०७

1. ¹ He then causes (the student) to put on the fire seven pieces of fresh Palāśa wood, with unbroken tops, of one span’s length, which have been anointed with ghee.

अथ सप्त पालाशीः समिध आद्रा र्! अप्रच्छिन्नाग्राः प्रादेशमात्रीर्घृतान्वक्ता आभ्याधापयति १

2. ² One (of these pieces of wood he puts on the fire) with (the Mantra), ‘To Agni I have brought a piece of wood, to the great Jātavedas. As thou art inflamed, Agni, through that piece of wood, thus inflame me through wisdom, insight, offspring, cattle, holy lustre, and through the enjoyment of food. Svāhā!’ -

अग्नये समिधमाहार्षं बृहते जातवेदसे । यथा त्वमग्ने समिधा समिध्यस एवं मां मेधया प्रज्ञया प्रजया पशुभिर्ब्रह्मवर्चसेनान्नाद्येन समेधय स्वाहा । इत्येकाम् २

3. (Then he puts on the fire) two (pieces of wood with the same Mantra, using the dual instead of the singular), ‘To Agni (I have brought) two pieces of wood;’

अग्नये समिधौ । इति द्वे ३

4. (Then) four (pieces of wood, using the plural), ‘To Agni (I have brought) pieces of wood.’

अग्नये समिधः । इति चतस्रः ४

5. ³ He then sprinkles (water) round (the fire) as above.

अथ परिषिञ्चति यथा पुरस्तात् ५

6. ⁴ ‘Thou hast given thy consent;’ ‘Thou hast given thy impulse’ - thus he changes the end of each Mantra.

अन्वमंस्थाः । प्रासावीः । इति मन्त्रान्तान्सन्नमति ६

7. He then worships the (following) deities (with the following Mantras),

अथ देवता उपतिष्ठते ७

8. ⁵ Agni with (the words), ‘Agni, lord of the vow, I shall keep the vow;’

9. Vāyu with (the words), ‘Vāyu, lord of the vow, (&c.);’

10. Āditya (the sun) with (the words), ‘Āditya, lord of the vow, (&c.);’

11. The lord of the vows with (the words), ‘Lord of the vows, ruling over the vows (&c.).’

अग्ने व्रतपते व्रतं चरिष्यामि । इत्यग्निम् ।
वायो व्रतपते । इति वायुम् ।
आदित्य व्रतपते । इत्यादित्यम् ।
व्रतानां व्रतपते । इति व्रतपतिम् ८

12. ⁶ He then gives an optional gift to his Guru (i.e. to the teacher).

अत्र गुरवे वरं ददाति ९

13. ⁷ (The teacher) makes him rise with (the verse which the student recites), ‘Up! with life’ (Taitt. Saṃh. I, 2, 8, 1); he gives him in charge (to the sun) with (the words), ‘Sun! This is thy son; I give him in charge to thee;’ and he worships the sun with (the Mantra), ‘That bright eye created by the gods which rises in the east: may we see it a hundred autumns; may we live a hundred autumns; may we rejoice a hundred autumns; may we be glad a hundred autumns; may we prosper a hundred autumns; may we hear a hundred autumns; may we speak a hundred autumns; may we live undecaying a hundred autumns; and may we long see the sun.’

उदायुषा । इत्युत्थाप्य ।
सूर्यैष ते पुत्रस्तं ते परिददामि । इति परिदाय ।
तच्चक्षुर्देवहितं पुरस्ताच्छुक्रमुच्चरत् । पश्येम शरदः शतं जीवेम शरदः शतम् । नन्दाम शरदः शतं मोदाम शरदः शतम् । भवाम शरदः शतं शृणवाम शरदः शतम् । प्रब्रवाम शरदः शतमजिताः स्याम शरदः शतम् । ज्योक् च सूर्यं दृशे । इत्यादित्यमुपतिष्ठते १०

14. ⁸ ‘May Agni further give thee life. May Agni further grant thee bliss. May Indra with the Maruts here give (that) to thee; may the sun with the Vasus give (it) to thee’ - with (this verse the teacher) gives him a staff, and then hands over to him a bowl (for collecting alms).

