III, 11

The Grihya Sutras, Part 1 (SBE29), by Hermann Oldenberg, [1886], at sacred-texts.com

KANDIKÂ 11.

1 ¹. If unknown danger from all sides (menaces him), he should sacrifice eight Âgya oblations with (the formulas),

'Prithivî (the earth) is covered; she is covered by Agni. By her, the covered one, the covering one, I ward off the danger of which I am in fear. Svâhâ!

'Antariksha (the air) is covered; it is covered by Vâyu. By it, the covered, the covering, I ward off the danger of which I am in fear. Svâhâ!

'Dyaus (the heaven) is covered; she is covered by Âditya (the sun). By her, &c.

'The quarters (of the horizon) are covered; they are covered by Kandramas (the moon). By them, &c.

'The waters are covered; they are covered by Varuna. By them, &c.

'The creatures are covered; they are covered by Prâna (the breath). By them, &c.

'The Vedas are covered; they are covered by the metres. By them, &c.

'All is covered; it is covered by Brahman. By it, &c. Svâhâ!'

p. 233

2 ^11_2. Then, stationing himself towards the north, east, he murmurs the Svasti-Âtreya and, 'Of what we are in fear, Indra' (Rig-veda VIII, 61, 13 seqq.), down to the end of the hymn.

Footnotes

232:1 11, 1. 'Covered' is vrita; 'I ward off' is the causative of the same verb, vâraye.

233:11_2 The Svasti-Âtreya is the part of the hymn V, 51, which very frequently contains the word svasti (vv. 11-15). There is a Khila appended to that hymn (Rig-veda, vol. iii, p. 30), which, according to Nârâyana, is also to be murmured on this occasion.