| Philosophy and Religion / Satapatha Brahmana |
The Satapatha Brahmana: First Kânda, Seventh Adhyâya
First Brâhmana
The Idâ.
1. In the morning they brought to Manu1 water for washing, just as now also they (are wont to) bring (water) for washing the hands. When he was washing himself, a fish came into his hands.
2. It spake to him the word, 'Rear me, I will save thee!' 'Where from wilt thou save me?' 'A flood will carry away all these creatures2: from that I will save thee!' 'How am I to rear thee?'
3. It said, 'As long as we are small, there is great destruction for us: fish devours fish. Thou wilt first keep me in a jar. When I outgrow that, thou wilt dig a pit and keep me in it. When I outgrow that, thou wilt take me down to the sea, for then I shall be beyond destruction.'
4. It soon became a ghasha (a large fish); for that grows largest (of all fish)3. Thereupon it said, 'In such and such a year that flood will come. Thou shalt then attend to me (i.e. to my advice) by preparing a ship4; and when the flood has risen thou shalt enter into the ship, and I will save thee from it.'
5. After he had reared it in this way, he took it down to the sea. And in the same year which the fish had indicated to him, he attended to (the advice of the fish) by preparing a ship; and when the flood had risen, he entered into the ship. The fish then swam up to him, and to its horn he tied the rope of the ship, and by that means he5 passed swiftly up to yonder northern mountain.
6. It then said, 'I have saved thee. Fasten the ship to a tree; but let not the water cut thee off6, whilst thou art on the mountain. As the water subsides, thou mayest gradually descend!' Accordingly he gradually descended, and hence that (slope) of the northern mountain is called 'Alarm's descent7.' The flood then swept away all these creatures, and Manu alone remained here.
7. Being desirous of offspring, he engaged in worshipping and austerities. During this time he also performed a pâka-sacrifice: he offered up in the waters clarified butter, sour milk, whey, and curds. Thence a woman was produced in a year: becoming quite solid8 she rose; clarified butter gathered in her footprint. Mitra and Varuna met her.
8. They said to her, 'Who art thou?' 'Manu's daughter,' she replied. 'Say (thou art) ours,' they said. 'No,' she said, 'I am (the daughter) of him who begat me.' They desired to have a share in her. She either agreed or did not agree9, but passed by them. She came to Manu.
9. Manu said to her, 'Who art thou?' 'Thy daughter,' she replied. 'How, illustrious one, (art thou) my daughter?' he asked. She replied, 'Those offerings (of) clarified butter, sour milk, whey, and curds, which thou madest in the waters, with them thou hast begotten me. I am the blessing (benediction): make use of me at the sacrifice! If thou wilt make use of me at the sacrifice, thou wilt become rich in offspring and cattle. Whatever blessing thou shalt invoke through me, all that shall be granted to thee!' He accordingly made use of her (as the benediction) in the middle of the sacrifice; for what is intermediate between the fore-offerings and the after-offerings, is the middle of the sacrifice.
10. With her he went on worshipping and performing austerities, wishing for offspring. Through her he generated this race, which is this race of Manu; and whatever blessing he invoked through her, all that was granted to him.
11. Now this (daughter of Manu) is essentially the same as the Idâ; and whosoever, knowing this, performs with (the) Idâ10, he propagates this race which Manu generated; and whatever blessing he invokes through it (or her), all that is granted to him.
12. It (the idâ) consists of a fivefold cutting; for the idâ, doubtless, means cattle, and cattle consist of five parts11: for this reason it (the idâ) consists of a fivefold cutting.
13. When he (the Adhvaryu) has cut off the idâ piece by piece12, and broken off the fore-part of the cake (for the sacrificer's portion), he puts it (the latter) down (on the barhis) before the dhruvâ-spoon. Having then handed over the former (the idâ) to the Hotri13, he passes by him towards the south.
14. He anoints the Hotri here14 (with clarified butter taken from the idâ); and with it the Hotri anoints his lips, with the text, 'Of thee, offered by the lord of the mind, I eat for sap, for out-breathing!'
15. He then anoints the Hotri here15; and with it the Hotri anoints his lips, with the text, 'Of thee, offered by the lord of speech, I eat for strength, for in-breathing!'
16. At that time, namely, Manu became apprehensive (thinking), 'This (part) of my sacrifice--that is, this idâ representing the domestic offering--is certainly the weakest: the Rakshas must not injure my sacrifice at this place.' Accordingly by that (butter, taken from the idâ, and smeared on his lips) he promoted it (the idâ to a safe place, thinking), 'Before the Rakshas (come)! before the Rakshas (come)!' And in like manner this one also thereby promotes (the idâ to a safe place, thinking), 'Before the Rakshas (come)! before the Rakshas (come)!' And though he does not (at present) eat (the idâ) visibly, lest he should eat it before it is invoked, he nevertheless promotes it (to a safe place), when he smears the (butter) on his lips.
17. He now cuts off piece by piece (the avântaredâ) in (or, into) the Hotri's hand. That which is cut up piece by piece he thus makes visibly enter16 the Hotri; and through that which has entered (or is cooked in) his own self, the Hotri invokes a blessing on the sacrificer: for this reason he cuts it off piece by piece in the Hotri's hand17.
18. He now calls18 (the idâ) in a low voice. At that time, namely, Manu became apprehensive (thinking), 'This (part) of my sacrifice--that is, this idâ representing the domestic offerings--is certainly the weakest: the Rakshas must not injure my sacrifice at this place.' He accordingly called it to him in a low voice (thinking), 'Before the Rakshas (come)! before the Rakshas (come)!' And in like manner this one (the Hotri) thereby calls it (thinking), 'Before the Rakshas (come)! before the Rakshas (come)!'
19. He calls thus (in a low voice)19, 'Hither is called the Rathantara (chant), together with the earth: may the Rathantara, together with the earth, call me20! Hither is called the Vâmadevya (chant), together with the atmosphere: may the Vâmadevya, together with the atmosphere, call me! Hither is called the Brihat (chant), together with the sky: may the Brihat, together with the sky, call me!' In thus calling her (the Idâ) to him, he calls to him both these (three) worlds and those chants21.
20. 'Hither are called the cows22, together with the bull!'--the idâ, assuredly, means cattle: hence it is her he thereby calls in an indirect (mystic) way; (and in saying), 'together with the bull,' he calls her together with her mate.
21. 'Hither is called (Idâ) by that (sacrifice) which is performed by the seven Hotris!'--he thereby calls her by the Soma-sacrifice performed by the seven Hotris23.
22. 'Hither is called Idâ, the conquering!'--he thereby calls her directly. 'Conquering' he says, because she overcomes evil, and for that reason he calls her 'the conquering.'
23. 'Hither is called the friend, the food24!'--the friend, the food, doubtless, means breath: hence he thereby calls hither the breath. 'Hither is called the Hek25!'--he thereby calls hither the (body of idâ), he thereby calls hither the entire (idâ).
24. He now intones (in a loud voice): 'Idâ is called hither! Hither (thither) is called Idâ! May Idâ also call us to her!' In saying, 'Idâ is called hither,' he, in a direct way, calls her, who is thereby called hither, as being what she really was: a cow, assuredly, she was, and a cow is four-footed; and therefore he calls her four times26.
