Philosophy and Religion / Satapatha Brahmana

The Satapatha Brahmana: Twelfth Kânda, Ninth Adhyâya

First Brâhmana

1. Verily, from this sacrifice the man¹ is born and whatever food a man consumes in this world, that (food), in return, consumes him in yonder world. Now this sacrifice is performed by means of spirituous liquor, and spirituous liquor (parisrut) is not to be consumed by a Brâhmana: he thus is born from that which is not (to be) consumed, and the food does not, in return, consume him in yonder world. Therefore this (sacrifice), the Sautrâmanî, is a Brâhmana's sacrifice².

2. The malted rice is the same as his (the man's) hair, the malted barley his skin, the fried rice his flesh, the filtering-cloth his bones, the mash his marrow, the raw liquor (parisrut) his life-sap (serum), the seasoning (and fermentative substances) his blood, the milk his seed, the mature liquor (surâ) his urine, and the impure matter the contents of the stomach.

3. Indra's cake is his heart, that of Savitri his liver, that of Varuna his lung, the asvattha and udumbara vessels his kidneys, the nyagrodha one his bile, the pan (sthâlî) his intestines³, the supernumerary (vessels) his bowels⁴, the two eagle feathers⁵ the milt, the throne-seat his navel, the pot his rectum, the (pan) perforated with a hundred holes, the male organ,--and inasmuch as that (pan) is much perforated, therefore that organ is much divided,--the bowl (sata) is his mouth, the strainer his tongue, the dish (kapya) his anus, the tail (whisk) his bladder,

4. And the sacrificial animal of the Asvins is his limbs, that of Sarasvatî his trunk, Indra's bull his form,--whence they say that man's form (wealth) is kine,--the gold (plate) is his vital strength; it is of the weight of a hundred (grains), whence mark has a life of a hundred (years).

5. The two cups of the Asvins are his eyes, and the ground wheat and kuvala (jujubes) his eyelashes; the two cups of Sarasvatî are his nostrils, and the ground Indra-grain and badara (jujubes) the hair in his nostrils; the two cups of Indra are his ears, and the ground barley and karkandhu (jujubes) the hair of his ears and his eyebrows.

6. And the hairs of wolf are the hair on his abdomen and that below; and the hairs of tiger are the hair on his chest and that of his armpits; and the hairs of lion are the hair of his head and his beard.

7. There are three sacrificial animals, for this body of man consists of three parts: it is the body he thereby wins (in heaven) for him;--what is below the navel (he wins) by that of the Asvins, what is above the navel and below the head by that of Sarasvatî, and the head itself by that of Indra: both as to its (bodily) form and as to its deities he thus delivers his own self from death, and makes it immortal.

8. There are three sacrificial cakes, for this life of man consists of three parts: it is life he thereby wins for him;--the early life (he wins) by that of Indra, the middle (part of) life by that of Savitri, and the last (part of) life by that of Varuna: both as to its (bodily) form and as to its deities he thus delivers his life from death, and makes it immortal.

9. There are six cups (of milk and liquor), for there are these six (channels of) vital airs in the head: it is the vital airs he thereby wins for him;--his eyes (he wins) by the two (cups) of the Asvins, his nostrils by those of Sarasvatî, and his ears by those of Indra: both as to its (bodily) form and as to its deities he thus delivers his own self from death, and makes it immortal.

10. The invitatory and offering-formulas are made continuous⁶, and relate to the same deities--for the continuity and uninterruptedness of the vital airs. They are all of them invitatory formulas and all offering-formulas, whence all the vital airs pass onwards and all of them backwards. All (the formulas) are first, all of them intermediate, and all of them last, whence all the vital airs are first, all of them intermediate, and all of them last. All the cups have two (formulas, an) invitatory and (an) offering-formula,--this is of the form of the in (and out)-breathing and the up-breathing: it is the in-breathing and the up-breathing he thus secures for himself, and therefore all the vital airs are established on the in-breathing and the up-breathing.

11. Verily the Sautrâmanî is this body (of man): the Sacrificer is the mind, (that is) speech manifestly; the vedi (altar-ground) is the trunk, the uttara-vedi (high-altar) offspring, the barhis (grass-covering) cattle, the officiating priests the limbs, the fuel the hones, the ghee the marrow, the fire the mouth, the oblation is food, and the concluding rite is life, whence he who has performed the Sautrâmanî attains life.

