Fire Rites

Upamanyu said

Now I will tell of the fire rites, done in a pit, on the ground, on an altar, in an iron vessel or in a new, auspicious clay vessel. The fire is taken by the rules and then consecrated. Then Mahadeva is worshipped there and the oblation rites observed. The pit measures two hands in length, though one hand is also possible. The altar and mandala should be round or square. The pit goes down four fingers or two. An eight-petalled lotus is drawn in the centre. The navel of the altar should be two vitastis high. In the middle finger, the distance from the first joint to the middle joint is one angula, and twenty-four such angulas make a kara. There should be three, two or one mekhala. The beautiful altar is made of soft clay in the shape of an ashvattha leaf or an elephant's lower lip, in the centre, west or south of the mekhala. Below the fire there is a passage sloping gently downward. Right in front of the fire pit there should be a gap in the mekhala. There are no rules about the altar's height; it can be of clay or sand. The mandala is cleaned with cow dung and water. Nothing is said about the dimensions of the altar's bowl. The pit must be of clay and the altar cleaned with cow dung and water. The vessel is washed and heated and other articles sprinkled with water. By the norms of one's own order, lines are drawn in the pit. The bed for the fire is sprinkled with water and covered with darbha grass and flowers. All the objects needed for worship and oblation are gathered. Whatever needs washing is washed and whatever needs sprinkling is purified. A jewel or wood can be used to kindle the fire, or it can be brought in a vessel from the house of a learned brahmana. Above the pit the fire is made to circle three times while Vahni's seed mantra is recited, then placed in the fire bed through the passage or directly from the front.

When all near the pit is arranged, a discerning person sits before the fire and pictures the fire inside himself as the spark of a flame. He pictures that fire coming forth as a disc and merging with the outer fire. Knowing mantras, he uses the basic mantra and, by the norms of his order, performs anvadhana, ending with the ghee rite. A little to the side, to the south, he worships Shiva's image. With ghee and mantras he does nyasa and shows the dhenu mudra. The ladles can be of metal, though not of bronze, iron or lead. By the smritis and craft rules they can be of wood permitted in sacrifices. The leaves of the brahmavriksha used should be raised in the middle and without holes. They are rubbed with darbha grass, heated over the fire and sprinkled with water, consecrated by the supreme rishis of his own order, with Shiva's name spoken first. For success in the fire rites, oblations are offered with eight seed mantras. Seven of them are bhrum, stum, brum, shrum, pum, dhrum and drum, standing for the seven tongues of the fire. The tongue in the middle is said to have three flames of many forms. The one in the south-east is red; in the south-west it is held to be black or bright. Some tongues are barren, and the brightness of each has qualities that reflect its name. In order the seed mantras are chanted, ending with "Svaha," the name of each tongue is spoken and oblations offered to each with its own mantra. Three oblations are made in the centre with "Ram vahneyeti svaha." Sprinkling is done with ghee or kindling. When this is done, it becomes Shiva's fire, and he pictures it as Shiva's seat. The divinity Shiva is invoked there in his Arddhanarishvara form and worshipped. After the lamp is shown, sprinkling is done and kindling offered. The kindling is from the palasha or other trees permitted for sacrifices, each twig twelve angulas long, not crooked or self-dried, symmetrical, without holes and with bark intact. Ten angulas, the length of the little finger or a pradesha are also permitted. When these are not available, anything is acceptable as kindling. The ghee oblation is offered with a leaf shaped like a blade of durva four angulas long. Then cooked rice the size of a rudraksha bead is offered, and if available fried grain, mustard, barley, sesame and food, lehya and peya soaked in ghee. Depending on the offerer's capacity, ten, five or three oblations can be made, though even one suffices. Ghee is offered with a ladle, kindling with a ladle or by hand. Oblations offered at a tirtha by a rishi become divine. If many articles are not available, a single article can be devoutly offered. For atonement, three oblations are made with mantras. When the oblations are over, the ladle is filled with the leftover ghee, set upside down with a flower on it, and covered with darbha grass. Through the roots of the darbha a stream of oblations, drops the size of barley seeds, flows, ending with "vaushat." He makes a complete oblation and sprinkles as before. He symbolically dismisses the divinity and preserves the fire.

