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ma, may they descend on this spot(11). Having repeated the above and placed in the udumvara(12) filled with water, a nutmeg, a flower, a few blades of kusa grass, a leaf of tulsi and sesamum, the head of the family, with his face towards the north, holds the kosa in his both hands and kneeling repeats, Vishnur Om tat sat and utters the following, "commencing from to-day in the month of Asvina, waxing fortnight, Pratipada tithi, to the Navami (9th) tithi, every day I so and so of such and such gotra with a view to propitiate Sri Durga, do hereby promise, after the usual worshipping of Ganesa and other gods to perform the yearly autumnal worship of Sribhagavat Durga, according to the Vrhannandikesvara Purana." The yajamana then drops the sacred water towards the north-east corner. While he thus drops water the officiating priests, one and all, repeat the sankalpa sutras(13). Similarly a sankalpa is made for reading the Devi Mahatmya from the Markandeya Purana as follows:
Vishnur Om tat sat, commencing from to-day, month of Asvina, waxing fortnight, pratipada tithi to the Navami, I, so and so, of such and such gotra, in the performance of the yearly autumnal Durga worship, do hereby promise to read that portion of the Jayakhya Markandeya Purana, which commen-