12. And, verily, these two men that seem to be in the eyes, they belong to the Asvins, and the black (in the eye) belongs to Sarasvatî, and the white to Indra; and in that, when the victim of the Asvins is being (offered), he makes offering to these deities in common, thereby he puts those (parts of the body) together and takes them to himself.

13. Indra, assuredly, is the mind, Sarasvatî speech, and the two Asvins are the ears. Now, whatever one thinks in his mind of that he speaks with his speech, and what he speaks with his speech that one hears with one's ears: thus, in that, when the victim of Sarasvatî is being (offered), he makes offering to these deities together, thereby he puts these (parts of the body) together and takes them to himself.

14. Indra, assuredly, is the breath, Sarasvatî the tongue, and the two Asvins the nostrils; and inasmuch as through (the channel of) the breath (prâna) one introduces (prâ-nî) food into himself that is the reason of its being (called) 'prâna.' By means of the tongue one distinguishes the essence (taste) of food, and the nostrils, indeed, are the path of the breath; and in that, when the victim of Indra. is being (offered), he makes offering to these deities in common, thereby he puts those (parts of the body) together and takes them to himself.

15. Indra, assuredly, is the heart, Savitri the liver, and Varuna the lung; and in that, when Indra's cake is being (offered), he makes offering to these deities in common, thereby he puts those (parts of the body) together and takes them to himself.

16. Savitri, assuredly, is the breath, Varuna the through-breathing, and Indra the generative organ; and whatever food one eats by means of (the channel of) the breath through that he breathes with his through-breathing, and by means of the generative organ he sheds the essence of food as seed; and in that, when Savitri's cake is being (offered), he makes offering to these deities in common, thereby he puts those (parts of the body) together and takes them to himself.

17. Varuna, assuredly, is the womb, Indra the seed, and Savitri the generator of the seed; and in that, when Varuna's cake is being (offered), he makes offering to these deities in common, thereby he puts those (parts of the body) together and takes them to himself. And whosoever thus knows this comes into being along with these deities, and is born again (so as to be) along with these deities; he increases in offspring and cattle; he becomes firmly established in this world, and wins the heavenly world, whosoever, knowing this, performs the Sautrâmanî, or whosoever thus knows this.

Second Brâhmana

1. Having performed the sacrifice they betake themselves to the purificatory bath; for after a Soma-sacrifice they do betake themselves to the purificatory bath, and the Sautrâmanî is the same as the Soma (sacrifice).

2. [He plunges the mash-pot into the water, with Vâg. S. XX, 14-18⁷,] 'Whatever contumely against the gods, O divine gods, we have committed, from that sin may Agni deliver me; may he deliver me from all trouble!'--he thereby delivers him from the sin committed against the gods.--'Whether by day, whether by night we have committed sins, from that sin may Vâyu deliver me; may he deliver me from all trouble!'--he thereby delivers him from whatever sin he commits by day and night.---'Whether waking, whether in sleep we have committed sins, from that sin may Sûrya deliver me; may he deliver me from all trouble!'--what is awake is men, and what is asleep is the Fathers: he thus delivers him from guilt against men and Fathers.

3. 'Whatever sin we have committed in the village, in the forest'--for either in the village or in the forest sin is committed: therefrom he delivers him;--'whatever in the assembly'--from the sin of the assembly he thereby delivers him;--'whatever in our organs of sense'--from the sin against the gods he thereby delivers him;--'whatever against the Sûdra or the Arya, whatever against the right of any one, thereof thou art the expiation,'--from all that sin he thereby delivers him.

4. 'That we swear by the Inviolable Waters⁸, by Varuna, therefrom deliver us, O Varuna!'--he thereby delivers him from sin against Varuna.[He then immerses the pot, with Vâg. S. XII, 18; 19,] 'O laving bath, laving thou glidest along,'--the bath, indeed, is that whirlpool (now produced) in the water, and that indeed is either Varuna's son or brother: it is him he thereby praises;--'with the help of the gods have I expiated⁹ the sin committed against gods,'--he thereby expiates the sin committed against gods;--'with the help of mortals that committed against mortals,'--he thereby expiates the sin committed against mortals;--'preserve me, O God, from injury from the fiercely-howling (demon)!' whereby he means to say, 'Protect me against all inflictions!'

5. 'In the ocean, in the waters, is thy heart,'--for the ocean is the waters, and water is sap: with that sap he thus supplies him;--'may the plants and waters unite with thee!'--he thereby supplies him with both kinds of sap, that which is in plants, and that which is in water--He goes two steps northward from out (of the water); for as much as the step is the briskness in man: with what briskness there is in him he thus leaves evil behind him.

