Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 92

88
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ JUNE, 1919
a cerity made and refilled with sand, Earth bowed to, and fire ignited. A gold, silver or copper. pitcher full of water is covered with a piece of cloth and an image of Indra made of gold is placed on two eight-leaved lotuses drawn on the cloth. This is followed by offerings to Indra, fi ye oblations to fire and the seating of the Brahman priest, who with the Hotri next engages in the offering of the following oblations, viz., eight to the four cardinal points, and seventeen to Agni and other deities followed by samriddhi, sannati, upastiryya, svishtarit, Prayaschittatm aka, sanisthiti, samâna and samýrava-bhaga homas. Then follow offerings to the ten presiding deities of the ten quarters of heavens, and to demons of vario 18 descriptions. The Párnahuti comes next and then the throwing of the remnants of homa-fire into holy water. In the concluding rite of santi for averting evil, the king with his consort, relatives and ministers, is sprinkled by the hotri with water from the sdnti pitcher'. Then both the king and the queen take bath in water mixed with herbs, wear white dresses and garlands, and smear their bodies with the paste of white sandal. Gifts are made to the priests, and the gold image of Indra after symbolic relinquishment is given to Acharyya. The whole ceremony is then brought to a close by the feasting of brahmanas.
The object of this ritual is no doubt the welfare of the king implying that of his relatives, officials, and subjects but the central idea in it is the coronation of Indra, the king of the gods. We have seen in connection with the Rajasûya that the mantras for the Punarabhisheka, are uttered in unison with those of the Aindra-mahabhisheka, which goes upon the supposition that the king of the gods was installed on his throne in remote antiquity with the self-same mantras which appear in the Aitareya-Brahmana in connection with the Aindra-mahâbhisheka, and which, when uttered at the Punarabhisheka, bring on special well-being of the subject of the Punarabhisheka. In the coronation ceremony with which we are now dealing, much more prominence is given to the idea by devoting a special day with its special rituals to Indra, who is worshipped to make the coronation of the mortal king as much fraught with potentialities for good as his own coronation was in the remote past
Re. (2). On an auspicious day fixed for abhisheka, the king has to formally declare his intention ( sankalpa ) to perform the abhisheka.
(a) After the ignition of fire 25 and the offering of seventeen oblations as previously mentioned in connection with Aindri-santi, the purohita has to perform homa with five sets of Atharva-Vedic mantras, viz. farma-varma, svastyayana, dyushya, abhaya, and a parajita, which are intended to secure for the king welfare for himself personally and his kingdom. On the southern side of the homa-fire is kept a gold pitcher (sampátavan kalasa) in which are deposited the residues of offerings. Brahmanas learned in the Vedas as well as brahmana, Kshattriya, Vaisya and Sadra ministers are honoured with presents and seated at the place where the ceremony is to take place. The royal priest, who has to fast on that day, puts on garland and turban and enters into the bathing-house where he has to put nine gold pitchers with waters from various places of pilgrimage as well as an earthon pitcher with water, a gold pitcher with ghi, a silver pitcher with milk. copper pitcher with curd, and an earthen pitcher with water in which kusa grass has been soaked. A gold pitcher with a hundred perforations as also an earthen pitcher filled with water from well and the four seas are also to be there.
25 Certain characteristios of the flame of this fire, such as brightness like melted gold, resemblance to svastika mark, &o., wer regarded as portente for good or evil.