20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

The significance of the four commendations... 683The fourth commendation is directed to the seasons which are mentioned inthe Atharvavedic stanza through a brachylogy as four (instead of the mostcommonly acknowledged fivefold division of the year), counting whichfits the actual consignation of the child to pair entities.The two remaining oblations, śamī leaves and water, are consecrated withfour stanzas that are common to all the four commendations, as Kauśikaprecisely says 27 , ŚS 2.29.1-2 and 13.2.59-60. These mantras are prescribedby Dārila 28 in the samāvartana, in a recitation preceded by the putting onof a new garment 29 and followed by the abhyātānas, the pradhānahomaconsisting of a ghee oblation, and ending with the samidheya (both offeredwith an alleged kalpaja hymn, identified by GRIFFITHS (2004:60) asPS 19.51.1-4 30 ), and again by the abhyātānas. The four stanzas are quotedsakalapāṭhena by PSPaddh (p. 153) in the kumārīsnāna ceremony, in27V. supra, note 11.28The sūtra text runs as follows, KauśS 42.15-16: idāvatsarāyeti (PS 19.51.1-4)vratavisarjanam ājyaṃ juhuyāt | samidho’bhyādadhyāt | – “In the giving up of the vows heoffers ghee with “That idā-year, etc”. [With the aforementioned mantra (cf. KauśS 8.21)]he places fuel on the fire.” Dārila: […] paridhāpanānte pārthivasya (ŚS 2.29.1-2) mā pragāmeti (ŚS 13.1.59-60) japitvā abhyātānāni hutvā idāvatsarāyetyadibhiḥ kalpajābhiḥcatasṛbhir ājyaṃ juhuyāt | – “At the end of the putting on of a new garment, having recited“In the sap of what is earthly, etc”, “Let us not go forth, etc”, after having offered theabhyātānas, he should offer ghee with the four kalpaja verses beginning with the words“To the idā-year, etc”. ”29The reading accepted by the editors from two Mss. of Keśava’s paddhati adKauśS 42.11 ff. is not genuine, and we have emended paridhāpanānte for paridānānte:tato’bhyātānādi paridhāpanāntaṃ kṛtvā kecit paridhāpanānte (em., paridānānte)tato’bhyātānaṃ hutvā tata idāvatsarāya iti kalpajaiś caturbhir ṛgbhir ājyaṃ juhuyāt | –“Next, after having completed the putting on of a new garment from the abhyātanasonwards – according to others at the end of the putting on of a new garment, havingsubsequently offered the abyātāna –, he should offer ghee with the four kalpaja verses.”The meaning of this commentary is as follows: the priest concludes the pūrvatantra fromthe abhyātāna offerings to the giving of a new garment, and then continues with the mainoffering consisting in ghee oblation offered with four alleged kalpaja stanzas. Accordingto some, he should first do the ceremony of putting of a new garment, then the abyātānasand continue with the pradhānahoma. This opinion on the ritual sequence concords withthat of Dārila (v. supra note 28).30The hymn is quoted first pratīkena and followed by the sakalapāṭha, a redundancynot uncommon to the KauśS. GRIFFITHS (2004: n. 28) postulates some later redaction(s)that was responsible for introducing in the text containing only the pratīka, Paippalādamantras absent in his/their own Saṃhitā. One of the questions arising from this postulationis the original school affiliation of the KauśS, that at the level of the textus receptus is inall probability Śaunakin.