०८

1. ¹ He keeps through three days the (following) vow:

त्र्यहव्रतं चरति १

2. ² He eats no pungent or saline food and no vegetables; he sleeps on the ground; he does not drink out of an earthen vessel; he does not give the remnants of his food to a Śūdra; he does not eat honey or meat; he does not sleep in the daytime; in the morning and in the evening he brings (to his teacher) the food which he has received as alms and a pot of water; every day (he fetches) a bundle of firewood; in the morning and in the evening, or daily in the evening he puts fuel on (the fire, in the following way):

अक्षारमलवणमशमीधान्यं भुञ्जानोधःशाय्यमृन्मयपाय्य-शूद्रो च्छिष्ट्यमधुमांसाश्यदिवास्वाप्युभौ कालौ भिक्षाचर्यमुदकुम्भमित्याह-रन्नहरहः काष्ठकलापमुभौ कालौ सायं सायं वा समिधोभ्यादधाति २

3. ³ Before sprinkling (water) round (the fire), he wipes (with his wet hand) from left to right round (the fire) with the verse, ‘As you have loosed, O Vasus, the buffalo-cow’ (Taitt. Saṃh. IV, 7, 15, 7), and sprinkles (water) round (the fire) as above.

पुर-स्तात्परिषेचनात् । यथा ह तद्वसवो गौर्यम् । इति प्रदक्षिणमग्निं परिमृज्य परिषिञ्चति यथा पुरस्तात् ३

4. ⁴ (Then) he puts (four) pieces of wood (on the fire) with the single (Vyāhṛtis) and with (the three Vyāhṛtis) together, and (four other pieces) with (the following four verses),

‘This fuel is thine, Agni; thereby thou shalt grow and gain vigour. And may we grow and gain vigour. Svāhā!

‘May Indra give me insight; may Sarasvatī, the goddess, (give) insight; may both Aśvins, wreathed with lotus, bestow insight on me. Svāhā!

‘The insight that dwells with the Apsaras, the mind that dwells with the Gandharvas, the divine insight and that which is born from men: may that insight, the fragrant one, rejoice in me! Svāhā!

‘May insight, the fragrant one, that assumes all shapes, the gold-coloured, mobile one, come to me. Rich in sap, swelling with milk, may she, insight, the lovely-faced one, rejoice in me! Svāhā!’

व्याहृतिभिः समिधोभ्यादधात्येकैकशः समस्ता-भिश्च । एषा ते अग्ने समित्तया वर्धस्व चा च प्यायस्व । वर्धिषीमहि च वयमा च प्यासिषीमहि । स्वाहा । मेधां म इन्द्रो ददातु मेधां देवी सरस्वती । मेधां मे अश्विनावुभावाधत्तां पुष्करस्रजौ । स्वाहा । अप्सरासु च या मेधा गन्धर्वेषु च यन्मनः । दैवीं मेधा मनुष्यजा सा मां मेधा सुरभिर्जुषताम् । स्वाहा । आ मां मेधा सुरभिर्विश्वरूपा हिरण्यवर्णा जगती जगम्या । ऊर्जस्वती पयसा पिन्वमाना सा मां मेधा सुप्रतीका जुषताम् । स्वाहा । इति ४

5. ⁵ Having wiped round (the fire) in the same way, he sprinkles (water) round (the fire) as above.

तथैव परिमृज्य परिषिञ्चति यथा पुरस्तात् ५

6. ⁶ He worships the fire with the Mantras, ‘What thy splendour is, Agni, may I thereby’ (Taitt. Saṃh. III, 5, 3, 2), and ‘On me may insight, on me offspring’ (Taitt. Āraṇyaka X, 44).

यत्ते अग्ने तेजस्तेनाहम् । इत्येतैर्मन्त्रैरुपतिष्ठते । मयि मेधां मयि प्रजाम् । इति च ६

7. ⁷ After the lapse of those three days (Sūtra 1) he serves in the same way the three kinds of food (stated above) to the Brāhmaṇas, causes them to say, ‘An auspicious day! Hail! Good luck!’ and discharges himself of his vow by (repeating) these (Mantras) with (the necessary) alterations, ‘Agni, lord of the vow, I have kept the vow’ (see above, I, 2, 7, 8).

त्र्यहे पर्यवेते तथैव त्रिवृतान्नेन ब्राह्मणान्परिविष्य पुण्याहं स्वस्त्ययनमृद्धिमिति वाचयित्वा व्रतं विसृजते । अग्ने व्रतपते व्रतमचारिषम् । इत्येतैः सन्नतैः ७

8. ⁸ He keeps the same observances afterwards (also),

एतद्व्रत एवात ऊर्ध्वम् ८

9. ⁹ Dwelling in his teacher’s house. He may eat, (however,) pungent and saline food and vegetables.

आचार्यकुलवास्यश्नाति क्षारं लवणं शमीधान्यमिति ९

10. ¹⁰ He wears a staff, has his hair tied in one knot, and wears a girdle,

दण्डी जटी मेखली १०

11. Or he may tie the lock on the crown of the head in a knot.

शिखाजटो वा स्यात् ११

12. He wears (an upper garment) dyed with red Loth, or the skin (of an antelope, &c.).

काषायमजिनं वा वस्ते १२

13. He does not have intercourse with women.

न स्त्रियमुपैति १३

14. ¹¹ (The studentship lasts) forty-eight years, or twenty-four (years), or twelve (years), or until he has learnt (the Veda).

अष्टाचत्वारिंशद्वर्षाणि चतुर्विंशतिं द्वादश यावद्ग्रहणं वा १४

15. He should not, however, omit keeping the observances.

न त्वेवाव्रतः स्यात् १५

16. ¹² At the beginning and on the completion of the study of a Kāṇḍa (of the Black Yajur-veda he sacrifices) with (the verse), ‘The lord of the seat, the wonderful one, the friend of Indra, the dear one, I have entreated for the gift of insight. Svāhā!’

In the second place the Ṛṣi of the Kāṇḍa (receives an oblation).

(Then follow oblations with the verses), ‘This, O Varuṇa;’ ‘For this I entreat thee;’ ‘Thou, Agni;’ ‘Thus thou, Agni;’ ‘Thou, Agni, art quick;’ ‘Prajāpati!’ and, ‘What I have done too much in this sacrifice.’ Here some add as subordinate oblations the Jaya, Abhyātāna, and Rāṣṭrabhṛt (oblations) as above.

End of the Second Paṭala.

काण्डोपाकरणे काण्डविसर्गे च । सदस-स्पतिमद्भुतं प्रियमिन्द्र स्य काम्यम् । सनिं मेधामयासिषम् । स्वाहा । इति काण्डर्षिर्द्वितीयः । इमं मे वरुण । तत्त्वा यामि । त्वं नो अग्ने । स त्वं नो अग्ने । त्वमग्ने अयासि । प्रजापते । यदस्य कर्मणोत्यरीरिचम् । इति च । अत्रैके जयाभ्यातानान्राष्ट्रभृत इत्युपजुह्वति यथा पुरस्तात् १६