Apastamba mentions one had to undergo punarupanayana to learn atharva veda. Paddhati quotes fragments of paițïnası gŕhya sūtra. Some notes on the procedure.
- Hands are washed with “avareńum ava rajo” mantra.
- Āchamana is done with “payasvatīh oşadhayah”
- The āchamana as per one’s sampradaya.
- A flower is crushed with both hands with - yaste gandha pŕthvi; alternatively gandha dvārām.
- Pavitra is worn with “darbheņa tvam kŕńu”.
- Then āchārya varańam.
- Ācharya performs svati vachana after sankalpa.
- Deha shuddhi, ātma shuddhi and dravya shuddhi with atharvan mantras or kalpaja mantras.
Some striking features peculiar to this rite:
- entering śālā with the mantra “bhūh prapadye svah prapadye..”, similar mantra seen in atharvan sutras.
- A mandala is prepared with a set of mitādi (mita,pramita,sālakaṇṭaka,kūṣmāṇḍarājaputra, mahākāla, kṣetrapāla, caṇḍikā, bhṛgu, aṅgiras, pippalāda, gaṇeśa, śiva), 8 nāgas with varaha, rātrī devi whose worship is mentioned in 2 chapters of atharva pariśişța that deploys AV rātri sukta and a mandala of 16 matrikas.
- Shantyudaka is prepared - this is a characteristic atharvan practice that’s there even in atharvan śrauta ritual. The mantras used by paippaladins differ from shaunakins.
- Agni sthapana through appointment of brahma with atharvan mantras. The tongues of agni - kali, karālī, manojavā set are worshipped. The same set appears in māņđūkya upanishad. Then coal is taken from the kunda and shantyudaka water is sprinkled on it with “Somāya svāhā”.
- Then typical rites similar to agnimukham. AV mantras used for actions done silently in ayurvedic agnimukham.
The sāvitrī is regular gāyatrī with 4th pada appended. It is the same 4th foot, symbolically in the sky. The same one alluded in bŕhadāraņyaka upanishad.
After brahmopadesha, uttara tantra is similar to other veda.
After this, the student performs a purashcharana of the 4 footed gayatri 10008 times. Then he’s eligible to start learning atharvana shruti.
He performs japa of chatushpada gayatri in addition to japa of 3 footed gayatri during regular Sandhya. The upasthana of 4 footed gayatri is seen in brihadaranyaka upanishad with some variations.
The initiation is necessary condition; After fulfillment of sufficient conditions, the student become eligible to receive the secret vidya of atharvanic deities like kubjikā.