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SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
SECOND KANDA.
THE AGNYÅDHÅNA, THE AGNIHOTRA, THE PINDAPITRIYAGÑA, THE ÅGRAYANESHTI,
AND THE KÅTURMÅSYÅNI.
1. THE AGNYÂDHÂNA OR ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
SACRED FIRES. First Adhyâya. First BRÂumana. THE Agny-adhana (or Agny-adheya), or ceremony of establishing a set of sacrificial fires, on the part of a young householder, is, as a rule, performed on the first day of the waxing moon. Some authorities also allow the performance to take place at full moon probably in order to enable the newly-married couple to enter on their sacred duties with as little delay as possible. Moreover, special benefits are supposed to accrue to the performer of the ceremony from the conjunction of the new moon with certain lunar asterisms; though the author of our work, at any rate, does not seem greatly to encourage this practice, but rather to urge the pious householder to set up fires of his own, whenever he feels a longing for the sacrifice.
The normal performance of the Agnyâdhâna, as that of the full and new-moon offerings, requires two days; the first of which is taken up with preliminary rites, while the second that is, the first day of the respective half-moon-is devoted to the chief ceremonies, beginning with the production of the sacred fire by friction. (See II, 1, 4, 8 seq.)
After the sacrificer has chosen his four officiating priests - viz. the Brahman, Hotri, Adhvaryu, and Agnidhra (or Agnidhhe. proceeds, together with them, to erect the two sheds or "firehouses.' In order to determine their exact sites, the Adhvaryu first draws from west to east the so-called 'easterly' line (cf. I, 2, 5, 14), and on it marks, at 8, 11, or 12 prakramas or steps from each other, the centres of the Gârhapatya and Âhavanîya fire-places, the outlines of which he then traces, making each a square aratni or cubit in area, the former circular, the latter square. The Dakshi
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| SR No. | 007674 |
| Book Title | Dhammapada |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Max Muller |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1881 |
| Total Pages | 2540 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 45 MB |