Upanishads · Bhasmajābāla 1.9
॥
Devanāgarī
अन्ते स्विष्टकृत्पूर्णाहुतिस्तेनैवाष्टदिक्षु बलिप्रदानम्
Transliteration (IAST)
ante sviṣṭakṛtpūrṇāhutistenaivāṣṭadikṣu balipradānam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अन्ते स्विष्टकृत् पूर्ण-आहुतिःante sviṣṭakṛt pūrṇa-āhutiḥat the end — «sviṣṭakṛt», the full offering
तेन एव अष्ट-दिक्षु बलि-प्रदानम्tena eva aṣṭa-dikṣu bali-pradānamby it, in the eight directions — the giving of the portion
Translation
«At the end — «sviṣṭakṛt», the full offering; by it, in the eight directions — the giving of the portion».
Version
627dfad5ad52 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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The rite ends with pūrṇa-āhuti, «the full offering», and bali, the giving of the portion, in the eight directions. On bali, see the discussion when reading Bhāvanā (p42): this is the portion carried outside — for spirits, birds, whoever comes. Worth noting: here too it stands at the end, after everything; and it was said there that this order matters: one bows to the one who has come, but carries the portion out for those who did not come and were not invited.
The word sviṣṭakṛt means «one who has performed the sacrifice well» — a special form of Agni is so named, and to him the last offering is made to make good the errors committed in the rite. This detail, to my mind, is among the most humane in the whole Vedic ritual and is worth mentioning. The rite is long and complex; it is easy to err in it; and so at the end a special offering is prescribed, covering what was done amiss.
The Vaishnava side keeps the same custom in its own practice: every service ends with a plea to forgive what was omitted. The well-known prayer recited at the close says: «what was done not according to rule, what was not done at all — may it be made complete by Your mercy». This rule, taken beyond the bounds of ritual, is to my mind among the best there is. Every deed is closed by admitting it was done worse than it should have been; and the admission does not annul the deed but completes it.