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IV, 8. COMMENTARY.
379
double treatment of the râgasûya, either as a more solemn and elaborate priestly srauta-practice, or a more popular and direct grihya-practice. The former is given at Vait. Sa. 36, 1-13: it presents in a compendious form the practices current in other srauta-works, with particular attention to the chronology of the months. The sprinkling (abhishekaniya) and the tiger-skin figure as the prominent points. The more popular phase of the practice is stated in a double form at Kaus. 17, 1–29. The first (Kaus. 17, 1-10) is the simplest. Only the king and his chaplain (purohita) are here actively engaged : 1. 'While reciting the hymn he who is about to sprinkle a king prepares at the banks of a great river 1 "holy water” from the ingredients prescribed in st. 5; cf. Kaus. 9). 2. He causes a porridge to be cooked, and sprinkles the king who stands upon darbha-grass on the south-side of the vedi (called) parigrihya. 3. He seats the king upon a couch (placed) on a bull's skin. 4. They (the king and the purohita) fill for one another a water-vessel (with water). 5. They exchange them. 6. The Brahman says: "In common to us be the good we do, in cominon the bad.” 7. (The king says): "He (of us two) who shall do evil, his may the evil be; the good deed alone shall belong to both of us." 8. (The purohita) gives the porridge (to the king) to eat. 9. Then he causes him to mount a horse, and turn to the north-eastern direction (aparágita, “the unconquered ").
According to Dârila near the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, or Sarasvati.
: Darila, parigrihyâ parigrihyavedih parigrahanam, sa yogo (!). Cf. Tait. S. II, 2, 10, 5; Maitr. S. I, 6, 3 (p. 89, 1. 14); Apast. Sr. IV, 5, 4, and AV. XII, 1, 13.
I fail to see why Professor Weber (1. c., p. 140, note 5) ignores my obvious emendation of talpârshabham to talpa (i. e. talpe) ârshabham. The bull's skin takes here the place of the tiger-skin. The more elaborate ceremony (mahâbhisheka), described in the sequel (Kaus. 17, 11 ff.), brings in the tiger-skin. The present form of the râgasůya is the simple one' (laghu, laghvabhisheka), according to Kesava and Sayana.
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