| Philosophy and Religion / Satapatha Brahmana |
The Satapatha Brahmana: First Kânda, Third Adhyâya
First Brâhmana
1. He (the Âgnîdhra) now brushes the spoons1 (with the grass-ends). The reason why he brushes the spoons is that the course2 pursued among the gods is in accordance with that pursued among men. Now, when the serving up of food is at hand among men,--
2. They rinse the vessels, and having rinsed them, they serve up the food with them: in the same way is treated the sacrifice to the gods, that is to say, the cooked oblations and the prepared altar; and those vessels of theirs, the sacrificial spoons.
3. Now, when he brushes (the spoons), he in reality rinses them, thinking, 'with these rinsed ones I will proceed.' He thereby rinses them with two substances for the gods, and with one for men; viz. with water and the brahman (spirit of worship) for the gods,--for the water is (represented by) the sacrificial grass3, and the brahman (by) the sacrificial formula;--and with one for men, that is with water alone: and thus this takes place separately4.
4. He, in the first place, takes the dipping-spoon (sruva, masc.) and makes it hot (on the Gârhapatya fire), with either of the texts (Vâg. S. I, 29), 'Scorched is the Rakshas, scorched are the enemies!' or, 'Burnt out is the Rakshas, burnt out are the enemies!'
5. For when the gods were performing sacrifice they were afraid of a disturbance on the part of the Asuras and Rakshas. Hence by this means he, from the very opening of the sacrifice, expels from here the evil spirits, the Rakshas5.
6. He brushes it thus inside with the (grass-)tops (cut off from the grass in tying the veda), with the text (Vâg. S. I, 29), 'Not sharp6 art thou, (but yet) a destroyer of the enemies!' he says this in order that it may unceasingly destroy the enemies of the sacrificer. Further, 'Thee, the food-abounding (masc.), I cleanse for the kindling of food7!'--'thee that art suitable for the sacrifice, I cleanse for the sacrifice,' he thereby says. In the same way he brushes all the spoons, saying, 'Thee, the food-abounding (fem.) . . .,' in the case of the offering-spoon (sruk, fem.). The prâsitraharana8 (he brushes) silently.
7. Inside he brushes with the (grass-)tops thus (viz. from the handle to the top, or in a forward, eastward direction from himself); outside with the lower (grass-)ends thus (viz. in the opposite or backward direction, towards himself)9: for thus (viz. in the former way) goes the out-breathing, and thus (in the opposite way) the in-breathing. Thereby he obtains out-breathing and in-breathing (for the sacrificer): hence these hairs (on the upper side of the elbow) point that way, and these (on the lower side) point that way10.
8. Each time he has brushed and heated (a spoon), he hands it (to the Adhvaryu). Just as, after having rinsed (the eating vessels) while touching them, one would finally rinse them without touching them, so here: for this reason he hands over each (spoon) after heating it11.
9. The dipping-spoon (sruva, masc.) he brushes first, and then the other spoons (sruk, fem.). The offering-spoon (sruk), namely, is female, and the dipping-spoon is male, so that, although in this way several women meet together, the one that is, as it were, the only male youth among them, goes there first, and the others after him. This is the reason why he brushes the dipping-spoon first, and afterwards the other (offering-)spoons.
10. Let him brush, them so as not to spatter anything towards the fire, as he would thereby bespatter him, to whom he will be bringing food, with the slops of the vessels: therefore let him brush them so as not to spatter anything towards the fire, that is to say, after stepping outside (the Âhavanîya fire-house) towards the east.
11. Here now some throw the grass-ends used for cleaning the spoons into the (Âhavanîya) fire. 'To the veda (grass-bunch) they assuredly belonged, and the spoons have been cleaned with them: hence it is something that belongs to the sacrifice, and (we throw it into the fire) in order that it should not become excluded from the sacrifice,' thus (they argue). Let him, however, not do so, since he would thereby make him to whom he will offer food, drink the slops of the vessels12. Let him therefore throw them away (on the heap of rubbish).
12. He (the Âgnîdhra) then girds the wife (of the sacrificer)13. She, the wife, truly is the hinder part of the sacrifice. 'May the sacrifice go on increasing before me!' thus (she thinks while) he girds her, thinking, 'may she sit thus girt by my sacrifice!'
13. He girds her with a cord (yoktra): for with a cord (yoktra) they yoke the draught-animal (yogya). Impure indeed is that part of woman which is below the navel; and therewith she will be facing the sacrificial butter: that part of her he thereby conceals with the cord, and only with the pure upper part of her body she then faces the sacrificial butter. This is the reason why he girds the wife14.
14. He girds her over the garment. Now the garment represents the plants, and (the cord represents) Varuna's noose15 (raggu): hence he thereby places the plants between (her and the noose), and thus that noose of Varuna does not injure her. This is the reason why he girds her over the garment.
15. He girds her, with the text (Vâg. S. I, 30), 'A zone art thou for Aditi!' Aditi, indeed, is this earth. She is the wife of the gods, and that one is his (the sacrificer's) wife. It is for the latter, accordingly, that he makes it a zone instead of a noose (or string). A zone means a girdle, and he thereby makes it this for her.
16. Let him not make a knot16, for the knot is Varuna's (attribute); and Varuna would lay hold on the (sacrificer's) wife, if he were to make a knot. For this reason he does not make a knot.
17. He twists it through upwards17, with the text (Vâg. S. I, 30), 'The pervader18, of Vishnu art thou!' Let her not sit to the west of the sacrifice, with her face towards the east. For Aditi is this earth19, she is the wife of the gods, and she indeed sits on the west of the sacrifice of the gods, with her face turned towards the east: and this lady would, therefore, raise herself to her (Aditi), and would speedily go to yonder world. And thus (viz. by sitting in the prescribed way) she lives for a long time, thus she propitiates her (Aditi), and thus the latter harms her not. For this reason let her sit somewhat to the south.
18. She looks down upon the sacrificial butter20; for assuredly that wife is a woman, and the butter (represents) seed: hence a productive union is thereby brought about. For this reason she looks towards the butter.
19. She looks, with the text (Vâg. S. I, 30), 'With an unimpaired eye I look on thee;' whereby she says, with an uninjured eye I look on thee.'--'Agni's tongue art thou!' for when they offer up that (butter) in the fire, then Agni's tongues, as it were, issue forth: therefore she says, 'Agni's tongue art thou!'--'A good caller21 of the gods,' whereby she says, 'well for the gods;'--'be thou for every dainty (or, sacrificial site, dhâman), for every prayer of mine!' whereby she says, 'for every sacrifice of mine be thou (a good caller)!
