Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ed to drink it. And his enemies will indeed fare ill, for whomsoever, knowing this, they do so : let him, therefore, endeavour by all means to do so. 9. Now when it is first kindled, and there is as yet nothing but smoke, then indeed that (fire) is Rudra. And if any one (Kshatriya) desires to consume food (be- longing to others), — even as Rudra seeks after these creatures, now with distrust, now with violence, now in striking them down, — let him offer then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then (when the fire has just been lighted), obtains that food. 10. And when it burns rather brightly, then indeed that (fire) is Varu;/a. And if any one de- sires to consume food, — even as Varu;^a seeks after these creatures, now, as it were, seizing on them, now with violence, now in striking them down, — let him offer then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then, obtains that food. 11. And when it is in full blaze, and the smoke whirls upwards with the utmost speed, then indeed that (fire) is Indra. And if any one wishes to be like Indra in splendour and glory, let him offer then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then, obtains that food (object). II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, I 7. 34T 12. And when the flame of the waning (fire) gets lower and lower, and (burns) as it were sideways, then, indeed, that (fire) is Mitra. And if any one desires to consume food here through the kindness (maitra, of others), — as one of whom they say, ' Truly, this Brahman is everybody's friend, he harms not any one,' — let him offer (the Agnihotra) then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then (when the fire gets low), obtains that food. 13. And when the coals are glowing intensely, then, indeed, that (fire) is the Brahman. And if anybody wishes to become endowed with holy lustre (brahmavar/^asin), let him offer then: and, as- suredly, he who, knowing this, offers then, obtains that food (object). 14. Let him endeavour to adhere to some one of these (gods or fires) for a year, whether he (the house- holder) himself offer (the Agnihotra) or some one else off'er for him. If, on the other hand, he offers now in this way, now in another, it is just as if, in diesfinsf for water or some other food, one were to leave off in the midst of it. But if he offers uniformly, it is just as if, in digging for water or some other food, one lays it open forthwith. 15. Indeed, these offerings are, as it were, the spades for (the digging up of) food ; and, assuredly, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra, pro- cures food.
2ormly, it is just as if, in digging for water or some other food, one lays it open forthwith. 15. Indeed, these offerings are, as it were, the spades for (the digging up of) food ; and, assuredly, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra, pro- cures food. 16. Now the first libation (ptlrvahuti) represents the gods, and the second (uttarahuti) represents the men, and what remains in the ladle represents cattle. 17. Only a little he offers for the first libation, somewhat more for the second, and still more he leaves in the ladle. 342 .SATAPATHA-BRAHMAA^A. 1 8. The reason why he offers only a h'ttle for the first libation, is that the gods are fewer than men ; and why he offers somewhat more for the second libation, is that men are more numerous than the gods ; and why he leaves still more in the ladle, is that cattle are more numerous than men. And, verily, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra, his cattle will be more numerous than those (human beings) that have to be supported by him : for he, indeed, is in a prosperous condition whose cattle are more numerous than those (human beings) dependent on his support. Third BRAiiMAiVA. 1. Now when Pra^apati, in creating living beings, created Agni, the latter, as soon as born, sought to burn everything here : and so everybody tried to get out of his way^ The creatures then existing sought to crush him. Being unable to endure this, he went to man. 2. He said, ' I cannot endure this : come, let me enter into thee ! Having reproduced me, maintain me ; and as thou wilt reproduce and maintain me in this world, even so will I reproduce and maintain thee in yonder world!' He (man) replied, 'So be it.' And having reproduced him, he maintained him. 3. Now when he establishes the two fires, he reproduces that (Agni) ; and having reproduced him, he maintains him ; and as he reproduces and main- tains him in this world, even so does he (Agni) reproduce and maintain him in yonder world. 4. One must not, therefore, remove it (the sa- crificial fire from the hearth) prematurely, for too ^ Ity abilam asa, i. e. ' there was a (general rush) to a hole,' (or perhaps ' to the outlet.') II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 343 soon it languishes for him ; and as it languishes for him too soon in this world, even so does it languish for him too soon in yonder world : "one must not, therefore, remove it prematurely. 5. And when he dies, and they place him on the (funeral) fire, then he is reproduced from out of the fire; and he (Agni) who heretofore was his sonS now becomes his father. 6.
