) in one dish he offers entirely (without leaving a remainder for the sacrificer) with (the formula), 'To the firm one, the son of the Earth, svâhâ!'

11 11. After he has eaten (of the sacrificial food), he throws a portion of the flour into a basket, goes out, besmears an elevated spot outside the hall (with cowdung), says, while a fire-brand is held (before him), 'Do not step between (myself and the fire),' and without speaking (anything except the Mantras), he causes the serpents to wash themselves, (pouring out water for them, with the formulas:)

12. 'Lord of the serpents belonging to Agni, of the yellowish, terrestrial ones, wash thyself!

'Lord of the white serpents belonging to Vâyu, of the aerial ones, wash thyself!

'Lord of the overpowering serpents belonging to Sûrya, of the celestial ones, wash thyself!'

13 13. Each time after the washing has been done, he offers to the serpents a Bali of flour, picking out

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[paragraph continues] (portions of it) with (the spoon called) Darvî (with the formulas):

14. 'Lord of the serpents belonging to Agni, of the yellowish, terrestrial ones, this is thy Bali!

'Lord of the white serpents belonging to Vâyu, of the aerial ones, this is thy Bali!

'Lord of the overpowering serpents belonging to Sûrya, of the celestial ones, this is thy Bali!'

15 15. After he has made them wash themselves as above, he combs them with combs (with the formulas)

16. 'Lord of the serpents belonging to Agni, of the yellowish, terrestrial ones, comb thyself!

'Lord of the white serpents belonging to Vâyu, of the aerial ones, comb thyself!

'Lord of the overpowering serpents belonging to Sûrya, of the celestial ones, comb thyself!'

17. (He offers) collyrium, ointment, and garlands with (the same formulas), putting at their end, respectively, the words, 'Salve thy eyes!' 'Anoint thyself!' 'Put on garlands!'

18. The remainder of the flour he pours out on the elevated spot (mentioned in Sûtra 11), pours water on it out of a water-pot, and worships the

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serpents with the three (verses), 'Adoration be to the serpents' (Vâg. Samh. XIII, 6 seqq.).

19. At that distance in which he wishes the serpents not to approach (the house), he should three times walk round the house, sprinkling an uninterrupted stream of water round it, with the two (verses), 'Beat away, O white one, with thy foot' (Sûtras 4 and 5).

20. He gives away the (spoon called) Darvî (Sûtra 13) and the basket (Sûtra 11), having washed and warmed them.

21. Near the door (of the house) they clean themselves with the three (verses), 'O waters, ye are' (Vâg. Samh. XI, 50 seqq.).

22 22. Having put away that remainder of flour in a hidden place, he should from that time daily till the Âgrahâyanî, after sunset, when he has performed the service to the fire, offer to the serpents a Bali of flour, picking out (portions of it) with the Darvî (spoon).

23 23. When he is offering (the Bali), let no one step between (the sacrificer and the Bali).

24 24. With the Darvî (spoon) he rinses his mouth. Having washed it, he puts it away.

20. According to the commentators he gives these things to the man who holds the fire-brand (Sûtra 11).

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25 25. They eat the (rice) grains which must not form one coherent mass.

26. Then (follows) the feeding of the Brâhmanas.


Footnotes

327:1 14, 1 seqq. Comp. Sâṅkhâyana IV, 5; Âsvalâyana II, 1; Gobhila III, 7.

327:4 Âsvalâyana II, 3, 3; Sâṅkhâyana IV, 18, 1. For Vârunaih and râgabândhavaih I read Vârunîh, râgabândhavîh. Pragâh is an interpolation.

327:5 Âsvalâyana, loc. cit. One is rather tempted to correct ahir dadamsa kañkana, but Râmakandra's Paddhati on Sâṅkhâyana gives the reading dadarsa, as the Pâraskara MSS. do.

328:11 The ceremony with the fire-brand seems to stand in connection with the rule given by Âsvalâyana, II, 1, 13, that before the sacrificer has given himself in charge' to the serpents, nobody is allowed to step between him and the Bali destined for the serpents. Comp. also below, Sûtra 23.

328:13 I have translated upaghâtam by 'picking out.' On the full p. 329 technical meaning of the term, which implies the omission of the upastarana and abhighârana, see Bloomfield's note on Grihya-samgraha I, 111 (Zeitschrift der deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, XXXV, 568).

329:15 The words as above refer to Sûtra 11. Pralikhati, which I have translated 'he combs them,' is the same act for which Sâṅkhâyana (IV, 15, 7) says, phanena keshtayati. I think Professor Stenzler is wrong in translating: Er scharrt (das Mehl) mit Kämmen zusammen. Gayarâma says: pralekhanam ka kramena pratimantram balikandûyanam kaṅkataih. tâni ka vaikaṅkatîyâni prâdesamâtrâny ekatodantâni kâshthâni bhavanti.

330:22 The Âgrahâyanî is the full-moon day of Mârgasîrsha, on which the Pratyavarohana ceremony is celebrated. See below, III, 2; Weber, die vedischen Nachrichten von den Naxatra, II, 332. The expression darvyopaghâtam is the same that has occurred above in Sûtra 13.

330:23 Comp. Âsvalâyana-Grihya II, 1, 13, and see above, Sûtra 11.

330:24 Prakshâlya seems to me to refer to the Darvî; see Sûtra 20.

331:25 Asamsyûtâh. Comp. Böhtlingk-Roth sv. sam-sîv.


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