"be the [146] food of our progenitors: satisfy my parents, ye "who convey nourishment, which is the drink of immortality, "the fluid of libations, the milky liquor, the confined and 'promised food of the manes."1 66 The ceremony may be concluded with three voluntary oblations: the first presented like the oblations to deities, looking towards the east, and with the sacrificial cord placed on his left shoulder; the second, like that offered to progenitors, looking towards the south, and with the string passed over his right shoulder. The prayers which accompany these offerings are subjoined: 1st. "May the gods, demons, benevolent genii, huge serpents, heavenly quiristers, fierce giants, bloodthirsty savages, unmelodious guardians of the celestial treasure, suc"cessful genii, spirits called Kushmanda, trees, and all animals "which move in air or in water, which live on earth, and feed "abroad; may all these quickly obtain contentment, through "the water presented by me." 2nd. "To satisfy them who "are detained in all the hells and places of torment, this water "is presented by me." 3rd. "May those who are, and those "who are not, of kin to me, and those who were allied to "me in a former existence, and all who desire oblations of "water from me, obtain perfect contentment." The first text, which is taken from the Sámaveda, differs a little from the Yajurveda : 2 "Gods, benevolent genii, huge serpents, nymphs, "demons, wicked beings, snakes, birds of mighty wing, trees, "giants, and all who traverse the ethereal region, genii who "cherish science, animals that live in water or traverse the "atmosphere, creatures that have no abode, and all living "animals which exist in sin, or in the practice of virtue; to satisfy them is this water presented by me." Afterwards the [147] priest should wring his lower garment, pronouncing this text: "May those who have been born in my family, 1 See a remark on this passage below, page 170, note. [Váj. S. ii. 34.] 2 [Neither of these hymns occurs in the Sanhitá text, as is shown by the mention of such non-vedic beings as Kushmandas and Vidyadharas ("genii who cherish science"). Halayudha gives the first version.] 66 "and have died, leaving no son nor kinsman bearing the same name, be contented with this water which I present by "wringing it from my vesture." Then placing his sacrificial cord on his left shoulder, sipping water, and raising up his arms, let him contemplate the sun, reciting a prayer inserted above: "He who travels the appointed path," etc. The priest should afterwards present an oblation of water to the sun, pronouncing the text of the Vishṇu-purána which has been already cited, "Salutation to the sun," etc. He then concludes the whole ceremony by worshipping the sun with a prayer above quoted: "Thou art self-existent," etc.; by making a circuit through the south, while he pronounces, “I "follow the course of the sun;" and by offering water from the hollow of his hand, while he salutes the regents of space and other Deities; "Salutation to space; to the regents of 'space, to Brahmá, to the earth, to salutary herbs, to fire, to "speech, to the lord of speech, to the pervader, and to the mighty Deity." [From the Asiatic Researches, vol. vii. pp. 232-285. [148] A FORMER essay on this subject1 described the daily ablutions performed with prayers and acts of religion by every Bráhman. His next daily duty is the performance of the five great sacraments. The first, consisting in the study of the Veda, has been already noticed; the sacraments of the manes, of deities, and of spirits, slightly touched upon in the first essay, will be made the subject of the present one; and the hospitable reception of guests will be followed in the next by a description of the various ceremonies which must be celebrated at different periods, from the birth to the marriage of a Hindu. The sacrament of deities consists in oblations to fire with prayers addressed to various divinities; and it is exclusive of the offerings of perfumes and blossoms before idols. It does not fall within my present plan to describe the manner in which the several sects of Hindus adore their gods, or the images of them; and I shall therefore restrict myself to ex 1 Ante, p. 141. 2 See note A, at the end of the present Essay. plain the oblations to fire, and then proceed to describe [149] funeral rites and commemorative obsequies, together with the daily offerings of food and water, to the manes of ancestors. I am guided by the author now before me1 in premising the ceremony of consecrating the fire, and of hallowing the sacrificial implements; "because this ceremony is, as it were, the "groundwork of all religious acts." 2 First, the priest smears with cow-dung a level piece of ground four cubits square, free from all impurities, and sheltered by a shed. Having bathed and sipped water, he sits down with his face towards the east, and places a vessel of water with kusa grass on his left; then, dropping his right knee, and resting on the span of his left hand, he draws with a root of kusa grass a line, one span or twelve fingers long, and directed towards the east. From the nearest extremity of this line he draws another at right angles to it, twenty-one fingers long, and directed towards the north. Upon this line he draws three others, parallel to the first, equal to it in length, and distant seven fingers from each other. The first line is really, or figuratively, made a yellow line, and is sacred to the earth; the second is red, and sacred to fire; the third black, and sacred to Brahmá the creator; the fourth blue, and [150] sacred to Indra the regent of the firmament; the fifth white, and sacred to Soma. He next gathers up the dust from the edges of these lines, and throws it away towards the north-east, saying, "What was [herein] bad, is cast away: and he concludes by sprinkling water on the several lines. 1 In the former essay, my chief guide was Halayudha, who has given very perspicuous explanations of the mantras (or prayers used at religious ceremonies) in several treatises, particularly in one entitled Bráhmaṇa-sarvaswa. In the present essay, I likewise use a ritual composed by Bhavadeva for the use of Sámavedi priests, and a commentary on the mantras by Guṇavishņu, as also the Achárachandriká (a treatise on religious ceremonies observed by S'údras, but including many of those performed by other classes), and the Achárádarsa, a treatise on daily duties. 2 Poa Cynosuroides, Koenig. On the new moon of Bhadra, a sufficient quantity of this sort of grass is provided for use during the whole year. Having thus prepared the ground for the reception of the sacrificial fire, he takes a lighted ember out of the covered vessel which contains the fire, and throws it away, saying, “I "dismiss far away carnivorous fire; may it go to the realm of "Yama, bearing sin [hence]." He then places the fire before him, saying, "Earth! Sky! Heaven!" and adding, "this "other [harmless] fire alone remains here; well knowing [its "office], may it convey my oblation to the Gods." He then denominates the fire according to the purpose for which he prepares it, saying, "Fire! thou art named so and so;" and he concludes this part of the ceremony by silently burning a log of wood, one span long and smeared with clarified butter. He next proceeds to place the Brahmá or superintending priest. Upon very solemn occasions, a learned Brahmana does actually discharge the functions of superintending priest; but, in general, a bundle containing fifty blades of kuśa grass is placed to represent the Brahmá. The officiating priest takes up the vessel of water, and walks round the fire keeping his right side turned towards it: he then pours water near it, directing the stream towards the east; he spreads kuśa grass thereon; and crossing his right knee over his left without sitting down, he takes up a single blade of single blade of grass between the thumb and ring-finger of his left hand, and throws it away towards the south-west corner of the shed, saying, "What was herein bad is cast away." Next, touching the water, resting the sole of his right foot on his left ankle, and sprinkling the grass with water, he places the [151] Brahmá on it, saying, "Sit on [this] seat until [thy] fee [be paid thee]." The officiating priest then returns by the same road by which he went round the fire; and sitting down again with his face towards the east, names the earth inaudibly. If any profane word have been spoken during the preceding ceremony, atonement must be now made by pronouncing this text: "Thrice did Vishņu step, and at three strides traversed "the universe: happily was his foot placed on the dusty |