6. With, 'May the waters and plants be friendly unto us!' he takes water in his joined hands; for water is a thunderbolt: he thus makes a covenant with the thunderbolt;--and with, 'May they he unfriendly unto him who hateth us, and whom we hate!' let him sprinkle it in whatever direction he who is hateful to him may be, and he thereby discomfits him.

7. With (Vâg. S. XX, 20), 'As one set free (is liberated) from the stake, as he who sweateth (is cleansed) from filth by bathing, as the ghee is purified by the strainer, so may the waters cleanse me from sin!' he causes his garment to float away: even as one would pluck out a reed from its sheath, so he plucks him from out all evil. He bathes, and (thereby) drives the darkness (of sin) from himself.

8. [He comes out¹⁰, with Vâg. S. XX, 21,] 'From out of the gloom have we risen,'--gloom is evil: it is gloom, evil, he thus keeps away;--'beholding the higher light¹¹,'--this (terrestrial) world is higher than the water: it is on this world he thus establishes himself;--'God Sûrya, with the gods, the highest light,'--Sûrya, the highest light (gyotis), is the heavenly world: it is in the heavenly world he thus finally establishes himself. He walks along without looking back, and approaches the Âhavanîya,--

9. With (Vâg. S. XX, 22), 'Along the waters have I gone this day,'--the essence of the waters he thereby secures for himself;---'with their essence have we united,'--the essence of the waters he thus takes to himself;--'rich in sap, O Agni, have I come: do thou unite (supply) me with splendour, with offspring, and with wealth!' he thereby invokes a blessing.

10. With (Vâg. S. XX, 23), 'A kindler thou art: may we prosper¹²!' he takes a kindling-stick, for a kindler of Agni (the fire) the kindling-stick indeed is. With, 'Enkindling thou art, fire thou art: lay thou fire into me!' he puts the kindling-stick on the Âhavanîya: he thereby kindles the fire, and, thus kindled, it kindles him with fire (energy)¹³.

11. Being about to offer a pap to Aditi¹⁴, he prepares it: Aditi being this (earth), he who offers Aditi's (pap) performs the sacrifice on this (earth), and by offering firmly establishes himself thereon. The sacrificial fee is a milch cow (with calf): the milch cow being this (earth), he milks out from the latter all his desires. The calf he gives away at the former (pap-offering to Aditi¹⁵), and the mother-cow at the latter; for when a calf sucks the mother-cow, the latter gives milk when she is given away, and from her, when given away, he thus milks all his desires.

12. As to this they say, 'Surely, he who goes down to the water for the purificatory bath falls away from this world!' Well, when he has come out from the bath, he offers a dish of curds to Mitra and Varuna; now Mitra is this (terrestrial) world, Varuna yonder world, and the dish of curds is what there is here between (those two): thus, when he offers the dish of curds to Mitra and Varuna, he establishes himself in these worlds. And Mitra, indeed, is the in-breathing, Varuna the off-breathing, and the dish of curds the food: thus when he offers the dish of curds to Mitra and Varuna, he finally establishes himself in the vital air, in food.

Third Brâhmana

1. Now, Dushtarîtu Paumsâyana had been expelled from the kingdom which had come down to him through ten generations; and the Sriñgayas also expelled Revottaras Pâtava Kâkra Sthapati.

2. He said to Dushtarîtu Paumsâyana, 'I will perform the Sautrâmanî for thee, and will comer upon thee that dominion over the Sriñgayas.'--'So be it!' he replied. So he performed it for him.

3. Now Balhika Prâtipîya, the Kauravya king, heard (people say) this--'There is that Dushtarîtu Paumsâyana who has been expelled from the kingdom which has come down to him through ten generations: for him that Kâkra Sthapati wants to perform the Sautrâmanî and to confer upon him the dominion over the Sriñgayas.'

4. He said, 'I will just tell him that if he wants to confer dominion upon him, he will indeed exclude him from dominion.' He came to him at that particular time (of the sacrifice) when the cups (of milk and liquor) are drawn.

5. He said, 'Sthapati Kâkra, they say, Surâ-liquor must not be offered in the Âhavanîya-fire, nor anywhere else than in the Âhavanîya: if thou offerest Surâ-liquor in the Âhavanîya thou wilt cause social confusion and a repetition in the sacrifice¹⁶, and if anywhere else than in the Âhavanîya thou wilt exclude him (the king) from dominion, and wilt neither place him in dominion, nor confer dominion upon him.'

