Manual for the Sacrifice to the Nine Planets and the Propitiation of Ganesha

The offerings should be made with honey and clarified butter ghee; original: sarpi, or alternatively with Darbha grass sacred Desmostachya bipinnata grass used in rituals and milk. ॥ 40 ॥

The size of the offering should be the measure of a thumb-joint, produced by the thumb and the index finger. Such a sacrifice, according to the scriptures, attains immense prosperity. ॥ 41 ॥

It results in the destruction of disease, the fulfillment of all desires, and the attainment of wealth, sons, cattle, and wives. ॥ 42 ॥

In due order, it leads to the destruction of sins, long life, and an increase in righteousness dharma. One should offer [the oblations] in counts of one hundred and eight, or one hundred, or twenty-eight, or eight for each deity. ॥ 43 ॥

For each deity, one should offer one oblation of clarified butter ghee and one of charu a sacrificial mash or porridge made of grains. ॥ 44 ॥

The offering should be given to each planet using its specific mantra. The substance should be shaped to the size of a finger-joint and held with five fingers. ॥ 45 ॥

Combined with honey, ghee, and milk, one should sacrifice sesame seeds and barley. These should be offered with the hand turned upward, pressed by the tip of the thumb. ॥ 46 ॥

With the fingers and palm joined, and remaining silent, the practitioner should sacrifice the oblation. Giving, receiving, sacrificing, eating, and the offering of spirits bali... ॥ 47 ॥

...should always be performed using the thumb, or else it will be original: mamure—this word appears to be a scribal variant or catchword indicating the ritual would otherwise be "fruitless" or "broken"

fruitless. One should not sacrifice with loose hair, nor with knees raised from the ground. ॥ 48 ॥

One must constantly offer the oblation with the knees touching the ground. If the priest ritvik while sacrificing allows the oblation to fall outside the fire, ॥ 49 ॥

that portion belongs to Varuna the god of the waters or the Nagas serpent deities; therefore, he should cast it into the water. This rule applies to daily rites, occasional rites, rites for specific desires, and even incantatory original: abhicharika; rituals intended to influence or harm rites. ॥ 50 ॥

A householder who maintains the five sacred fires panchagni or the shrauta fires should never be without fire. ॥ 51 ॥

This section discusses specific errors in the ritual and the corrective mantras used if one has eaten too much or performed a rite improperly. ...These are the mantras for the deities: ॥ 52 ॥

"Agni the messenger" original: Agnim dutam, "The honey-sweet one" original: madhuman, "For these," "The breath of life," "Lord of Creatures" original: Prajapati, "Not unto you," "Gauri," and "The Brahman who was first born" original: Brahma jajñānam—these are the deity mantras. ॥ 53 ॥

"How indeed," "Gauri has lowed," "When the horse," "The Lord of Prayer" original: Brahmanaspate, "The Protector Indra," "The waters are..." The text provides the opening words of several traditional Vedic hymns used to invoke the planetary deities.