25. But in calling her four times, he calls her in different ways, in order to avoid repetition (of sacrificial performance); for, if he were to call, 'Idâ is called hither! Idâ is called hither!' or 'Hither is called Ida! hither is called Idâ!' he would indeed commit the (fault of) repetition. By saying, 'Idâ is called hither!' he calls her hitherwards; and by 'Hither (or thither, lit. called to somebody) is called Idâ!' he calls her thitherwards. By saying, 'May Idâ also call us to her,' he does not omit himself, and, besides, it (the formula) is changed. By (the second), 'Idâ is called hither!' he again calls her hitherwards; so that he thereby (and by the second, 'Hither is called Idâ,' again) calls her hitherwards and thitherwards.
26. 'Manu's daughter, the butter-pathed (ghritapadî);'--Manu, indeed, begat her of old: for this reason he says, 'Manu's daughter.' 'The butter-pathed' he says, because butter gathered in her footprint: therefore he calls her 'butter-pathed.'
27. And further, 'She who belongs to Mitra and Varuna;'--this 'Maitrâvaruna nature' (is hers), because she met Mitra and Varuna27.--'She, the god-fashioned one, is called hither as the Brahman28; for she, the god-fashioned one, is indeed called hither as their Brahman.--'Hither are called the divine Adhvaryus, called hither the human!'--he thereby calls both the divine Adhvaryus and those that are human: the divine Adhvaryus indeed are the calves29 (vatsâh), and what others there are, are the human ones.
28. '--They who are to prosper this sacrifice, they who are to prosper the lord of sacrifice.' Those Brâhmanas, who have studied and teach the Veda, assuredly prosper the sacrifice, since they spread (perform) and produce it: these he thereby propitiates. And the calves also assuredly make the lord of sacrifice prosper; for the lord of sacrifice who possesses abundance of them, does indeed prosper; for this reason he says, 'They who are to prosper the lord of sacrifice.'
29. 'Hither are called the primeval, law-abiding, divine (fem.) heaven and earth, whose sons are gods.' He thereby calls to him those two, heaven and earth, within which all this (universe) is embraced.--'Hither is called this sacrificer:' thereby he calls the sacrificer to him. Why he does not mention his name on this occasion, is that this is a mysterious benediction on the idâ. Were he, on the contrary, to mention the name, he would do what is human, and the human certainly is inauspicious at the sacrifice: hence he does not mention the name, lest he should do what is inauspicious at the sacrifice30.
30. 'Hither (he is) called for future worship of the gods;' he thereby in a mysterious manner invokes the blessing of life on this (sacrificer); for as he sacrificed heretofore, so, while living, he will sacrifice hereafter.
31. Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner invokes the blessing of offspring for him; for whosoever has offspring,--while he, on his part, goes to yonder world, his offspring sacrifice in this world: hence future worship of the gods means offspring.
32. Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner invokes the blessing of cattle for him; for whosoever has cattle, will sacrifice hereafter, as he has sacrificed heretofore.
33. 'Hither (he is) called for more abundant havis-offering;' he thereby in a mysterious manner invokes the blessing of life on him; for as he has sacrificed heretofore, so while living will he hereafter again and again make offerings.
34. Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner invokes the blessing of offspring for this (sacrificer); for whosoever possesses offspring,--though he, of his own self, be one only, yet that offering is made tenfold by his offspring: hence offspring means more abundant offering.
35. Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner invokes the blessing of cattle for him; for whosoever possesses cattle, will make offering again and again, as he has sacrificed heretofore.
36. This then is the benediction (implied in these formulas), 'May I live, may I have offspring, may I obtain prosperity!' Now in praying for the blessing of cattle, he prays for prosperity; for cattle means prosperity: hence through these two benedictions everything is obtained; and therefore these two benedictions are here pronounced.
37. [He continues to call], 'Hither (he is) called to this (sacrifice, for the prayer31), "May the gods graciously accept this my offering (havis)!''' he thereby invokes complete success on the sacrifice; for what offering the gods graciously accept, by that one gains great things: for this reason he says, 'may they graciously accept32.'
38. They (the priests and sacrificer) eat it (the idâ), and do not offer it up in the fire; for assuredly the idâ means cattle: hence they do not offer it in the fire, lest they should throw the cattle into the fire.
39. In the vital airs rather it is offered, partly in the Hotri, partly in the Sacrificer, partly in the Adhvaryu. Now, when he has broken off the forepart of the (Agni) cake, he places it before the dhruvâ-spoon. But the dhruvâ represents the sacrificer: hence this will be eaten by the sacrificer. And if he does not now visibly eat it, lest he should eat before the sacrifice is completed, it nevertheless is now (symbolically) eaten by him. All of them eat (of the idâ): 'May it be offered for me in all!' thus (he thinks). Five eat of it,--the idâ indeed means cattle, and cattle are fivefold: hence five eat of it.
40. Now when he (the Hotri) intones (in a loud voice)33, he (the Adhvaryu) divides the (Agni) cake into four parts, and lays it on the barhis (the sacrificial grass covering the altar). Here it lies in place of the fathers; for there are four intermediate quarters, and the intermediate quarters represent the fathers: for this reason he divides the cake into four parts, and lays it on the barhis34.
41. And when he recites, 'Hither are called heaven and earth,' he hands it (the shadavatta35) to the Âgnîdhra. The Âgnîdhra eats (the two pieces), with the respective texts (Vâg. S. II, 10-11), 'Hither is called mother Earth; may mother Earth call me to her! Agni (am I) by virtue of my Âgnîdhraship. Hail!' 'Hither is called father Heaven; may father Heaven call me to him! Agni (am I) by virtue of my Âgnîdhraship. Hail!' He, the Âgnîdhra, truly is the representative of heaven and earth, and therefore he eats (the shadavatta) in this manner.
42. And when (the Hotri) pronounces the benediction36, then (the sacrificer) mutters (Vâg. S. II, 10 a), 'May Indra bestow on me that power of his! may abundant riches accrue to us! may there be blessings for us! may there be true blessings for us!' For indeed this is a receiving of blessings: hence what blessings the priests on this occasion invoke on him, those he thereby receives and makes his own.
43. [On the conclusion of the invocation and the eating37] they cleanse themselves (with water poured) through the two strainers (pavitra, 'purifier'). For they have now performed the idâ, which represents the domestic offerings; and thinking, 'Purified by the purifiers we will now perform what part of the sacrifice remains still unaccomplished,' they cleanse themselves with the strainers.
44. He (the Adhvaryu) then throws the two strainers on the prastara38. The prastara, doubtless, represents the sacrificer, and the two strainers the out-breathing and in-breathing: hence he thereby invokes out-breathing and in-breathing on the sacrificer; and for this reason he throws the strainers on the prastara.
Second Brâhmana
The after-offerings (anuyâgas).
1. They now remove two burning samidhs (from the Âhavanîya fire). That fire, indeed, is now worn out, (and therefore useless) for the after-offerings, since it has been carrying the sacrifice to the gods: 'Let us perform the after-offerings in such (fire) as is not out-worn!' thus they think, and for this reason they remove those two burning samidhs (from the fire).
