Praśna 3, Kaṇḍikā 17

1. When the Hotṛ calls upon him with the words, “O Brahman, I shall recite the sāmidhenī verses,”^[1] he should utter hiṃ, and impel him with the verse, “Do thou, O Prajāpati, recite the verses pertaining to the sacrifice; do thou promote the divinities ... Om, do you recite.”

2. When the Adhvaryu calls upon him with the words, “O Brahman, I shall cause (the Āgnīdhra) to announce (to the gods) the choosing (of the Hotṛ),”^[2] he should utter hiṃ, and impel him with the verse, “O lord of speech, do thou announce this speech, announce the sacrificer to the gods; announce me to men. Do thou promote the divinities... Om, do you cause to announce.”

3. When the Adhvaryu carries round^[3] the prāśitra towards him, be should gaze at it with the formula, “I gaze at thee with the eye of the sun.”^[4]

4. He should recite over the prāśitra being brought towards him the formula, “Go round by the path of order.”^[5]

5. He should touch water and receive the prāśitra with the formula, “In the impulse of god Savitṛ, with the arms of Aśvins, with the hands of Pūṣan, do I receive thee.”^[6]

6. He should separate the darbha-blades (within the altar) and place the prāśitra-vessel on the ground with its handle towards the east with the formula, “I place thee on the navel of the earth.”

7. He should gaze^[7] at it with the formula, “I look at thee with the eye of the well-winged eagle.”

8. He should take the prāśitra by means of the thumb and the ring-finger-and without allowing his teeth and lips to touch it, and swallow it with the formula, “I consume thee with the mouth of Agni, with the belly of the Brāhmaṇa, with the prayer of Bṛhaspati;^[8] I place thee within the belly of Indra.”¹

9. He should sip water and, with the formula, “May the divinities which are within the water pacify this. Do thou, offered with the utterance svāhā, go unto the belly of Indra, svāhā,” he should again sip water.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

II.12.1. The hautra portion is not found in the extant Bhāradvāja-śrauta-sūtra.

[2]:

II.15.3.

[3]:

III.3.8. Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra III.19.5 prescribes that the Brahman should gaze at the prāśitra being cut out with the formula, “I gaze at thee with the eye of Mitra.”

[4]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā II.6 8.5.

[5]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra III.19.6 prescribes the formulas in sūtra 3 and 4 the other way round.

[6]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā II.6.8.6.

[7]:

Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra III. 19.7 prescribes a different formula, namely, “I gaze at thee with the uninjured eye,” (Taittirīya-saṃhitā I.1.10.)

[8]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā II.6.8.6.