Grihya Sutras, Part 1 (SBE29): Sâṅkhâyana-Grihya-Sûtra: II, 3

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KHANDA 3.

1 1. 'Bhaga has seized thy hand, Savitar has seized thy hand, Pûshan has seized thy hand, Aryaman has seized thy hand. Mitra art thou by right, Agni is thy teacher, and I, N.N., both of us. Agni, I give this student in charge to thee. Indra, I give this student in charge to thee. Sun, I give this student in charge to thee. Visve devâs, I give this student in charge to you, for the sake of long life, of blessed offspring and strength, of increase of wealth, of mastership of all Vedas, of renown, of bliss.'

2 2. 'In Indra's course I move; in the sun's course I move after him'—with these words he turns round from left to right,

3. And grasping down with the span of his right hand over (the student's) right shoulder he touches the place of his heart with the words, 'May I be dear to thy inviolate heart.'

5. And then laying his hand with the fingers upwards on his (i.e. the student's) heart, he murmurs:

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Footnotes

64:1 3. 1. T. Nârâyana: 'Instead of asau (N.N.) he puts the name of the student in the vocative case.' I think rather that the teacher here pronounced his own name. Comp. asâv aham bho, chap. 2, 5, &c., and the Mantra in Pâraskara II, 2, 20.

The text of the Mantra shows that the Âkârya here seizes the hand of the Brahmakârin; comp. Âsvalâyana I, 20, 4-6, where it is stated that he seizes the student's hand together with the thumb, quite in the way prescribed for the wedding at Sâṅkh. I, 13, 2. Comp. also Pâraskara II, 2, 1 7. Nârâyana: mânavakasya grihîtasamputa evâkâryo Bhagas ta imam mantram gapan, &c.

64:2 Literally, 'he turns round, following his right arm.' Nârâyana here has the following note, 'Âkâryo bator dakshinam bâhum hastam aindrîm âvritam iti mantrenânvâvartayet. ayam arthah, âkârya imam mantram gaptvâ tam batum ka vâkayitvâ pradakshinâvartam kârayet.' I believe that the commentator here, as he frequently does, instead of interpreting the text of Sâṅkhâyana, fathers 65:5 The gesture is the same as that prescribed in the Pâraskara-Grihya I, 8, 8 to the bridegroom at the wedding; the Mantra there is identical with Sâṅkh. II, 4, 1, the only difference consisting in the name of the god who is invoked to unite the two: at the wedding this is Pragâpati, of course, because he is 'lord of offspring,' at the Upanayana, Brihaspati, the Brahman κατ᾽ εξοχήν among the gods. It is very natural that at the Upanayana and at the Vivâha, which both are destined to establish an intimate union between two persons hitherto strangers to each other, a number of identical rites should occur, for instance, the seizing of the hand; see the note on Sûtra 1.