Indian Antiquary Vol 48

SR No.: 032540
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 458
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

Page 89

JUNE, 1919)
ANCIENT HINDU CORONATION AND ALLIED CEREMONIALS
85
an imperative necessity to every prince; for, otherwise, in the estimation of the people, the prince will stand bare of the "kingly fitness" which he omits to formally bestow upon him. self by the ceremonial, and for which no natural capabilities of the prince, however great, could perhaps be an adequate substitute. After the death of a king or after his retirement, some time must have elapsed before the coronation rituals could be performed by his successor; and hence, the question naturally suggests itself whether the latter could exercise the rights and duties of a full-fledged king immediately after the end of the previous régime without formally going through the ceremony. In the case of the initiation sacrament, the uninitiated boy had no right to the acquisition of sacred lore before he went through the necessary rite; but not so perhaps in the case of the coronation ceremony, as will appear from evidences later on. (2) The solemn assertion by the prince, which looks very much like the coronation oath, to protect the good and punish the wicked, that is to say, the paramount duties of the protection of life and property of his subjects and an impartial administration of justice.
After the performance of the homa, a tiger-skin is spread with the mantra “Thou art the sky, thou art the earth," and the prince is seated thereon. The priests bless him saying, “ May you be unconquerable, may the various quarters protect you, may your subjects be loyal, and may the kingdom never slip away from your rule," and sprinkle him with water in which barley and dûrvâ grass have been steeped, the ritual being accompanied with blessings.
The prince is then asked to repair to and ascend a chariot standing before the áhavaniva fire of the sacrificial ground where the ceremony is taking place, appropriate benedictory formulas (some of which are repetitions of those used in the sprinkling ceremony ) being uttered during the time. The object of this ascension of the car appears from the last formula addressed to the chariot to be a symbolic expression of the desire that the prince might achieve success in his rule. The king next prays the royal priest to help him by a faithful discharge of his duties that serve to keep the realm free from danger, and contribute to its well-being. He then asks the charioteer to sit on the car and hold the reins. The king then recites to the effect, “May I never hear within my dominion the sound of bows of my enemies coveting my kingdom, may that harsh sound change into a sweet one by making the hostile army friendly."
The brahmanas as well as the king's friends and relations embrace him, after which his body is smeared with unguents. At this time, the king has to look towards the sun, and the royal priest addresses him thus : "May this king be lustrous like the noon-day sun; may my blessings be likewise powerful in their effects; may you (king),-glorious sun, attain prosperity by my blessings; may my words be in a special degree discriminatory of right and wrong; may my blessings be firm in their efficacy; may the rivers (in the kingdom) be full, clouds rain in time, and crops fructify; may the king be the lord of a rich country veritably flowing with milk and honey."
After oblations to the fire intended for the kefins, i.e., Agni, Vayu and Sûryya, the king is asked to sit on a throne of udumbara wood, when the purohiia says, "O king, subdue your enemies completely. Now that I have finished the consecration beating the two names of Varini 5 and Ugra 6 pay fees to the purohita. May you attain long life and
5 Called Vasins, because the ceremony is believed to bring the subjects under the king's control, . Called Ugra, because it effects the subjugation of onomies.