3him too soon in yonder world : "one must not, therefore, remove it prematurely. 5. And when he dies, and they place him on the (funeral) fire, then he is reproduced from out of the fire; and he (Agni) who heretofore was his sonS now becomes his father. 6. Hence it has been said by the Rishis (Rig- veda I, 89, 9), * A hundred autumns (may there be) before us, O gods, during which ye complete the life-time of our bodies, during which sons become fathers! do not cut us off, midway, from reaching the full term of life!' for he (Agni) who is the son, now in his turn becomes the father: this, then, is why one must establish the fires. 7. Now yonder burning (sun) doubtless is no other than Death ; and because he is Death, there- fore the creatures that are on this side of him die. But those that are on the other side of him are the gods, and they are therefore immortal. It is by the rays (or reins, thongs, ra^mi) of that (sun) that all these creatures are attached to the vital airs (breaths or life), and therefore the rays extend down to the vital airs. 8. And the breath of whomsoever he (the sun) wishes he takes and rises, and that one dies. And whosoever goes to yonder world not having escaped that Death, him he causes to die again and again in yonder world, even as, in this world, one regards not him that is fettered, but puts him to death whenever one wishes. 1 Viz. inasmuch as the householder, by the Adhana, produces, generates Agni. 344 .SAtAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA. 9. Now when, in the evening after sunset, he offers two libations, then he firmly plants himself on that Death with those fore-feet of his; and when, in the morning before sunrise, he offers two libations, then he plants himself on that Death with those hind-feet of his. And when he (the sun) rises, then, in rising, he takes him up and thus he (the sacrificer) escapes that Death. This, then, is the release from death in the Agnihotra : and, verily, he who knows that release from death in the Agni- hotra, is freed from death again and again. 10. What the arrow-head is to the arrow, that the Agnihotra is to sacrifices. For whither the head of the arrow f^ies, thither the whole arrow flies : and so are all his works of sacrifice freed by this (Agnihotra) from that Death. 11. Now day and night, revolving, destroy (the fruit of) man's righteousness in yonder world. But day and night are on this side (of the sun) from him (after he has gone up to heaven) ; and so day and night do not destroy (the fruit of) his righteousness. 12.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ed to drink it. And his enemies will indeed fare ill, for whomsoever, knowing this, they do so : let him, therefore, endeavour by all means to do so. 9. Now when it is first kindled, and there is as yet nothing but smoke, then indeed that (fire) is Rudra. And if any one (Kshatriya) desires to consume food (be- longing to others), — even as Rudra seeks after these creatures, now with distrust, now with violence, now in striking them down, — let him offer then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then (when the fire has just been lighted), obtains that food. 10. And when it burns rather brightly, then indeed that (fire) is Varu;/a. And if any one de- sires to consume food, — even as Varu;^a seeks after these creatures, now, as it were, seizing on them, now with violence, now in striking them down, — let him offer then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then, obtains that food. 11. And when it is in full blaze, and the smoke whirls upwards with the utmost speed, then indeed that (fire) is Indra. And if any one wishes to be like Indra in splendour and glory, let him offer then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then, obtains that food (object). II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, I 7. 34T 12. And when the flame of the waning (fire) gets lower and lower, and (burns) as it were sideways, then, indeed, that (fire) is Mitra. And if any one desires to consume food here through the kindness (maitra, of others), — as one of whom they say, ' Truly, this Brahman is everybody's friend, he harms not any one,' — let him offer (the Agnihotra) then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers then (when the fire gets low), obtains that food. 13. And when the coals are glowing intensely, then, indeed, that (fire) is the Brahman. And if anybody wishes to become endowed with holy lustre (brahmavar/^asin), let him offer then: and, as- suredly, he who, knowing this, offers then, obtains that food (object). 14. Let him endeavour to adhere to some one of these (gods or fires) for a year, whether he (the house- holder) himself offer (the Agnihotra) or some one else off'er for him. If, on the other hand, he offers now in this way, now in another, it is just as if, in diesfinsf for water or some other food, one were to leave off in the midst of it. But if he offers uniformly, it is just as if, in digging for water or some other food, one lays it open forthwith. 15. Indeed, these offerings are, as it were, the spades for (the digging up of) food ; and, assuredly, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra, pro- cures food.
