Philosophy and Religion / Satapatha Brahmana

The Satapatha Brahmana: Tenth Kânda, Sixth Adhyâya

First Brâhmana

1. Now at the house of Aruna Aupavesi¹ these came once together,--Satyayagña Paulushi, Mahâsâla Gâbâla, Budila Âsvatarâsvi, Indradyumna Bhâllaveya, and Ganasârkarâkshya. They took counsel together regarding (Agni) Vaisvânara, but did not agree as to Vaisvânara².

2. They said, 'There is that Asvapati Kaikeya who knows Vaisvânara thoroughly³: let us go to him!' They went to Asvapati Kaikeya. He ordered for them separate dwellings, separate honours, separate Soma-sacrifices each with a thousand gifts. In the morning, still at variance with one another, they came again to him, with fuel in their hands⁴, saying, 'We want to become thy pupils.'

3. He said, 'How is this, venerable sirs, when ye are learned in the scriptures, and sons of men learned in the scriptures?' They replied, 'Venerable sir, thou knowest Vaisvânara thoroughly: teach us him!' He said, 'I do indeed know Vaisvânara thoroughly: put your fuel on (the fire), ye are become my pupils⁵.'

4. He then said to Aruna Aupavesi, 'O Gautama, as whom knowest thou Vaisvânara⁶?'--'As Earth only, O king;' he replied.--'Yea,' he said, 'that indeed is Vaisvânara, the foundation; and because thou knowest the Vaisvânara Foundation (pratishthâ) therefore thou art firmly established (pratishthita) with offspring and cattle; and, verily, he who knows that Vaisvânara Foundation, repels Death and attains all life. But, in truth, these are only the feet⁷ of Vaisvânara, and thy feet would have withered away, hadst thou not come hither; or the feet would be unknown to thee, hadst thou not come hither⁸.'

5. He then said to Satyayagña Paulushi, 'O Prâkînayogya, as whom knowest thou Vaisvânara?' --'As Water only, O king;' he replied.--'Yea,' he said, 'that indeed is the Vaisvânara Wealth; and because thou knowest that Vaisvânara Wealth, therefore thou art wealthy and prosperous; and, verily, he who knows that Vaisvânara Wealth, repels death and attains all life. But, in truth, this is only the bladder of Vaisvânara, and thy bladder would have failed thee, hadst thou not come hither; or the bladder would be unknown to thee, hadst thou not come hither.'

6. He then said to Mahâsâla Gâbâla, 'O Aupamanyava, as whom knowest thou Vaisvânara?'--'As Ether only, O king,' he replied.--'Yea,' he said, 'that, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Plenteous; and because thou knowest Vaisvânara Plenteous, therefore thou art plentiful in offspring and cattle; and, verily, he who knows that Vaisvânara Plenteous, repels death and attains all life. But, in truth, this is only the trunk of Vaisvânara, and thy trunk would have failed thee, hadst thou not come hither; or the body would be unknown to thee, hadst thou not come hither.'

7. He then said to Budila Âsvatarâsvi, 'O Vaiyâghrapadya, as whom knowest thou Vaisvânara?'--'As Air (wind) only, O king;' he replied.--'Yea,' he said, 'that indeed is the Vaisvânara of divers courses; and because thou knowest that Vaisvânara of divers courses, therefore divers rows of cars follow thee; and, verily, he who knows that Vaisvânara of divers courses, repels death, and attains all life. But, in truth, this is only the breath of Vaisvânara, and thy breath would have failed thee, hadst thou not come hither; or the breath would be unknown to thee, hadst thou not come hither.'

8. He then said to Indradyumna Bhâllaveya, 'O Vaiyâghrapadya, as whom knowest thou Vaisvânara?'--'As Sun only, O king,' he replied.--'Yea,' he said, 'that indeed is the Vaisvânara of Soma's splendour⁹; and because thou knowest the Vaisvânara of Soma's splendour, therefore that Soma-juice never fails to be consumed and cooked¹⁰ in thy house; and, verily, he who knows that Vaisvânara of Soma's splendour, repels death, and attains all life. But, indeed, this is only the eye of Vaisvânara, and thine eye would have failed thee, hadst thou not come hither; or the eye would be unknown to thee, hadst thou not come hither.'

9. He then said to Gana Sarkarâkshya, 'O Sâyavasa, as whom knowest thou Vaisvânara?'--'As Heaven only, O king,' he replied.--'Yea,' he said, 'that indeed is Vaisvânara Pre-eminence; and because thou knowest the Vaisvânara Pre-eminence, therefore thou art pre-eminent among thine equals; and, verily, he who knows that Vaisvânara Preeminence repels death, and attains all life. But, indeed, this is only the head of Vaisvânara, and thy head would have failed thee, hadst thou not come hither; or the head would have been unknown to thee, hadst thou not come hither.'