अग्निष्ट आयुः प्रतरां कृणोत्वग्निष्टे पुष्टिं प्रतरां दधातु । इन्द्रो मरुद्भिरिह ते दधात्वादित्यस्ते वसुभिरादधातु । इति दण्डं प्रदायामत्रं प्रयच्छति ११

15. Then he says to him, ‘Go out for alms.’

अथाह । भिक्षाचर्यं चर । इति १२

16. ⁹ Let him beg of his mother first;

स मातरमेवाग्रे भिक्षेत १३

17. ¹⁰ Then (let him beg) in other houses where they are kindly disposed towards him.

अतोन्येषु रातिकुलेषु १४

18. He brings (the food which he has received) to his Guru (i.e. to the teacher), and announces it to him by saying, ‘(These are) the alms.’

आहृत्य । भैक्षम् । इति गुरवे प्राह १५

19. (The teacher accepts it) with the words, ‘Good alms they are.’

तत्सुभैक्षम् । इत्युक्त्वा १६

20. ¹¹ ‘May all gods bless thee whose first garment we accept. May after thee, the prosperous one, the well-born, many brothers and friends be born’ - with (this verse the teacher) takes (for himself) the former garment (of the student).

यस्य ते प्रथमवास्यं हरामस्तं त्वा विश्वे अवन्तु देवाः । तं त्वा भ्रातरः सुहृदो वर्धमानमनुजायन्तां बहवः सुजातम् । इति प्रथमवास्यमस्यादत्ते १७

21. When the food (with which the Brāhmaṇas shall be entertained) is ready, (the student) takes some portion of boiled rice, cakes, and flour, mixes (these substances) with clarified butter, and sacrifices with (the formulas), ‘To Agni svāhā! To Soma svāhā! To Agni, the eater of food, svāhā! To Agni, the lord of food, svāhā! To Prajāpati svāhā! To the Viśve devās svāhā! To all deities svāhā! To Agni Sviṣṭakṛt svāhā!’

उप-स्थितेन्न ओदनस्यापूपानां सक्तूनामिति समवदाय सर्पिर्मिश्रस्य जुहोति । अग्नये स्वाहा । सोमाय स्वाहा । अग्नयेन्नादाय स्वाहा । अग्नयेन्नपतये स्वाहा । प्रजापतये स्वाहा । विश्वेभ्यो देवेभ्यः स्वाहा । सर्वाभ्यो देव-ताभ्यः स्वाहा । अग्नये स्विष्टकृते स्वाहा । इति १८

22. Thus (let him sacrifice) wherever (oblations of food are prescribed) for which the deities (to whom they shall be offered) are not indicated.

सर्वत्रैवमनादिष्ट-देवते १९

23. ¹² If the deity is indicated, (let him sacrifice) with (the words), ‘To such and such (a deity) svāhā!’ according to which deity it is.

अमुष्मै स्वाहा । इति यथादेवतमादिष्टदेवते २०

24. ¹³ Taking (again) some portion of the same kinds of food, he offers it as a Bali on eastward-pointed Darbha grass, with (the words), ‘To Vāstupati (i.e. Vāstoṣpati) svāhā!’

एतेषामेवान्नानां समवदाय प्रागग्रेषु दर्भेषु बलिं करोति । वास्तुपतये स्वाहा । इति २१

25. ¹⁴ After he has served those three kinds of food to the Brāhmaṇas, and has caused them to say, ‘An auspicious day! Hail! Good luck!’ -

त्रिवृतान्नेन ब्राह्मणान्परिविष्य पुण्याहं स्वस्त्ययनमृद्धिमिति वाचयित्वा २२