०७

प्रजापतिर्वै सोमाय राज्ञे दुहितरं प्रायच्छत्सूर्यां सावित्रीम् ।

(The Aśvina Śastra. The Beginning Day of the Gavām Ayanam. The Use of the Rathantara and Brihat Sāmans and their kindreds. The Mahāvrata Day of the Sattra.)[1]

(The Marriage of Prajāpati’s Daughter, Sūrya. The Aśvina Śāstra was the Bridal Gift. In What Way the Hotar has to Repeat it. Its Beginning Verse.)

Prajāpati gave his daughter, Sūrya Sāvitrī,[2] in marriage to the king Soma.

उषा अज्विनी त्रैष्टुभेन छन्दसा तामाश्यां तामन्वारभे तस्यै मामवतु तस्यै स्वाहा । अश्विनावज्विनौ जागतेन छन्दसा तावश्यां तावन्वारभे ताभ्यां मामवतु ताभ्यां स्वाहा. (Āśv. Śr. S. 6, 5.) After having eaten the rest of the melted butter, he touches water only, but does not rinse his mouth in the usual way (by âchamana). He then sits down behind his Dhiṣṇya (fire-place) in a peculiar posture, representing an eagle who is just about flying up. He draws up his two legs, puts both his knees close to each other, and touches the earth with his toes. I saw a priest, who had once repeated the Aśvin Śastra (there are scarcely more than half a dozen Brâhmaṇs living all over India who actually have repeated it), make the posture with great facility, but I found it difficult to imitate it well.

The whole Aśvina Śastra comprises a thousand Bṛihatî verses. The actual number of verses is, however, larger. All verses in whatever metre they are, are reduced to Bṛihatîs by counting their aggregate number of syllables and dividing them by 36 (of so many syllables consists the Bṛihatî). The full account is cast up in the Kauṣîtaki Brâhmaṇam, 18, 3.

The first verse of the Śastra is mentioned in the text. It is to be repeated thrice and to be joined, without stopping, to the first verse of the Gâyatrî part of the Agneya, kratu (एतयाग्नेयं गायत्रमुपसंतनुयात् Āśv, Śr. S. 6, 5). After the opening verse which stands by itself altogether, just as the opening verse in the prâtaranuvâka, the three kratus or liturgies of the Prâtaranuvâka (âgneya, uṣasya, and aśvani) are repeated. These form the body of the Aśvin Śastra. Each kratu is preceded by the Stotriya Pragâtha, i.e., that couple of verses of the Sandhi Stotra (see page 266) which refers to that deity, to which the respective kratu is devoted. So the âgneya kratu, i.e., the series of hymns and verses, addressed to Agni, in seven different kinds of metre, is preceded by the first couple of verses of the Sandhi Stotra, which are, enâ vo agnim namasâ (Sâm. Saṁh. 2, 99-100); the uṣasya kratu is preceded by praty u adarśy âyati (Sâm, Saṁh. 2, 101, 102), the deity being Uṣâs, and the âśvina-kratu by ima u vam diviṣṭaya (Sâm. Saṁh. 2, 103-104) being addressed to the two Aśvins. Each couple of these verses is to be made a triplet, by repeating the last pada several times, just as the Sâma singers do.

(वार्हताम्रयस्तृचाः । स्तोत्रियाः प्रगाथा वा तान्पुरस्तादनुदैवतं स्वस्य छन्दसो यथा स्तुतं शंसेत (Âśv, 6, 5).

The Hotar must repeat less than a thousand verses before sunrise : सहस्रावममोदेतोः After sunrise, he repeats the verses addressed to Sûrya, which all are mentioned in the Aitareya Brâhmaņam, as well as all other remaining verses of the Aśvina Śastra. The whole order of the several parts of this Śastra is more clearly stated in the Kuśîtaki Brâhm. (18, 2), than in the Aitareya. The verses addressed to Indra follow after the Sûrya verses (4, 10). At the end of the Śastra, there are two Puronuvâkyâs and two Yâjyâs, for there are two Aśvins.

The Aśvina Śastra is, as one may see from its constituent parts, a Prâtaranuvâka, or early morning prayer, including the worship of the rising sun, and a Śastra accompanying a Soma libation. It follows the Sandhi Stotra at the end of the Atirâtra, and is regarded as the Śastra belonging to this Stotra. To the fact of its containing far more verses than the Sandhi Stotra, the term atiśaṁsatî, i.e., “he repeats more verses” (used in 4, 6) refers.

[2]This is the model marriage. It is described in the well-known marriage hymn satyenottabhitâ (10, 85).

प्रजापतिर्वै सोमाय राज्ञे दुहितरं प्रायच्छत्सूर्यां सावित्रीम् ।

तस्यै सर्वे देवा वरा आगच्छन् ।

All the gods came as paranymphs.

तस्यै सर्वे देवा वरा आगच्छन् ।

तस्या एतत्सहस्रं वहतुमन्वाकरोद्यदेतदाश्विनमित्याचक्षते ।

Prajāpati formed, according to the model of a vahatu, i.e., things (such as turmeric, powder, &c., to be carried before the paranymphs), this thousand (of verses), which is called the Āśvina (Śāstra).