10. He said to them, 'Ye then, knowing different Vaisvânaras, have been feeding on different kinds of food; but verily, the well-beknown gods have attained, as it were, the measure of a span¹¹; but I will so tell them unto you that I shall make them attain no more nor less than the measure of a span.'

11. Pointing at the head he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Pre-eminence;'--pointing at the eyes he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara of Soma's splendour;'--pointing at the nostrils he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara of divers courses;'--pointing at the space in the mouth he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Plenteous;'--pointing at the water in the mouth he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Wealth;'--pointing at the chin he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Foundation.' This Agni Vaisvânara is no other than the Purusha; and, verily, whosoever thus knows that Agni Vaisvânara as Purusha-like, as established within the Purusha, repels death, and attains all life; and, verily, Vaisvânara does no harm to him that speaks of him.

Second Brâhmana

1. Now, indeed, there is this twofold thing, to wit, the eater and that which is eaten¹²; and when this pair meets it is called the eater, and not the eaten.

2. Now that eater is the same as this Agni (the fire and fire-altar); and whatever they assign to him is his assignments; and these assignments (âhiti) are mystically called oblations (âhuti), for the gods love the mystic.

3. And the eater, doubtless, is the sun, and his assignments (offerings) are the moon, for the moon is assigned to the sun¹³. Thus much as to the deity.

4. Now as to the body. The eater, doubtless, is the breath, and its assignments are food, for the food is consigned to (the channel of) the breath. Thus much as to Agni.

5. Now as to the Arka (flame). The Arka, doubtless, is Agni; and his joy are the oblations, for the oblations are a joy¹⁴ to Agni.

6. And the Arka, doubtless, is the sun; and his joy is the moon, for the moon is a joy to the sun. Thus much as to the deity.

7. Now as to the body. The Arka, doubtless, is the breath, and his joy is food, for food is a joy to (the channel of) the breath. Thus much as to the Arka.

8. Now as to the Uktha (song of praise). The 'uk,' doubtless, is Agni, and his 'tham' is oblations, for by oblations Agni rises (ut-thâ, i. e. blazes up).

9. And the 'uk,' doubtless, is the sun, and his 'tham' is the moon, for by the moon the sun rises. Thus much as to the deity.

10. Now as to the body. The 'uk,' doubtless, is the breath, and the 'tham' is food, for by food the breath rises (increases). Thus much as to the Uktha. That Agni-like, Arka-like, Uktha-like one is the same as the Purusha; and, verily, the enemy withers away of whosoever, knowing this, thus serves that Agni-like, Arka-like, Uktha-like Purusha.

11. The fire, indeed, is kindled by the breath, the wind by the fire, the sun by the wind, the moon by the sun, the stars by the moon, and the lightning by the stars¹⁵:--so great, indeed, is the kindling both in this and in yonder world; and, verily, whosoever knows this is enkindled to that full extent both in this and in yonder world.

Third Brâhmana

1. Let him meditate upon the 'true Brahman.' Now, man here, indeed, is possessed of understanding¹⁶, and according to how great his understanding is when he departs this world, so does he, on passing away, enter yonder world.

2. Let him meditate on the Self, which is made up of intelligence, and endowed with a body of spirit, with a form of light, and with an etherial nature, which changes its shape at will, is swift as thought, of true resolve, and true purpose, which consists of all sweet odours and tastes, which holds sway over all the regions and pervades this whole universe, which is speechless and indifferent¹⁷;even as a grain of rice, or a grain of barley, or a grain of millet, or the smallest granule of millet, so is this golden¹⁸ Purusha in the heart; even as a smokeless light, it is greater than the sky, greater than the ether, greater than the earth, greater than all existing things;--that self of the spirit (breath) is my self: on passing away from hence I shall obtain that self. Verily, whosoever has this trust¹⁹, for him there is no uncertainty. Thus spake Sândilya, and so it is²⁰.

