Prapathaka 3
Darśa–Pūrṇamāsa (new- and full-moon iṣṭi) within the Śrauta new/full-moon sacrifice cycle; with emphasis on the preparatory and offering-sequences (upasad-like preliminaries, puroḍāśa preparation/oblation handling, and the yajamāna–ṛtvij procedural acts) as transmitted in the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda Taittirīya Saṃhitā.
Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda (Taittirīya Saṃhitā) 2.3 belongs to the early Śrauta complex that systematizes the Darśa–Pūrṇamāsa iṣṭi as the paradigmatic domestic-to-solemn transition rite. The prapāṭhaka articulates the sacrificial grammar by which substances (havis), deities, and officiants are coordinated through tightly sequenced yajuṣ-formulas. Its mantras function less as “hymns” than as performative operators: they authorize acts of taking, placing, cooking, dividing, and offering, while simultaneously mapping those acts onto cosmic correspondences (Agni as mouth, Soma as sap, Prajāpati as totality). The chapter’s internal logic foregrounds correctness of order (krama), purity and delimitation (pavitra/rekhā), and the transformation of raw materials into ritually valid oblations. In doing so, it exemplifies the Taittirīya style: dense procedural speech, embedded etymologies, and a theology of efficacy grounded in exact recitation and gesture.
Anuvakas
Anuvaka 1
Predominantly Brāhmaṇa-style prose with embedded mantra-quotations; the ‘vidhi’ (injunction: nirvapet) is followed by arthavāda (why it works) and conditional extensions (yadi na avagacchet…).
Anuvaka 2
Brāhmaṇa prose with embedded mantra-frames; includes numeric structuring (counts, repetitions) and explicit prayojana statements (āyus, brahmavarcasa, hiraṇya, somapītha).
Anuvaka 3
Narrative arthavāda (mythic frame) leading into explicit vidhi (nirvapet) and offering triads; integrates ‘tejas–indriya–brahmavarcasa’ as a threefold restoration set.
Anuvaka 4
Primarily vidhi with arthavāda justification; focuses on Āditya (Aryaman) and Indra/Bṛhaspati ‘anūṣūka’ modules with formulaic yājyānuvākyā descriptors (budhnavatī/agravatī).
Anuvaka 5
Mythic narrative (Soma and the lunar wives) leading to etiological explanation and a remedial Āditya module; includes explicit yājyā/puro’nuvākyā cues for renewal.
Anuvaka 6
Brāhmaṇa prose with strong numeric-geometry (triadic world mapping) and explicit offering-structure (three units with graded magnitude).
Anuvaka 7
Narrative of conflict and loss/recovery of power leading to a multi-deity ‘sarvapṛṣṭhā’ configuration; includes explicit mapping of ‘tejas’ sources by chant-names.
Anuvaka 8
Vidhi plus explanatory bandhu: Agni and Sūrya as paired ‘vision’ principles; includes explicit ṛc citation (ud u tyaṃ jātavedasam…).
Anuvaka 9
Mantra-heavy section with repeated ‘dhruvo’si’ formulas and subsequent brāhmaṇa explanation; includes paridhi placement and triple oblations.
Anuvaka 10
Mantra sequence centered on prāṇa attribution to multiple deities; followed by extended life-force release formulas and āyus reinforcement verses.
Anuvaka 11
Composite iṣṭi prescription with multiple deities (Agni, Soma, Varuṇa, Sarasvatī, Agni-Viṣṇu) and subsequent mantra explanations; explicitly frames as therapeutic/repair logic.
Anuvaka 12
Narrative-etiological prose leading to Varuṇa-focused offering counts; includes conditional add-ons (extra unit; solar follow-up; water-related closure; Apām Napāt module).
Anuvaka 13
Mantra-led invocation to Indra-Varuṇa with brāhmaṇa explanation; includes fourfold directional arrangement and recombination (vyūhati / punaḥ samūhati).
Anuvaka 14
Predominantly mantra anthology (ṛk-style) invoking Indra, Soma, Agni-Soma, Gaṇapati/Brahmaṇaspati, Aryaman, Maruts, etc.; functions as a liturgical ‘constellation’ layer rather than prose vidhi.
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