The Hindu Religious Tradition. The sacrificer was bathed and had his hair cut, and was anointed with fresh butter to signify his embryonic state. He was fed only cooked milk while in this condition and was required to stammer when he spoke. If he itched he was forbidden to scratch himself directly with his bare hands, but had to use an antelope horn with which he was provided. These details from various Brahmanas and later ritual texts make clear the nature of this rite as a symbolic gestation period.
Further details indicate that it was more than just that.
The nearness of the fire, confinement in the hut, and the enclosing garment and skin all tended to produce heat in the sacrificer. It was expected that sweating would occur, but he was not to be given water or bathed for the duration of the ritual. The body of the sacrificer was filled with special power. He should touch himself only with a non-conducting material, the antelope horn, and could not be bathed because water also would spoil or remove the special condition.