20. Having then taken up the butter (from the ground), he (the Âgnîdhra) carries it eastwards. In the case of one whose Âhavanîya fire is used for the cooking, he (now in the first place) puts it on the Âhavanîya, thinking, 'My oblation shall be entirely cooked on the Âhavanîya22!' The reason why he first puts it thereon (viz. on the Gârhapatya) is, because he will have to make the wife look at it: for it would not be proper, if he were to take it (from the Âhavanîya) to the west in the midst of the performance, for the purpose of making the wife look at it; and if he were not to let the wife look at it at all, he would thereby exclude her from the sacrifice. And in this way, then, he does not exclude the (sacrificer's) wife from the sacrifice: therefore he does not take it eastwards till after melting it close by the wife (on the Gârhapatya), and making her look at it. In the case of one who (through death or from other causes) has not his wife with him, he puts it from the very beginning on the Âhavanîya. He then takes it again from thence and puts it down within the altar.
21. Here now they say,--'He must not place it within the altar; for from that (butter) they make the oblation to the wives of the gods23: he therefore excludes the wives of the gods from the company (of their husbands)24, and thereby his (the sacrificer's) wife becomes dissatisfied with her own husband.' Yâgñavalkya, however, said in reference to this point, 'Let it be so as it has been prescribed for the wife! who would care whether his wife may consort with other men25?' 'As the altar is (part of the) sacrifice, and the butter is (part of the) sacrifice, I will build up the sacrifice from out of the sacrifice!' thus thinking, let him place it within the altar.
22. The two strainers are lying in the sprinkling water. He takes them from thence and purifies (ut-pû) the butter with them. Now one of them is related to the wind (that blows) upwards (utpavana)26, so that he thereby makes it (the butter) sacrificially pure.
23. He clarifies it, with the text (Vâg. S. 'By the impulse of Savitri I purify thee with a flawless purifier (strainer), with the rays of the sun!' The meaning (of this formula) is the same (as before).
24. He then purifies the sprinkling water with the strainers covered with butter, with the text (Vâg. S. I, 31), 'By the impulse of Savitri I purify you (O waters) with a flawless purifier, with the rays of the sun!' The meaning is the same (as before).
25. The reason why he purifies the sprinkling water with the strainers covered with butter is, that he thereby puts milk into the water, and that the milk thereby (becomes) beneficial27 in the water, for, when it rains, plants are thereby produced; and on eating the plants and drinking the water, vital fluid (serum) results therefrom: and thus (he does this) in order to supply the vital fluid (of the sacrificer).
26. He then looks down on the butter. Here now some make the sacrificer look down. Yâgñavalkya, however, said in reference to this point,--'Why do not (the sacrificers) themselves become (act as) Adhvaryu priests? and why do not they (the sacrificers) themselves recite when far higher blessings are prayed for28? How can these (people) possibly have faith in this29? Whatever blessing the officiating priests invoke during the sacrifice that is for the benefit of the sacrificer alone.' The Adhvaryu should accordingly look down on it.
27. He looks down on it. The eye assuredly is the truth, for the eye is indeed the truth. If, therefore, two persons were to come disputing with each other and saying, 'I have seen it!' 'I have heard it!' we should believe him who said, 'I have seen it!' and not the other: hence he thereby causes it (the butter) to increase by means of the truth.
28. He looks down on it, with the text (Vâg. S. I, 31), 'Lustrous art thou! resplendent art thou! immortal (or, ambrosia) art thou!' That prayer is indeed true, for that (butter) is lustrous, it is resplendent, it is immortal: hence he thereby causes it to increase by that (prayer) which is true.
Second Brâhmana
1. Now the sacrifice is the man. The sacrifice is the man for the reason that the man spreads (performs) it; and that in being spread it is made of exactly the same extent as the man30: this is the reason why the sacrifice is the man.
2. The guhû (spoon) further belongs to that (man-shaped sacrifice), and so does the upabhrit; and the dhruvâ31 represents its trunk. Now it is from the trunk that all these limbs proceed, and for this reason the entire sacrifice proceeds from the dhruvâ.
3. The dipping-spoon (sruva, masc.) is no other than the breath. This breath passes through (or, goes to) all the limbs, and for that reason the dipping-spoon goes to all the offering-spoons (sruk, fem.).
4. That guhû further is to him no other than yonder sky, and the upabhrit this atmosphere, and the dhruvâ this same (earth). Now it is from this (earth) that all the worlds originate: and from the dhruvâ, therefore, the whole sacrifice proceeds.
5. The dipping-spoon then is no other than that blowing one (the wind); it is this that sweeps across all these worlds: and for that reason the sruva goes to all the offering-spoons.
6. Now when this sacrifice is being performed, it is performed for the gods, the seasons, and the metres (or sacred texts). To the gods belongs what sacrificial food there is, to wit, king Soma and the sacrificial cake: all this he takes, while announcing it with the formula, 'I take thee, agreeable to so and so!' for thus it becomes theirs.
7. And whatever oblations of butter are taken, they are taken for the seasons and the metres. Every one of them he takes in the form of butter without announcing it (to any particular deity). In the guhû he takes of it four times (with the sruva from the pot), in the upabhrit eight times32.
8. Now when he takes of it four times (with the sruva) in the guhû, he takes it for the seasons, since he takes it for the fore-offerings33, and the fore-offerings are the seasons: all this he takes in the form of butter without making any announcement, in order to avoid sameness; for if he were to take it with the formulas 'For Spring (I take) thee!' 'For Summer--thee!' he would commit (the fault of) a repetition34: he therefore takes it in the form of butter without making any announcement.
9. When, on the other hand, he takes eight times (with the sruva) in the upabhrit, he takes it for the metres35, since it is for the after-offerings 1 that he takes it; and the after-offerings are the metres: all this he takes in the form of butter without making any announcement, in order to avoid sameness; for were he to take it with the formulas 'For the Gâyatrî--thee!' 'For the Trishtubh--thee!' he would commit a repetition: he therefore takes it in the form of butter without making any announcement.
10. Again, when he takes four times (with the sruva) in the dhruvâ, he takes it for the whole sacrifice, and all this he takes in the form of butter without making any announcement. To whom indeed should he announce it, since he cuts it off for all the deities? He therefore takes it in the form of butter without making any announcement.
11. Now the sacrificer stands behind the guhû, and he who means evil to him stands behind the upabhrit. The eater stands behind the guhû, and what (or, he who) is to be eaten stands behind the upabhrit. And the guhû, indeed, is the eater, and the upabhrit is that which is to be eaten. In the guhû he takes four times (with the sruva), and in the upabhrit eight times.
12. Now when he takes four times (butter) in the guhû, he thereby makes the eater more limited, smaller; and when he takes eight times in the upabhrit, he makes that which is to be eaten more unlimited, more abundant: for a flourishing condition indeed exists where the eater is smaller and that which is to be eaten more abundant.
13. In taking four times in the guhû, he takes (altogether) more butter, and in taking eight times in the upabhrit he takes less butter.
14. For when, in taking four times (butter with the sruva) in the guhû, he takes more butter, he thereby, in making the eater more limited, smaller, imparts vigour and strength to him. And when, in taking eight times in the upabhrit, he takes less butter, he thereby, in making that which (or, him who) is to be eaten more unlimited, more abundant, makes it (or, him) vigourless and weaker. And thus a king who has established himself among a numberless people, subdues them even from a single dwelling, and takes possession of whatever he likes36: with that very same energy (the Adhvaryu acts) when he takes a greater quantity of butter in the guhû. Now what he takes in the guhû, that he offers with the guhû; and what he takes in the upabhrit, that also he offers with the guhû.
