1. Now the building of the house.
2. Let him have his house built on an auspicious day.
3 3. Into the pits (in which the posts shall be erected) he pours an oblation with (the words), 'To the steady one, the earth-demon, svâhâ!'
4 4. He erects the post.
'This navel of the world I set up, a stream of wealth, promoting wealth. Here I erect a firm house; may it stand in peace, dropping ghee.
'Rich in horses and cows, rich in delight be set up, for the sake of great happiness. To thee may the young calf cry, to thee the lowing cows, the milk-cows.
'To thee (may) the young child (go), to thee the calf with its companions, to thee the cup of Parisrut, to thee (may they go) with pots of curds.
(a) 'Vâstoshpati! Receive us (into thy protection); give us good entering and drive away from us evil. For what we ask thee, with that favour us: be a saviour to us, to men and animals. Svâhâ!
(b) 'Vâstoshpati! Be our furtherer; make our wealth increase in cows and horses, O Indu (i.e. Soma). Free from decay may we dwell in thy friendship; give us thy favour, as a father to his sons. Svâhâ!
(c) 'Vâstoshpati! Let us be in a fellowship with thee, which may be valiant, joyful, and well proceeding. Protect our wishes when we rest and
(b b) 'To all the divine hosts of serpents, to the Himavat, the Sudarsana (mountain), and the Vasus, Rudras, Âdityas, Îsâna with his companions, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svâhâ!
(c) 'To forenoon and afternoon both together with noon, to evening and midnight, to the goddess of dawn with her wide path, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svâhâ!
(d) 'To the Creator and the Changer, to Visvakarman, to the herbs and trees, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svâhâ!
(e) 'To Dhâtri and Vidhâtri, and to the Lord of treasures together with them, to all these I apply. Give me a dwelling-place, ye vigorous ones. Svâhâ!
(f) 'As a lucky, a happy (place), give me this dwelling-place, Brahman and Pragâpati, and all deities. Svâhâ!'
9. After he has partaken (of the sacrificial food), let him put into a brass vessel the different things which he has brought together, Udumbara leaves with strong liquor, green turf, cowdung, curds,
'Law, the chief post! Fortune, the pinnacle! Day and night, the two door-boards!
'Indra's house is wealthy, protecting; that I enter with my children, with my cattle, with everything that is mine.
'Hither is called the whole number (of relatives), the friends whose coming is good. Thus (I enter) thee, O house. May our dwellings be full of inviolable heroes from all sides!'
19. Then (follows) feeding of the Brâhmanas.
345:3 4, 3. Âsvalâyana-Grihya II, 8, 15.
345:4 On gagadaih saha (in the third verse) see my note on Sâṅkhâyana-Grihya III, 2, 9.
346:7 Rig-veda VII, 54; 55, 1.
347:a 8 a. Vâgî is, as the name shows, the goddess of quick vigour. Gayarâma explains Vâgî, a name of Sîtâ, as a personification of food.
347:b Comp. Âsvalâyana II, I, 14. On gagada, comp. above, § 4.
349:18 Comp. Sâṅkhâyana-Grihya III, 3, 7 seq.; chap. 4, 10. The comparison of Sâṅkhâyana shows that we have to divide saha pragayâ pasubhih, saha yan me kiñkid asty, upahûtah, &c. Sâdhusamvritah (if the reading is correct) seems to me to be the nom. plur. of sâdhusamvrit. I understand this to be a Bahuvrîhi compound, in which samvrit means 'the approaching.' In Atharva-veda VII, 60, 4 we have sakhâyah svâdusammudah. After sâle a verb meaning 'I enter,' or something like that, has been lost.