तस्या एतत्सहस्रं वहतुमन्वाकरोद्यदेतदाश्विनमित्याचक्षते ।

अनाश्विनं हैवै तद्यदर्वाक्सहस्रं तस्मात्तत्सहस्रं वैव शंसेद्भूयो वा ।

What falls short of (arvāk) one thousand verses, is no more the Aśvin’s. This is the reason that the Hotar ought to repeat only a thousand verses, or he might repeat more.

अनाश्विनं हैवै तद्यदर्वाक्सहस्रं तस्मात्तत्सहस्रं वैव शंसेद्भूयो वा ।

प्राश्य घृतं शंसेत् ।

He ought to eat ghee before he commences repeating.

प्राश्य घृतं शंसेत् ।

यथा ह वा इदमनो वा रथो वा ऽक्तो वर्तत एवं हैवाक्तो वर्तते ।

Just as in this world a cart or a carriage goes well if smeared (with oil), thus his repeating proceeds well if he be smeared (with ghee, by eating it.)

यथा ह वा इदमनो वा रथो वा ऽक्तो वर्तत एवं हैवाक्तो वर्तते ।

शकुनिरिवोत्पतिष्यन्नाह्वयीत ।

Having taken the posture of an eagle when starting up, the Hotar should recite (when commencing) the call śomsāvom (i.e., he should commence repeating the Aśvina Śāstra).

शकुनिरिवोत्पतिष्यन्नाह्वयीत ।

तस्मिन्देवा न समजानत ममेदमस्तु ममेदमस्त्विति ।

The gods could not agree as to whom this (thousand verses) should belong, each saying, “Let it be mine.”

तस्मिन्देवा न समजानत ममेदमस्तु ममेदमस्त्विति ।

ते संजानाना अब्रुवन्नाजिमस्या ऽऽयामहै ।

Not being able to agree (to whom it should belong), they said, “Let us run a race for it.

ते संजानाना अब्रुवन्नाजिमस्या ऽऽयामहै ।

स यो न उज्जेष्यति तस्येदं भविष्यतीति ।

He of us who will be the winner shall have it.”

स यो न उज्जेष्यति तस्येदं भविष्यतीति ।

ते ऽग्नेरेवाधि गृहपतेरादित्यं काष्ठामकुर्वत ।

They made the sun which is above Agni, the house-father (above the Gārhapatya fire[3]), the goal.

[3]That is to say, they started when running the race from the Gârhapatya fire, and ran up as far as the sun, which was the goal (kâṣṭha).

ते ऽग्नेरेवाधि गृहपतेरादित्यं काष्ठामकुर्वत ।

तस्मादाग्नेयी प्रतिपद्भवत्याश्विनस्याग्निर्होता गृहपतिः स राजेति ।

That is the reason that the Aśvina Śāstra commences with a verse addressed to Agni, viz., agnir hotā gṛhapatiḥ (6, 15, 13).

तस्मादाग्नेयी प्रतिपद्भवत्याश्विनस्याग्निर्होता गृहपतिः स राजेति ।

तद्धैक आहुरग्निं मन्ये पितरमग्निमापिमित्येतया प्रतिपद्येत ।

According to the opinion of some (theologians), the Hotar should (instead of this verse) commence (the recitation of the Aśvina Śāstra) with agnim manye pitaram (10, 7, 3);

तद्धैक आहुरग्निं मन्ये पितरमग्निमापिमित्येतया प्रतिपद्येत ।

दिवि शुक्रं यजतं सूर्यस्येति प्रथमयैव ऋचा काष्ठामाप्नोतीति ।

for they say, he reaches the goal by means of the first verse through the words (contained in its fourth pada): divi śukram yajatam sūryasya, i.e., the splendour of the sun in heaven which deserves worship.

दिवि शुक्रं यजतं सूर्यस्येति प्रथमयैव ऋचा काष्ठामाप्नोतीति ।

तत्तन्ना ऽऽदृत्यम् ।

But this opinion is not to be attended to.

तत्तन्ना ऽऽदृत्यम् ।

य एनं तत्र ब्रूयादग्निमिति वै प्रत्यपाद्यग्निमापत्स्यतीति शश्वत्तथा स्यात् ।

(If one should observe a Hotar commencing the Aśvina Śāstra with the verse agnim manaye) one should say to him, “If (a Śāstra) has been commenced with repeatedly mentioning agni[4] fire, the Hotar will (ultimately fall into the fire (be burnt by it).” Thus it always happens.

[4]The verse in question contains four times the word agni. This is regarded as inauspicious. The deity should not be always mentioned with its very name, but with its epithets.

य एनं तत्र ब्रूयादग्निमिति वै प्रत्यपाद्यग्निमापत्स्यतीति शश्वत्तथा स्यात् ।

तस्मादग्निर्होता गृहपतिः स राजेत्येतयैव प्रतिपद्येत ।

Thence the Hotar ought to commence with the verse : agnir hotā gṛhapatiḥ.

तस्मादग्निर्होता गृहपतिः स राजेत्येतयैव प्रतिपद्येत ।

गृहपतिवती प्रजातिमती शान्ता ।

This verse contains in the terms gṛhapati, house-father, and janima, generations, the propitiation (of the word agni, fire, with which it commences, and is therefore not dangerous) for attaining to the full age.

गृहपतिवती प्रजातिमती शान्ता ।

सर्वायुः सर्वायुत्वाय सर्वमायुरेति य एवं वेद ।

He who has such a knowledge attains to his full age (of one hundred years).

सर्वायुः सर्वायुत्वाय सर्वमायुरेति य एवं वेद ।