Darśapūrṇamāsahautraprayoga

Darśapaurṇamāsa is a yajña (sacrifice) that is an important part of the Iṣṭi class of sacrifices. Darśa means “amāvasyā” (new moon) and paurṇamāsī means “full moon.” This sacrifice is performed during a two-day period — one associated with the new moon and the other with the full moon. It spans two days starting from the day of the full moon, and likewise, two days starting from the day of the new moon. Four Vedic priests conduct the entire set of the Darśapaurṇamāsa rituals: the Hotā, Advaryu, Agnīdhra, and Brahmā. This is a ritual manual on the Darśapaurṇamāsa sacrifice. It describes the mantras and rituals, as well as how they are to be conducted by the Hotṛ (one of the priests). The text provides detailed instructions for performing the rituals properly. After the colophon, the text contains the Pathikṛt mantra. (Written in 7–9 lines per leaf.; 21 leaves foliated [i], 1–3, [i], 4–15, [i], 16-18, upper left and lower right verso. Mistakes blacked out; some corrections and additions in margins.)