﻿250 ON- THE RELIGIOUS CERESIONIES 



with vater may thou long satisfy our ancestors with 

 the food of the manes; be this oblation efficacious." 

 He afterwards silently casts into the vessel perfumes, 

 flowers, and Durxa grass. Then taking up the 

 vessel with his left hand, putting two blades of grass 

 on the cushion, with their tips pointed to the north, 

 he must pour the M'ater from the argha tliereon. 

 The priests meantime recite, " The waters in heaven, 

 in the atmosphere, and on earth, have been united 

 [by their sweetness] with milk: may those silver 

 ■waters, ^worthy of oblation, be auspicious, salutary, 

 and exhilarating to us ; and be happily offered : may 

 this oblation be efficacious." He adds ^^ najiiah^" 

 and pours out the water, naming the deceased, and 

 saying, *' may this argha be acceptable unto thee." 

 Then oversetting the vessel, and arranging in due 

 order the unboiled rice, condiments, clarified butter, 

 and other requisites, he scatters tila, while the priests 

 recite, '' Tiirice did Vishnu step, &c." He next 

 offers the rice, clarified butter, water, and condi- 

 ments, while he touches the vessel with his left hand, 

 and names the deceased, saying, '* May this raw 

 food, with clarified butter and condiments, together 

 with water, be acceptable unto thee." After the 

 priests have repeated the Gayatri, preceded by the 

 names of the worlds, he pours honey or sugar upon 

 the rice, while they recite this prayer, " May the 

 winds blow sweet, the rivers flow sweet, and salu- 

 tary heibs be sweet, unto us ; may night be sweet, 

 may the mornings pass sweetly ; may the soil of the 

 earth, and heaven parent [of all productions], be 

 sweet unto us; may [Soma] king of herbs and 

 trees be sweet ; may the sxin be sweet, may kine be 

 sweet >mto us." He th.en says, ^'■Namu! namdh f 

 while the priests recite, '■'• whatever may be deficient 

 in this food ; whatever may be imperfect in this rite ; 

 v.hatevcr may be wanting in its form ; may all that 

 become faultless." 



3 He 



