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1. Now the Gâtakarman (i.e. ceremony for the new-born child).

p. 50

2. Let (the father) breathe three times on the new-born child and then draw in his breath with the words, 'Draw in your breath with the Rik, breathe within with the Yagus, breathe forth with the Sâman.'

3. Let him mix together butter and honey, milk curds and water, or grind together rice and barley, and give it to eat (to the child) thrice from gold (i.e. from a golden vessel or with a golden spoon),

4. With (the verse), 'I administer to thee honey food for the festival, the wisdom ("veda") raised by Savitar the bountiful; long-living, protected by the gods, live a hundred autumns in this world, N.N.!'(with these words) he gives him a name beginning with a sonant, with a semivowel in it, consisting of two syllables, or of four syllables, or also of six syllables; he should take a krit (suffix), not a taddhita.

5. That (name only) his father and his mother should know.

6. On the tenth day a name for common use, which is pleasing to the Brâhmanas.

7. Let him pulverise black and white and red hairs of a black ox, intermix (that powder) with those four substances (see Sûtra 3), and give it to eat (to the child) four times: such (is the opinion of) Mândûkeya.

p. 51

8. If he likes (let him do so) with the words, 'Bhûh! The Rig-veda I lay into thee, N.N., svâhâ!

'Bhuvah! The Yagur-veda I lay into thee, N.N., svâhâ!

'Svah! The Sâma-veda I lay into thee, N.N., svâhâ!

'Bhûr bhuvah svah! Vâkovâkya (colloquies), Itihâsa, and Purâna—Om! All the Vedas I lay into thee, N.N., svâhâ!'

9. The production of intelligence (is performed) by thrice saying in his right ear, 'Speech!'

10. And let him recite over (the child the following text), 'Speech, the goddess, united with mind, together with breath, the child, uttered by Indra—may she rejoice in thee, the goddess, for the sake of joy, the great one, the sweet sounding, the music, full of music, the flowing, self-produced.'

11. Let him tie a piece of gold to a hempen string,

12 12. And bind it to (the child's) right hand until (the mother) gets up (from childbed).

13. After the tenth day let him give it to the Brâhmanas,

14. Or keep it himself.


49:1 24, 1. Comp. Dr. Speijer's essay on the Gâtakarman (Leiden, 1872). Nârâyana observes that, as it is prescribed below (chap. 25, 4) that a mess of food is to be cooked in the sûtikâgni, here the sûtikâgni is established, and sacrifice is performed therein. The Sûtra I, 25, 4, from which it is to be inferred that the sûtikâgni should be kept, is considered, accordingly, as a Gñâpaka (see Professor Bühler's notes on Âpastamba I, II, 7; Gautama p. 50 I, 31; Nârâyana's note on chap. 25, 4, p. 133 of the German edition).

50:2 Abhyavânya should be corrected into abhyapânya, as in IV, 18, 1 nearly all the MSS. read nivâta instead of nipâta. The Sâmbavya MS. reads in the text, trir abhyânyânuprânya; in the commentary trir anyapânyânuprânyâ. Comp., on the terminology of the different vital airs, Speijer, Gâtakarma, p. 64 seq.; Eggeling, S.B.E., vol. xii, p. 20.

51:8 Veti vikalpârthe. bhûr rigvedam ityâdikaturbhir mantrair asâv ity atra pûrveva (read pûrvavat?) kumâranâmagrahanapûrvakam kumâram prâsayet. Nârâyana.

51:12 Bâlasya dakshine haste. Nârâyana.

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