1876.] 



at Delhi three thousand years ago. 



397 



the Soma vine, and the brewing of the same into beer. Immediately after the 

 performance of the last named rite, a series of offerings were made to the 

 fire with this beer, and then a cnpfnl of it was offered to the Emperor, who 

 quaffed it after repeating a mantra. He then presented largesses to all the 

 officiating priests, including two golden mirrors to the Adhvaryu, a golden 

 necklace and his own outer garment to the Udgata, golden bracelets to the 

 Hota, a horse to the Prastota and the Pritiharta, twelve heads of pregnant 

 young heifers to the Brahma, a barren cow to the Mitravaruna, a vigorous 

 bull to the Brahmanachhansi, clothes to the Neshtri and Potri, a cart loaded 

 with barley to the Achchhavaka, and a bullock to the Agnidhra. 



Next followed certain offerings of butter, curds and frumenty to Agni, 

 Indra, Visvedevah, Mitra, Varuna, and Vrihaspati, and the sacrifice of a 

 pregnant goat having well developed teats under the neck to A'ditya, and 

 that of a pregnant heifer to the Maruts. 



The last rite in this long list of ceremonies and sacrifices was called 

 Sautrdmani, or the offering of rice spirit. Preparations for it were made 

 from three days previously, when young dried dates (hrala), small round 

 plums (vadari), and myrobalans (haritaki) were brought, carefully cleaned, 

 deprived of their stalks and calyces, and powdered, then three kinds of the 

 fur — of the lion, the tiger and the wolf — were mixed with the powders, along 

 with barley meal, yeast and tender blades of durba grass, and allowed to 

 ferment in a large vessel of water. When the fermentation was complete, the 

 liquor was strained and preserved for use. After the performance of the 

 rite named in the last preceding para., a brown goat and a bull were sacri- 

 ficed, and offerings were made with this liquor, as also with butter and fru- 

 menty, and the ceremony was closed by the Emperor quaffing a gobletful of 

 the exhilarating liquor. 



The rituals given in the Black and the White Yajush thus limit the 

 Abhisheka to one sprinkling and one bathing ; but the Aitareya Brahmana of 

 the Eig Veda recommends three kinds of bathing : 1st, called Abhisheka for 

 kings; 2nd, PurndbhisheJca for superior kings, and 3rd, Mahdbhisheka for 

 emperors. Its details are different, but from the mantras given, the second 

 bathing appears to correspond to a great extent with the ritual above given. 

 The object of the third is thus described : " The priest who, with this know- 

 edge (about the Mahdbhesheha ceremony as described in a preceding part 

 of the work) wishes that a Kshatriya should conquer in all the various 

 ways of conquest, to subjugate all people, and that he should attain to 

 leadership, precedence and supremacy over all kings, and attain everywhere and 

 at all times to universal sovereignty, enjoyment (of pleasures), independence, 

 distinguished distinction as a king, the fulfilment of the highest desires, 

 the position of a king, of a great king, and supreme mastership, that he might 

 cross (with his arms) the universe, and become the ruler of the whole earth 



