1866.] A notice of the Caunaka Smriti, 163 



2. " (A son) is produced from the seed of the male and the blood 

 of the female. His mother and his father are the cause of his exis- 

 tence. His mother and his father have (therefore) the right to give 

 him away, to abandon or to sell him. 



8. " But nobody should give or receive an only son. For he is 

 (wanted) to continue the line of his ancestors. 



4. " But a woman should neither give nor receive a son without 

 the permission of her husband. 



5. " (A man) who is about to adopt a son, procm*es two garments, 

 two earrings, and a finger-ring, a priest who has studied the Vedas to 

 their end, a layer of Kuca grass, and fuel of Palaca-wood. Thus (is 

 the rule). 



6. " Then, having invited his relations to his (dwelling) and in- 

 formed the king (of his intention to adopt), and having, in the assem- 

 bly or in his dwelling, served the (invited) Brahmans with food, he 

 should cause them to pronounce the benedictions : " (May) the clay 

 (be) auspicious ! Hail (to thee) ! Prosperity (to thee)."* 



7. " Then having performed the ceremonies, beginning with draw- 

 ing the lines on the altar, and ending with the placing of the water 

 vessels, he should go to the giver (of the child) and ask him (saying) : 

 Give me (thy) son ! 



8. " The other answers : I give him. 



9. " He receives him (the child with these words) : I take thee for 

 the fulfilment of (my) religious duties ; I take thee to continue the 

 line (of my ancestors). 



10. " Then he adorns him with the (above mentioned) two gar- 

 ments, the two earrings and the finger-ring, and having performed the 

 ceremonies beginning with the placing of the (pieces of wood called) 

 paridhis, (fences around the altar) and ending with the Agnimukha,t 

 he offers boiled rice into the fire. 



11. " Having recited the Puronuvakya :'l ' Who thinking of thee 



* All the verbs down to ' he should asF stand in the text, in the absolutive. 

 I make a division after vacayitva, as the first part of the preparatory ceremo- 

 nies before the Homa closes with the punyakavacanam. The formula of this 

 rite is the following : The performer says, Sirs, wish (me) an auspicious day ! 

 Brahman : Om, may the day be auspicious, etc. 



f I am not certain about the meaning of this word. But it may possibly 

 indicate the oblation to Agni, which are offered to the eyes of this god, i. c. in 

 the north-eastern and south-eastern corners of the altar. 



% Taitt. Yeda. i. 4, 46. The yastvayajya is found in the same kiuda. 