15. And in reference to this point they say: 'Wherefore then is he to take it in the upabhrit, if he does not offer it with the upabhrit?' Now, if he were to offer it with the upabhrit, those subjects (of the king) would assuredly become separated from him, nor would there be either an eater or what is to be eaten. When, on the other hand, he pours (the butter) together and thus offers it with the guhû, thereby the people pay tribute to the Kshatriya. Hence by what he takes in the upabhrit, the Vaisya (man of the people), under the rule of the Kshatriya, becomes possessed of cattle; and when he pours (the butter) together and offers it with the guhû, thereby the Kshatriya, whenever he likes, says, 'Hallo Vaisya, just bring to me what thou hast stored away!' Thus he both subdues him and obtains possession of anything he wishes by dint of this very energy.
16. These butter-portions, then, are taken for the metres. Now what he takes in the guhû (by ladling) four times (with the sruva), that he takes for the gâyatrî; and what he takes in the upabhrit (by ladling) eight times, that he takes for the trishtubh and gagatî; and what he takes in the dhruvâ (by ladling) four times, that he takes for the anushtubh. For the anushtubh is speech, and from speech all this (universe) springs: hence it is from the dhruvâ that the whole sacrifice originates. The anushtubh also is this (earth), and from it all this (universe) originates: hence it is from the dhruvâ that the whole sacrifice originates.
17. He takes (butter with the sruva), with the text (Vâg. S. I, 31), 'Verily, thou art the favourite resort (or, dainty) of the gods!' He thereby makes that butter the most favourite resort of the gods: for this reason he says, 'verily, thou art the favourite resort of the gods!'--'An unassailable means of worship!' the butter is indeed a thunderbolt: therefore he says, 'an unassailable means of worship!'
18. Once he puts (butter with the sruva) into the guhû with this formula, three times silently. With the same formula he puts (butter) once into the upabhrit, seven times silently. With the same formula he puts once (butter) into the dhruvâ, three times silently. Now, as to this, they say, 'Thrice he should take with the formula in each case, for threefold is the sacrifice.' Nevertheless (it is done) only once with each (spoon), for it is just in this way that the taking thrice (with a formula) is accomplished.
Third Brâhmana
1. The Adhvaryu takes the sprinkling-water, and sprinkles in the first place the fire-wood37, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 1), 'A black deer, living in the den, art thou38; I sprinkle thee, agreeable to Agni!' He thereby makes it sacrificially pure for Agni.
2. He then sprinkles he altar, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 1), 'Thou art the altar; I sprinkle thee, agreeable to the barhis (sacrificial-grass covering)!' He thereby makes it sacrificially pure for the grass covering.
3. He (the Âgnîdhra) then hands the sacrificial grass39 to him (the Adhvaryu). The latter puts it down (on the altar) with the knot turned to the east, and sprinkles it, with the text (Vâg. S. II, I), 'Barhis art thou! I sprinkle thee, agreeable to the spoons!' He thereby makes it sacrificially pure for the spoons.
4. Thereupon he pours the sprinkling-water which is left on the roots of the (grass) plants, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 2), 'A moistening art thou for Aditi!' Aditi, indeed, is this earth; hence it is for the latter that he thus moistens the roots of the plants: thereby these plants become root-moistened; and even if their tops are dry, their roots at least remain moist.
5. Having thereupon untied the knot, he takes the prastara bunch from the front (of the barhis), with the text (Vâg. S. II, 2), 'Vishnu's crest art thou!' Vishnu, namely, is the sacrifice, and this (the prastara) is his top-knot or crest: this he thereby makes it at this sacrifice40. From the front he takes it, because this top-knot also is (worn) on the front (of the head): for this reason he takes it from the front.
6. He then undoes the band (of the barhis). 'His (the sacrificer's) wife is sure to bring forth without difficulty41,' thinking thus he undoes the band. He puts it down on the right hip (of the altar); for this represents his (the sacrificer's) waist-band, and it is on the right side that the waist-band is (tied): this is the reason why he puts it down on the right hip. He again covers it over (with sacrificial grass); for the waist-band also is covered (by the upper garment): for this reason he again covers it.
7. He now spreads the barhis (on the altar). For the prastara is the top-knot; and this other sacrificial grass is for this (sacrifice) what other hair there is below that (top-knot, viz. the beard, &c.):--that (hair) he thereby puts on it, and for this reason he spreads the barhis.
8. Now the altar (vedi, fem.) is a woman, and around her sit the gods and those priests who have studied and teach revealed lore42; and as they thus sit around her, he makes her not naked: hence it is in order to avoid nudity (on her or the altar's part) that he spreads the barhis.
9. As large as the altar is, so large is the earth; and the plants (are represented by) the barhis; so that he thereby furnishes the earth with plants; and those plants are firmly established in this earth: for this reason he spreads the barhis.
10. Here now they say, 'Let him strew abundantly; for where the plants are most abundant on her, there the means of subsistence are most amply afforded by her: let him therefore strew abundantly!' It is in favour of him (the sacrificer) who procures (the sacrificial grass), then, (that this is done.) He strews it threefold43, for threefold is the sacrifice. Or he may also spread it whilst lifting up (the tops)44; for it has been said by the seer (Vâg. S. VII, 32), 'They spread the barhis continuously.' He spreads it with the roots below (the tops); for it is with their roots below that those plants are firmly established in this earth: for this reason he spreads it with the roots below.
11. He spreads it, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 2), 'I spread thee, soft as wool, pleasant to sit upon for the gods!'--when he says 'thee, soft as wool,' he thereby means to say 'agreeable to the gods;' and by 'pleasant to sit upon for the gods,' he means to say 'forming a good seat for the gods.'
12. He now trims the fire45. The Âhavanîya, doubtless, is the head of the sacrifice, for the head is the fore-part46: that fore-part of the sacrifice he thereby trims. He trims it while holding the prastara (which he has received back from the Brahman) close over it; for the prastara is the top-knot, and it is this which he thereby puts on it: for this reason he trims (the fire) while holding the prastara close over it.
13. He then lays the (three) enclosing-sticks (paridhi) around (the fire). The reason why he lays the enclosing-sticks around (is this). When at first the gods chose Agni for the office of Hotri, he said: 'Verily, I am not equal to this, that I should be your Hotri, and that I should carry your oblation. Already you have chosen three before, and they have passed away47. Restore them to me: then I shall be equal to this, that I should be your Hotri and that I should carry your oblation!' They said, 'So be it!' and they restored to him those (three former Agnis): they are these enclosing-sticks.
14. He then said, 'The thunderbolt, (in the shape of) the vashat-call48, has struck these down: I am afraid of that thunderbolt, the vashat-call. Lest that thunderbolt, the vashat-call, should strike me down, enclose me by those (three Agnis, or paridhis); and thus that thunderbolt, the vashat-call, will not strike me down.' They said, 'So be it!' and they enclosed him with those (three sticks), and that thunderbolt, the vashat call, did not strike him down. When he encloses Agni with those (sticks) he buckles armour on him.
