1 Bhiloka. Comm. ? Should it not be aty enan manyate?

224 _- AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.

Fourta Kuayoa.

1. He who knows one sacrifice above another,
one day above another, one deity above the others,
he is clever. Now this great uktha (the nishke-
valya-sastra) is the sacrifice above another, the day
above another, the deity above others !.

2. This uktha is fivefold. With regard to its
being performed as a Stoma (chorus), it is Trivvtt,
Pafi#adasa, Saptadasa, Ekavimsa, and Pafikaviszesa.
With regard to its being performed as a Saman
(song), it is Gayatra, Rathantara, Brzhat, Bhadra,
and Ragana. With regard to metre, it is Gayatri,
Ushzih, Brzhati, Trish¢ubh, and Dvipada. And the
explanation (given before in the Arawyaka) is that it
is the head, the right wing, the left wing, the tail,
and the body of the bird”.

1 The uktha is to be conceived as pravza, breath or life, and this praza was shown to be above the other powers (devatds), speech, hearing, seeing, mind. The uktha belongs to the Maha- vrata day, and that is the most important day of the Soma sacrifice. ‘The Soma sacrifice, lastly, is above all other sacrifices.

? All these are technicalities connected with the singing and reciting of the uktha. The commentator says: The stoma is a collection of single z& verses occurring in the trzkas which have to be sung. The Trivrit stoma, as explained in the SAma- brahmama, is as follows: There are three Sfiktas, each consisting of three verses, the first being upasmai gdyata, S. V. Uttararkika I, 1, r=Rv.IX,11. The Udgatr? first sings the first three verses 4 in each hymn, This is the first round. He then sings the three middle verses in each hymn. This is the second round. He lastly sings the last three verses in each hymn. This is the third round. ‘This song is called Udyati.

The Pafikadasa stoma is formed out of one Sfkta only, con- sisting of three verses. In the first round he sings the first verse

a Hinkr? with dative is explained as gai with accusative.

Ii Aranyaka, 3 Adhyaya, 4 Khanda, 3. 225

3. He performs the Prast4va in five ways, he performs the Udgttha in five ways, he performs the

three times, the second and third once. In the second round he sings the middle verse three times, in the third round he sings the last verse three times. This song is called Vish/éuti.

The Saptadasa stoma is formed in the same manner, only that in the first round he sings the first verse three times, in the second the middle verse three times, in the third round the middle and last verses three times. This song is called Dasasapta.

The Ekavimsa stoma is formed in the same manner, only that in the first round he sings the last verse once, in the second the first verse once, in the third the middle verse once, while the other verses are each repeated three times. This song is called Saptasaptinf.

The Pafisavimsa stoma is formed in the same manner, only that in the first round he sings the first verse three times, the second four times, the last once; in the second round the first once, the second three times, the third four times$ in the third round the first five times, the second once, the last three times; or he sings in the third round the first verse four times, the second twice, the last three times.

Sayama in his commentary on the Ait. Ar. takes the Trivrit stoma to be formed out of three hymns, each consisting of three verses, while he says that the other stomas are formed out of one hymn only. B. and R., s. v. trivr#t, state that this stoma consists of verses I, 4, 7; 2, 5, 8; ard 3, 6, 9 of the Rig-veda hymn IX, 11, but, according to Sayama, the stoma consists (1) of the first verses of the three Sfiktas, upasmai g4yata, davidyutatya, and pavamanasya at the beginning of the Sama-veda-Uttararkika, (2) of the second, (3) of the third verses of the same three hymns. Mahidh4ra (Yv. X, 9) takes the same view, though the MSS. seem to have left out the description of the second parydya, while Saéyaza in his commentary to the Tasdya-brahmana seems to support the opinion of B.and R. There is an omission, however, in the printed text of the commentary, which makes it difficult to see the exact meaning of Sayama.

The Pafikadasa stoma is well described by Séyaza, Tamdya Br. II, 4. Taking the Sikta agna 4 yahi (Uttararfika I, 1, 4=Rv. VI, 16, 10-12), he shows the stoma to consist of (1) verse 1 x 3, 2, 3; (2) verse I, 2X 3.33; (3) verse I, 2, 2X3.