The collected fire is placed in the navel of the altar and worshipped every day. The fire can also be brought by methods given in Shiva's texts. It is born from the womb of the goddess of speech, consecrated properly and worshipped. Doing anvadhana again, he places kindling around the fire and covers it with cloth. The vessels are placed in pairs and Shiva worshipped after that. When the sprinkling vessel is consecrated, all the other vessels are sprinkled with water. The arghya vessel is filled with water and placed in the north-east. When the ghee is consecrated, the ladles are purified. For rites like garbhadhana, pumsavana and simantonnayana, the fire is thought of as newly born and separate oblations are made. One meditates on Agni born in this form: three feet, seven hands, four horns and two heads; tawny like honey, three-eyed, with matted hair and the moon on his crest; in red garments and unguents, adorned with garlands and ornaments; with every auspicious sign, a sacred thread and three girdles; infinite in strength; holding a shruk and a shruva in his right hand, and in the other a club, a palm-leaf fan and the vessel of ghee. Jatakarma is performed in this way. Then the umbilical cord is cut and purification rites of birth done. For a naming ceremony, oblations are first made in Shiva's fire. The release of the parents, upanayana and all the samskara rites to the last day are performed in the same way. Consecration involves offering a stream of ghee as oblation, with Agni as the purifier. After this sprinkling is done with the seed mantra "Ram." In order, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Isha, the guardians of the world and the weapons around them are worshipped. When this is accomplished with incense, lamps and other things, the successful devotee takes the fire out. He again collects the ghee and the other objects used. He invokes Deva and Devi, pictures their seats in the fire, worships them and ends with a complete oblation. After the fire rites he follows the norms approved for his own ashrama and offers himself to Shiva. For a person who follows Shiva's ashrama, there is no other ritual.

The ash from Shiva's fire, or from an agnihotra or marriage fire, is collected. It must be mature, pure and fragrant. The cow dung should be from a tawny cow, gathered by hand before it falls to the ground, neither too moist nor too hard or dry nor foul-smelling. If collected after it has fallen, the upper and lower bits are avoided. Made into balls, it is offered into Shiva's fire while reciting the basic mantra. The ash collected must be white, avoiding bits burned too much or too little. After it is ground to powder, it is kept in a receptacle for ash, of metal, wood, stone or clay, or any other beautiful pure receptacle. Ash is like wealth and must be kept in a pure, auspicious, level place. It should not be given to someone unworthy, flung down in an inauspicious place, touched with inferior limbs, ignored or jumped over. When the ash has been collected, it is used with mantras at the times mentioned earlier and not at other times. The ash must be collected before the divinity is ritually dismissed; when the lord of beings has departed, the ash becomes terrible ash. When the fire rites are complete, oblations are offered by the methods in Shiva's texts or one's own order. In the smeared mandala, nyasa is done of Vidya's seat. Vidya's sheath is established and worshipped in order with flowers. In the mandala, in front of Vidya's seat, the guru's seat is pictured, and having made this excellent seat he worships the guru with flowers and other things. Then those who deserve honour are worshipped and the hungry fed. He then eats his own pure food in comfort. To purify himself he eats what is left of the offering to the divinity, without lacking faith or eating from greed, and not what has been offered to Chanda. The rules for fragrances, garlands and other articles are similar. At that time a discerning person does not form the thought "I am Shiva." After eating and rinsing his mouth he meditates on Shiva in his heart, chanting the basic mantra, and passes the remaining time listening to accounts of Shiva from the sacred texts. When the first part of the night is over, he performs wonderful worship of Shiva and Shivaa and pictures a beautiful bed for them. In his mind he offers food, garments, unguents, flower garlands and other things and does all the acts agreeably. Purifying himself, he lies down at the feet of Deva and Devi. A householder sleeps there only with his wife and no one else. On waking in the morning he recites the first matra, mentally bows to the undecaying divinity with Amba and the ganas, and completes his ablutions according to place and time. Then, as capacity allows, he blows a conch and makes other divine sounds to wake Deva and Devi. At that time he worships Shiva and Shivaa with fragrant flowers and begins the rites described earlier.