15. They (the other three Agnis) then said, 'If you join us with the sacrifice in this wise, then let us also have a share in the sacrifice!'
16. The gods said: 'So be it! What shall fall outside the enclosure, that is offered unto you; and what they shall offer just upon you, that will sate you; and what they shall offer up in the fire that will sate you!' Thus what they offer up in the fire, that satisfies them (the Agnis); and what they offer up just upon them (the enclosing-sticks, or Agnis), that satisfies them; and what is spilled outside the enclosure, that is offered to them49: hence no sin attaches to what (butter) is spilt; for into this earth they entered (when they, the Agnis, passed away), and whatever is spilt here,--all that remains indeed in her.
17. That which is spilt he touches, with the formulas (Vâg. S. II, 2), 'To the Lord of the Earth--svâhâ!' 'To the Lord of the World--svâhâ!' 'To the Lord of Beings--svâhâ!' These, indeed, are the names of those Agnis,--to wit, Lord of the Earth, Lord of the World, and Lord of Beings. Thus in like manner as that (oblation) which is accompanied by 'Vashat' is offered up (to the particular deity to which it is announced), so is this (offered up) on his (the sacrificer's) part to those Agnis.
18. Here now some people take the sticks they lay around from the fire-wood; but let him not do so, for unsuitable for laying around are those which they take from the fire-wood, since the fire-wood is prepared for the purpose of being put upon (the fire); but what other (kind of sticks) they bring to him, called 'enclosing-sticks (paridhis),' they are indeed suitable for his purpose: let them therefore bring others.
19. Indeed, they should be of Palâsa wood (Butea Frondosa); for the Palâsa tree, doubtless, is the Brahman50, and Agni also is the Brahman: for this reason the Agnis should be of Palâsa wood.
20. Should he be unable to procure them of Palâsa wood, they may be of Vikankata wood (Flacourtia Sapida); and if he be unable to procure any of Vikankata, they may be of Kârshmarya wood (Gmelina Arborea); and if he be unable to procure any of Kârshmarya wood, they may be of Vilva (Aegle Marmelos), or of Khadira (Acacia Catechu), or of Udumbara wood (Ficus Glomerata). These, doubtless, are the trees that are suitable for sacrificial purposes, and from these trees they (the enclosing-sticks) are therefore (taken).
Fourth Brâhmana
1. They should be green (fresh); for that is (what constitutes) their living element, by that they are vigorous, by that possessed of strength: for this reason they should be green.
2. The middle stick he lays down first (on the west side of the fire), with the text (Vâg. S. II, 3), 'May the Gandharva Visvâvasu51 lay thee around for the security of the All! Thou art a fence to the sacrificer, thou (art) Agni, invoked and worthy of invocation!'
3. He then lays down the southern one, with the text (ib.), 'Thou art Indra's arm for the security of the All! Thou art a fence to the sacrificer; thou Agni, invoked and worthy of invocation!'
4. He then lays down the northern one, with the text (ib.), 'May Mitra-Varuna lay thee around in the north with firm law for the security of the All! Thou art a fence to the sacrificer, thou Agni, invoked and worthy of invocation!' They are indeed Agnis, and for that reason he says, 'Agni, invoked and worthy of invocation!'
5. Thereupon he puts on (the fire) a samidh (kindling-stick). He first touches with it the middle enclosing-stick: thereby he first kindles those (three Agnis). After that he puts it on the fire: thereby he kindles the visible fire.
6. He puts it on52, with the gâyatrî stanza (Vâg. S. II, 4), 'Thee, O Sage, who callest (the gods) to the feast, we will kindle so as to shine brilliantly; thee, O Agni, mighty at the sacrifice!' He thereby kindles the gâyatrî53; the gâyatrî, when kindled, kindles the other metres; and the metres, when kindled, carry the sacrifice to the gods.
7. By the second kindling-stick (samidh), which he now puts on, he kindles the spring; the spring, when kindled, kindles the other seasons; and the seasons, when kindled, cause living beings to be produced and the plants to ripen. He puts it on, with the formula (Vâg. S. II, 5), 'A kindler (samidh) art thou!' for the spring is indeed a kindler.
8. When he has put it on, he murmurs (ib.), 'May the sun guard thee from the east against any imprecation!' for the enclosing-sticks serve for protection on all (the other three) sides; and thereby he makes the sun the protector on the east side, fearing 'lest the evil spirits, the Rakshas, should rush in from the east:' for the sun is the repeller of the evil spirits, the Rakshas.
9. By that third kindling-stick, then, which he puts on at the after-offerings54, he kindles the officiating priest (brâhmana); and he, the priest, when kindled, carries the sacrifice to the gods.
10. He now returns to the altar covered (with sacrificial grass). Having taken two stalks of grass, he lays them down across (the barhis or grass covering, with the tops to the north), with the formula (Vâg. S. II, 5), 'Savitri's arms55 are ye!' The prastara bunch is indeed the top-knot (of the sacrifice); and he now lays down these two crosswise as its eye-brows: thereby these two (represent) the transverse eye-brows. The prastara, further, (represents) the kshatra (or military class); and the other barhis the vis (or, the common Âryan people);--(and the two stalks he puts down between them) for the sake of separating (vidhriti) the kshatra and the vis: for this reason he lays them down crosswise; and for this reason these two (stalks) are called vidhriti.
11. On them he spreads the prastara, with the formula (Vâg. S. II, 5), 'I spread thee, soft as wool, pleasant to sit upon for the gods!' When he says 'thee, soft as wool,' he means to say 'agreeable to the gods;' and by 'pleasant to sit upon for the gods' he means to say 'forming a good seat for the gods.'
12. He presses it down (with his left hand), with the text (ib.), 'May the Vasus, the Rudras, the Âdityas sit on thee!' These three, that is, the Vasus, the Rudras, and the Âdityas, namely, are (classes of) gods; and these, he means to say, are to sit down on it. While it is still being held down with his left hand,--
13. He seizes the guhû with his right, fearing 'lest the evil spirits, the Rakshas, should enter there in the meantime;' for the officiating priest (brâhmana) is the repeller of the Rakshas: therefore, while it (the prastara) is still being held down with his left hand,--
14. He seizes the guhû, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 6), 'Fond of butter art thou, Guhû by name!' for fond of butter indeed it is, and Guhû by name;--'Sit down here with the favourite resort56 (or dainty) on the favourite seat!' The upabhrit (he takes), with the formula (ib.), 'Fond of butter art thou, Upabhrit by name!' for fond of butter indeed it is, and Upabhrit by name;--'Sit down here with the favourite resort on the favourite seat!' The dhruvâ (he takes) with 'Fond of butter art thou, Dhruvâ by name!' for fond of butter indeed it is, and Dhruvâ by name;--'Sit down here with the favourite resort on the favourite seat!' What other sacrificial food there is, (he puts down on the prastara), with the formula, 'With the favourite resort sit down on the favourite seat!'