2. Thereupon they again move them close (to the fire). Thereby they cause the fire to increase again and to be no longer out-worn: 'Let us perform what part of the sacrifice remains still unaccomplished in such (fire) as is not out-worn!' so think they, and for this reason they again move them close (to the fire).
3. He (the Âgnîdhra) then puts on the kindling-stick (which was reserved at the time of kindling)39. He thereby kindles that (fire): 'Let us perform in the well-kindled (fire) what part of the sacrifice remains unaccomplished!' thus he thinks, and for this reason he puts on the samidh.
4. The Hotri consecrates it (the kindling-stick), with the formula (Vâg. S. II, 14 a), 'This, O Agni, is thy kindler; mayest thou grow and increase by it; and may we also grow and increase!' for even as before he recited over the fire when it was being kindled, so also now he recites. This is the Hotri's duty; but the sacrificer himself may pronounce the consecratory formula, if he think that the Hotri does not know it40.
5. He (the Âgnîdhra) then sweeps (the fire) together. He thereby harnesses it: 'Thus harnessed, may it convey (to the gods) what part of the sacrifice still remains unaccomplished!' thus he thinks, and for this reason he sweeps it together. He sweeps once (with the band of the fire-wood along each of the three enclosing-sticks); for thrice each time they swept for the gods on the former occasion41: 'Lest we should do it in the same way as for the gods;' thus he thinks, and accordingly he sweeps once each time in order to avoid repetition (of sacrificial performance). Repetition the would undoubtedly commit, if he were to sweep thrice the first time and thrice the second: for this reason he sweeps once (along each stick).
6. He sweeps (each time), with the formula (Vâg. S. II, 14 b), 'O Agni, food-gainer, I cleanse thee, the food-gainer, who hast hastened to the food!' On the former occasion he said, 'thee who art about to hasten (to the food),' for on that occasion he was indeed about to hasten thither; now, however, he says, 'who hast hastened (to the food),' for now he has indeed hastened thither: for this reason he says 'thee who hast hastened.'
7. He now makes the after-offerings. Whatever gods he invokes by means of this sacrifice, and for whichever of them this sacrifice is performed, to all offering has now been made; and to all those to whom offering has been made, he now, after that, offers once more: hence the name 'after-offerings.'
8. Now this is why he makes the after-offerings. The after-offerings assuredly are the metres42, and the metres are the cattle of the gods: hence as cattle, when harnessed, here convey (burdens) for men, so in like manner the metres, being harnessed, convey the sacrifice to the gods. Now the occasion on which the metres gratified the gods, and for which the gods, in their turn, then gratified the metres, was when before this the metres, on being harnessed, conveyed the sacrifice to the gods and thereby gratified them.
9. And this again is why he makes the after-offerings. The after-offerings are the metres: hence he thereby gratifies the metres, and for this reason also he makes the after-offerings. By whatever team, therefore, he has himself drawn, that (team) he would thereby unyoke, saying, 'Give it to drink, feed it well!' and thus his team is propitiated.
10. In the first place he makes offering to the Barhis (sacrificial-grass covering). Though the smallest metre, the gâyatrî is yoked first of the metres43; and this on account of its strength, since, having become a falcon, it carried off the Soma from heaven44. They consider it unseemly, however, that the gâyatrî, being the smallest metre, should be yoked first of the metres; and the gods accordingly arranged the metres here, at the after-offerings, so as it ought to be, 'lest there should be a confusion.'
11. In the first place, then, he offers to the Barhis. The Barhis indeed is this world; the Barhis is the plants: hence he thereby bestows plants on this world, and these plants are firmly rooted in this world. Now this entire universe (gagat) is contained in this (metre), and therefore the latter is (called) gagatî: this is why they have placed the gagatî metre first.
12. In the second place he offers to Narâsamsa. Now, Narâsamsa is the air. Man (nara), namely, means (human) being; and these same beings move about in the air speaking aloud. And when he (man) speaks, they say 'he chants (sams);' and therefore Narâsamsa is the air45. But the trishtubh also is the air46, and for this reason they have placed the trishtubh second.
13. Then Agni is the last (to whom offering is made). Agni assuredly is the gâyatrî; and therefore they placed the gâyatrî last. In this way they established the metres in complete and proper order; and hence no confusion here takes place.
14. The Adhvaryu47 says (to the Hotri), 'Pronounce the offering-prayer (yâgyâ) to the gods!' and the Hotri (begins his prayer) at all (the three offerings) with 'The divine . . . .' For the metres assuredly are the gods of the gods, since they are their cattle, and cattle means a home, and a home is a safe resting-place. The after-offerings, doubtless, are the metres: therefore the Adhvaryu says, 'Pronounce the offering-prayer to the gods!' and at all of them the Hotri begins with 'The divine . . .48.'
15. ['The divine Barhis (or Narâsamsa) may accept (the offering)] for abundant obtainment of abundant gift! [Vaushat!]' For a deity only the vashat-call is pronounced, to a deity only offering is made; but here at the after-offerings there is no (proper) deity49. When he says 'The divine Barhis,' in this there is neither Agni, nor Indra, nor Soma; when he says 'The divine Narâsamsa,' neither is there in this anything whatever (of the nature of a god); and what Agni there is (in the third offering-prayer), he indeed is virtually the gâyatrî.
16. The reason, then, why he offers with the formula 'for abundant obtainment of abundant gift50,' is that Agni is the obtainer of wealth, and Indra is the recipient of wealth; and Indra and Agni are indeed the (joint) divinity of the metres: and in this way it is for a deity that the vashat is pronounced, and to a deity that the offering is made.
17. After he has made the last after-offering, he pours together (the butter which remains in the upabhrit with that which attaches to the guhû), and offers it (by pouring it from the guhû in a line from west to east into the fire). For doubtless these are the after-offerings to the fore-offerings: hence even as there, at the fore-offerings51, he makes the spiteful enemy pay tribute to the sacrificer, and the one to be consumed pay tribute to the consumer; so now he makes him pay tribute at the after-offerings.
Third Brâhmana
Sûktavâka, samyuvâka, and offering of remains.52
1. He now separates the two spoons (guhû and upabhrit), with the text (Vâg. S. II, 15 a), 'May I be victorious after the victory of Agni and Soma! with the impetus of the (sacrificial) food I urge myself on.' With his right hand he moves the guhû eastwards (from its usual place on the prastara-bunch upon the altar), with the text (ib. b), 'May Agni and Soma drive him away who hates us, and whom we hate! with the impetus of the (sacrificial) food I drive him away.' With his left hand he moves the upabhrit westwards (from its place on the barhis to outside the altar):--Thus, if the sacrificer himself (does it)53.
2. And if the Adhvaryu (does it, he says), 'May this sacrificer be victorious after the victory of Agni and Soma! with the impetus of the food I urge him on;' and, 'May Agni and Soma drive him away whom this sacrificer hates, and who hates him! with the impetus of the food I drive him away.' Thus he does at the full-moon sacrifice, because the full-moon offering belongs to Agni and Soma.