The five Samans are explained oy the commentator. The

226 AITAREYVA-ARANYAKA.

Pratih4ra in five ways, he performs the Upadrava in
five ways, he performs the Nidhana in five ways’.
All this together forms one thousand Stobhas, or
musical syllables *.

4. Thus also are the Azé verses, contained in the
Nishkevalya, recited (by the Hotvz) in five orders.
What precedes the eighty tvzéas, that is one order,
then follow the three sets of eighty tvzéas each, and
what comes after is the fifth order *.

Gayatra is formed out of the Rzk (III, 62, 10) tat savitur varenyam. The Rathantara is formed out of the Rzk (VII, 32, 22) abhi tva sfira nonuma. The Brzhat is formed out of the Rzk (VI, 46,.1) tvim id dhi havamake. The Bhadra~is formed out of the Ask (X, 157, 1) ima nu kam. The Ra4gana is formed out of the Rik (VII, 27, 1) indram naro nemadhita.

The metres require no explanation.

In identifying certain portions of the Nishkevalya hymn with a bird, the head of the bird corresponds to the hymns indram id gathinak, &c.; the right wing to the hymns abhi tva sfra, &c.; the left wing to the hymns tvam id dhi, &c.; the tail to the hymns im& nu kam, &c.; the body to the hymns tad id 4sa, &c. All this was explained in the first Aranyaka.

1 The Samagas sing the Ragana at the Mahdvrata, and in that Séman there are, as usual, five parts, the Prastéva, Udgitha, Pratihdra, Upadrava, and Nidhana. The Prastotrz, when singing the Prastava portions, sings them five times. The Udgatrz and Pratihartrz sing their portions, the Udgitha and Pratihara, ‘ive times, The Udgatrz again sings the Upadrava five times. And all the Udgatrzs together sing the Nidhana five times.

? The Stobha syllables are syllables without any meaning, added when verses have to be sung, in order to have a support for the music. See Ah. Up. I, 13. In singing the five Samans, each five times, one thousand of such Stobha syllables are required.

* There are in the Nishkevalya hymn, which the Hotr? has to recite, three sets of eighty trz#as each. The first, consisting of Giyatris, begins with mah4z indro ya ogasé. The second, consist- ing of Brzhatis, begins with m4 did anyad. The third, consisting of Ushzihs, begins with ya indra somapatama. These three sets form the food of the bird, as the emblem of the sastra. The hymns

11 Aranyaka, 3 Adhyaya, 5 Khanda, 5. 227

5. This (the hymns of this Sastra) as a-whole (if
properly counted with the Stobha syllables) comes to
one thousand (of Brzhati verses). That (thousand)
is the whole, and ten, ten is called the whole. For
number is such (measured by ten). Ten tens are a
hundred, ten hundreds are a thousand, and that is
the whole. These are the three metres (the tens,
pervading everything). And this food also (the
three sets of hymns being represented as food) is
threefold, eating, drinking, and chewing. He obtains
that food by those (three numbers, ten, hundred, and
thousand, or by the three sets of eighty tvz£as).

FirtH KHawpa,

1. This (nishkevalya-sastra) becomes perfect as a thousand of Brzhati verses.

2. Some teachers (belonging to a different Sakha)
recognise a thousand of different metres (not of Brz-
hatis only). They say: ‘Is another thousand (a
thousand of other verses) good? Let us say it is
good.’

3. Some say, a thousand of Trishéubh verses,
others a thousand of Gagati verses, others a thou-
sand of Anush/ubh verses.

4. This has been said by a Azshi (Rv. X, 124, 9) :—

5. ‘ Poets through their understanding discovered
Indra dancing an Anushéubh.’ This is meant to
say: They discovered (and meditated) in speech
(called Anushéubh)—at that time (when they wor-

which precede these, form the body, head, and wings of the bird. This is one order. Then follow the three sets of eighty trzkas each; and lastly, the fifth order, consisting of the hymns which form the belly and the legs of the bird.

228 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.
shipped the uktha)—the Praza (breath) connected
with Indra.

