﻿gS^ ON THER£LlGrOUS CEUEM(5N1eS 



baH, is cast away:" and he concludes by spiiViklihg 

 water on the several lines. 



ilAv'iNG thus prepared the ground for the recep^ 

 tion of the sacrificial lire, he takes a lighted ember 

 out of tlie covered vessel M'hich contains the hre, and 

 throws it away, saying, " I dismiss far away carni- 

 vorous fire : may it go to the realm of Yama, bear- 

 ing sin [hence].'" He then jsilaces the fire before 

 liim, saying, "Earth! Sky! Heaven!" and adding, 

 *' tills other [harmless] fire alone remains here; 

 well knowing [its ofjicc], may it convey my oblation 

 to the Gods." lie then denominates the fire ac- 

 cording to the purpose for which he prepares it, 

 saying, " Fire! thou art named so and so;" and he 

 concTudes this part of the ceremony by silently 

 burning a log of wood, one span long, and smeared 

 with clarified butter. 



He next proceeds to place the Brahma or superin- 

 tending priest. Upon very solemn occasions, a learn- 

 ed Brahman a does actually discharge the functions of 

 superintending priest ; but, in general, a bundle con- 

 taining fifty blades of cusa grass is placed to repre- 

 sent the Brahma. The officiating priest takes up 

 the vessel of water, and walks round the fire keeping 

 his right side turned towards it: he then pours 

 water near it, directing the stream towards the east ; 

 lie spreads cusa grass thereon ; and, crossing his 

 right knee over his left without sitting down, he 

 takes up a single blade of grass between the thumb 

 and ring fingeV of his left hand, and throws it away 

 towards the southwest corner of the shed, saying, 

 Avhat was herein bad, is cast away." Next, touch- 

 ing the water, resting the sole of his right foot 

 on his left ankle, and sprinkling the grass with 

 water, he places the Brahma on it, saying, " sit on 

 [this] seat until [thy] fee [be paid thee].'' The offici- 

 ating priest then returns by the same road by which 

 he, went round the fire ; and sitting down agaia 



with 