3. At the new-moon sacrifice, on the other hand, he uses the texts (ib. c, d), 'May I be victorious after the victory of Indra and Agni54! with the impetus of the food I urge myself on;' and, 'May Indra and Agni drive him away who hates us, and whom we hate! with the impetus of the food I drive him away:'--Thus, if the sacrificer himself does it.
4. And if the Adhvaryu (does it, he says), 'May this sacrificer be victorious after the victory of Indra and Agni! with the impetus of the food I urge him on;' and, 'May Indra and Agni drive him away whom this sacrificer hates, and who hates him! with the impetus of the food I drive him away.' Thus he says at the new-moon sacrifice, because the new-moon offering belongs to Indra and Agni. And in this manner he separates (the spoons) according to the respective deities, This is why he thus separates them:
5. Behind the guhû stands the sacrificer, and behind the upabhrit stands he who means evil to him: hereby, then, he brings the sacrificer forward to the front (or east), and the one who means evil him he drives back (or towards the west). Behind the guhû stands the eater (enjoyer), and behind the upabhrit the one to be eaten (enjoyed): thus he now brings the eater (enjoyer) to the front, and the one to be eaten (enjoyed) he drives back.
6. Thus the separation (of the eater and the eaten) is effected in one and the same act; and hence from one and the same man spring both the enjoyer (the husband), and the one to be enjoyed (the wife): for now kinsfolk (gâtyâh) live sporting and rejoicing together, saying, 'In the fourth (or) third man (I.e. generation) we unite55.' And this is so in accordance with that (separation of the spoons).
7. Thereupon (the Adhvaryu) anoints the enclosing-sticks (paridhi) with (the butter attaching to) the guhû. With that (spoon) with which he has made offering to the gods, with which he has concluded the sacrifice, he thus gratifies the enclosing-sticks: this is why he anoints them with the guhû.
8. He anoints them (successively)56, with the texts (Vâg. S. II, 16 a-c), 'For the Vasus thee!' 'For the Rudras thee!' 'For the Âdityas thee!' For these--to wit, the Vasus, Rudras, and Âdityas--are three (classes of) gods: 'for them (I anoint) thee,' he thereby says.
9. Thereupon, taking hold of the (middle) enclosing-stick, he calls (on the Âgnîdhra) to bid (them) listen57: thus (i.e. by touching the paridhi) it is for the enclosing-sticks that he calls for the sraushat. The sraushat-call assuredly is the sacrifice: hence he thereby expressly gladdens the enclosing-sticks by means of the sacrifice: for this reason he calls for the sraushat, while taking hold of the enclosing-stick.
10. Having called for the sraushat (and been responded to by the Âgnîdhra), he thus addresses (the Hotri), 'The divine Hotris58 are summoned--,' the divine Hotris, namely, are (represented by) these enclosing-sticks, since these are Agnis (fires)59. When he says, 'the divine Hotris are summoned (ishita),' he means to say, 'the divine Hotris are wished for (ishta).' [He continues], '--for the proclamation of success60,'--for on this the gods themselves are indeed intent, to wit, that they should speak what is favourable (conducive to success, sâdhu), that they should do what is favourable: hence he says 'for the proclamation of success.'--'The human one is called upon for the song of praise (sûktavâka)61!' by these words he urges on this human Hotri to singing praises.
11. He now takes the prastara-bunch62. The prastara assuredly is the sacrificer: hence whithersoever his sacrifice went, thither he thereby wishes him good-speed63! Now it is to the world of the gods that his sacrifice went; and to the world of the gods accordingly he thereby takes the sacrificer.
12. Should he desire rain, let him take up (the prastara), with this text (Vâg. S. II, 16 d), 'Be ye in harmony with each other, O heaven and earth!' for when heaven and earth are in harmony with each other, then indeed it rains64: for this reason he says, 'be ye in harmony with each other, O heaven and earth!'--'May Mitra and Varuna favour thee with rain!' whereby he says, 'may he who rules over the rain favour thee with rain!' Now he that rules over the rain is undoubtedly that blowing one (Vâyu, the wind); and he, it is true, blows as one only; but, on entering into man, he becomes a forward and a backward moving one; and they are these two, the out-breathing and the in-breathing. And Mitra and Varuna assuredly are the out-breathing and in-breathing; and hence he says by that (prayer), 'may he who rules over the rain favour thee with rain!' Let him then take it up, with this text, for then the rain will at all times be propitious. He anoints it (the prastara): thereby he makes him (the sacrificer) an oblation, thinking, 'May he, as an oblation, go to the world of the gods!'
13. He anoints the top (of the prastara with the butter) in the guhû, the middle part (with that) in the upabhrit, and the lower end (with that) in the dhruvâ; for the guhû is, as it were, the top, the upabhrit the middle, and the dhruvâ the root.
14. He anoints (each time), with the text (Vâg. S. II, 16 e), 'May (the gods) eat, licking the anointed bird65!' He thereby causes it (the prastara and hence symbolically the sacrificer) to be a bird and fly up from this world of men to the world of the gods. He then draws it twice (towards the Âhavanîya) alow (near the ground). The reason why he must draw it alow (is this): the prastara is the sacrificer; and in this way he does not remove him from this firm footing of his; and he, moreover, secures rain for this locality.
15. He draws it along, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 16 f), 'Go to the spotted (mares) of the Maruts!' He means to say, 'Go to the world of the gods,' when he says, 'Go to the spotted (mares) of the Maruts66!'--'Having become a spotted cow, go to the sky and thence bring us rain hither!' The spotted cow, doubtless, is this (earth): whatever rooted and rootless food is here on this (earth), by that this (earth) is a spotted cow. 'Having become this (earth), go thou to the sky!' this is what he thereby says. 'Thence bring us rain hither!' From rain certainly spring vigour, sap, well-being: for this reason he says, 'thence bring us rain hither!
16. He then takes a single stalk from it. The prastara-bunch is the sacrificer; and therefore, if he were to throw the whole prastara (at once) into the fire, the sacrificer would speedily go to yonder world. In this way, however, the sacrificer will live long; and what the full measure of human life here on earth is, for that he takes this (single stalk) therefrom.
17. Having held (the prastara) for a moment, he throws it into the fire: whither his (the sacrificer's) one (part of) self (or, body)67 went, thither he thereby causes it to go68. But were he not to throw it into the fire, he would cut off the sacrificer from (yonder) world. In this way, however, he does not cut off the sacrificer from (yonder) world.
18. He throws it (with its top) to the east, for the east is the region of the gods; or to the north, for the north is the region of man. With the fingers only they should smooth it down, not with pieces of wood; since it is with sticks that they pierce any other corpse. Fearing, lest they should treat it in the same way as any other corpse, they should smooth it down with the fingers only, not with pieces of wood. When the Hotri recites the song of praise,--
19. The Âgnîdhra says (to the Adhvaryu), 'Throw (the single stalk) after (the prastara)!'--'whither his (the sacrificer's) other self went, thither make it now go,' this is what he thereby says. [The Adhvaryu] having thrown it silently after, touches himself69, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 16 f): 'Guardian of the eye art thou, O Agni; guard mine eye!' In this way also he does not throw himself into the fire after (the prastara or sacrificer).