Fourth Brâhmana

1. Verily, the dawn is the head of the sacrificial horse²¹, the sun its eye, the wind its breath, Agni Vaisvânara (the fire belonging to all men) its open mouth. The year is the body of the sacrificial horse, the sky its back, the air its belly, the earth the under part of its belly, the quarters its flanks, the intermediate quarters its ribs, the seasons its limbs, the months and half-months its joints, the days and nights its feet, the stars its bones, the welkin its flesh, the sand its intestinal food, the rivers its bowels, the mountains its liver and lungs, the herbs and trees its hair, the rising sun the forepart, and the setting sun the hindpart of its body, the lightning its yawning, the thundering its whinnying, the raining its voiding urine, and speech its voice. The day, indeed, was produced as the Mahiman²² (cup) before the horse, and its birthplace is in the eastern sea. The night was produced as the Mahiman (cup) behind (or after) it, and its birth-place was in the western sea: these two Mahiman (cups), indeed, came to be on both sides of the horse. As Haya (steed) it carried the gods, as Vagin (racer) the Gandharvas, as Aryan (courser) the Asuras, as Asva (horse) men. The sea, indeed, is its kindred, the sea its birth-place.

Fifth Brâhmana

1. Verily, there was nothing here in the beginning: by Death this (universe) was covered, by hunger, for Death is hunger. He created for himself this mind, thinking, 'May I have a soul.' He went on worshipping. Whilst he was worshipping the waters were produced. 'Verily, to me worshipping (ark) water (kam) has been produced,' thus (he thought): this, indeed, is the Arka-nature of the Arkya²³; and, verily, there is joy (kam) for him who thus knows the Arka-nature of the Arkya.

2. The Arka, doubtless, is the waters; and the cream (froth) which was on the waters was compacted, and became this earth. Thereon he wearied himself, and the glow and essence (sweat) of him thus wearied and heated developed into Fire.

3. He made himself threefold--(Agni being one-third), Âditya one-third, and Vâyu one-third: that is this threefold breath. The eastern quarter was his head, this and that (intermediate quarters) are his fore-feet, the western quarter his tail, this and that (intermediate quarters) his thighs, the southern and northern quarters his flanks; the sky his back, the air his belly, and this (earth) his chest:--on the waters he was established any and everywhere, and so indeed is he established who knows this.

4. He desired, 'May a second self be produced for me.' By his mind he entered into union with speech,--(to wit) Death with hunger: the seed which was produced became the year, for theretofore there was no year. For as long as the year he (Death) carried him (within him), and at the end of that time he produced him²⁴. He opened his mouth (to devour) the new-born one, and he (the child) cried 'bhân'; thus speech was produced.

5. He bethought him, 'Surely, if I kill him, I shall gain but little food²⁵.' By that speech and that soul of his he created all this (universe) whatsoever there is,--Rik (hymn-verses), Yagus (formulas), Sâman (hymn-tunes), metres, sacrifices, men, and beasts. And whatsoever he created he set about devouring; and because he eats (ad) everything, hence the name 'Aditi'; and, verily, he who thus knows the nature of Aditi becomes an eater of everything, and all food becomes his.

6. He desired, 'May I again sacrifice by yet another sacrifice.' He wearied himself and practised austerity. From him, thus wearied and heated, glory and vigour departed; and glory and vigour, indeed, are the vital airs. The vital airs having departed, that body of his began to swell. The mind was yet in the body;--

7. He desired, 'May this (body) of mine be sacrificially pure: may I thereby be possessed of a self!' Thereupon the horse (asva) was produced; and because that which was swelling²⁶ (asvat) became pure (medhya) therefore the name Asvamedha (belongs to that sacrifice). He, indeed, knows the Asvamedha who thus knows him²⁷.

8. He bethought him of leaving it unrestrained²⁸. At the end of a year he slaughtered it for his own self, and made over the (sacrificial) animals to the deities: therefore they slaughter the consecrated (victim) as one that, in its nature as Pragâpati, represents all the deities. But the Asvamedha, in truth, is he that shines yonder (the sun), and the year is his body. The Arka is this Fire, and these worlds are his bodies. These two are the Arka and Asvamedha; but these, indeed, become again one deity, to wit, Death. And, verily, whosoever knows this, conquers recurrent Death, and Death has no hold on him: Death is his own self; he attains all life, and becomes one of those deities.

9. Now the line of succession (of teachers). The same as far as Sâmgîvîputra. Sâmgîvîputra (received it) from Mândûkâyani, Mândûkâyani from Mândavya, Mândavya from Kautsa, Kautsa from Mâhitthi, Mâhitthi from Vâmakakshâyana, Vâmakakshâyana from Vâtsya, Vâtsya from Sândilya, Sândilya from Kusri, Kusri from Yagñavakas Râgastambâyana, Yagñavakas Râgastambâyana from Tura Kâvasheya, Tura Kâvasheya from Pragâpati, Pragâpati from Brahman (n.). Brahman is the self-existent: reverence be to Brahman!

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