15. He lays the guhû down on (the prastara), and the other spoons down below, (viz. on the barhis, north of the guhû, and so as not to touch it or one another); for the guhû assuredly is the kshatra, and the other spoons (sruk) are the vis: he thereby makes the kshatra superior to the vis. Hence the people here serve, from a lower position, the Kshatriya seated above them: for this reason he places the guhû upon (the prastara) and the other spoons down below it.
16. He touches the offerings, with the text (Vâg. S. II, 6), 'Safely they have sat down,' for safely indeed they sat down;--'in the lap (yoni) of divine truth!' for the sacrifice is indeed the lap of divine truth, and in the sacrifice they sat down;--'Protect these, O Vishnu! protect the sacrifice! protect the lord of sacrifice!' thereby he refers to the sacrificer;--'Protect me, the leader of the sacrifice!' thereby he does not exclude himself either from the sacrifice. Vishnu, assuredly, is the sacrifice: hence it is to the sacrifice that he makes all that over for protection. This is the reason why he says, 'Protect these, O Vishnu!'
Fifth Brâhmana
The kindling of the fire, the pravara, and the two libations (âghâra) of butter.
1. With the fire-wood (idhma, lighting material) the Adhvaryu lights (indh) the fire: hence it is called fire-wood. And with the kindling verses (sâmidhenî) the Hotri kindles (sam-indh, to make blaze): hence they are called kindling verses.
2. He (the Adhvaryu57) says (to the Hotri): 'Recite to the fire as it is being kindled!' for it is to the fire, when it is being kindled, that he recites.
3. Here now some people say, 'O Hotar, recite to the fire as it is being kindled!' But let him not say so; for that (priest) is not a Hotri as yet; only when he (the sacrificer) elects him58, does he become a Hotri. Let him therefore say, 'Recite to the fire as it is being kindled!'
4. He recites (verses) addressed to Agni: he accordingly kindles it (the fire) with the aid of its own deity. In the gâyatrî metre (are the verses which) he recites; for the gâyatrî is Agni's metre: by means of its own metre he thereby kindles it. The gâyatrî is vigour, the gâyatrî is the brahman59 (the priestly order): with vigour he thereby kindles it.
5. Eleven (verses) he recites; for of eleven syllables consists the trishtubh metre. The gâyatrî is the brahman and the trishtubh is the kshatra (or military order)60. With the aid of these two energies he thus kindles it: for this reason he recites eleven (verses).
6. Thrice he recites the first verse, and thrice the last one; for of threefold beginning are sacrifices, and of threefold termination: therefore he recites thrice the first and the last (verses).
7. Fifteen sâmidhenî verses result (from this repetition of the first and last of the eleven verses). The fifteen-versed chant61, doubtless, is the thunderbolt, and the thunderbolt means strength; so that he thereby converts the sâmidhenîs into strength: hence, if he should hate any one, he may crush him with his great toes62 at the time when those (verses) are recited. By saying, 'I here crush so and so!' he crushes him with that thunderbolt.
8. Fifteen nights indeed there are in a half-moon; and growing by half-moons the year passes: hence he thereby obtains the nights.
9. Now in the fifteen gâyatrî verses there are indeed three hundred and sixty syllables63; and three hundred and sixty days there are in a year: hence he thereby obtains the days, he thereby obtains the year.
10. For an ishti (which is performed in order to obtain the fulfilment of a special wish)64 let him recite seventeen sâmidhenî verses; for in a low voice he sacrifices to the deity to which he offers an ishti. Twelve months, namely, there are in a year, and five seasons65: this (makes) the seventeenfold Pragâpati. For verily Pragâpati is all: hence for what wish he performs the ishti, that wish he thus accomplishes by means of the All. In a low voice he sacrifices to the deity; for what is spoken in a low voice is undefined (indistinct), and undefined is the 'All:' hence for whatever wish he performs the ishti, that wish he thus accomplishes by means of the All. This is the practice in regard to an ishti.
11. Some people say: 'Let him recite twenty-one sâmidhenî verses also at the full- and new-moon sacrifice.' Twelve, doubtless, are the months of the year, five the seasons, and three these worlds: this (makes) twenty; and the twenty-first is this very (sun) that here shines: he is the resort, he the stay; thereby he (the sacrificer) obtains this resort, this stay. He may therefore recite twenty-one.
12. Let him recite them only for one of established prosperity (gatasrî), who would not wish to become either better or worse. For, what he for whom they recite is like, like that he will either be or worse66, for whom, that knows this, they recite those (twenty-one verses). This, however, is mere speculation, for those (twenty-one verses) are not recited67.
13. Thrice he should recite the first and thrice the last (verse), without drawing breath; for three are these worlds, so that he thereby spreads (san-tan) these worlds, gains these worlds. Also three breaths there are in man: this recitation thereby causes him (the sacrificer) to be extended (santata), not cut short (by death).
14. He (the Hotri) should endeavour to recite this (uninterruptedly) as long as his strength lasts. If, on the other hand, he were to take breath in the middle (of the verse), it would be a slight on this very (sacrifice)68: by reciting this (holy) composition without taking breath, that slight will be avoided.
15. If, however, he do not care to undertake this, he may also recite one (verse) at a time without drawing breath: he thereby spreads those worlds one by one, gains those worlds one by one. The reason why he takes breath, is that the gâyatrî is indeed breath; and that by reciting a complete gâyatrî verse, he accordingly bestows complete breathing (on the sacrificer): let him therefore recite one (verse) at a time without breathing.
16. He recites them in a continuous, uninterrupted way: thereby he makes the days and nights of the year continuous, and in a continuous, uninterrupted way revolve those days and nights of the year. And in this way he gives no access to the spiteful enemy; but access he would indeed give, if he were to recite them discontinuously: he therefore recites in a continuous, uninterrupted way.
Footnotes
1. Besides the Agnihotra-havanî, or milk ladle used at the morning and evening oblations (see p. 11, note 2; and II, 3, I, 17), three different sruk or offering-spoons are used, viz. the guhû, upabhrit, and dhruvâ. They are made each of a different kind of wood, of an arm's length (or, according to others, a cubit long), with a bowl of the shape and size of the hand, and a hole cut through the bark and front side of the bowl and fitted with a spout some eight or nine inches long, and shaped like a goose's bill. The sruva or dipping-spoon, on the other hand, chiefly used for ladling the clarified butter (or milk) from the butter vessel into the offering-spoons, is of khadira wood (Acacia Catechu), a cubit long, with a round bowl measuring a thumb's joint across, and without a spout. In our text the term sruk is used both in the general sense of 'spoon' and in the narrower one of 'offering-spoon,' as distinguished from the sruva or 'dipping-spoon.'
2. The brushing of the spoons is here compared with the rinsing of vessels preparatory to their being used for serving up the food. At the same time, we shall see further on (I, 8, 3, 26-27) that the two principal offering-spoons, the guhû and upabhrit, are looked upon as yoke-fellows, they being the two horses that are supposed to convey the sacrifice (and consequently the sacrificer himself) to the world of the gods; hence this process of cleaning also corresponds to the rubbing down of the horses preparatory to the setting out of the sacrificer on his progress to the world of the gods.