20. He (the Âgnîdhra) then says70 (to the Adhvaryu), 'Discourse together!'--he thereby says, 'Make him (the sacrificer) discourse with the gods.' [The Adhvaryu asks], 'Has he gone (to the gods), Agnîdh?' whereby he says, 'Has he really gone?'--'He has gone!' replies the other.--'Bid (the gods) hear!' by these words he (the Adhvaryu) means to say, 'Make him (the sacrificer) be heard, make him be noticed by the gods!'--'May (one or they) hear (sraushat)!' thereby he (the Âgnîdhra) means to say, 'They know him, they have recognised him.' Thus the Adhvaryu and the Âgnîdhra lead the sacrificer to the world of the gods.
21. He (the Adhvaryu) then says, 'Good-speed to the divine Hotris71!' The divine Hotris assuredly are these enclosing-sticks, since these are Agnis (fires): it is to them that he thereby bids good-speed, and therefore he says, 'good-speed to the divine Hotris!'--'Success (svasti) to the human!' thereby he desires that this human Hotri may not fail.
22. He now throws the enclosing-sticks into the fire. The middle enclosing-stick he throws first, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 17 a), 'The stick which thou laidst around thee, O divine Agni, when thou wert concealed by the Panis, I bring thee for thy pleasure; may it not prove faithless to thee!'--With (ib. b), 'Approach ye the place beloved of Agni!' he throws the two others after it.
23. He then72 seizes the guha and the upabhrit at the same time. For on the former occasion73, when he anoints (the prastara sacrificer), he makes him an oblation, thinking, 'May he, as an oblation, go to the world of the gods!' for this reason he seizes the guhû and the upabhrit at the same time.
24. He seizes them for the Visve Devâh (the All-gods). For, assuredly, when any sacrificial food is taken without being announced to any one deity, then all the gods think that they have a share in it. Now when he takes that sacrificial food, the (residue of) butter, he does not announce it to any one deity; and hence he takes up (the two spoons) for the Visve Devâh, and thus makes that (residue of butter) the vaisvadeva74 at the haviryagña.
25. He seizes them, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 18), 'The residue (of the butter) ye have for your share, ye, mighty by (this) food!' the residue, of course, is that which remains;--'O ye gods, staying on the prastara, and representing the enclosing-sticks75;' for both the prastara and the enclosing-sticks have been thrown into the fire;--'All of you, applauding this speech,' thereby he makes it the vaisvadeva (belonging to the Visve Devâh);--'Be seated on this couch of grass (barhis) and enjoy yourselves! Svâhâ! Vât76!' as one offers what has been consecrated by 'vashat,' this (residue) thereby becomes such for him (the sacrificer).
26. For whomsoever they take the sacrificial food from a cart, for him they unyoke (the spoons, by placing them) on the yoke of that cart, thinking, 'Where we yoke, there we also unyoke77;' for from the same place where they yoke, they also unyoke. For him, on the other hand, for whom they take it from a jar, (they unyoke the spoons, by placing them) on the wooden sword, thinking, 'Where we yoke, there we also unyoke;' for from the same place where they yoke, they also unyoke.
27. Yoke-fellows, indeed, are these two spoons for the sacrifice: he yokes them when he starts78 (or, first uses them). Now, were he only to release (unyoke) either of them after putting it down, it would fall down just as a draught animal79 (would, if made to lie down before being unyoked). At the Svishtakrit these two undergo an unyoking: he then lays them down, and so unyokes them. He then yokes them again, at the after-offerings. Having performed the after-offerings, he effects another unyoking: he lays them down, and so unyokes them. Thereupon he yokes them again when he seizes them both at the same time; and when he has travelled over the way for which he has yoked them, he unyokes them. After the sacrifice offspring (is produced). Hence this man yokes (unites), and then unyokes, and again yokes them; and when he has travelled over the way for which he yoked them, he finally unyokes them. He lays (the spoons) down, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 19 a), 'Fond of butter are ye; protect the two yoke-fellows! gracious are ye: lead me to grace!' whereby he says, 'good are ye: lead me to goodness!'
Footnotes
1. For other translations of this important legend of the deluge, see A. Weber, Ind. Streifen, I, p. 9 (Ind. Stud. I, 161 seq:).; Max Müller, History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 425; J. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, I, p. 182. For the later versions of the same legend, especially the one from the Mahâbhârata (Vanaparvan 22747-12802), see Original Sanskrit Texts, I, p. 196 seq.
2. According to the scholiast, 'it will carry away all these creatures that live in Bharatavarsha to some other country.'
3. ? Sasvad dha ghasha âsa, sa hi gyeshtham vardhate ’thetithîm samâm tad augha âgantâ. 'Bald war er ein Grossfisch (ghasha), denn er wuchs gewaltig,' Weber. 'He became soon a large fish. He said to Manu, "When I am full-grown, in the same year the flood will come,"' Max Müller. 'Straightway he became a large fish; for he waxes to the utmost,' Muir. Perhaps ghasha is here intended for the name of some fabulous horned fish (cf. sriṅgi, sriṅgî). In the Black Yagur-veda (Taitt. S. I, 7, 1; II, 6, 7) the p. 217 idâ is represented as a cow, produced by Mitra and Varuna (see below, par. 24). Perhaps it was this version and the symbolical representation of the idâ as meaning cattle, which suggested the notion of a horned fish, in adapting an older legend.
4. I adopt here, though not without hesitation, the interpretation proposed in the St. Petersb. Dict. (s.v. upa-âs), which the separation of mâm from the verb favours. Professor Max Müller translates: 'Build a ship then, and worship me.' Dr. Muir: 'Thou shalt, therefore, construct a ship, and resort to me.' The Mahâbhârata has: 'When standing on the ship, thou shalt look out for me: I shall be recognisable (by my being) furnished with a horn,' which, after all, may furnish the correct explanation of our passage.
5. Or, 'it,' that is, either the ship, or the fish. That abhi-dudrâva, the reading of the Kânva school, is the right one, seems to follow from the next paragraph. Professor Weber's edition has ati-dudrâva, as read by his best MS., 'it (or he) sailed across the mountain.' The reading of the other MSS. adhi-dudrâva must be a clerical error, most likely for abhi-dudrâva. Professor Müller translates: 'The fish carried him by it over the northern mountain.' Dr. Muir: 'By this means he passed over (or, he hastened to) this northern mountain.'
6. Antaskhaitsît,? 'cut thee asunder,' Max Müller; 'wash thee away;' 'fortspült,' Weber; 'abschneiden, intercludere,' St. Petersb. Dict. I adopt this last meaning, = 'leave thee stranded.'
7. According to the version of the Mahâbhârata, 'the peak of the Himâlaya to which the ship was tied, was afterwards called naubandhana, 'the tying of the ship.' Professor Weber also draws attention to Ath.-veda XIX, 39, 8, where the term nâvaprabhramsana or 'gliding down of the ship' is used in connection with the summit of the Himavat.
