The Satapatha-Brahmana, Part IV — Books VIII, IX & X (SBE Vol. 43, trans. Julius Eggeling, 1897)

of thine which has entered into the cattle, and becomes diffused through the various forms of the gods, — endowed with (that) life (atmanvan) — for thou art laden with ghee — go to Agni, O Soma ! and obtain bliss (svar) for the Sacrificer!' Katy. II, 8, 14. At the new and full-moon sacrifice, this ceremony is not even alluded to in our Brahmawa, either in this or the Ka«va recension. See I, 3, 4, 16. The Kawva text reads, ' They may be anointed,' so they say, .fee.

^ ' He offers on a cross-road, for such is the halting-place (par/- hisa.) of the Agnis,' Taitt. Br. I, 6, 10, 3.

'^ ' The central leaflet of the palaj-a-leaf is the Brahman,' Ka;/va text. The leaf of the pala^a (Butea Frondosa) consists of three leaflets,— leathery, above shining and pretty smooth, and below slightly hoary ; the central (or terminal) one being obovate and considerably larger than the lateral ones (which, according to Roxburgh, Flora Ind., Ill, p. 244, are from 4 to 6 inches long, and from 3 to 4I broad). ' Pala^aj-akhayam yani triwi parwani tatra madhyamam par/mm pra^astaya srugrupam,' Say. on Taitt. S. I, 8, 6.

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9. He offers \ with the text (Va^. S. Ill, 57 a), ' This is thy share, O Rudra! graciously accept it together with thy sister Ambika ! Svaha ! ' Ambika ^, indeed, is the name of his (Rudra's) sister ; and this share belongs to him conjointly with her ; and because that share belongs to him conjointly with a woman (stri), therefore (these oblations) are called Tryambaka//. Thereby, then, he delivers from Rudra's power the descendants that have been born unto him.

10. Now as to that additional (cake), — he buries it in a mole-hill =*, with the text (Vaf. S. Ill, 57 b), ' This is thy share, O Rudra ! the mole is thy animal (victim).' He thus assigns to him the mole as the only animal ^, and he (Rudra) does not therefore injure any other animal. Then as to why he buries (the cake): concealed, indeed, are embryos, and concealed also is what is buried, — that is why he buries it. By this (offering) he delivers from the power of Rudra those descendants of his, that are not yet born.

^ He consecrates, by the usual fivefold lustration, some spot on a cross-way, to the north of the sacrificial ground, and after laying down the fire-brand taken from the Dakshi;mgni, he offers thereon, using the central leaflet of a pahifa-leaf as the offering-spoon.

^ In Taitt. Br. I, 6, 10, 4, this sister of Rudra is identified with the autumn, wherewith the god is wont to kill (viz. by means of catarrh, fever, &c.. Say.).

Dakshi;mgni, he offers thereon, using the central leaflet of a pahifa-leaf as the offering-spoon.

^ In Taitt. Br. I, 6, 10, 4, this sister of Rudra is identified with the autumn, wherewith the god is wont to kill (viz. by means of catarrh, fever, &c.. Say.). See also Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 183 ; Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. iv. p. 321.

^ ' Akhutkara;' ' akhukarisha,' Ka«va text. Possibly a mousehole, or the earth thrown up by a mouse, is meant. See p. 278, note 3. Cf. Taitt. Br. I, 6, 10, 2 ; ' N. N. is thy victim,' thus saying, let him indicate the one he (the Sacrificer) hates ; thereby he delivers over to him (Rudra) the one he hates. If he hate no one, let him say, ' the mole (mouse) is thy victim.'

* ' Thus he makes over to him only the mole as victim, and puts it into his mouth,' Kawva text.

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11. Thereupon they return (to the fire) and mutter (Va^.S. Ill, 58, 59), 'We have satisfied the claims of Rudra, satisfied the divine Tryambaka, that he may make us richer, that he may make us more prosperous, that he may render us steady in our purpose, — Thou (O Rudra) art a remedy for the cow, a remedy for the horse, a remedy for man ; a blessing for the ram and the ewe.' This is the prayer for blessing at this performance.

1 2. They then walk thrice round the altar not sunwise, beating their left thighs (with the right hand), w^ith the text (Va^. S. Ill, 60 a), 'We worship Tryambaka, the fragrant increaser of prosperity. Even as a gourd (is severed) from its stem, so may I be severed from death, not from immortality!' This is the prayer for blessing at this performance : thereby they invoke a blessing (upon the Sacrificer), for verily blessed is he who shall be severed from death, not from immortality. That is why he says, ' May I be severed from death, not from immortality.'

13. Let the maidens then also walk round, thinking, 'May we enjoy prosperity!' That sister of Rudra, named Ambika, indeed is the dispenser of happiness : hence the maidens also should walk round, thinking, 'May we enjoy prosperity!'

14. The text (prescribed) for them is (Va^. S. Ill, 60 b), ' We worship Tryambaka, the fragrant bestower of husbands.

Rudra, named Ambika, indeed is the dispenser of happiness : hence the maidens also should walk round, thinking, 'May we enjoy prosperity!'

14. The text (prescribed) for them is (Va^. S. Ill, 60 b), ' We worship Tryambaka, the fragrant bestower of husbands. Even as a gourd (is severed) from its stem, so may I be severed from this (world), not from thence (yonder world)!' By saying 'from this,' she means to say ' from my relatives ;' and by saying ' not from thence,' she means to say ' not from husbands.' Husbands, doubtless, are the support of woman : hence she says ' not from thence.'

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15. Then they (the Sacrificer and priests) again walk round thrice sunwise, beating their right thighs, with the same text. As to why they again walk round thrice sunwise, — they think, 'Sunwise this sacred work of ours shall be accomplished,' and therefore they again walk thrice round sunwise.

16. The Sacrificer now takes those (remains of the cakes) into his joined palms and throws them upwards higher than a cow can reach \ Thereby they cut out his (Rudra's) darts from their bodies. If they fail to catch them -, they touch (those that have fallen to the ground). Thereby they make them medicine, and hence, if they fail to catch them, they touch them.

17. Having then packed them into two net-work baskets and tied them to the two ends of either a bamboo staff or the beam of a balance, he steps

^ ' Yatha gaur nodapnuyat.' ' Yavad gaur nodapnuyat tavat,' Kawva text. Sayawa takes go to mean 'earth,' and interprets, 'in such a way that the earth does not obtain it (i. e. that they do not fall to the ground).' Katy. prescribes, V, 10, 18, The Sacrificer, with his joined open hands, throws the Rudra-cakes upwards as high as not to be reachable by a cow (ago/fprapawam); 19, He catches them ; 20, If they cannot be (caught), then touching (of those that have fallen on the ground).

"^ I adopt (not without reluctance) Sayawa's interpretation of vilipsanta^ (= labdhum ajakta/;), which seems to be that of Katyayana also. The St. Petersburg Diet, takes it in the sense of ' (if they are) desirous of distributing them.' Taitt. Br. I, 6, 10, 5 has merely ' utkiranti bhagasya lipsante,' 'they throw (them) up, (whereby) they desire to obtain prosperity.' Apastamba, as quoted by Say. on Taitt.