2ormly, it is just as if, in digging for water or some other food, one lays it open forthwith. 15. Indeed, these offerings are, as it were, the spades for (the digging up of) food ; and, assuredly, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra, pro- cures food. 16. Now the first libation (ptlrvahuti) represents the gods, and the second (uttarahuti) represents the men, and what remains in the ladle represents cattle. 17. Only a little he offers for the first libation, somewhat more for the second, and still more he leaves in the ladle. 342 .SATAPATHA-BRAHMAA^A. 1 8. The reason why he offers only a h'ttle for the first libation, is that the gods are fewer than men ; and why he offers somewhat more for the second libation, is that men are more numerous than the gods ; and why he leaves still more in the ladle, is that cattle are more numerous than men. And, verily, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra, his cattle will be more numerous than those (human beings) that have to be supported by him : for he, indeed, is in a prosperous condition whose cattle are more numerous than those (human beings) dependent on his support. Third BRAiiMAiVA. 1. Now when Pra^apati, in creating living beings, created Agni, the latter, as soon as born, sought to burn everything here : and so everybody tried to get out of his way^ The creatures then existing sought to crush him. Being unable to endure this, he went to man. 2. He said, ' I cannot endure this : come, let me enter into thee ! Having reproduced me, maintain me ; and as thou wilt reproduce and maintain me in this world, even so will I reproduce and maintain thee in yonder world!' He (man) replied, 'So be it.' And having reproduced him, he maintained him. 3. Now when he establishes the two fires, he reproduces that (Agni) ; and having reproduced him, he maintains him ; and as he reproduces and main- tains him in this world, even so does he (Agni) reproduce and maintain him in yonder world. 4. One must not, therefore, remove it (the sa- crificial fire from the hearth) prematurely, for too ^ Ity abilam asa, i. e. ' there was a (general rush) to a hole,' (or perhaps ' to the outlet.') II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 343 soon it languishes for him ; and as it languishes for him too soon in this world, even so does it languish for him too soon in yonder world : "one must not, therefore, remove it prematurely. 5. And when he dies, and they place him on the (funeral) fire, then he is reproduced from out of the fire; and he (Agni) who heretofore was his sonS now becomes his father. 6.
3him too soon in yonder world : "one must not, therefore, remove it prematurely. 5. And when he dies, and they place him on the (funeral) fire, then he is reproduced from out of the fire; and he (Agni) who heretofore was his sonS now becomes his father. 6. Hence it has been said by the Rishis (Rig- veda I, 89, 9), * A hundred autumns (may there be) before us, O gods, during which ye complete the life-time of our bodies, during which sons become fathers! do not cut us off, midway, from reaching the full term of life!' for he (Agni) who is the son, now in his turn becomes the father: this, then, is why one must establish the fires. 7. Now yonder burning (sun) doubtless is no other than Death ; and because he is Death, there- fore the creatures that are on this side of him die. But those that are on the other side of him are the gods, and they are therefore immortal. It is by the rays (or reins, thongs, ra^mi) of that (sun) that all these creatures are attached to the vital airs (breaths or life), and therefore the rays extend down to the vital airs. 8. And the breath of whomsoever he (the sun) wishes he takes and rises, and that one dies. And whosoever goes to yonder world not having escaped that Death, him he causes to die again and again in yonder world, even as, in this world, one regards not him that is fettered, but puts him to death whenever one wishes. 1 Viz. inasmuch as the householder, by the Adhana, produces, generates Agni. 344 .SAtAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA. 9. Now when, in the evening after sunset, he offers two libations, then he firmly plants himself on that Death with those fore-feet of his; and when, in the morning before sunrise, he offers two libations, then he plants himself on that Death with those hind-feet of his. And when he (the sun) rises, then, in rising, he takes him up and thus he (the sacrificer) escapes that Death. This, then, is the release from death in the Agnihotra : and, verily, he who knows that release from death in the Agni- hotra, is freed from death again and again. 10. What the arrow-head is to the arrow, that the Agnihotra is to sacrifices. For whither the head of the arrow f^ies, thither the whole arrow flies : and so are all his works of sacrifice freed by this (Agnihotra) from that Death. 11. Now day and night, revolving, destroy (the fruit of) man's righteousness in yonder world. But day and night are on this side (of the sun) from him (after he has gone up to heaven) ; and so day and night do not destroy (the fruit of) his righteousness. 12.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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