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[Full title: A Brief note on the sacrifices of the 艢补迟补辫补迟丑补 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 (5): 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 / Soma Sacrifice]

础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 sacrifice is the model for all soma sacrifice. It is also known as 闯测辞蝉迟颈峁ａ弓辞尘补. There are seven types of 闯测辞蝉迟颈峁ａ弓辞尘补^[1] viz. 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补, 础迟测补驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补, Ukthya, 厂辞诲腻蝉颈苍, 础迟颈谤腻迟谤补, 痴腻箩补辫别测补 and Aptoryama. Among them the 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 is regarded as an integral part of the 闯测辞蝉迟颈峁ａ弓辞尘补. Therefore, 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 and 箩测辞蝉迟颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 are often regarded as identical. The juice of the soma creeper is the main oblation in this sacrifice. Like Upanayana ceremony, 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 is obligatory rite for all the 鈥�诲惫颈箩腻迟颈别蝉 i.e. the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺, the 碍峁�a迟谤颈测补 and the 痴补颈艣测补. The Soma sacrifices are divided in to three categories viz. the 贰办腻丑补, the Ahina and the Satra according to the duration of time. The sacrifices which are completed in one day are named as 鈥�贰办腻丑补鈥�. The sacrifices which takes the duration of more than one but not more than twelve days are termed as 鈥�Ahina鈥� and the sacrifices goes more than twelve days to thousand years are termed as 鈥�Satra鈥� sacrifice.

In 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 twelve stotras or 厂腻尘补惫别诲颈肠 chants are sung and the last stotra goes by the name of 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补. As the sacrifice ends with the 厂腻尘补惫别诲颈肠 chant 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补, hence the sacrifice goes by the name of 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补.

Every year in the spring this sacrifice is to be performed by twice born caste with his wife. As mentioned in earlier paragraph that soma juice is the main oblation in this sacrifice, but now a day soma creeper is very rare. Therefore, the creeper named as 笔耻迟颈办腻 is used as replica. For the performance of 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 all the sixteen priests are required. Some other considers the 驰补箩补尘腻苍补 or sacrificer as seventeenth.

The important rites of the 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 sacrifice are at a glance:

i) Selection of priests (峁歵惫颈箩补 痴补谤补峁嘺)

ii) Building of the 笔谤腻肠颈苍补惫补峁僺补-vedi (厂腻濒补-狈颈谤尘腻苍补)

iii) Taking of the 顿颈办峁Ｄ� by the 驰补箩补尘腻苍补 (The Dik峁�aniya-颈峁ａ弓颈)

iv) The opening Sacrifice or the initiation of the sacrifice (The Pr膩yaniya 颈峁ａ弓颈)

v) The purchasing of the Soma (厂辞尘补-办谤补测补峁嘺)

vi) The welcome of the Soma quest (础迟颈迟丑测别峁ａ弓颈)

vii) Pravargya, Gharma and 鲍辫补峁�a诲补 颈峁ａ弓颈s.

viii) Construction of the 惭补丑腻惫别诲颈 or the Uttaravedi.

ix) The Uparavas

x) The 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补-Pa艣uy膩ga.

xi) The Soma-savanas (pressing of soma herbs) and the principal sacrifice.

xii) 顿补办峁�i苍腻, Samstiyajus-homa, 础惫补产丑峁泃丑补 and 鲍诲补测补苍颈测别峁ａ弓颈.

In the 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 sacrifice, the ceremony begins with initiation or 顿颈办峁Ｄ� of the sacrificer. The sacrificer welcomes the priests and appoints them for the performance of sacrifice with the promise of giving sufficient sacrificial fees (顿补办峁�i苍腻). This is named as 峁歵惫颈办-惫补谤补峁嘺尘. The 颈峁ａ弓颈 called 顿颈办蝉补苍颈测别峁ａ弓颈 is performed in which an offering is made to Agni and Soma.

