२५

अथातो दीक्षाया आवेदनस्यैव तदाहुः ।

(The Pravaras of a Kṣattriya’s House-priest are Invoked at the Time of his Sacrifice.)

Thence (if the sacrificer be a Kṣattriya) they (the Brahma speakers) ask as to how the inauguration (dîkṣā), which is, in the case of a Brahman being initiated, announced by the formula,

अथातो दीक्षाया आवेदनस्यैव तदाहुः ।

यद्ब्राह्मणस्य दीक्षितस्य ब्राह्मणो ऽदीक्षिष्टेति दीक्षामावेदयन्ति कथं क्षत्त्रियस्या ऽऽवेदयेदिति ।

“the Brāhmaṇa is initiated,”[6] should be promulgated in the case of the sacrificer being a Kṣattriya ?

[6]This is, according to Sây, thrice low and thrice aloud to be repeated. By repeating the formula low, the inauguration is made known to the gods alone, but by repeating it aloud, it is announced to gods and men alike.

यद्ब्राह्मणस्य दीक्षितस्य ब्राह्मणो ऽदीक्षिष्टेति दीक्षामावेदयन्ति कथं क्षत्त्रियस्या ऽऽवेदयेदिति ।

यथैवैतद्ब्राह्मणस्य दीक्षितस्य ब्राह्मणो ऽदीक्षिष्टेति दीक्षामावेदयन्त्येवमेवैतत्क्षत्त्रियस्या ऽऽवेदयेत्पुरोहितस्या ऽऽर्षेयेणेति ।

The answer is, The formula, “the Brāhmaṇa is initiated,” is to be kept when a Kṣattriya is being initiated; the ancestral fire of the Kṣattriya’s house-priest is to be mentioned.[7]

[7]For the Kṣattriya cannot claim descent from the Riṣis, as the Brahmans alone can do.

यथैवैतद्ब्राह्मणस्य दीक्षितस्य ब्राह्मणो ऽदीक्षिष्टेति दीक्षामावेदयन्त्येवमेवैतत्क्षत्त्रियस्या ऽऽवेदयेत्पुरोहितस्या ऽऽर्षेयेणेति ।

तत्तदितीँ ३ ।

This, this is certainly so.

तत्तदितीँ ३ ।

निधाय वा एष स्वान्यायुधानि ब्रह्माण एवा ऽऽयुधैर्ब्रह्मणो रूपेण ब्रह्म भूत्वा यज्ञमुपावर्तत ।

Having laid aside his own implements (weapons), and taking up those of the Brahma, and having thus become Brahma, by means of the Brahma form, he returned to the sacrifice.

निधाय वा एष स्वान्यायुधानि ब्रह्माण एवा ऽऽयुधैर्ब्रह्मणो रूपेण ब्रह्म भूत्वा यज्ञमुपावर्तत ।

तस्मात्तस्य पुरोहितस्या ऽऽर्षेयेण दीक्षामावेदयेयुः पुरोहितस्या ऽऽर्षेयेण प्रवरं प्रवृणीरनु ।

Therefore they should proclaim him as a Dîkṣita, with the name of his house-priest’s ancestral fires, and invoke them also in the Pravara[8] prayer.

[8]By pravara, which literally means “choice, particular address,” (see 6, 14), we have to understand the invocation of the sacrificial fires lighted by the principal Riṣi ancestors of the sacrificer. This invocation may comprise only one, or two, or three, or five ancestral fires, the name of which is ârṣeya; the pravara becomes accordingly ekârṣeya, dvyârṣeya, tryârṣeya, and pañchârṣeya, i.e., having one or two, &c. Riṣis. This invocation takes place at the very commencement of the sacrifice, after the fire has been kindled under the recital of the Sâmidhenî verses, and at the time of the Subrahmaṇyâ proclamation (see 6, 3), after the sacrificer has become, in consequence of the initiatory rites, such as Dîkṣâ, Pravargya, &c., a Dîkṣita. Aśval. gives in his Śrâûta Sutras (1, 3), the following rules regarding this rite : यजमानस्यार्षेयान्प्रवृञ्जीते यावन्तः स्युः परं परं प्रथमं । पौरोहित्यान्राजविशां राजर्षीन्वा राज्ञां सर्वेषां मानवेति संशये, i.e., the Hotar particularly mentions the fires of the Riṣi ancestors of the sacrificer, as many as he may have (one, or two, or three, or five). He mentions one after the other, but the first (in the general enumeration) is to be made the last (at the time of sacrificing). If the sacrificers happen to be Kṣattriyas or Vaiśyas, he mentions the fires of the Riṣi ancestors of their Purohitas (house-priests), or the princely Riṣis (râjarṣis, who might have been their ancestors). If there should be any doubt, the word mânava, i.e., descended from or made by Manu, may be used in the case of all kings.

This explanation of the terms pravara and ârṣeya have been already given by Max Müller (History of Ancient Sanscrit Literature, page 386) according to the authority of Aśvalâyana and Baudhâyana. It has been doubted, of late, by Dr. Hall (in his paper on three Sanscrit Inscriptions in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal of 1862, page 115), but without any sufficient reason. He says “pravaras” appear to be names of the families of certain persons from whom the founders of Gotras were descended and of the families of the founders themselves. But if this were the case, it would be surprising, that the founders of certain Gotras should claim to descend not only from one but from several Riṣi ancestors. All the Gotras have eight great ancestors only. viz., Viśvamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvâja, Gautama, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, and Agastya. These occupy with the Brahmans about the same position as the twelve sons of Jacob with the Jews. Only he whose descent from one of these great Riṣis was beyond doubt, could become the founder of a Gotra. In this genealogy there is no proper place for the pravaras according to Dr. Hall’s opinion; for a family calls itself generally only by the name of its founder. From a genealogical point of view, therefore, only the names of the patriarch (one of the great Riṣis) and those of the founders of the Gotras were important. The institution of the Pravaras is purely religious, and sacrificial. The pravaras or ârṣeyas, which are used as synonymous terms, are those sacrificial fires which several Gotras had in common; it was left to their own choice, to which they wished to repair. This had a practical meaning, as long as fire-worship was the prevailing religion of the Aryas, which was the case before the commencement of the properly so-called Vedic period. In the course of time it became a mere form, the original meaning of which was very early lost. That the ârṣeyas refer to the sacrificial fire, may be clearly seen from the context, in which they occur. Their names are mentioned in the vocative, as soon as the fire is kindled. After they have been invoked, the Hotar begins at once the invocation of Agni, the fire, by various names, such as deveddho, manviddho, &c., kindled by gods, kindled by Manu, &c. (Aśv, Śr. S. 1, 3). That this rite of invoking the ârṣeyas must be very ancient, proves the occurrence of a similar, or even the same, rite with the Parsis. They invoke up to this day, in their confession of faith, those ancestors and beings who were of the same varena, i.e., choice, religion, as they are. The term for “I will profess (a religion)” is fravarânē, which is exactly of the same origin as pravara (See Yaśna 12 in my Essays, page 164).

तस्मात्तस्य पुरोहितस्या ऽऽर्षेयेण दीक्षामावेदयेयुः पुरोहितस्या ऽऽर्षेयेण प्रवरं प्रवृणीरनु ।