Bharadvaja-srauta-sutra

by C. G. Kashikar | 1964 | 166,530 words

The English translation of the Bharadvaja-Srauta-Sutra, representing some of the oldest texts on Hindu rituals and rites of passages, dating to at least the 1st millennium BCE. The term Srautasutra refers to a class of Sanskrit Sutra literature dealing with ceremonies based on the Brahmana divisions of the Veda (Sruti). They include Vedic rituals r...

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Praśna 4, Kaṇḍikā 22

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1. Having seated himself within the altar, he should murmur the atīmokṣa formulas, “The gods, destroying the sacrifice, stealing the sacrifice, that are seated on earth, may Agni protect me from them. May we go to those that do good deeds.—We have come, O noble ones, Mitra and Varuṇa, to the share of the nights that is yours, grasping the firmament, in the place of good deeds on the third ridge above the light of the sky.—The gods, destroyers of the sacrifice, stealers of the sacrifice, that sit in the midregion, from them may Vāyu guard me. May we go to those that do good deeds.—The nights of thine, O Savitṛ, that go, traversed by gods, between heaven and earth, with all your houses and offspring, do you, first mounting the light, traverse the regions.—The gods, destroyers of sacrifice, stealers of sacrifice, that sit in the heaven, from them may Sūrya guard me. May we go to those that do good deeds.—That highest oblation wherewith, O All-knower, thou didst collect milk for Indra, therewith, O Agni, do thou make him grow. Bestow on him lordship over his kinsmen.”^[1]

2. He should recite over the entire sanctuary of the sacred fires the formula, “Who unites thee? Let him release thee.”^[2]

3. At this stage some teachers prescribe the consuming of the sacrificer’s portion by the sacrificer.^[3]

4. If the sacrificer is a Brāhmaṇa, he should consume the portions even of the two sāṃnāyyas—the hot milk with the verses, “May this offering of mine be procreative, rich in ten heroic sons, rich in full numbers, for auspiciousness, with self as the gain, affording progeny, affording cattle, affording fearlessness, affording region, affording rains.—May Agni give me ample offspring; do you (O Gods,) place within us food, miik, and semen virile; may (Agni) place within us abundance of prosperity, food and strength,”^[4] and the curds with the verse, “I have worshipped Dadhikrāvan, the victorious mighty horse. May he render our mouths fragrant and extend our lives.”^[5]

5. Then he should release the vow.^[6]

6. Standing towards the south, he should recite over the Āhavanīya fire the formula, “O Agni, lord of vow, I have observed the vow; I have been capable of it; it has flourished for me.”^[7]

7. This formula should be recited by a Brāhmaṇa sacrificer, not by a sacrificer belonging to the other two castes.

8. He should pray to Vāyu with the formula, “O Vāyu, lord of vow, I have observed the vow; I have been capable of it; it has flourished for me;”^[8] to Āditya with the formula, “O Āditya, lord of vow, I have observed the vow; I have been capable of it; it has flourished for me;”^[8] to the Āhavanīya fire with the formula, “O lord of vows, I have observed the vow; I have been capable of it; it has flourished for me.”

9, He should murmur the formula called “the re-acceptance of the sacrifice” (yajñasya punarālambha), namely, “The sacrifice has become, it has come into being. It has been born; it has waxed great. It has become the overlord of the gods; may it make us overlords; may we be lords of wealth.”^[8]

10. He should step forward towards the east and recite the verse, “Rich in cattle, rich in sheep, O Agni, rich in horses is the sacrifice with manly companions ever unalterable. Rich in food is this, O Asura, rich in offspring, enduring wealth, deep-based and rich in houses.”^[9]

11. While going out by the way by which he had entered the sanctuary of the sacred fires, he should say, “In order to appease the Brāhmaṇas.”

12. These duties of the sacrificer are not to be observed by the sacrificer who is away on a journey. So says Āśmarathya. Ālekhana says that the sacrificer, even though he is away on a journey, should observe these very duties. The only difference is that such of the rites, as are to be performed by touching, should be performed by the Adhvaryu.

13. The sacrificer should murmur the relevant formulas at the proper times facing that direction. Facing the east, he should recite the formulas prescribed in connection with the Viṣṇu-steps^[10] and the gomatī-verse.^[11]