apastamba's yajna paribhasha sutras 1.pdf

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The Grihya Sutras, Part 2 (SBE30) , by Hermann Oldenberg, [1892], at sacred-texts.com

p. 314 p. 315

PASTAMBA'S

YAG A-PARIBHSH-STRAS._________________

GENERAL RULES OF THESACRIFICE.

STRA I.

We shall explain the sacrifice.

Commentary.

Yaga, sacrifice, is an act by which we surrender something for thesake of the gods. Such an act must rest on a sacred authority(gama), and serve for man's salvation (sreyortha). The nature of the gift is of less importance. It may be purod sa, cake; karu,pulse; smnyya, mixed milk; pasu, an animal; soma, the juice of

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the Soma-plant, &c.; nay, the smallest offerings of butter, flour,and milk may serve for the purpose of a sacrifice.

Yaga, yga, yagana, and isht i are considered as synonymes.

STRA II.

The sacrifice is for the three colours or castes (varna), forBrhmanas and Rganyas, also for the Vaisya.

Commentary.

Though the sacrifice is meant for the three castes, here calledvarna, i.e. colour, the third caste, that of the Vaisya or citizen, ismentioned by itself, while the two castes, the Brhmanas andRganyas (the Kshatriyas or nobles), are mentioned together. Thisis done because there are certain sacrifices (bahuyagamna),performed by Brhmanas and Rganyas together, in which Vaisyastake no part. In theS khyana-stras, I, 1, 3, alsop. 316

the Vaisya is mentioned by himself. In Ktyyana's Stras,however, no such distinction is made. and we read, I, 6, Brhmana-rganya-vaisynm sruteh. Women, if properly married, areallowed to participate in sacrifices, but no one is allowed to beaccompanied by a Sdr woman, even though she be his wife.Properly a Brhmana should marry a wife of his own caste only. AKshatriya may marry a woman of his own or of the Brhmanacaste. A Vaisya's proper wife should be taken from his own caste.See, however, Manu III, 12 seq.

The four castes, with theS dra as the fourth, are mentioned once inthe Rig-veda, X, yo, 12. The opposition between ryas andS drasoccurs in the Atharva-veda, XIX, 62, &c., and in most of theBrhmanas. In theS atapatha Brhmana we read of the four castes,Brhmana, Rganya, Vaisya, andS dra, and we are told that noneof them vomits the Soma. Ktyyana excludes from the sacrificethe a gahna, cripple, shand a, eunuch, and all asrotriyas, personsignorant of the Veda, which would bar, of course, the whole classof theS dras, but they are also specially excluded. Concessions,however, had to be made at an early time, for instance, in the caseof the Rathakra, who is admitted to the Agnydhna, &c. Thisname means chariot-maker, but padeva, in his Mmms-nyya-praksa, remarks that, though rathakra means a chariot-makeretymologically, it should be taken here as the name of a clan,namely that of the Saudhanvanas (MS. Mill 46, p. 13b). Deva, inhis commentary on the Ktyyana-stras, makes the same remark.See also Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 12 seq. These Saudhanvanas, oftenidentified with the Ribhus, are evidently the followers of Bribu,

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By the Rig-veda, the Yagur-veda, the Sma-veda (is the sacrificeprescribed).

p. 318

STRA V.

The Darsa-prnamsau, the new and full-moon sacrifices, areprescribed by the Rig-veda and the Yagur-veda.

STRA VI.

The Agnihotra is prescribed by the Yagur-veda.

STRA VII.

The Agnisht oma is prescribed by all.

Commentary.

By saying all, the Atharva-veda is supposed to be included, at leastaccording to one commentator.

The Agnisht oma requires sixteen priests, the Pasu sacrifices six,theK turmsyas five, the Darsa-prnamsas four.

STRA VIII.

With the Rig-veda and Sma-veda the performance takes placewith a loud voice (ukk aih).

Commentary.

Even lines of the Yagur-veda, if they are contained in the Rig-vedaand Sma-veda, would have to be pronounced with a loud voice.Certain mantras, however, are excepted, viz. thegapa,abhimantrana, and anumantrana-mantras.

STRA IX.

With the Yagur-veda the performance takes place by murmuring(upmsu).

Commentary.

