1876.] 



at Delhi three thousand years ago. 



889 



It was followed, on a subsequent day, by another feast for the manes, and it 

 was called Tryambaka JPuroddsa. In this the spirit of each ancestor had a 

 separate platter of cake or ball of barley steeped in ghi, and an extra one was 

 designed for those who would ascend the region bf the Manes (Pitris) at a 

 future time. The balls of course, as usual in sraddhas, were consecrated, but 

 not put on the ground. They were thrown upwards and received back on the 

 palm of the hand. The divinity invoked afterwards was Eudra, who is 

 described as a cruel god, with three eyes — tri ' three,' and ambaha c eyes/ 

 whence the name of the rite. Amba is referred to as the wife of the god. 

 The object of the rite seems to have been the prevention of the destruction 

 of crops by vermin, through the pacification of their lord, who is described 

 as the " master of rats."^ To the modern Indian reader, this passage will 

 appear remarkable, as it is universally known in the present day, as it was 

 in those of the Puranas, that the rat was the favourite of Ganesa, the son 

 of Eudra, and not of Eudra himself. There is, however, no contradiction, 

 as the vehicle of the son may well be a favourite of the father. As during 

 the two preceding periods, so in this, the Darsa, the Purnamasa and the 

 Prayuja rites were celebrated with a lavish consumption of Soma beer, 

 but in the absence of a manual I cannot ascertain if the Homas and the 

 S'raddhas were repeated every fortnight : (apparently they were,) and how 

 the other days of the period were occupied. The Sastras and Sama hymns 

 of this period are also unknown to me. 



On the completion of the three quadrimensial rites extending over a 

 period of one year, four separate rites were enjoined for the first day of 

 the new year. The first of these was called Sunasirya, and it included 

 offerings of twelve platters of frumenty to Indra and Agni • one platterful 

 of the same to the Visvedevas, twelve platters of cakes to Indra as a com- 

 bination of Bund ' wind,' and Sir a 'the sun,' milk to Vayu, and one platter- 

 ful to Siirya. The fee to the priest for the rite was twelve heads of kine. 



The next was called Indra turya or " Indra the fourth," the other three 

 associates being Agni, Eudra, and Varuna. It included offerings of eight 

 plattersful of frumenty to Agni, a platterful of the same mad^ of a kind of 

 wild paddy, called Gdvidhuha, to Eudra, curdled milk to Indra, and fru- 

 menty made of barley to Varuna. The fee for this rite was a cow fit to 

 carry loads. 



The third rite, called Panchedhmtya, was performed at night, when five 

 loads of different kinds of wood were offered to the fire along with clarified 

 butter. The object of this rite was to prevent Eakshasas from causing 

 interruptions. The last rite was called Apdmdrga Soma, because it was 

 accomplished by offering, at early dawn, a handful of meal made of the seeds 

 of a wild weed named Apamarga, (Acheranthes aspra) on a burning fagot. 



^r*3^^t 



Commentary % ^ ?i W% fsjsj: m$: I 





