Indian Antiquary Vol 48

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 90

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JONE, 1919
be freed from Vuruna's snares." Then the priest shaves the king's head with a mantra, which indicates that it is an imitation of what Prajapati had done for Soma and Varuņa. The hair is collected on a tuft of kusa grass, serving thereby to preserve the king's strength.? The king is then anointed with a mixture of milk and ghi with the same object in view with a formula which asks the Asvins to have the king's beauty devoted entirely to the queens.
The Râmâyala and the Mahabhâreta speak of a few coronations of princes, the former those of (1) Sugriva, (2) Vibhishana,' (3) Råma,10 (4) Kusa and Lava, 11 (5) Angada and Chandraketu,! (6) Satrughna's song Subâhu and Setrughâtî,13 and the latter those of (1) Janamejaya, (2) Vichitra-virgya,15 (3) Puru, 16 (4) Yudhish ţhira, 7 (5) Sarabha, son of Sisupala,'' and (6) Parikshit.19 Full ritualistic details are given nowhere in the epics. The common features of the rituals, so far as we can gather them from their fragmentary descriptions in the first named.epic, are collection of waters from seas and rivers in gold pitchers, sprinkling of game on the prince seated on a throne, crowning and prince's gifts to brahmanas, while their distinguishing features are (1) the performance of a homa (in Sugriva's coronation), (2) presents offered by the subjects to the prince (e.g., in Vibhishana's coronation), (3) presents offered by the prince (as in Râma's coronation), (4) difference as to persons who sprinkle water, and (5) difference as to those who put the crown on his head.
The Mahabharata furnishes some details of the ceremony of only one prince, Yudhishthira, who sat on a throne made of gold surrounded by others seated likewise. To begin with, he touched white flowers, auspicious symbols (svastikas), unhusked barley-corns, earth, gold, silver, and jewels. Auspicious articles, such as earth, gold, gems, and other things necessary for the coronation were brought by the subjects, who came there headed by the priest. Jars made of gold, udumbara wood, silver and earth, and full of water as well as flowers, fried rice, kuća grass, cow's milk, sami, pippal, and paldsa wood, honey, ghi, ladles of udumbara wood and conches decked with gold, were there for the ceremony. The royal priest, Dhaumya, made an altar sloping north and east and marked with the necessary signs. The prince with his consort Draupadi was then seated upon a firm and effulgent stool called sarvatobhadra 20 covered with tiger-skin, and Dhaumya poured libations of ghi upon fire with appropriate mantras. Krishna poured water from a sanctified conch upon the prince's head, as algo Dhritarashtra and the subjects. The presents brought by the people were formally accepted by Yudhishthira, who in turn honoured them with presents in profusion and gave a thousand nishkas to the brahmanas who uttered benedictions for his welfare.
Most of the features of the coronation as found in the epics have been reproduced in the Auni-Purana 21 which, as usual with the Puranas, adds to them new rituals making
1 Similar belief is noticed in connection with the keiavapaniya ritual of the Rajasiya. Ramdyana, Kislkindha-kunda, sarga 26.
Ibid, Yuddha-kunda, sarga 112. 10 Ibid, Yuddha-kanda, sarga 128, and Uttara-kanda, sarga 62. 11 Ramayana, Utara-kdnda, sarga 107.
13 Ibid. 13 Ibid, Uttara-kanca, sarga 108.
1 Mahabharata, Adi-Parra, ch. 44. 15 Ibid, Adi-Parua, ch. 101.
16 Ibid, Adi-Parva, ch. 85. 17 Ibid, Sinti-Parva, ch. 40.
13 Ibid, Sabha - Parta, ch. 45. 19 Ibid, Mahd prast)dnika-Parra, ch. 1. so C. Yukti-kalpa-tcru, (edited by Papdit Ivarchandra Sastri); Samdny dsanoddera, p. 66, Alk. 402. :1 Agn:Purawa, chs. 218-219.