3. See I, 1, 3, 5.
4. It is doubtful to me whether this last passage merely refers to the several spoons, or whether it refers to the symbolical meaning of the wiping with sacrificial grass and the accompanying formula. In the latter case it might mean: 'and thus that (act) becomes different (i.e. has a different significance).'
5. Cf. I, 1, 2, 3, and note.
6. A-nisita, 'not sharpened,' from sâ (so), 'to sharpen' (thus also Mahîdh.). If, however, anuparata, 'unceasing,' in the text is intended by the author to explain anisita, he would seem to identify the root sâ with sâ. (so), 'to bring to an end, to finish.' The spoon is sharpened by the wiping, cf. Taitt. Br. III, 3, 1, 1.
7. Vâgedhyâyai, 'for the lighting (brightening) of the sacrifice (by means of the butter which is poured into the fire), the sacrifice being the food of the gods,' Mahîdh. The St. Petersburg Dictionary suggests vâgetyâyai, 'thee, the courser, I wipe for the race!' Cf. p. 68, note 1.
8. The prâsitraharana is a pan of khadira wood, either square or round (? oval, of the shape of a cow's ear, Sây.; of the shape of a mirror, Katy.), used for holding the Brahman's portion (prâsitra) of the sacrificial cake. According to Katy. II, 6, 49, the sritâvadânam (cake-cutter) and (purodâsa-)pâtrî (cake-dish) also have to be cleaned on this occasion.
9. While brushing the spoons he stands east of the Âhavanîya fire-house, looking toward east. The way of brushing, prescribed by the Black Yagus (Taitt. Br. III, 3, I, 3-4; comm. on Taitt. S. I, 1, 10), seems to be more complicated.
10. Viz. the former ('aratner uparibhâgasya lomâni'), according to Sâyana, point in a forward direction (away from the body), and the latter ('prishthabhâgasya lomâni') in a backward direction. The Taitt. Br. III, 3, 1, 4 has 'on the elbow (aratnau) the hairs above (point) forward, those below backward,' which Sâyana (Taitt. S. I, 1, 1, 10) explains by 'the short hairs above the wrist (? manibandhâd ûrdhvam) are forward-pointed (prâṅmukha), but those below are backward-pointed (pratyañk).'
11. That is to say, the heating of the spoons corresponds to the usual final rinsing of household vessels with water without touching them. Sâyana.
12. The Black Yagus (Taitt. Br. III, 3, 2, 1) prescribes that the grass-ends, after the brushing, should be thrown into the fire, and not on the heap of rubbish, as some do; or at all events they should not be thrown on the utkara, without their having been previously washed with water, as they would otherwise bring ill-luck to the cattle.
13. The mistress of the house is seated south-west of the Gârhapatya fire [with bent (or raised) knees and her face turned towards north-east]. The Âgnîdhra then girds her round the waist, outside the garment, with a triple cord of reed-grass (muñga). Katy. II, 7, 1; and Sâyana on our passage.
14. According to Taitt. Br. III, 3, 3, 2-3 the symbolical meaning of this act is, that it represents the vratopanayana, or initiation of the wife into the sacred rite. The girding of the wife would thus possess a significance similar to that of the ordinary upanayana, or investiture of the youth with the sacred cord.
15. The noose (pâsa) is one of the chief attributes of God Varuna, the symbol of his supreme power and his abhorrence of sin. Thus we read in Atharva-veda IV, 16, 4 seq.: 'And if one were to flee far beyond the sky, one would not escape from king Varuna. From heaven his spies issue forth to this (world), and with their thousand eyes survey the earth. King Varuna sees all that happens between heaven and earth and beyond them: the very twinklings of the eyes of men are numbered by him. . . . May all those baleful nooses of thine, O Varuna, that are thrown sevenfold and three-fold, ensnare him who speaks untruth, and pass by him who speaks the truth!'
16. Taitt. Br. III, 3, 3, 4, on the contrary, prescribes a knot (granthim grathnâti), as the symbol which is to secure all blessings for her.
17. He winds the cord round her waist from left to right (pradakshinam), and having fixed the southern end by twice twisting round the northern one, he draws the southern end through the encircling cord upwards (so as to hang down, uparishtâl lambayet, Sâyana. Katy. II, 7, 1, &c., Scholl.).
18. Veshya = vyâpaka, Mahîdh.; 'perhaps a headband,' St. Petersb. Dict. It is apparently an etymological play on the name of Vishnu (? the all-pervading sun). The formula, according to Mahîdhara, is addressed to the southern end of the cord which is drawn through the girdle (? the pervading ray of Vishnu).
19. Aditi is the earth and therefore the altar, which represents the earth: hence Aditi, in the shape of the altar, looks towards the east.
20. He takes the pot containing the clarified butter from the fire, with the text (Vâg. S. I, 30): 'For juice thee!' [see I, 2, 2, 6,] puts it down on the ground before the sacrificer's wife and bids her look down on it. Katy. II, 7, 4.
21. Suhûh. The Kânva recension and Taitt. S. I, 1, 10, 3 have subhûh, 'well-being, good,' which reading seems also to be presupposed by our author's explanation 'well (or good) for the gods.' The Black Yagus assigns this entire mantra to the Adhvaryu, when he has taken the butter from the Âhavanîya, and puts it down north of the altar. In other respects also it differs considerably from the order followed by our author.
22. According to the ritual of the Black Yagus, the butter, after the sacrificer's wife has looked at it, is again heated on the Gârhapatya fire, in order to remove the impurity which has thereby been imparted to it.
23. The patnîsamyâgas are four oblations of butter to Soma, Tvashtri, the wives of the gods, and Agni Grihapati respectively, made at the end of these sacrifices. See I, 9, 2, 1. It would seem that, according to the ritual of the Black Yagus, the butter is not put on the altar, but on a line drawn with the wooden sword north of the altar. See p. 74, note 2.
24. Avasabhâh karoti--avagataganasamûhâh karoti, Sây.; the gods are supposed to be assembled around the altar (cf. I, 3, 3, 8): hence by placing the butter, from which the oblations to the wives of the gods are to be made, within the altar, the Adhvaryu would separate the wives from their husbands.
25. I am not quite certain as to whether this last scornful remark is really to be assigned to Yâgñavalkya. The Kânva text has,--Yâgñavalkya, however, said, 'Let him place it within the altar!' thus he said. 'Let it be so as it has been prescribed for the wife,' thus (thinking) let him place it, whether or not she consort with other men.
26. Probably the same as ud-âna (breathing upwards or inspiration), which one of the strainers is said to represent in I, 1, 3, 2. See also I, 1, 3, 6; Taitt. Br. III, 3, 4, 4. The St. Petersburg Dictionary proposes the meaning 'an implement for cleaning' for utpavana in this passage.
