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The Satapatha Brahmana: Thirteenth Kânda, Seventh Adhyâya
First Brâhmana
The Sarvamedha, or all-sacrifice.
1. Brahman Svayambhu (the self-existent, n.) was performing austerities1. He said this much,-- 'Verily, there is no perpetuity in austerities; well, then, I will offer up mine own self in the creatures, and the creatures in mine own self.' And, accordingly, by offering up his own self in the creatures, and the creatures in his own self, he compassed the supremacy, the sovereignty, and the lordship over all creatures; and in like manner does the Sacrificer, by thus offering all sacrificial essences2 in the Sarvamedha, compass all beings, and supremacy, sovereignty, and lordship.
2. Now this Sarvamedha is a ten-days’ (Soma-) sacrifice, for the sake of his gaining and winning every kind of food, for the Virâg consists of ten syllables, and the Virâg is all food. At this (sacrifice) he builds the greatest possible fire-altar, for this--to wit, the Sarvamedha--is supreme amongst all sacrificial performances: by means of the supreme (sacrifice) he thus causes him (the Sacrificer) to attain supremacy.
3. The first day thereof is an Agnishtut Agnishtoma3, for the sake of his gaining and winning all the gods, for the Agnishtut Agnishtoma is Agni; and all the gods have Agni (the sacrificial fire) for their mouth, The cups of Soma thereat pertain to Agni, and so do the Puroruk4 formulas pertain to Agni, in order that everything should pertain to Agni.
4. The second day is an Indrastut Ukthya, for the sake of his gaining and winning all the gods, for Indra is all the gods. The cups of Soma thereat pertain to Indra, and so do the Puroruk formulas pertain to Indra, in order that everything should pertain to Indra.
5. The third day is a Sûryastut, Ukthya, for the sake of his gaining and winning all the gods, for Sûrya is all the gods. The cups of Soma pertain to Sûrya, and so do the Puroruk formulas pertain to Sûrya, in order that everything should pertain to Sûrya.
6. The fourth day is a Vaisvadeva, for the sake of his gaining and winning all the gods, for the All-gods (Visve Devâh) are all the gods. The cups of Soma pertain to the All-gods, and so do the Puroruk formulas pertain to the All-gods, in order that everything should pertain to the All-gods.
7. The fifth day is a central Âsvamedhika5 one: at this (sacrifice) he seizes a horse meet for sacrifice, for the sake of his gaining the sacrificial essence of the horse.
8. The sixth day is a central Paurushamedhika6 one: at this (sacrifice) he seizes men meet for sacrifice, for the sake of his gaining the sacrificial essence of man.
9. The seventh day is an Aptoryâma, for the sake of his gaining all kinds of Soma-sacrifices: at this (sacrifice) he seizes all kinds of (victims) meet for sacrifice, both what is animate and what is inanimate. Of those with omenta he offers the omenta, and of those without omenta they throw down pieces cut out of the skin7, and of herbs and trees they do so after cutting them up,--every kind of food of both the dry and the fresh he offers, in order to gain every kind of food. Everything he offers; and, to every one he offers in order to gain and to win everything. The omenta having been offered at the morning-service, and in the same way the oblations at the evening-service,--
10. The eighth day is a Trinava one8, for the Trinava (stoma) is the thunderbolt, and by means of the thunderbolt, indeed, lordship (kshatra) is gained: by means of the thunderbolt he thus gains lordship.
11. The ninth day is a Trayastrimsa one9, for the sake of his gaining a foothold, for the Trayastrimsa (stoma) is a foothold.
12. The tenth day is a Visvagit Atirâtra with all the Prishthas10, for the sake of his gaining and winning everything, for the Visvagit Atirâtra with all the Prishthas is everything, and the Sarvamedha is everything.
13. Now as to the sacrificial fees: whatever there is towards the middle of the kingdom other than the property of the Brâhmana, but including land and men, of that the eastern quarter belongs to the Hotri, the southern to the Brahman, the western to the Adhvaryu, and the northern to the Udgâtri; and the Hotrikas share this along with them.
14. Visvakarman Bhauvana once performed this sacrifice, and having performed it he overpassed all beings, and became everything here; and verily he who, knowing this, performs the Sarvamedha, or who even knows this, overpasses all beings, and becomes everything here.
15. It was Kasyapa who officiated in his sacrifice, and it was concerning this that the Earth11 also sang the stanza;--'No mortal must give me away; thou wast foolish, Visvakarman Bhauvana: she (the earth) will sink into the midst of the water; vain is this thy promise unto Kasyapa.'
Footnotes
1. Cf. J. Muir, Orig. Sanskrit Texts, vol. v, p. 372.
2. Or, all kinds of victims (medha).
3. That is, a one-day's Soma-sacrifice (ekâha) of the Agnishtoma order, arranged so as specially to promote the praise of Agni, In the same way the next three ekâhas are intended to honour special deities.
4. That is, the formulas preceding the 'upayâma' ('Thou art taken with a support, &c.,' cf. part ii, p. 259, note s) or formula with which the cup of Soma is drawn.
5. That is, an Ukthya sacrifice, cf. p. 259, note 2; XIII, 5, 1, 5 seqq.
6. That is, an Atirâtra, cf. XIII, 6, 1, 9.
7. Lit., 'after cutting (pieces) out of the skin they throw down.'
8. That is, one on which the Trinava (thrice-nine-versed) Stoma is used in chanting.
9. That is, one on which the thirty-three-versed hymn-form is used.
10. For a Soma-sacrifice with all the Prishtha-sâmans, see part iii, introd. p. xx seqq. On the two kinds of Visvagit ekâhas, the Agnishtoma and the Atirâtra Visvagit, see part iv, p. 320, note 2.
11. Or, the ground, which Visvakarman Bhauvana gave away as sacrificial fee. On this legend cp. Ait. Br. VIII, 21; J. Muir, Orig. Sanskrit Texts, vol. i, p. 456; vol. iv, p. 369.
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