Philosophy and Religion / Satapatha Brahmana

The Satapatha Brahmana: Eleventh Kânda, Eighth Adhyâya

First Brâhmana

1. Verily, even as this cart-wheel, or a potter's wheel, would creak¹ if not steadied, so, indeed, were these worlds unfirm and unsteadied.

2. Pragâpati then bethought him, 'How may these worlds become firm and steadied?' By means of the mountains and rivers he stablished this (earth), by means of the birds and sun-motes² the air, and by means of the clouds and stars the sky.

3. He then exclaimed, 'Wealth!'--now, wealth³ (mahas) means cattle, whence they (cattle) thrive (mahîyante⁴) exceedingly in the homestead of one who possesses many of them; and this (Sacrificer), indeed, possesses many of them, and in his homestead they do thrive exceedingly. Wherefore, if people were either to forcibly drive him from his home, or to bid him go forth, let him, after performing the Agni-hotra, approach (the fires) saying, 'Wealth'; and he becomes firmly established by offspring and cattle, and is not deprived of his home.

Second Brâhmana

1. Verily, there are four kinds of fire,--the one laid down, the one taken out, the one taken forward, and the one spread (over the three hearths). Now, that which is laid down is this very (terrestrial) world; that which is taken out is the air-world, that which is taken forward is the sky, and that which is spread is the regions. And that which is laid down is Agni, that which is taken out is Vâyu (the wind), that which is taken forward is Âditya (the sun), and that which is spread is Kandramas (the moon). And that which is laid down is the Gârhapatya, that which is taken out is the Âhavanîya, that which is taken forward is the (fire) they lead forth eastwards from the Âhavanîya; and that which is spread is the one they take northwards for the cooking of the victim, and that (used) for the by-offerings⁵: let him therefore perform the animal sacrifice on a fire taken forward.

Third Brâhmana

1. Here, now, they say, 'To what deity should this victim belong?'--'It should belong to Pragâpati,' they say; 'for it was Pragâpati who first saw it: therefore it is to Pragâpati that this victim should belong.'

2. And they also say, 'To Sûrya (the sun) that victim should belong;'--whence it is that cattle are tied up when he (the sun) has set: some of them they tie up⁶ in their respective stables, and others just flock together:--'therefore,' they say, 'it is to Sûrya that this victim should belong.'

3. And they also say, 'To Indra and Agni that victim should belong; for behind these two deities are (all) the other gods;--if one who is afflicted sacrifices, those two (gods) sustain him; and if one sacrifices with (a desire for) abundance⁷, they sustain him: therefore it is to Indra and Agni that this victim should belong.'

4. The animal sacrifice, indeed, is the breath, whence, as long as one lives, no other has power over his cattle, for they are tied to him.

5. Pragâpati said to Agni, 'I will perform sacrifice with thee: I will lay hands upon thee (as a victim).'--'Nay,' said he, 'speak unto man!' He said to man, 'I will perform sacrifice with thee: I will lay hands upon thee.'--'Nay,' said he, 'speak unto the cattle!' He said to the cattle, 'I will perform sacrifice with you: I will lay hands upon you.'--'Nay,' said they, 'speak unto the moon!' He said to the moon, 'I will perform sacrifice with thee: I will lay hands upon thee,'--'Nay,' said he, 'speak unto the sun!' He said to the sun, 'I will perform sacrifice with thee: I will lay hands upon thee.' 'So be it!' said he; 'but seeing that those liked it not (to be slaughtered), what, then, shall become mine that now is with these⁸?'--'Whatsoever thou mayest desire,' he said.--'So be it,' he replied. He laid hands upon him, and this is that animal of his seized (for sacrifice). When slaughtered, it swelled, and by means of those Âprî-hymns, he appeased it⁹; and inasmuch as, by means of these Âprî-hymns, he appeased it, they are called Âprîs. And let him, for that reason, say of the slaughtered animal, 'Let it lie for a moment!' As great as the world is which he gains by performing the horse-sacrifice, so great a world does he gain by this (animal sacrifice).

