Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 93

JUNE, 1919]
ANCIENT HINDU CORONATION AND ALLIED CEREMONIALS
89
(6) The prince is then bathed symbolically with various descriptions of soil. This bathing consists in touching his head with soil from the top of a hill, ears with that from the top of an anthill, face with that from a temple of Vishņu, neck with that from * temple of Indra, chest with that from a royal palace, right arm with that dug up by an elephant by its tusks, left arm with that dug up by a bull by its horns, back with that from a lake, belly with that from a confluence of rivers, sides with that from the banks of a river, waist with that from the door of a brothel, 26 thighs with that from a sacrificial ground, knees with that from a cowshed, shanks with that from a horse-stable, and feet with that from the whoel of a chariot. This ceremony is concluded by the final ablution of his head with panchagavya (a mixture of milk, curd, clarified butter, and cow's urine and dung).
(c) Four vessels made of gold, silver, copper and earth are filled respectively with clarified butter, milk, curd and water. The Brahmara, Kshattriya, Vaibya and Sudra ministers take the gold, silver, copper and earthen vessels in succession and sprinkle their contents on the prince's head from the east, south, west and north respectively.
(d) After the ministers, a Rig Vedic brahmana sprinkles honey and a Sama Vedic Urdhmana water (in which kusa grass has been immersed) upon the prince's head. The royal priest commits the sacrificial fire to the care of the sadasyas (assistants) and sprinkles from the aforesaid sampatavan pitcher with the mantras » that were uttered in connection with anointment forming part of the abhishechaniya of the Rajasúya.
(e). The prince is then taken to the base of the altar and seated upon a bhadrâsana. The roval priest sprinkles water on his head through a gold jar perforated with a hundred holes, uttering ya oshadhih, &c.,"38 as also perfumed liquids, and water in which flowers, seeds, gems and kusa grass have been dipped, with the recitation of other formulas,89
The Yajur and Atharva-Vedic brâh manas touch with Rochana (yellow pigment) the prince's head and throat with the mantra "Gandhadvârâ, &c." 30 This rite is brought to a close by the assembled brahmanas sprinkling on the prince's head water brought from Various sacred places,31
(9) Auspicious things such as jar filled with water, cho wry, fan, mirror, clarified butter, and jar filled with water and herbs are brought before the prince, music is played, (eulogistic songs are sung by the bards, and Vedic psalms chanted by the brahmanas ).32
* It was porhaps believed that people before entering it parted with their religious morita at the vefy ontrance, and hence, the sanctity of the soil from the placo.
27 Sloka 22 of ch. 218 of the Agni-Purdna speaks of these mantras. That they are borrowed from the Rajasdya coromony is not oloar from this áloka, but appears to be so from works like the Natimaykha. Had the first verse of the couplet commenced with the words, rajas dydbhisheke cha instead of with rijafriyabhisheke cha, the meaning would have been clearer.
See Rig Veda, X, 97. 29 Some explanatory details have been taken from tho Nilimayúkha. The formulas referred to have been borrowed as follows
(0- Onhadhayah pratigribhnits pushpavatil, &c." Vajasanayi Samhita, XI, 48,
(ii) Asuh sikino, &c." Rig Veda, x, 103, 1. 50 Rig Veda, Khile, V, 87, 9.
31 According to the Nttimayikha (MS. pp. 2 & 11) not only the brahmanae but also the assembled Kahattriyas, Valbyas, 6Qdras and persons of mixed castes sprinkle water as above.
32 Natimaynkha (MS. pp. 2 & 11). The work puts after the above rite the sprinkling of propitiatory water (gantijala) from the Sampataran pitoher by the astrologer. This rite is scoompanied by the utterance of a long mantra " surastvám abhishinchantu," etc., of about 180 Slokas addremed to the kods. heavenly bodies, clouds, continents, hills and mountains, places of pilgrimage, sacred rivers, birde, horses. - elephants, universal monarche of yore, ascetics, Vedas, fourteen branchee of learning, weapone, superna tural beings, in short, to quite a string of divine, natural, or supumatural forces with power for good or
rder that they might all be propitiated to the prince about to be coronated. The location of the mantra in the ceremony is not manifest in the Agni-Purana but has been indicated by works like the Nitimaydkha.