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


PRASNA I, PATALA 2, SECTION 5.

1. 1 'To him who comes (to us), we have come. Drive ye away death! May we walk with him safely; may he walk here in bliss; (may he) walk in bliss until (he returns) to his house'—this (verse the teacher repeats) while (the boy) walks round the fire so as to keep his right side turned towards it.

2. 2 (The teacher) then causes him to say, 'I have come hither to be a student. Initiate me! I will be a student, impelled by the god Sâvitrî.'

3. (The teacher then) asks him:

4. 'What is thy name?'

5. 5 He says, 'N.N!'—what his name is.

6. 6 (The teacher says), 'Happily, god Savitri, may I attain the goal with this N.N.'—here he pronounces (the student's) two names.

7. 7 With (the verse), 'For bliss may the goddesses afford us their protection; may the waters afford drink to us. With bliss and happiness may they overflow us'—both wipe themselves off.

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8. 8 Then (the teacher) touches with his right hand (the boy's) right shoulder, and with his left (hand) his left (shoulder), and draws (the boy's) right arm towards himself with the Vyâhritis, the Sâvitrî verse, and with (the formula), 'By the impulse of the god Savitri, with the arms of the two Asvins, with Pûshan's hands I initiate thee, N.N.!'

9. 9 He then seizes with his right hand (the boy's) right hand together with the thumb, with (the words), 'Agni has seized thy hand; Soma has seized thy hand; Savitri has seized thy hand; Sarasvatî has seized thy hand; Pûshan has seized thy hand; Brihaspati has seized thy hand; Mitra has seized thy hand; Varuna has seized thy hand; Tvashtri has seized thy hand; Dhâtri has seized thy hand; Vishnu has seized thy hand; Pragâpati has seized thy hand.'

10. 10 'May Savitri protect thee. Mitra art thou by rights; Agni is thy teacher.

'By the impulse of the god Savitri become Brihaspati's pupil. Eat water. Put on fuel. Do the service. Do not sleep in the day-time'—thus (the teacher) instructs him.

11. 11 Then (the teacher) gradually moves his right

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hand down over (the boy's) right shoulder and touches the place of his heart with (the formulas), 'Thy heart shall dwell in my heart; my mind thou shalt follow with thy mind; in my word thou shalt rejoice with all thy heart; may Brihaspati join thee to me!

'To me alone thou shalt adhere. In me thy thoughts shall dwell. Upon me thy veneration shall be bent. When I speak, thou shalt be silent.'

12. With (the words), 'Thou art the knot of all breath; do not loosen thyself'—(he touches) the place of his navel.

13. 13 After (the teacher) has recited over him (the formula),

'Bhûh! Bhuvah! Suvah! By offspring may I become rich in offspring! By valiant sons, rich in valiant sons! By splendour, rich in splendour! By wealth, rich in wealth! By wisdom, rich in wisdom! By pupils, rich in holy lustre!'

And (again the formulas),

'Bhûh! I place thee in the Rikas, in Agni, on the earth, in voice, in the Brahman, N.N.!

'Bhuvah! I place thee in the Yagus, in Vâyu, in the air, in breath, in the Brahman, N.N.!

'Suvah! I place thee in the Sâmans, in Sûrya, in heaven, in the eye, in the Brahman, N.N.!

'May I be beloved (?) and dear to thee, N.N.!

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[paragraph continues] May I be dear to thee, the fire (?), N.N.! Let us dwell here! Let us dwell in breath and life! Dwell in breath and life, N.N.!'—

14. 14 He then seizes with his right hand (the boy's) right hand together with the thumb, with the five sections, 'Agni is long-lived.'

15. 'May (Agni) bestow on thee long life everywhere' (Taitt. Samh. I, 3, 14, 4)—


Footnotes

150:1 5, 1. I read, pra su mrityum yvyotana; comp. Mantra-Brâhmana I, 6, 14 (Rig-veda I, 136, 1, &c.). As to the last Pâda, comp. Rig-veda III, 53, 20.

150:2 2 seq. Comp. Gobhila II, 20, 21 seq.; Pâraskara II, 2, 6; Sâṅkhâyana II, 2, 4, &c.

150:5 Mâtridatta, 'As it is said below, "he pronounces his two names" (Sûtra 6), the student should here also pronounce his two names, for instance, "I am Devadatta, Kârttika."'

150:6 'His common (vyâvahârika) name and his Nakshatra name.' Mâtridatta.

150:7 Rig-veda X, 9, 4.

151:8 The word which I have translated 'draws . . . towards himself' is the same which is also used in the sense of 'he initiates him' (upanayate). Possibly we should correct the text: dakshinam bâhum anv abhyâtmam upanayate, 'he turns him towards himself from left to right (literally, following his right arm).' Comp. Sâṅkhâyana II, 3, 2.—Regarding the Mantra, comp. Sâṅkhâyana II, 2, 12, &c.

151:9 Sâṅkhâyana II, 2, 11; 3, 1, &c.

151:10 Sâṅkhâyana II, 3, 1; 4, 5. We ought to read aposâna, instead of aposânah as the MSS. have.

151:11 Sâṅkhâyana II, 4, 1, &c.

152:13 The reading of the last Mantra is doubtful. Ishtatas should possibly be ishtas, but the genitive analasya, or, as some of the MSS. have, analasya (read, analasasya?), points rather to a genitive like ikkhatas. If we write ikkhatas and analasasya, the translation would be: 'May I be dear to thee, who loves me, N.N.! May I be dear to thee, who art zealous, N.N.!' Comp. Sâṅkhâyana II, 3, 3.

153:14 Comp. above, Sûtra 9.


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