6. The (wind of the) eastern region breathed over that (dead victim), saying, 'Breathe forth!' and thereby laid the breath (of the mouth) into it; the southern region breathed over it, saying, 'Breathe through!' and thereby laid the through-breathing into it; the western region breathed over it, saying, 'Breathe off!' and thereby laid the off-breathing into it; the northern region breathed over it, saying, 'Breathe up!' and thereby laid the up-breathing (of the nostrils) into it; the upper region breathed over it, saying, 'Breathe all about!' and thereby laid the circulating breathing into it. Therefore, regarding a new-born son, let him say to five Brâhmanas, before the navel-string has been cut, 'Breathe over him in this way¹⁰!' But if he should be unable to obtain them he may even himself breathe over him whilst walking round him; and that (son of his) attains the full measure of life¹¹ and lives to old age.

7. He (the sun) took unto himself Agni's breath; whence that (fire) does not blaze unless fanned or kindled, for its breath has been taken from it; and, verily, he who knows this takes away the breath of life from his spiteful enemy.

8. He took to himself Vâyu's form; whence people hear it (the wind), as it were, shaking, but do not see it, for its form has been taken from it; and, verily, he who knows this takes away the form of his spiteful enemy.

9. He took to himself man's thought; whence people say, 'The divine thought protect thee, man's thought me!' for his thought has been taken from him; and, verily, he who knows this takes away the thought of his spiteful enemy.

10. He took to himself the eye of cattle; whence, even whilst seeing clearly, as it were, they do not know anything, but only know what it is when they smell at it, for their eye has been taken from them; and, verily, he who knows this takes away the eye of his spiteful enemy.

11. He took to himself the moon's shine; whence of these two (sun and moon), though being similar, the moon shines much less, for its shine has been taken from it; and, verily, he who knows this takes away the shine from his spiteful enemy. And inasmuch as he took these away (â-dâ), he (the sun) is called Âditya.

Fourth Brâhmana

1. Now, once upon a time, a tiger killed the samrâg-cow¹² of those (who were sacrificing) with (the king of the) Kesin as their Grihapati¹³. He (the king¹⁴) said to his fellow-sacrificers, 'What atonement is there for this?' They replied, 'There is no atonement for this: Khandika Audbhâri alone knows an atonement for it; but he certainly desires as much as this, and worse than this¹⁵, (to happen) to thee.'

2. He said, 'Charioteer, put to my horses; I shall drive thither: if so be he will tell me, I shall succeed (with my sacrifice); but if he will have me die, I shall be shattered along with the shattered sacrifice.'

3. Having put to the horses, he drove off, and came thither¹⁶. When he (Khandika) saw¹⁷ him, he said, 'Seeing that there are those skins on deer, we break their ribs and cook them: the skin of the black antelope is attached to my neck¹⁸--is it with thoughts such as these that thou hast dared to drive over to me?'

4. 'Not so,' he replied; 'a tiger has killed my samrâg-cow, reverend sir; if so be thou wilt tell me, I shall succeed; but if thou wilt have me die, I shall be shattered along with the shattered sacrifice.'

5. He said, 'I will take counsel with my counsellors¹⁹.' Having called them to counsel, he said, 'If I tell him, his race, not mine, will prevail here²⁰, but I shall gain the (other) world; and if I do not tell him, my own race, not his, will prevail here, but he will gain the (other) world.' They said, 'Do not tell him, reverend sir, for, surely, this (the earth) is the Kshatriya's world²¹.' He replied, 'Nay, I will tell him: there are more nights²² up yonder.'

6. And, accordingly, he then said to him,--'Having offered the Spritis²³, he (the Adhvaryu) should say, "Drive up another (cow)!" and that one should be thy samrâg-cow²⁴.'--'[Having offered. with,] "From the moon I take thy mind, hail!--From the sun I take thine eye, hail!--From the wind I take thy breathings, hail!--From the regions I take thine ear, hail!--From the waters I take thy blood, hail!--From the earth I take thy body, hail!" let him then say, "Drive up another (cow)!" and that one shall be thy samrâg cow!' He then departed from thence²⁵, and, verily, members of the Kesin race are born here even to this day.

Footnotes

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