6. He (who takes the recited verses as Anush-
tubhs) is able to become celebrated and of good
report.

7. No! he says; rather is such a man liable to
die before his time. For that self (consisting of
Anushdéubhs) is incomplete. For if a man confines
himself to speech, not to breath, then driven by his
mind, he does not succeed with speech’.

8. Let him work towards the Brvzhati, for the - Brthati (breath) is the complete self. |

g. That self (givatman is surrounded on all sides
by members. And as that self is on all sides sur-
rounded by members, the Brzhati also is on all sides
surrounded by metres’.

10. For the self (in the heart) is the middle of
these members, and the Brvzhati is the middle of the
metres.

11. ‘ He is able to become celebrated and of good

1 This passage is obscure, and probably corrupt. I have followed the commentator as much as possible. He says: ‘If the Hotr7 priest proceeds with reciting the sastra, looking to the Anush/ubh, which is speech, and not to the thousand of Brzhatis which are breath, then, neglecting the Brzhati (breath), and driven by his mind to the Anush/ubh (speech), he does not by his speech obtain that sastra. For in speech without breath the Hotr7 cannot, through the mere wish of the mind, say the sastra, the activity of all the senses being dependent on breath.’ The com- mentator therefore takes vagabhi for vakam abhi, or for some old locative case formed by abhi. He also would seem to have read praze na. One might attempt another construction, though it is very doubtful. One might translate, ‘ For that self, which is speech, is incomplete, because he understands if driven to the mind by breath, not (if driven) by speech.’

* Either in the sastra, or in the list of metres, there being some that have more, others that have less syllables.

Ii Aranyaka, 3 Adhyaya, 6 Khanda, 7. 229

report, but (the other) able to die before his time,’
thus he said. For the Brzhati is the complete self,
therefore let him work towards the Brzhatt (let him
reckon the sastra recitation as a thousand Brzhatis).

SixTH KHANDA.

1. This (nishkevalya-sastra) becomes perfect as
a thousand of Bvzhati verses. In this thousand of
Brzhatis there are one thousand one hundred and
twenty-five Anushéubhs. For the smaller is con-
tained in the larger.

2. This has been said by a A’zshi (Rv. VIII, 76, 12) :—

3. ‘A speech of eight feet ;"—because there are eight feet of four syllables each in the Anush¢ubh.

4. ‘Of nine corners ;’—because the Bvzhatt be-
comes nine-cornered (having nine feet of four sylla-
bles each).

5. ‘ Touching the truth ;'"—because speech (Anu- shéubh) is truth, touched by the verse (Bvzhati)!.

6. ‘He(the Hotz) makes the body out of Indra;’—
for out of this thousand of Bvzhati verses turned
into Anush/¢ubhs, and therefore out of Prdza as
connected with Indra ?, and out of the Brzhatt (which
is Praza), he makes speech, that is Anush¢ubh, as a
body °.

7. This Mahaduktha is the highest development

1 Vak, speech, taking the form of Anush/ubh, and being joined with the zs, or the Brzhat?, touches the true, i.e. Praza, breath, which is to be meditated on under the form of the Brzhatf. Comm.

2 cf, Ait. Ar. Il, 2, eo 4s

3 Because the Anush/ubh is made out of the Brzhatf, the Brzhatt being breath, therefore the Anush/ubh is called its body.

230 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.

of speech, and it is fivefold, viz. measured, not mea- sured, music, true, and untrue.

8. A Rik verse, a gatha!, a kumbyA? are mea-
sured (metrical). A Yagus line, an invocation, and
general remarks *, these are not measured (they are
in prose). A Sdman, or any portion (parvan) of it, is
music. Om is true, Na is untrue.

g. What is true (Om) is the flower and fruit of
speech. He is able to become celebrated and of
good report, for he speaks the true (Om), the flower
and fruit of speech.

10. Now the untrue is the root‘ of speech, and as
a tree whose root is exposed dries up and perishes,
thus a man who says what is untrue exposes his
root, dries up and perishes. Therefore one should
not say what is untrue, but guard oneself from it.

11. That syllable Om (yes) goes forward (to the
first cause of the world) and is empty. Therefore if
a man says Om (yes) to everything, then that (which
he gives away) is wanting to him here®. If he says
Om (yes) to everything, then he would empty him-
self, and would not be capable of any enjoyments.