[No. 2, 
188 KajendraMla Mitra — Beef in Ancient India. 
who invites people to a Soma sacrifice, the hide.”* Diverse imprecations are 
hurled against those who venture to depart from this order of distribution. 
The luckiest recipients were no doubt those who got the tongue, the 
hump, the rounds, and the sirloin ; but some of the inferior officers, such as 
those who got the feet, the bladder, and the like, could have made but poor 
use of their shares. They were, however, all allowed plentiful libations of 
the Soma beer to wash down their meat. 
The general rules to be followed in slaughtering animals including cattle, 
are given by some of the Sutrakaras. They are of course liable to be modi- 
fied by special rules in connexion with special ceremonies, but in the absence 
of any such special rule, they should be regularly followed. As'valayana 
gives these rules under the head of Bas'uhalpa in the eleventh section of 
the first book of his Griyha Sutra. According to them, after offering obla- 
tions of clarified butter to the sacrificial fire, a hearth is to be made 
to the north of it, for the Sdmitra or cooking fire. This done, the animal 
to be slaughtered is to be made to drink plentifully, then bathed, and then 
made to stand before the sacrificial fire, facing the west. After this two obla- 
tions of clarified butter are to be offered witb the mantra beginning with the 
words Du/am, &c. The animal should then be touched on the back with a 
green branch bearing leaves while announcing the resolution, “ for the 
gratification of so and so (naming the god), I slaughter thee.” A little 
water in which paddy and barley have been steeped, is now to be sprinkled 
on the forepart of the animal, and the aforesaid resolution again repeated. 
This done, tlio animal is to be made to drink a part of that water, and the 
remainder of it is to be thrown on its right fore leg. It is then to be led 
round the fire three times silently without any mantra, and then carried to 
the north side, with a burning faggot held before it. When brought to 
the spot where the cooking hearth has been made, the faggot is to be put 
into the hearth, and a good fire kindled in it. The master of the ceremony 
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