Praśna 8, Kaṇḍikā 12

[Sākamedha-parvan]

1. Then, after four months (have passed,) the sacrificer should perform the Sākamedhaparvan for two days.

2. The Adhvaryu should pour out paddy for the cake on eight potsherds to anīkavant Agni when the sun is rising.

3. According to some teachers, the oblation should be offered as soon as the rays of the sun become visible.

4. The Iṣṭi should come to an end in the prescribed manner.

5. The Adhvaryu should offer cooked rice to gṛhamedhīya Maruts at midday.

6. The Iṣṭi should come to an end in the prescribed manner.

7. The Adhvaryu should start the rites of the Gṛhamedhīya Iṣṭi.

8. The rites up to the driving away of the calves should be similar.^[1]

9. He should drive away all the calves for the purpose of the Gṛhamedhīya oblation without reciting the relevant yajus.

10. After having prepared the veda, he should prepare the altar.

11. There should be no fetching of the sacrificial grass and faggot. The Adhvaryu should not carry forth the praṇītā-water.

12. He should strew sacrificial grass round the fires, wash his hands, arrange the utensils, strew the pṛṣṭhyā with ulapa grass, prepare the two strainers, and give out a call to the sacrificer, “O sacrificer, do you restrain speech.”

13. Restraining his speech, the Adhvaryu should touch the utensils.

14. (He should pour out paddy) for cooking rice, in the milk of all the cows, to be offered to gṛhamedhin Maruts in the evening.

15. He should cause all the cows to be milked through the twig-strainer and in that milk which has not been (further) purified, he should pour out rice-grains without purifying them.

16. He should cook auxiliary rice on the Gārhapatya or the Dakṣiṇa fire.

17. Then he should do the second tracing out of the altar.

18. The rites up to the giving out of the call should be similar.^[2]

19. In the call he should not direct (the Āgnīdhra) to keep the Barhis and the faggot.

20. The rites up to the taking up of the clarified butter into the ladles should be similar.^[3]

21. He should take up clarified butter only into the Dhruvā.

22. He should recite the relevant formula^[4] over the prokṣaṇī-water, call upon the Brahman, sprinkle the altar with water, pour down (within the altar) the remnants of the prokṣaṇī-water, recite the relevant formula^[5] over the (Āhavanīya) fire, and place the Dhruvā and then the spoon within the altar. He should modify the formula^[4] as, “It is seated,”^[6]

23. He should recite over the clarified butter the formula, “Thou art Viṣṇu, the power of Viṣṇu, of Prajāpati.”^[7]

24. He should not put the prastara on the fire in that (Sāṃtapaneṣṭi). Moreover, the Gṛhamedhīya Iṣṭi should be performed on the Barhis. spread out for the Iṣṭi performed for the sāṃtapana Maruts. This is the view of some teachers.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I.2.12.

[2]:

II.3.11.

[3]:

II.7.1.

[4]:

II.7.12.

[5]:

II.9.6.

[6]:

II.10.1.

[7]:

cf. II.10.2.