अग्नेः सप्तजिह्वाःThe seven tongues of the fire
Verse 28
परिस्तरेत्ततो दर्भैः पूर्वस्मादुत्तरावधि । उदक्संस्थैरुत्तराग्रैः प्रागग्रैरन्यदिक्स्थितैः ॥ २८ ॥
paristarēttatō darbhaiḥ pūrvasmāduttarāvadhi | udaksaṁsthairuttarāgraiḥ prāgagrairanyadiksthitaiḥ || 28 ||
Translation
Then he should strew darbha grass from the east round to the north: on the north side with tips to the north, elsewhere with tips to the east.
Word by word
- paristarēt
- (paristaret) he should strew round
- tataḥ
- (tataḥ) then
- darbhaiḥ
- with darbha grass
- pūrvasmāt
- (pūrvasmāt) from the east
- uttara
- the north
- avadhi
- as far as
- udak
- in the north
- saṁsthaiḥ
- (saṁsthaiḥ) placed
- uttarāgraiḥ
- (uttara-agraiḥ) with tips to the north
- prāgagraiḥ
- (prāk-agraiḥ) with tips to the east
- anya
- other
- dik
- directions
- sthitaiḥ
- placed in
Meaning
Kuśa (darbha) grass is spread around the altar, beginning at the east and ending at the north. The blades laid along the north side point north; all the others point east. Kuśa purifies whatever it touches and recurs throughout these rites.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
"Paristaret" and the rest. After that, starting from the east and going as far as the north, he should strew the sthaṇḍila with darbha (kuśa) grass, covering it: on the north side with blades whose tips point north, elsewhere with blades whose tips point east.