27. A play on the word hitam, which means both 'put, placed,' and 'beneficial, salutary.'
28. The Kânva text has as follows,--Here now some make the sacrificer eye it, arguing, 'whatever blessing (resides therein) that he should himself pray for.' Yâgñavalkya, however, said in reference to this point, 'Why then does not he himself become Adhvaryu? and why does he not recite (the solemn prayers of the Hotri priest), and that when they pray for higher blessing? Whatever blessing the priests invoke at the sacrifice, that they invoke for the sacrificer alone;' thus he said. The Adhvaryu, therefore, should look down on it.
29. Teshâm sâkhinâm atraivâvekshanam yagamânenaiva kartavyam iti kasmât kâranât sraddhâ gâtâ, evam tam sraddhâm prahasya, Sây. The Kânva text omits this derisive remark.
30. The sacrifice is the representation of the sacrificer himself; and hence its dimensions are to be those of a man, viz. the altar (vedi) on its western side is to measure a fathom, or space between the extreme ends of the outstretched arms (? of the sacrificer), which is supposed to be equal to the size of a man; see I, 2, 5, 14. Originally these measurements were no doubt relative to the size of the sacrificer; but it is doubtful whether this was still the case at the time of our author.
31. For a description of these spoons, see p. 67, note 2. The guhû is supposed to represent the right, and the upabhrit the left arm, and the dhruvâ the trunk.
32. He takes butter in the guhû and upabhrit by four or eight ladlings with the dipping-spoon. As we learn further on, the quantity taken in the guhû, by ladling four times, should exceed that in the upabhrit, although the latter requires eight ladlings. Cf. Katy. II, 7, 13.
33. On the prayâgas, or oblations of clarified butter introductory to, and the anuyâgas, oblations of the same material made subsequently to, the chief sacrifice, see I, 5, 3, 1 seq., and I, 8, 2, 1 seq.
34. Repetition of one and the same sacrificial act on the same day is to be avoided, as far as possible. The repetition in the present case would consist in his announcing the butter-oblations to the several deities in the same way as he has done in regard to the rice-portions. See I, 1, 2, 17-18.
35. On the frequent symbolical employment of the metres in the ritual, as the embodiment of supreme harmony and the efficacy of prayer, see Weber, Ind. Stud. VIII, 8 seq. The three principal Vedic metres are the gâyatrî (three times eight syllables), the trishtubh (four times eleven syllables), and the gagatî (four times twelve syllables); and three anuyâgas there are at these sacrifices, viz. to the barhis or sacrificial grass, to Narâsamsa and Agni Svishtakrit respectively. In the present instance (see par. 16) the trishtubh and gagatî metres are taken together as one, and as a fourth is added the anushtubh (four times eight syllables).
36. Tasmâd uta râgâpârâm visam prâvasâyâpy ekavesmanaiva ('by one who has a single dwelling, i.e. by himself,' Sâyana) ginâti tvad yathâ tvat kâmayate tathâ sakate. The MS. of the Kânva text has: 'Tasmât kshatriyo râgotâpârâd visam prâvasâya ginâti tvad yathâ tva(t) kâmayate tat karoti.'
37. The fire-wood had been brought by the Âgnîdhra and laid down on the altar. The Adhvaryu now unties and sprinkles it. [Before doing so he has, as usual, to ask and obtain the permission of the Brahman. The same is the case in regard to the barhis, but not in regard to the altar.] Kâty. II, 7, 19.
38. ? Âkhare-shtha; it probably has a double meaning in this place, viz. 'that which dwells in a den (âkhara)' and 'that which has its place on the hearth (khara).'
39. 'At the beginning of the sacrifice the Adhvaryu makes of the load of Darbha or sacred grass, which has been brought to the sacrificial compound, seven mushtis or bunches, each of which is tied together with a stalk of grass, just as the Baresma (Barsom) of the Parsis. The several names of these seven bunches are, 1. Vagamânamushti, the bunch kept by the sacrificer himself in his hand as long as the sacrifice lasts. 2. Three bunches from the Barhis, or the covering of the Vedi on which the sacrificial vessels are put. These are unloosened and spread all over the Vedi. 3. Prastara. This bunch, which must remain tied, is put over the Darbha of the Vedi. 4. Paribhoganî. From this bunch the Adhvaryu takes a handful out for each priest, and the sacrificer and his wife, which they then use for their seat. 5. The Veda. This bunch is made double in its first part; the latter part is cut off and has to remain on the Vedi; it is called parivâsana. The Veda itself is always wandering from one priest to the other, and is given to the sacrificer and his wife. It is handed over to the latter only when one of the priests makes her recite a mantra.' Haug's translation of the Ait. Br. p. 79.
40. Because, according to Sâyana, it lies on the front, or eastern side of the altar, near the Âhavanîya fire, and men also wear their topknot (in the form of a ball or lump) on the fore-part of their head. The prastara he hands to the Brahman-priest. Katy. II, 7, 22.
41. Prakliptam; Sâyana takes it in the sense of 'a completely formed (child).'
42. 'Around her on the south sit the gods and those man-gods (manushyadevâh), the priests who have studied and teach revealed lore.' Kânva recension.
43. Viz. in three layers, one beside the other, each consisting of one handful of grass. He first spreads a layer on the east side from the southern to the northern shoulder of the altar, with the tops of the blades turned towards the east; then a second one west of it, so as to cover the roots of the first with the tops of the second layer; and in the same way a third one on the west side of the altar. If he thinks fit, he may make more than three layers, but their number should be uneven. Kâty. II, 7, 22-26 (schol.).
44. That is to say, he is to begin on the west side, and in laying down the successive layers, he is to lift up (with a stick or some other object) the heads of the preceding layer and push the roots of the succeeding one under them. Ib. 27 (schol.).
45. He takes one stick from the fuel and gets the fire ready (for the oblations, either by throwing the stick into it, or by stirring it with the stick). Ib. 29.
46. The Âhavanîya is at the foremost or eastern end of the sacrificial ground.
47. See I, 2, 3, 1.
48. The call 'vashat' (or vaushat), apparently signifying 'may he (Agni) carry it (the oblation) up!' (from vah, to bear, carry), is pronounced by the Hotri at the end of the yâgyâs or offering prayers (see note on I, 5, 1, 16). Professor Weber has somewhere proposed to derive it from vaksh, to grow, increase, hence 'may it prosper, or agree, with you!' Different, but quite fanciful, interpretations of vashat are given Sat. Br. I, 5, 2, 18; Ait. Br. 3, 6. As to the awful solemnity of this formula, and the danger arising from a careless use of it, see Ait. Br. 3, 8, on which Haug remarks, 'Up to the present day the Shrotriyas or sacrificial priests never dare to pronounce this formula save at the time of sacrificing. They say that if they would do so at any other time, they would be cursed by the gods.'
49. The Kânva text has as follows:--They said, 'So be it! what shall fall outside the enclosure that shall be yours! and what they shall offer just upon you that shall sate you!' for what they offer just upon them that does indeed sate them (enân); and what they offer up in the fire that is theirs (eshâm, ? the gods’); and what falls outside the enclosure by that he shall incur no guilt, &c.