8. Pibdamânâ-iva, as taken by the St. Petersb. Dict. The meaning 'dripping with fat, unctuous,' offered by the commentator, was probably suggested to him by what follows in the text; and by the cow-version (p. 216, note 3), Taitt. Br. II, 6, 7, 1.
9. Or, as the commentator takes it, 'she both promised and did not promise it;' that is to say, she promised, inasmuch as she (Idâ) is called maitrâvarunî (belonging to, or the daughter of, Mitra or Varuna; see XIV, 9, 4, 27), but refused, inasmuch as Mitra and Varuna have no share in the in portions.
10. Idayâ karati has the double meaning 'lives with Idâ (the woman)' and 'practices sacrificial rites with the idâ-ceremony.'
11. See p. 16, note 1.
12. The technical expression used for this fivefold cutting of the idâ is sam-ava-do, 'to cut off completely (or together),' or, according to the St. Petersb. Dict., 'to divide and collect the pieces.' The five cuttings of the idâ consist of the upastarana, or underlayer of butter in the idâpâtrî; of two cuttings of each of the havis (or dishes of sacrificial food) from their southern and central parts respectively; and of two drippings (or bastings, abhighârana) of butter, as in the case of the svishtakrit (see Kâty. III, 4, 6, and note on I, 7, 3, 20). According to some authorities, the idâ consists of four cuttings only (cf. Hillebrandt, Neu- and Vollm. p. 122).
13. According to Kâty. III, 4, 8, 9, he does so without quitting his hold of the idâ; and he withdraws the latter from the Hotri; when he anoints him.
14. A gesture here indicates the two middle joints (or, according to Harisvâmin, the intermediate links) of the Hotri's right fore-finger, viz. first the lower joint, and afterwards (par. 15) the upper joint; whereupon the Hotri applies the respective joints to his lips and smears the butter on them, cf. Âsv. S. I, 7, 1; Kâty. III, 4, 9; Hillebrandt, op. cit., p. 124. In Sat. Br. XII, 2, 4, 5 the fore-finger is called annâditamâ, or the finger 'which eats most food;' cf. Weber, Pratigñâsûtra, p. 97.
15. A gesture here indicates the two middle joints (or, according to Harisvâmin, the intermediate links) of the Hotri's right fore-finger, viz. first the lower joint, and afterwards (par. 15) the upper joint; whereupon the Hotri applies the respective joints to his lips and smears the butter on them, cf. Âsv. S. I, 7, 1; Kâty. III, 4, 9; Hillebrandt, op. cit., p. 124. In Sat. Br. XII, 2, 4, 5 the fore-finger is called annâditamâ, or the finger 'which eats most food;' cf. Weber, Pratigñâsûtra, p. 97.
16. Enâm hotari srayati, literally 'he makes it enter into, remain in, the Hotri.' The author, however, here, as in I, 6, 4, 7, mixes up the verb sri with srâ, 'to cook.' The reason for this see p. 177, note 4.
17. This, according to Âsv. Sr. I, 7, 3, and comm., is effected in the following way: the Hotri takes the idâ with his joined hands (añgali) and makes it lie in his left hand; whereupon the Adhvaryu cuts the (fivefold cut) avântaredâ from the idâ into the Hotri's right hand, the fingers of which point northwards; the five cuttings apparently consist of the 'underlayer' of butter, two pieces cut from the idâ, and drippings of butter on them. Cf. Hillebrandt, op. cit., p. 125.
18. During the invocation of the idâ the Hotri holds the butter (as well as the avântaredâ), and the other priests (except the Brahman) and the sacrificer touch the idâ (or, according to Karka, the Hotri). Kâty. III, 4, 11, 12.
19. There are considerable differences between the text of, the Hotri's call to the idâ as here given and that given in Âsv. S. I, 7, 7. The text of the Black Yagur-veda (Taitt. Br. III, 5, 8; Taitt. S. II, 6, 7; I, 7, 1), on the other hand, only differs from ours in one or two points. According to Âsv. S. I, 5, 28, the calls are to be uttered in the highest pitch (cf. Hillebrandt, Neu- and Vollmondsopfer, p. 126, note).
20. Viz. the Hotri, as the representative of the officiating priests. Schol.
21. On the rathantara and brihat sâmans, see p. 196, note 2. The vâmadevya sâman is Sâma-veda II, 32-34: kayâ nas kitra â bhuvad ûtî sadâvridhah sakhâ, 'with what favour will he assist us, the wonderful, ever-gladdening, friend,' &c. Cf. Haug, Ait. Br. II, 246.
22. For upahûtâ gâvah, the Taitt. reads upahûtâ dhenuh, 'called hither is the cow.' Âsval. Sr. has upahûtâ gâvah sahâsirah--upahûtâ dhenuh saharishabhâ. Here and after the succeeding calls we have apparently to supply the inverse formulas, 'May the cows together with the bull call us,' &c., as in Taitt. Br., they being likewise omitted in Taitt. S. II, 6, 7.
23. The seven Hotris comprise the Hotri with his assistants, the Maitrâvaruna (or Prasâstri), and Akkhâvâka; and the chief assistants of the Brahman, viz. the Brâhmanâkkhamsin, Âgnîdhra, Potri, and Neshtri. The Grâvastut, another assistant of the Hotri, is often added as eighth Hotri. Cf. Haug, Ait. Br. II, p. 147. Instead of upahûtâ saptahotrâ in our text, the Kânva text and the Black Yagur-veda read upahûtâh saptahotrâh, 'called hither are the seven Hotriships;' Âsval. Sr. upahûtâ divyâ sapta hotârah, 'called hither are the seven divine Hotris.'
24. Bhaksha, 'the eating, enjoying;' perhaps the author here takes it in the sense of 'feeder,' in that of 'eater, quaffer;' Sâyana, on Taitt. S. II, 6, 7, 3, takes it as Soma-drink (somapîtha).
25. Apparently, like hikkâ (verb hikk), imitative of the internal sound of the hiccough. The Kânva MS. has harik instead; and the Black Yagus ho, which it identifies with the self (âtman).
26. After 'May Idâ also call us to her,' he repeats 'Idâ is called hither! Called hither (thither) is Ida!'
27. See I, 8, 1, 7-8, with note 3.
28. Brahma devakritopahûtâ; the Black Yagur-veda and Âsval. Sr. read 'brahma devakritam upahûtam.' Cf. Taitt. S. I, 7, 1, 5, brahma vai devânâm brihaspatih.
29. ? The commentator remarks: 'He says, The divine Adhvaryus assuredly are the calves,' because, in his opinion, the sânnâyya constitutes the sacrificial food which contains the Adhvaryus (havis--adhvaryuvat). In I, 1, 2, 17 we met with the Asvins as the two divine Adhvaryus.
30. With this and the following paragraphs cf. I, 9, 1, 12 seq.
31. See Sâyana's comm. on Taitt. S. II, 6, 7, 6.
32. Before this formula the Black Yagur-veda inserts, 'Called (he is) to the heavenly abode!' and after it as the final formula, 'All that is dear to him (the sacrificer) is called! Called (he is) of (? by) everything dear that is called!' Taitt, Br. III, 5, 9, 3. For the modifications of the concluding mantras in the case of the idâ being invoked for the mistress of the house (Sat. Br. I, 9, 2, 5), see Taitt. Br, III, 5, 13.
