20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

724 SHILPA SUMANTThe Paippalāda 10 school of the Atharvaveda also preserves this peculiarrite in the similar manner as its sister school, the Śaunaka. The sūtra textof the Paippalāda school is not available. The Paippalādins make use ofa paddhati-text named Karmapañjikā 11 for conducting the domestic rites.The text explains the rite in the following manner:tataḥ kartā yugaṁ yoktram ity ṛcā kaṁ cid brāhmaṇaṁ yugam ānetuṁpreṣayaty ekaśrutyā / sa yugam ānayitvā varasya paścimapradeśe yugamuttarapravaṇaṁ dhārayitvā / yugasya vāmabhāge audumbarīmethīmuttarachidre 12 prakṣipya sthīrīkṛtya / tataḥ kartā dīrghakuśayugalenasuvarṇaṁ baddhvā yugasya dakṣiṇasyāṁ yad uttaraṁ chidraṁtasmin suvarṇam ālambya vāmahastena kuśapatrāgraṁ dhṛtvādakṣiṇahastenodakumbhād udakaṁ gṛhītvā vaivāhikagaṇena praty ṛcaṁyugasyādhaḥsthitāṁ kanyām abhiṣiñcati / yugachidre sa darbhopari patadudakaṁ 13 yathā suvarṇam āplāvya kanyopari patati tathā kṛtvābhiṣiñcati/ – The performer then sends forth some brahmin, to bring a yoke with asingle accented stanza yugaṁ yoktram. 14 He, brings the yoke and placesit to the west side of the bridegroom, holds [it] towards north. He insertsan Audumbara-stick to the left side of the yoke, into the left yoke-holeand makes [the yoke stand] firm. Then, the performer, ties [a piece of]gold with two long blades of grass and fastens it into the left hole tothe right side of the yoke. He holds a tip of grass-blade with the lefthand and takes water from the water jar with the right hand. With the10The Paippalāda is a living tradition of the Atharvaveda, the followers of whichreside in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. The Śaunaka tradition on the contrary, thoughhaving produced ample ancillary material, has now become extinct in almost all parts ofIndia. For the importance and present status of studies regarding Paippalāda Tradition,cf. GHOSH (2002:3ff.).11A critical edition of this text based on five mss. is currently under preparationby this author in collaboration with Arlo GRIFFITHS. For description of the mss. of theKarmapañjikā, cf. GRIFFITHS (2007b:144). A small portion of the Vivāha (Nuptials)section has been published as GRIFFITHS 2007a. The complete Vivāha section of thetext, edited provisionally, finds a place in the appendix of my unpublished thesis.12The mss. read audumbarīmethy uttarachidre.13The mss. read pataty udakaṁ.14The stanza mentioned here, peculiar to the Paippalāda tradition, is not attestedelsewhere. The sakalapāṭha of the stanza is given at p. 171 of the Paippalādavivāhādisaṁskārapaddhati, a text composed by Paṇḍita Umākāntā Paṇḍā based on the ritualmanual named Karmasamuccaya. The stanza is as follows: yugaṁ yoktram ānayasaubhāgyāya svastaye / yathemau suprajasau syātāṁ daṁpatī manuvat kṣitau // – “Bringthe yoke and the rope of the yoke for good fortune, for well-being. So that may this couplebe the one having good progeny, just as Manu on the earth.”