E. T. Atkinson — Notes on the history 
[No, I, 
8G 
a pike, lance, and club, four-armed, moving like a goat, granter of re¬ 
quests, Dhara-suta. Om thou clothed in yellow garments encircled with 
yellow garlands, sprung from the pericarp of the lotus, club-holder, two¬ 
armed, seated on a lion, granter of requests, Budha. Om Guru of the 
Devas and Daityas, clothed in white and yellow, four-armed, who grantest 
the wishes of ascetics, with rosary, thread and alms-dish. Orn thou who 
shinest like a sapphire, holding a lance, granter of requests, vulture- 
borne, arrow-discharger, Arka-suta. Om thou who art clad in blue, 
whose body is blue, crested with a diadem, bright, seated on a blue lion, 
such 0 Udhu is praised here. Om thou who art of a brown colour, two¬ 
armed, club-wielder, with distorted face, always mounted on a vulture, 
grantor of desire, KetuB A second meditation of the same import is 
then prescribed and others for Varuna, &c. Then to all the deities named 
the dsana, &c., as far as the flower-offering, are given and Vyasa is quoted 
in praise of the nine planets. When procurable, cocoanuts should now be 
offered with fruit, flowers, and goods as well as the food supposed to be 
agreeable to each deity : thus for the sun, balls of rice and molasses are 
provided : the moon receives a hali of rice, clarified butter and milk ; 
Bhauma, one made of rice, molasses,clarified butter and milk (atkarika) ; 
Budha, one made of milk and rice ; Vrihaspati, simply clarified butter and 
rice ; S ukra, curds and rice ; S'ani obtains a mixture of rice, clarified 
butter and vegetables; Rahu has goat’s flesh; Ketu, rice of various 
colours ; whilst the remainder obtain milk and rice. If these different 
ingredients are not procurable an offering of milk and ripe is made to all. 
Consecration of the materials for sacrifice. —The celebrant then ap¬ 
proaches the homa-hedi and looking towards the east makes the usual 
rinsing of the mouth, and then proceeds through the whole ceremony of 
consecrating the materials for the sacrifice from the appointment of the 
Brahman (hrahmopavesana) to the general aspersion (paryukshana), after 
which gifts are made to the celebrant. A kind of preface is then read 
giving the names of the several deities and the materials with which they 
should be worshipped. This is followed by the agni-sthapana by which 
Agni is invited in the different forms in which he is present on the altar 
as each of the nine planets, receives worship, and the throne, Ac., are 
presented to him. Lines which represent the tongues of flame on the altar 
are then drawn and adored, and the father of the boy receives fire from 
the celebrant and bending the right knee so as to allow the thigh to lie flat 
on the ground before the altar, meditates on Prajapati, and commences 
the burnt-sacrifices by the offer of the dghdra-homa with clarified butter. 
I’uel* (samidh) for the altar is supplied from the wood of the following 
* The wood of these trees is supposed to be cut up into pieces measuring a 
span of the hand of the boy who is the subject of the rite. Three stalks of durva or 
kusa make one mmidh. 