50. The Brahman, or supreme spirit (? or, sacred writ), is more than once identified with the Palâsa tree in the Satapatha Br., as in V, 2, 4, 18; VI, 6, 3, 7; XII, 7, 2, 15; and with the leaf of that tree (palâsasya palâsam) in II, 6, 2, 8. [? Cf. Rig-veda X, 31, 7, 'Which was the wood, which was the tree, out of which they fashioned heaven and earth?' and Taitt. Br. II, 8, 9, 6, 'Brahma was the wood, Brahma was that tree out of which they fashioned heaven and earth;' also Ath.-veda X, 7, 38, 'The gods form part of the divine essence (Skambha-Brahma) as branches of a tree.']
51. The genius Visvâvasu is already mentioned in Rig-veda X, 85, 21 seq., and X, 139, 4, where Grassmann identifies him with the rainbow (cf. Roth, Nirukta notes, p. 245). See also Sat. Br. III, 2, 4, 2; XIV, 9, 4, 18.
52. According to Sâyana, the two sticks or pieces of wood are put on the fire in a manner similar to that in which the two âghâras or sprinklings of clarified butter are made (see I, 4, 4-5); viz. the first in the direction north-west to south-east, and the second from south-west to north-east.
53. The gâyatrî is the first of the three principal metres, cf. p. 80, note 3. It consists of three octo-syllabic pâdas, of which Rig-veda I, 164, 25 says,--'The gâyatra, they say, has three flames (or firebrands, samidh): therefore it excelled in grandeur and power.'
54. See I, 8, 2, 3.
55. Bâhû, 'the two arms,' is apparently taken here by our author both in its natural sense and as the arms of the bow or arch, formed by the eye-brows. The barhis, or grass covering of the altar, was, as we saw (I, 3, 3, 7), identified with the beard and other hair of the body.
56. Viz. the butter, which is the dear resort, or home, of the gods; see I, 3, 2, 17. Possibly, however, dhâman may here mean 'dainty.'
57. The Adhvaryu, in the first place, prepares a seat for the Hotri, either west of the altar or north of its left hip; and covers it with dry Kusa grass. [He then calls, 'O Hotri, come!'] The Hotri; having rinsed his mouth north-east of the Âhavanîya, with his face to the east, turns round from left to right and betakes himself to the sacrificial ground, always keeping his right foot before the left. He finally takes up his position so as to have the heel of the right foot in a line with the north hip of the altar, and the toes on the barhis; whilst he keeps the hands on a level with the heart, spread open and joined together, and looks towards the junction of the earth and sky. The Adhvaryu then takes a samidh (kindling-stick) and calls on him as above. The Hotri now mutters the formulas 'Adoration to the teacher! Adoration to the observer! Adoration to the promulgator!' &c. (Âsv. Srautas I, 2, 1). The sacrificer then takes the wooden sword and says, 'Recite for me, as it were, stretching along (i.e. continuously)!' whereupon the Hotri; having asked and received the permission of the Brahman, proceeds to recite the kindling verses. Kâty. III, 1, 1 seq.; Âsv. I, 1, 4 seq.
58. This does not take place until the pravara or invitation addressed to Agni, the Hotri of the gods, to assist in calling the gods to the sacrifice, cf. Sâyana and Sat. Br. I, 5, 1, 1 seq. According to some authorities, however, the choosing of the Hotri seems to take place at this particular time, or even before, at the time of the agnyanvâdhâna; cf. Hillebrandt, p. 73.
59. The gâyatrî (though it is not the most frequent metre) is considered as the first, as it is the shortest, of Vedic metres. The hymns addressed to Agni are mostly in the gâyatrî metre.
60. The hymns celebrating the heroic deeds of Indra and his associates, the wind-gods, are almost entirely composed in the trishtubh, the most frequent of Vedic metres.
61. The pañkadasa-stoma, or form of recitation in fifteen verses at the Soma-sacrifice, is sacred to Indra (Nirukta 7, 10), the wielder of the thunderbolt.
62. Or, with his thumbs (aṅgushthâbhyâm). The Kânva text has 'pâdyâbhyâm aṅgushthâbhyâm;' but Kâty. III, 1, 7 has 'aṅgushthâbhyâm pâdyâbhyâm vâ,' which would seem to leave a choice between the thumbs and the great toes; the commentator, however, takes vâ in a restrictive sense. The sacrificer is to press down the earth with his great toes (or thumbs) each time when a kindling verse is recited.
63. The gâyatrî verse consists of three times eight syllables, and 24 × 15 = 360. In the place of the last sâmidhenî (called paridhânîyâ), however, the Vâsishthas have a trishtubh stanza (4 × 11 syllables), so that the above computation of syllables does not hold good in their case. One might be inclined to infer from this that the trishtubh was the more original, a gâyatrî being substituted later to yield the above symbolical number of syllables. Cf. Taitt. S. II, 5, 7 seq.; Taitt. Br. III, 5, 3.
64. The kâmyeshtis, and ishtis generally, are performed with certain modifications, on the model of the new- and full-moon sacrifice, of which they are therefore said to be vikritis or modifications.
65. In other passages, and in later times generally, six seasons, comprising two months each, are counted, but the transitional season between winter and spring, sisira, is not unfrequently, as in our passage, combined with the winter season (hemanta), or partially with that and the spring (vasanta). On the identification of Pragâpati with the year, cf. note on I, 2, 5, 12.
66. The condition of one who is gatasrî cannot be improved, but only impaired. The construction of this paragraph is somewhat doubtful to me. It runs thus: Tâ haitâ gatasrer evânubrûyâd ya ikkhen na sreyânt syâm na pâpîyân iti yâdrisâya haiva sate ’nvâhus tâdrin vâ haiva bhavati pâpîyân vâ yasyaivam vidusha etâ anvâhuh so eshâ mîmâmsaiva na tv evaitâ anûkyante. Sâyana seems to take it thus:--'He should recite them only for a gatasrî. A householder who desires neither an improvement nor a lowering of his position, is just such a one for whom the Hotris recite the sâmidhenîs in the appointed (niyatena) way. Further, for whomsoever, that thus knows the irregular (? aniyata, not regulated) way of recitation, they recite those twenty-one sâmidhenîs, he becomes either worse or better. What is set forth in the words from "A householder who desires neither an improvement" &c. is mere speculation; the recitation is not to be performed in this way.' The corresponding paragraph of the Kânva recension is much briefer and clearer:--Tad etad gatasrîr eva kurvîta na ha sreyân na pâpîyân bhavati yasyaivam anvâhuh saishâ mîmâmsaiva na tv anûkyante, 'only a gatasrî, however, should do this; for neither better nor worse becomes he for whom they recite thus. This is indeed speculation, but they (the twenty-one sâmidhenîs) are not recited.'
67. In the Taitt. S. II, 5, 10, the number of verses (effected by the repetition) is given as varying, according to the special object in view, between fifteen and forty-eight.
68. ? Or, it would be an act of neglect on his, the sacrificer's, part: by (the Hotri) reciting without fetching breath, that act, that neglect would be avoided.
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