Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 758

PRELIMINARY SACRIFICES
718
This preliminary ceremony, which is called the sasti-
vassa, being ended, they offer homam in honour of the
nine planets. The scales are then brought in. Over them
a little white flag, and a stake is driven into the ground
The purohita presiding over the cere-
to support them.
mony takes a vessel containing water, rice, and flowers,
is
and turning towards the
east, says
:
Glory to the three worlds l
Goddess of Virtue, approach this place, come near,
accompanied by the eight divine guardians of the eight
corners of the world, and by the gods of wealth and of
'
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winds.'
He offers puja to the goddess of Virtue then turning
successively to the eight principal points of the globe, he
says
(the king of the gods).
To the east, ' Glory to Indra
(the Hindu Pluto).
To the south, Glory to Yama
(the Hindu Neptune).
To the west, Glory to Varuna
(the Hindu Plutus).
To the north, Glory to Kubera
To the south-east, Glory to Agni
(fire).
(the Chief of the
To the south-west, Glorv to Nairuta
Devils).
(the wind).
To the north-west, ' Glory to Vayu
(the Destroyer).
To the north-east, Glory to Isana
He then offers puja to these eight deities. He also offers
2
to the
it to the eight gods of wealth, to the twelve suns
the
mothers,
Ganesha,
Rudras,
sixteen
to
and
to
twelve
3
He offers to Virtue the lesser
finally to the eight winds
puja, that is to say, sandalwood, flowers, incense, a lamp,
and neiveddya,
Then follows the homam. The fire having been con-
secrated and purified by the purohita according to Vedic
rites, and the gayatri mantram having been recited, they
throw into the fire a hundred and eight, or twenty- eight,
or at least eight pieces of the villi tree, dipped in a mixture
;
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1
The three
Bhu
worlds, called the triloba
—
when spoken
of collectively, are
and Patala heaven, earth, and hell. Dubois.
Mitra is one of the most common names for the sun. It is also the
Persian name for this luminary, which peculiarity strikes me as note-
Sivarga,
loka,
2
worthy.
3
also
Dubois.
Amongst
these winds there
worth noticing. Dubois.
is
one called anima, which,
I think, is