This murmuring, upmsu, is described as a mere opus operatum,the words being repeated without voice and without thought. Onemay see the movements of the vocal organs in murmuring, but oneshould not hear them at a distance. If verses from the Rig-veda or

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Sma-veda

p. 319

occur in the Yagur-veda, they also have to be murmured. See Kty.I, 3, 10.

STRA X.With the exception of addresses, replies, choosing of priests(pravara), dialogues, and commands.

Commentary.

As all these are meant to be understood by others, they havetherefore to be pronounced in a loud voice. The address (sruta) isom srvaya; the reply (pratysruta) is astusraushat 1; the choosingof priests (pravara) is agnir devo hot; a dialogue (samvda) is

brahman prokshishymi, om proksha; a command (sampresha) isprokshan r sdaya.

STRA XI.

In the Smidhen hymns the recitation is to be between (the highand the low tone).

Commentary.

The Smidhens are the hymns used for lighting the fire. One

commentator explains antar, between, as between high tone(krusht a) and the murmuring (upmsu). Another distinguishesthree high tones, the krusht a (also called tra or krauk a), themadhyama, and the mandra, and assigns the madhyama to theSmidhen hymns. The mandra notes come from the chest, themadhyama notes from the throat, the uttama notes from the head.

STRA XII.

Before the gyabhgas (such as the gya-portions at the Darsa-prnamsa), and at the morning Savana (oblation of Soma), therecitation is to be with the soft (mandra) voice.

p. 320

Commentary.

The pronunciation is loud, ukk aih, but soft, mandra. Satyavratarestricts this rule to the passages mentioned in Stra X. He alsotreats the second part of Stras XII, XIII, and XIV as separateStras.

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S TRA XIII.

Before the Svisht akri t (at the Darsa-prnamsa) sacrifice, and atthe midday Savana, the recitation is to be with the middle voice.

STRA XIV.

In the remainder and at the third Savana with the sharp (krusht a)voice1.

Commentary.

The remainder refers to the Darsa-prnamsa sacrifice, the threeSavanas to the Soma sacrifice. Satyavrata takes all these rules asreferring to the cases mentioned in Stra X.

STRA XV.

The movement of the voice is the same.

Commentary.

In the three cases mentioned before, the voice moves quickly,when the words are to be pronounced high; slowly, when low; andmeasuredly, when neither loud nor low.

STRA XVI.

The Hotri -priest performs with the Rig-veda.

STRA XVII.

The Udgtri -priest with the Sma-veda.

p. 321

STRA XVIII.

The Adhvaryu-priest with the Yagur-veda.

STRA XIX.The Brahma-priest with all.

Commentary.

'With all' means with the three Vedas, because the Brahma-priest,or superintendent of the whole sacrifice, must be acquainted withthe three Vedas. Others would include the Atharva-veda.

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S TRA XX.

When it is expressly said, or when it is rendered impossible,another priest also may act.

Commentary.

Vipratishedha is explained by asambhava and asakti.

STRA XXI.

The priestly office (rtvigya) belongs to the Brhmanas.

Commentary.

Sacrifices may be performed for Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and, incertain cases, even for others, but never by any but Brhmanas.The reason given for this is curious,because Brhmanas only areable to eat the remains of a sacrifice. SeeS atap. Br. II, 3, 1, 39;Ktyyana IV, 14, 11; also I, 2, 8, cont.

STRA XXII.

For all sacrifices the fires are laid once.

Commentary.

The sacrificial fires have to be arranged for the first time

p. 322 by a peculiar ceremony, called the Agnydhna. They aregenerally three (Tret), the Grhapatya, the father; the Dakshina,the son; and the havanya, the grandson. The first laying of theGrhapatya fire-altar takes place in spring for a Brhmana, insummer for a Rganya, in winter for a Vaisya.

STRA XXIII.

If it is said,guhoti, 'he sacrifices,' it should be known that sarpir

gya, melted butter, is meant.Commentary.

Sarpis is here taken as an adjective, running; yad asarpat tat sarpirabhavat. gya is explained as navantavikradravyagtyavak anah sabdah, i.e. a word signifying any kind of substance made of freshbutter.

In the Aitareya-Brhmana I, 3, we read gyam vai devnm

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