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The Grihya Sutras, Part 2 (SBE30), by Hermann Oldenberg, [1892], at sacred-texts.com


PATALA 3, SECTION 9.

1. 1 Now follows the distribution of Palâsa leaves (at different places).

2. 'Protector of the house, touch them! To the protector of the house svâhâ! Protectress of the

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house, touch them! To the protectress of the house svâhâ! Protector of the door, touch them! To the protector of the door svâhâ! Protectress of the door, touch them! To the protectress of the door svâhâ!'—with (these formulas) he puts down four leaves; (then other leaves) with (the formulas), 'Noisy ones, touch them! To the noisy ones svâhâ! Quivered ones. . . ye that run in the rear . . . Minglers (?) . . . Choosers . . . Eaters, touch them! To the eaters svâhâ!'—

3. Then again ten (leaves) with (the formula), 'Divine hosts, touch them! To the divine hosts svâhâ!'

4. Then other ten (leaves) with (the formula), 'Divine hosts that are named and that are not named, touch them! To them svâhâ!'

5. 5 Then he makes a basket of leaves, puts into it a lump of boiled rice with an 'under-spreading' (of Âgya) and sprinkling (Âgya) on it, goes outside his pasture-grounds, and hangs (the basket) up at a tree with (the formula), 'Quivered ones, touch it! To the quivered ones svâhâ!'

6. 6 He then performs worship (before that basket) with (the formula), 'Adoration to the quivered one, to him who wears the quiver! To the lord of the thieves adoration!'

7. 7 With sandal salve, surâ and water, unground, fried grains, cow-dung, with a bunch of dûrvâ grass, with Udumbara, Palâsa, Sami, Vikaṅkata, and

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[paragraph continues] Asvattha (branches), and with a cow-tail he besprinkles his cows, the bull first, with (the words), 'Bring luck! Bring luck!' Then (the bull) will bring him luck.

8. 8 He then cooks that mess of sacrificial food, sacred to Kshetrapati (the lord of the field), with milk, sprinkles it (with Âgya), takes it from the fire, and performs a sacrifice to Kshetrapati on the path where his cows use to go, without a fire, on four or on seven leaves.

9. He has him (i.e. the Kshetrapati? an ox representing Kshetrapati?) led (to his place) in the same way as the sûlagava (chap. 8, § 2).

10. 10 He sacrifices quickly, (for) the god has a strong digestion (?).

11. He then performs worship with (the two verses), 'With the lord of the field,' 'Lord of the field' (Taitt. Samh. I, 1, 14, 2. 3).

12. Of (the remains of that sacrificial food) sacred to Kshetrapati his uterine relations should partake, according as the custom of their family is.

End of the Third Patala.


Footnotes

222:1 9, 1. The text has baudhyavihâra, on which the commentary observes, baudhyâni palâsaparnâni, teshâm vihâro viharanam nânâdeseshu sthâpanam baudhyavihârah, karmanâma vâ. The baudhyavihâra is, as its description clearly shows, a ceremony for propitiating Rudra and his hosts and for averting evil from the cattle and the fields. The commentary understands it as forming part of the sûlagava described in chap. 8, and with this opinion it would agree very well that no indication of the time at which the baudhyavihâra ought to be performed (such as âpûryamânapakshe punye nakshatre) is given. Comp. also Âpastamba VII, 20, 5 seq.

223:5 I have translated avadhâya (instead of avadâya), as Âpastamba VII, 20, 7 reads.

223:6 Taittirîya Samhitâ IV, 5, 3, 2. Of course the god to whom these designations refer is Rudra.

223:7 The commentary explains surodaka as rain-water, or as rainwater which has fallen while the sun was shining.

224:8 Mâtridatta says, kshaitrapatyam kshetrapatidevatâkam payasi sthâlîpâkam, &c. The meaning of the expression 'that (enam) mess of sacrificial food' is doubtful; the commentary says, enam iti pûrvâpeksham pûrvavad aupâsana evâsyâpi srapanârtham.—The last words (on four or on seven leaves) the commentator transfers to the next Sûtra, but he mentions the different opinion of other authorities.

224:10 nûrtte sîghram yagate. kutah. yatah sa devah pâkah pakanasîlas tîkshmas (read, tîkshnas) tasmât. Mâtridatta.—Possibly Dr. Kirste is right in reading tûrtam; the corresponding Sûtra of Âpastamba has kshipram (VII, 20, 15), and, as the Satapatha Brâhmana (VI, 3, 2, 2) observes, 'yad vai kshipram tat tûrtam.'


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