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


KANDIKÂ 8.

1. Now when returning (home from his teacher) he should get the following things, viz. a jewel (to be tied round the neck), two ear-rings, a pair of garments, a parasol, a pair of shoes, a staff, a wreath, (pounded seed of the Karañga fruit) for rubbing with, ointment, eye salve, a turban; (all that) for himself and for the teacher.

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2. If he cannot get it for both, only for the teacher.

3. He then should get a piece of wood of a tree which is sacrificially pure, in a north-eastern direction—

4. Sappy (wood) if he wishes for the enjoyment of food, or for prosperity, or for splendour; dry (wood), if for holy lustre,

5. (Wood) which is both (sappy and dry, in its different parts), if (he wishes) for both.

6. Having put the piece of wood on high, and having given a cow and food to the Brâhmanas, he should perform the ceremony of shaving the beard.

7. He should alter the texts so that they refer to himself.

8. With Ekaklîtaka (he should perform the rubbing).

9. Having washed himself with lukewarm water, and having put on two (new) garments which have not yet been washed, with (the verse), 'Garments with fat splendour you put on, (Mitra and Varuna)' (Rig-veda I, 152, 1); he should anoint his eyes with (the words), 'The sharpness of the stone art thou; protect my eye.'

10. With (the words), 'The sharpness of the stone

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art thou; protect my ear'—he should tie on the two ear-rings.

11. After having salved his two hands with ointment, a Brâhmana should salve his head first,

12. A Râganya his two arms,

13. A Vaisya the belly,

14. A woman her secret parts,

15. Persons who gain their livelihood by running, their thighs.

16. With (the formula), 'Free from pain art thou, free from pain may I become'—he should put on the wreath.

17. Not (such a wreath) which is called mâlâ.

18. If they call it mâlâ, he should cause them to call it srag.

19. With (the formula), 'The standing-places of the gods are you; protect me from all sides'—he steps into the shoes, and with (the formula), 'The heaven's covering art thou'—he takes the parasol.

20. With (the formula), 'Reed thou art; from the tree thou descendest; protect me from all sides'—(he takes) a staff of reed.

21 21. Having with the hymn 'Giving life' tied the jewel to his neck and arranged the turban (on his head), he should standing put the piece of wood (on the fire).


Footnotes

227:6 8, 6. 'On high' means 'not on the ground' (Nârâyana). On the gaudânikam karma (the shaving of the beard), comp. above, Adhyâya I, Kandikâ 18. The word 'ceremony' would mean here, according to Nârâyana, that he should perform the rite alone, without observing such prescriptions as stated above, I, 18, 7.

227:7 Thus, instead of 'Herb! protect him!' (I, 17, 8) he is to say, 'Herb! protect me!' and so on.

227:8 Ekaklîtaka is, according to Nârâyana and the Prayogaratna, the seed of such a Karañga fruit (Pongamia Glabra, Vent.) which contains only one grain of seed. Such grains are pounded before he rubs himself therewith.

228:21 On the hymn beginning with the words 'Giving life,' see Prof. Stenzler's note on this Sûtra. Its first verse is identical with Vâgasaneyi Samhitâ XXXIV, 50 (comp. also Sâṅkhâyana-Grihya III, 1, 7), and so are most of its verses found in that Samhitâ or in the Atharva-veda; the whole of it occurs among the Rig-veda Khilas (vol. vi, p. 25, 2-12).


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