Agni has always placed a central part in all of our samskaras. In general, we may divide our samskaras into two: grihya samskaras, and shrauta samskaras. The former are performed in the household fire, and the mantras used therein are found in the mantrapatha, also known as the ekagni kanda.

In the Apastamba kalpasutras, the ekagni kanda forms the 25th and 26th prashnas, while the grihyasutras form the 27th prashnas. Some hold the view that these mantras predate both the rishis Apastamba and Baudhayana. i.e. they are a body of mantras presupposed by both rishis, and included in the Apastamba kalpa sutras for completeness.

According to this view, the Apastamba grihya sutras presuppose the ekagni kanda, and the ekagni kanda presupposes the grihya samskaras (and do not newly establish them).

A few mantras used in the Apastamba grihya sutras are not found in the ekagni kanda, but are found in the grihya sutras themselves. A few other are found in neither place. Indeed some of the mantras founde in the ekagni kanda are not found in the extant vedic corpus, although some of the mantras are variations of extant mantras.

We can safely say that those who follow the sutras of Rishi Apastamba belong to the Taittireya shaka of the Krishna Yajur Veda. Of the 138 mantras occuring in the Taittireya vedic corpus, 117 mantras occur as is, and 21 are variants of mantras occuring therein. It is closely related to the grihya sutras belonging to the Krishna Yajur Veda (Baudhayana, Bharadwaja, Hiranyakeshi). Where variations of the mantras occur, all frequently make use of mantras with the same variations. Although all the sutrakarakas frequently make use of the same mantras, they are often prescribed for use in slightly different portions of the rites.

Since the Taittireya yajur vedins (Apastambins in particular) have such large numbers, especially in South India where the vedic tradition remains alive, the Ekagni kanda is readily available today.

Sutra	Mantra
4.2	1.1.1-2
4.3	1.1.3
4.4	1.1.4
4.5	1.1.5
4.6	1.1.6
4.7	1.1.7
4.8	1.1.8 1.1.9 1.1.10 1.2.1-5 I.2.6 1.2.7
4.9	1.2.8
4.10	1.3.1-2
4.15	1.3.3-6
4.16	1.3.7-13
4.17	1.3.14
5.2	1.4.1-16
5.3	1.5.1
5.6	1.5.2
5.7	1.5.3-5 1.5.6 1.5.7
5.9	1.5.8-10 1.5.11 1.5.12
5.10	1.5.13-15
5.12 1.5.16-17
5.18	1.5.18
5.19	1.6.1
5.20	1.6.2-3
5.22	1.6.4-7
5.23	1.6.8
5.24	1.6.9-11
5.25	1.6.12
6.1	1.6.13
6.3	1.6.14
6.4	1.7.1-7
6.5	1.7.8-9
6.6	1.7.10
6.7	1.7.11-12
6.8	1.8.1 1.8.1
6.10	1.8.3-15 1.9.1

Muller, Max. The Mantrapatha. Satguru Publications. 1985.

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