होताध्वर्युस्तथोद्गाता हस्तेन समयोजयन्।
महिष्या परिवृत्त्या च वावातामपरां तथा॥
hotādhvaryus tathodgātā hastena samayojayan
mahiṣyā parivṛttyā ca vāvātām aparāṁ tathā
hotā = hotā; adhvaryuḥ = adhvaryu; tathā = the brahmā; udgātā = and udgātā; hastena samayojayan = then held the hands of; mahiṣyā = the Mahiṣī; parivṛttyā ca = Parivṛttī; vāvātā = Vāvātā; aparām tathā = and Pālākalī respectively.
The Brahmā, Hotā, Adhvaryu and Udgātā then held the hands of the Mahiṣī, Parivṛttī, Vāvātā and Pālākalī respectively.1
1. Note that the sage Vālmīki has not referred to any of the names of the personalities involved. He has only mentioned the roles of the persons herein. From this we can understand that this is just a standard ritualistic ceremony that is purely symbolic in nature.
This describes the ritual of giving in charity. Tathā here refers to the Brahmā sacrificial priest. He also participated in this ritual wherein the king gives charity to the priests. This ceremony concludes with his gifting representative items in charity. The dictionary Vaijayantī describes the different types of queens as follows:
kṛtābhiṣekā mahiṣī parivṛttir upekṣitā
vāvātā bhoginī pātra-pradā pālākalī matā
“The Mahiṣī queen is the consecrated queen. The Parivṛtti queen is the one neglected by the king. The Vāvātā is the king’s favorite and the Pālākalī is the one who gives in charity.”