184 RajemlralAla Mitra — Beef in Ancient India. [No. 2, 
fingers, should be cut into the form of a tenon, whereon is to be fixed a round 
wooden band or ferule, for regulating the proportion of which as also for 
the various operations of cutting, chiselling, scraping, appropriate mantras 
are provided. The shavings shoud be collected, partly for the cooking of 
frumenty, and partly for fixing the post in the earth. 
The place where the post should be fixed has next to bo determined. 
For this purpose, a peg is to be fixed in front of the A'havanfya fire at the 
distance of two feet from its northern edge. Proceeding northwards twelve 
feet thereform, a second peg is to be fixed, and then taking a piece of string 
18 feet long and having a loop at each end, it is to be fixed to the fore peg, 
and then, drawing it tight at the thirteenth feet, a third peg is to be fixed, 
a hole being dug between it and the peg at the twelveth feet, and another 
at the fourteenth feet. The string being now drawn towards the south, 
pegs are to be fixed as above. These opposite points are called the s'roni, 
or the hips of the altar. The string is next turned to the east and west 
successively, and pegs fixed at the distance of fourteen feet on each side from 
the centre. These constitute the two shoulders of the altar ( gJcandha ). To 
the west of the twelveth feet peg, eight inches of space should he kept for the 
post, and beyond it a peg should be fixed to mark the boundary of the spot. 
Beyond it, in a straight line at the distance of a yoke-pin, another peg is to 
be fixed, and beyond it a square altar of tho length and height of a yoke-pin 
should be made similar to the Ahavaniya altar. This is called the Uttara- 
vedi. Upon this there should be another, a span square and four fingers or 
a span high, having a depression in the centre like a foot-mark. This 
is the northern naval, TJttarandbM. Measuring two or three feet straight 
to the west of the altar pin, and then turning to the north two or three feet, 
a hole is to be dug of the size of a yoke-pin. This is called Chdtvdla. 
Measuring again four feet straight to the west of the altar, and then turning 
to the north one foot, a peg is to be fixed marking the place of the TJtkara 
or refuge field. 
The Yajamana now sheds his hair, rubs butter on his body, ornaments 
his eyes with collyrium, and then eats something, leaving the next operations 
of the ceremony to be performed by tho priests. 
The first duty of the Adhvaryu priest is now to cut two plalcsha branches 
(Ficus infectoria) , and to arrange all the different articles required for the 
sacrifice, including among other things a peg of Gambhari wood ( Gnielina 
arlorca) of the length of the Yajamifna’s face for driving it into the victim’s 
chest. Kag 'maryamaymn hridaya-s'ulam yajamana-mulclia-sammitam. Now 
follows a scries of offerings to the different sacred fires, and the repetition 
of a number of mantras by the different priests, the Yajamana and his wife, 
which, however important in a cercmonieal point of view, are neither likely 
to interest the public in the present day, nor to contribute to throw any 