33. Viz. 'Ida is called hither!' see par. 24. According to Kâty. III, 4, 12, all (the other priests and the sacrificer, probably with the exception of the Brahman) touch the idâ (or, according to Karka, they touch the Hotri who holds the idâ) whilst the invocation of the idâ takes place. The quartering of the cake, according to ib. 13, is done with the text, 'Make swell, O ruddy one! milk me life; milk me offspring; milk me cattle; milk me brahmahood; milk me kshatriyahood; milk me people! Fatten through the progeny, through the cattle of him who hates us, whom we hate!'
34. According to Kâty. III, 4, 14, the Adhvaryu puts the four parts on the barhis and assigns one to each priest. But according to the commentary and to other Sûtras, it is the sacrificer who allocates the portions by laying them down so as to correspond with the four intermediate regions, commencing in the south-east (or Agni's) region, and saying, 'This for the Brahman,' 'This for the Hotri,' 'This for the Adhvaryu,' 'This for the Agnîdh.' The sacrificer then shifts his Brâhmanical cord from the right to the left shoulder, and while touching the four portions, and looking towards the south (the region of the fathers), murmurs (Vâg. S. II, 31), 'Here, O fathers, regale yourselves! Like bulls come hither (âvrishâyadhvam) each to his own share!' He then quits his hold of the portions, and murmurs, 'The fathers have regaled themselves: like bulls they came each to his own share!' See Sat. Br. II, 4, 2, 20 seq.; Vâg. S. p. 57. [The Kânva text of the Brâhmana does not mention the formulas here any more than does our author.] He then shifts the cord back on his left shoulder, touches water, and hands the portions to the priests for them to eat. Kâty. III, 4, 16-18.
35. Kâty. Sr. III, 4, 19. There is some uncertainty as to the particular time when the Adhvaryu cuts the shadavatta; cf. Hillebrandt, p. 123. Mahîdhara on Vâg. S. II, 10 remarks: When the Hotri pronounces the call to heaven and earth, then he (the Adhvaryu), having put one piece of each of the two cakes in (the two bowls of) the Shadavatta (vessel), gives it to the Agnîdh; and the latter eats it with the formulas 'Hither is called (the mother Earth),' &c. The 'six cuttings' of the Shadavatta consist of a piece of the Agni cake with an 'underlayer' and a dripping of butter for each of the two bowls of the Shadavatta dish.
36. That is, the formula 'Hither is called the sacrificer,' see par. 29.
37. The priests eat first their quarter of the cake and then, with the sacrificer, their share of the idâ. The Hotri eats also the avântaredâ, with the text (Âsv. S. I, 7, 8), 'O Idâ, accept graciously our share!' &c.
38. See I, 3, 2, 5 seq. The Kânva text omits this paragraph.
39. See I, 4, 1, 38. The Adhvaryu takes the fresh stick (samidh), asks the permission of the Brahman to step forward for the after-offerings; and orders the Âgnîdhra to put the stick on, and trim, the fire. Whilst the Brahman mutters his formula (Vâg. S. II, 12-13), 'This thy sacrifice, O divine Savitri, they proclaimed to Brihaspati, the Brahman,' &c. (see I, 7, 4, 21), the Âgnîdhra executes the Adhvaryu's orders. Kâty. III, 5, I; II, 2, 21.
40. That is to say (as would appear), if the Hotri follows a school which does not recognise this particular ceremony as belonging to the Hotri's ritual. Thus the Âsval. Sr. makes no mention of it, and hence a Hotri belonging to the Sâkala or Bâshkala sâkhâs would not undertake the recitation of this consecratory formula. The Sâṅkhây. Sr., on the other hand, does prescribe it (cf. Hillebrandt, Neu- and Volim. p. 135, note 4), and a Hotri of the Kaushîtaki-sâkhâ would accordingly claim it as his privilege or duty to consecrate the samidh. For a somewhat different view, cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 155; V, 408.
41. See I, 4, 4, 14. While, on the former occasion, the Âgnîdhra in sweeping moved round the fire, on the present occasion he remains standing on the north side of it. Katy. III, 5, 4.
42. See I, 3, 2, 8, 9.
43. See, for instance, I, 3, 4, 6.
44. For this myth, see I, 7, 1, 1.
45. That is, because man (nara) speaks, chants, (samsati) in it.
46. Either because both are in the middle (viz. the trishtubh of the three chief metres, and the air between heaven and earth), or because they consist of eleven parts (viz. the trishtubh of eleven syllables, and the air having ten directions, Sat. Br. VI, 2, 2, 34; VIII, 4; 2, 13, with itself as the eleventh), or because they are both connected with Rudra. Comm.
47. As on previous occasions, the Adhvaryu first calls on the Âgnîdhra, 'Bid (Agni) hear (o srâvaya)!' and the latter responds by 'Yea, may (he) hear (astu sraushat)!' This is repeated before each of the two other after-offerings. See I, 5, 2, 16.
48. The drift of the argument of this paragraph is not quite clear to me. The after-offerings have for their deities the metres, and hence the latter are apparently called the deities of the deities, that is, of the recipients of the offerings. The difference between the fore-offerings and after-offerings in regard to the offering-formula lies in this, that at the first fore-offering the Adhvaryu, in calling on the Hotri, names the particular object of the offering, viz. 'Pronounce the offering-prayer to the samidhs!' while for the remaining prayâgas he merely calls 'Pronounce the offering-prayer!' and the Hotri begins all his prayers (after the introductory âgur-formula) with the name of the respective recipient of the oblation. At the after-offering, on the other hand, the Adhvaryu calls each time, 'Pronounce the offering-prayer to the gods' (or, according to Kâty. III, 5, 8, optionally without 'to the gods,' the second and third times), and the Hotri's prayers begin with 'The divine (Barhis, or Narâsamsa, or Agni Svishtakrit) . . .: See I, 5, 3, 8 seq.
49. Agni Svishtakrit, the recipient of the third after-offering, is, as we saw, regarded as representing the gâyatrî metre.
50. Vasuvane vasudheyasya.(vetu); perhaps better, as Sâyana, on Taitt. S. II, 6, 9, takes it, 'May he partake of the gift of wealth for the (sacrificer's) obtainment of wealth.' 'For the wealth-desirer of wealth-gift' = 'for the desirer of wealth-possession,' St. Petersb. Dict. Our author apparently takes it in the sense of 'for the obtainer of wealth and for the receiver of wealth;' and Mahîdhara (Vâg. S. XXII, 48; XXVIII, 12) interprets it 'for the giving (or obtainment) of wealth and for the depositing of treasure (i.e. for burying a treasure in the sacrificer's house!)' Harisvâmin takes vasuvaue as vocative; but the accent is against his view.
51. See I, 5, 3, 18.
52. The whole of the third Brâhmana is taken up with the duties of the Adhvaryu and Âgnîdhra at the three ceremonies: paragraphs 1-19 with those at the sûktavâka; pars. 20-22 with those at the samyuvâka; and pars. 23-27 with those at the offering of the remains (samsrava) of butter. The duties of the Hotri are then detailed in the fourth Brâhmana.