6. He replied, 'I shall not offer Surâ-liquor in the Âhavanîya nor anywhere else than in the Âhavanîya thus I shall not cause social confusion nor a repetition in the sacrifice, and shall not exclude him from dominion; I shall place him in dominion, and shall confer dominion upon him.'

7. He said, 'How, then, wilt thou do it?' He then told him this:--At first, indeed, that Yagña (sacrifice, m.), the Sautrâmanî, was with the Asuras. He went forth towards the gods. He came to the waters, and the waters welcomed him, whence people welcome a better man when he comes to them. They said to him, 'We pray thee, come, reverend sir!'

8. He said, 'Nay, I am afraid: lead ye me forward!'--'Whereof art thou afraid, reverend sir?' they asked.--'Of the Asuras,' he said.--'Be it, then!' they said. The waters led him forward, whence he who is the protector leads forward him who is afraid; and inasmuch as the waters led him forward (pra-nî) therefore the waters (themselves) are 'led forward:' this is the reason why they are (called) Pranîtâh¹⁷; and, verily, firmly established is he who thus knows that nature of the Pranîtâh.

9. Now, the fore-offerings had been performed, but the fire had not been carried round¹⁸ (the oblations), when the Asuras came after him. By means of the circumambient fire the gods shut out their hostile rivals, the Asuras, from Yagña (the sacrifice); and in like manner does this one now, by means of the circumambient fire, shut out his spiteful enemy from the sacrifice.

10. Verily, that Âhavanîya is the womb (seat) of the gods, and those two fires¹⁹ on either side thereof are its immortal wings: thus, when they perform the sacrifice on the Âhavanîya, they indeed perform the sacrifice for the gods in the womb of the gods; and, verily, the continued sacrifice inclines to him, and the sacrifice is not cut off from him who thus knows this, or for whom, knowing this, this sacrificial rite is performed.

11. On the northern fire they offer (libations from) the cups of milk, on the northern fire they cook the sacrificial animals: the sacrificial animals, whilst being mortal, he thus places in the immortal womb, and them that are mortal he causes to be born (again) from out of the immortal womb; and, verily, whosoever thus knows this, or he for whom, knowing this, this sacrificial rite is performed, wards off the recurring death of his cattle, and the sacrifice is not cut off from him.

12. On the southern fire they offer (libations from) the cups of Surâ-liquor, near the southern fire they purify (the liquor) with triple strainers: the Fathers, whilst being mortal, he thus places in the immortal womb, and them that are mortal he causes to be born (again) from out of the immortal womb; and, verily, whosoever thus knows this, or he for whom, knowing this, this sacrificial rite is performed, wards off the recurring death of the Fathers, and the sacrifice is not cut off from him.

13. Now, inasmuch as these two fires are taken from the Âhavanîya, they are Âhavanîyas (offering-fires), and inasmuch as they do not again reach the Âhavanîya, they are not Âhavanîyas: he thereby obtains both kinds of oblations, that -which is (offered) on the Âhavanîya, and that which is (offered) on what is not an Âhavanîya--both what is offered and what is not offered.

He (Balhika Prâtipîya) then went home, and said, 'It is not so (as we had thought): that kingdom of the Sriñgayas now belongs to Dushtarîtu;--in. such and such a manner has that Kâkra Sthapati this day performed at the sacrifice.'

14. On the northern fire they thus perform the rites of the sacrificial animals, the (animal) cakes, and the cups of milk, and what other (rite) there is: it is the gods, in the world of the gods, he thereby gratifies, and, thus gratified, they gratify him, and he wins the world of the gods.

15. In the southern fire they offer (libations from) the cups of Surâ-liquor, near the southern fire they purify (the liquor) with triple strainers: it is the Fathers, in the world of the Fathers, he thereby gratifies, and, thus gratified, they gratify him, and he wins the world of the Fathers.

16. Verily, the Sautrâmanî is the same as the body, whence it is (clearly) defined, for defined is the body. And (Indra) Vayodhas (the bestower of strength), is the world, whence he is undefined²⁰, for undefined is the world. The Sautrâmanî is the body (trunk), and the Aindra (victim) and (the one to) Vayodhas²¹ are the two arms; and inasmuch as there are those two animal offerings on both sides (of the Sautrâmanî), therefore these two arms are on both sides of the body. And as the sacrificial animal, so the sacrificial stake; and inasmuch as there are those two stakes on both sides of the stake of the Sautrâmanî (bull of Indra), therefore these two arms are on both sides of the body²².

Footnotes

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