On the second day, the 笔谤腻测补苍颈测别峁ａ弓颈 is performed in the morning which marks the beginning of the soma sacrifice. In 笔谤腻测补苍颈测别峁ａ弓颈, five deities are invoked viz. 笔补迟丑测腻 Svasti, Agni, Soma, 厂补惫颈迟腻 and Aditi. Then follow the ceremony of purchasing Soma creeper (Soma kraya). Soma is regarded as the king of Gods and 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺s. Soma is purchased from a Sudra in alternation of ten substances viz.鈥搊ne year old cow, gold, she goat, milch cow and her calf, an ox, a bullock fit to draw cart, a bull calf, a she-calf and clothes. After that the king Soma is placed on a cart and the sacrificial rite called the 础迟颈迟丑测别峁ａ弓颈 is performed in honour of the Soma. After that follows the Pravargya ceremony which is again followed by the sacrifice known as Upasad 颈峁ａ弓颈.

On the third day, the great altar known as 惭补丑腻惫别诲颈 is created confronting the eastern part of the sacrificial campus. And on the fourth day an animal sacrifice is performed in respect of the deities Agni and Soma jointly following the method of Nirudha-笔补艣耻-产补苍诲丑补. After that follows the ceremony relating to the sacrificer鈥檚 wife known as Patni-厂补尘测腻箩补.

After the performance of all preliminary rites, the actual soma y膩ga begins on the fifth day i.e. the ceremony of extraction of soma-juice. Before the chirping of the birds, the 丑辞迟峁� performs the 笔谤腻迟补谤补苍耻惫腻办补 and then begins the soma pressing with two stones. After the erection, the juice of the soma is put in a vessel called graha and strained by a strainer, which is made by the hair of ram or goat. This strainer is termed as Dasa-pabitra. Soma is pressed thrice in a day. The morning pressing is termed as 鈥�笔谤补迟补岣�s补惫补苍补峁�鈥�, the mid-day libation is goes by the name of M膩dhyandina savana and the evening pressing is known as 鈥�Tritiya savana鈥�. After all the libations over, the remaining soma juice is partook by the priests along with the sacrificer. The sacrificial fee in the form of gifts is offered to the priests after the mid-day libations. The four kinds of sacrificial gifts are mentioned in the 艢补迟补辫补迟丑补 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 viz.鈥揋old, Cow, Cloth and Horse^[2]. After the third and last oblation of soma, 补惫补产丑峁泃丑补 rite is taken place by the sacrificer and his wife. This sacrifice is performed in the water and all the priests along with the sacrificer go for bath which marks the end of the 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 sacrifice. The two deities 痴补谤耻峁嘺 and Agni are invoked in this ritual, and the oblations are also offered to them in water instead of in the fire. The sacrificial receptacles are also dip in the water. The sacrificer and his wife after having the baths wear new garments and return to the sacrificial ground and performed the concluding rite 鲍诲补测补苍颈测别峁ａ弓颈. As 笔谤腻测补苍颈测别峁ａ弓颈 marks the beginning of the sacrifice, likewise 鲍诲补测补苍颈测别峁ａ弓颈 marks the end of the 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 sacrifice. This is only a short description of the 础驳苍颈峁ａ弓辞尘补 sacrifice which is the model of all Soma sacrifices.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

罢补颈迟迟颈谤墨测补-蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 厂腻测补苍补 叠丑腻蝉测补鈥揑/2/1鈥撯�淵adyapi saptasa峁僺thojyoti峁ａ弓oma岣モ�揳gni峁ａ弓omo鈥檛yagni峁ａ弓oma ukathya岣� sodascatir膩troptory膩m膩 v膩japeya艣ceti |鈥�

[2]:

艢补迟补辫补迟丑补-br膩hma峁嘺鈥揑痴/3/4/24-27鈥�
鈥�Catasra vai dak峁�ina| Hira峁噛am膩yurrevai鈥︹�︹�︹��..丑颈谤补峁噛补峁� diyate||鈥�
鈥�Atha gau| Pr膩峁嘺mevaitay膩 膩tmana str膩yate鈥︹�︹��.adat膩t||鈥�
鈥�Atha 惫腻蝉补| Tvacamevaiten膩 膩tmana str膩yate鈥︹��.. adat膩t||鈥�
鈥�Ath膩艣va|Vajro v膩 a艣vo vajramevaitatpurag膩峁冣�︹�︹��.brahmane鈥檇ad膩t||鈥