53. In Taitt. Br. III, 3, 9 a different symbolical explanation is given of the separation of the spoons: it is said there that by shifting the guhû eastwards, he drives away the enemies that have been born; and by shifting the upabhrit towards the west, he drives away those that will be born hereafter; and the sacrificer then stands firmly established in this world.
54. See p. 162, note 3.
55. This passage is of considerable importance, as showing that the prohibition of intermarriage between near blood-relations,--so rigidly enforced in later times, and already formulated in passages such as Âpast. Dharm. II, 5, 15, 16, 'One must not give one's daughter to a man belonging to the same gotra. Nor to one related (within six degrees) on the mother's (or father's) side.' Gobh. III, 4, 3-5, 'One must take for one's wife one who is not of the same gotra, or one who is not sapinda to one's mother,'--was not as yet firmly established in our author's time. Harisvâmin remarks on our text, that the Kânvas allow intermarriage in such cases from the third generation--(the Kânva text of the Sat. Br. reads, 'In the third man we unite, in the fourth man we unite')--and the Saurâshtras from the fourth generation; and that the Dâkshinâtyas allow marriage with daughters of the mother's brother, p. 239 and with sons of the father's sister. See Weber, Ind. Stud. X, p. 75; Max Müller, History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 387; Bühler, Sacred Laws of the Âryas, I, p. 126.
56. Viz. in the order in which they were laid around, i.e. first the middle one, then the southern, and lastly the northern one. Kâty. III, 5, 24.
57. The Adhvaryu calls on the Âgnîdhra with Make listen (o srâvaya);' and the latter responds with 'Yea, may (one) listen! (astu sraushat).' See I, 5, 2, 18 seq.
58. Sâyana on Taitt. S. I, 1, 13 explains this by 'Impelled are the divine Hotris by the highest Lord (paramesvara).'
59. On the Agnis officiating as Hotri, I, 2, 3, 1.
60. Thus Sâyana explains bhadravâkyâya on Taitt. S. I, 1, 13 (vol. i. p. 233). For the Hotri's formula itself, see Sat. Br. I, 9, 1, 4.
61. According to Kâty. III, 6, 1, and the other Sûtras, the Adhvaryu adds here sûktâ brûhi, 'recite the praises (hymns)!' which Sâyana on Taitt. Br. III, 6, 15 combines with the preceding sûktavâkâya, and explains thus: 'hotâ tvam sûktasya vâko vakanam yasya so ’yam devah sûktavâkah (? i.e. Agni, cf. Sat. Br. I, 9, 1, 4) tasmai sûktavâkâya devâya sûktâ brûhi, idam dyâvâprithivîm anuvâkoktâni sobhanâni vakanâni kathaya (!);' but differently on Taitt. S. I, 1, 13, 'idam dyâvâprithivî bhadram abhûd (Taitt. Br. III, 5, 10) ityâdyanuvâkah sûktam, tasya vâko vakanam, tadartham mânusho hotâ preshitah; ato hetoh, he hotas tat sûktam brûhi.'
62. The two stalks, called vidhriti (separation), separating the prastara-bunch from the barhis or grass-covering of the altar (cf. I, 3, 4, in), he puts back in the place whence they were taken. Kâty. III, 6, 4.
63. Svagâ.? literally 'self-go,' i.e.' success to him!'
64. Cf. Ait. Âr. III, I, 2, 2-4 (Max Müller, Up. I, p. 249): 'The first half (of a samhitâ or combination of final and initial letters) is the earth, the second half heaven, their uniting the rain, the uniter Parganya. And so it is when he (Parganya) rains thus strongly, without ceasing, day and night; then they say also (in ordinary language), "Heaven and earth have come together."' See also Sat. Br. I, 7, 2, 16.
65. Vyantu vayo ’ktam rihânâh. Mahîdhara interprets it, 'May the birds (i.e. the metres) go (? to heaven,--taking and) licking the anointed (prastara).' The Kânvas read, 'vyantu vayo ripto rihânâh.' The Black Yagus (Taitt. S. I, 1, 13, 1) has 'aktam rihânâ viyantu vayah, pragâm yonim mâ nirmriksham, âpyâyantâm âpa oshadhayah,' which Sâyana explains by 'May the birds having licked the anointed (top) go their several ways,' &c.; and the Taitt. Br. III, 3, 9, 3 remarks to viyantu vayah, 'Having made him birds, he makes him go to the heavenly world.' According to Sâyana, the three above formulas are by Âpastamba referred to the three acts of anointing, whereas the others, he says, divide the first formula into two, and use the second one (pragâm, &c.) while the lower part of the prastara is anointed. See, however, Hillebrandt, Neu- and Vollm. p. 142, note 3.
66. The Black Yagus (Taitt. S. I, 1, 13) has, 'The spotted (mares) of the Maruts are ye (O plants)!'
67. The itara âtmâ in pars. 27 and 19 have to be taken correlatively.
68. That is to say, he makes sure that the sacrificer has really obtained the object for which the sacrifice was undertaken,--the right to go to the heavenly world after his death.
69. He touches himself near the heart, or, according to Vaidyanâtha, he touches his eyes. After this he has, as usual, to touch the lustral water. See p. 2, note 2.
70. Here begins the samyuvâka; see p. 241, note 1.
71. 'Svagâ´ daívyâ hôtribhyah.' The form daivyâ seems to have become fixed before hotri, in consequence of its frequent use, especially in the Âprî hymns, as nom. acc. dual daívyâ hótârâ; and in the invocation of the Idâ, as nom. plur. daívyâ hótârah.
72. Here begins the offering of the remains (samsrava) of butter; see p. 236, note 2.
73. See par. 14 above.
74. The author again connects the havis-offering with the more solemn Soma-sacrifice; the third, or evening, libation of Soma being supposed to belong to the Visve Devâh; cf. Vâg. S. XIX, 26; Ait. Br. VI, 4.
75. Paridheyâh, literally 'ye who are to be laid around;' according to Mahîdhara = paridhibhavâh. The Kânva text has paridhayah, 'enclosing-sticks.' The Black Yagus (Taitt. S. I, 1, 13, 2) has 'barhishadah (sitting on the Barhis)' instead.
76. The original meaning of this sacrificial call, as of the apparently allied vashat, vaushat, appears to be, 'May he (Agni) carry it (the oblation to the deity)!' Cf. p. 88, note 2.
77. See I, 1, 2, 8.
78. This seems to refer to the time when he gets the spoons ready for their sacred use. He then wipes them with sacrificial grass; that is, he, as it were, rubs down the horses before starting on his journey to the world of the gods. See p. 68, note 1.
79. I adopt the interpretation of Harisvâmin, who translates avârkhet by adhah patet. The St. Petersb. Dict. apparently proposes, 'he would unharness them, as he would unharness a horse (or team).' According to Harisvâmin, the author here controverts the view of the Karakas (karakasruti), who apparently taught that the (symbolical) unharnessing of the spoons should succeed their being laid down on the yoke; while our author maintains that the unharnessing should precede the laying down.
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