The Pravargya Brahmana of the Taittiriya Aranyaka
by Jan E.B. Houben (Tr.)

Prapathaka 5 of the Taittiriya Aranyaka in the Andhra recension (Prapathaka 8 in the Dravida recension) is an ancient commentary on the Pravargya Brahmana, is here translated and annotated. The Introduction contains a study of the Pravargya ritual, which is One of the few rituals that has been explicitly referred to in the Rgveda (usually under the name Gharma).

The abstract and spiritual nature of what is probably the main purpose of the ritual-the participants should acquire the luster of the sun-the simple means by which it can be performed and the way the main implement, the pot which is heated red-hot, is worshipped, give it a special place in the vast assortment of Vedic rites.

The Sanskrit text of the Pravargya Brahmana of the Taittiriyakas has been given along with the translation. The present work was prepared under the guidance of Professor Dr H W Bodewitz (Utrecht), and is an elaboration of an essay written by the author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctorandus at the University of Utrecht, 1987.