of the universe, and the parallelism between Yak and Xo'yo?, see Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 473 seq. ; Muir, Or. S. T. V, p. 391. Thus Yank. Br. XX, 14, 2, 'Pra^apati alone existed here. He had Vak indeed as his own, as a second to him/
1 Muir takes this differently, — Further, (as) the Veda was first created from that Male, therefore it was created his mouth. This translation, however, takes no account of the particle ' hi.'
2 For the construction, see above, paragraph 2, with note.
3 Literally, which had flowed together. It is explained as the embryonic liquid in the amnion, or innermost membrane envelop- ing the foetus.
VI KANDA, I ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 1 5. 1 47
mystic. And that which, as it were, cried1 (ras),
became the ass (rasabha). And the juice which
was adhering to the shell (of the egg) became the
he-goat (a^a2). And that which was the shell
became the earth.
12. He desired, ' May I generate this (earth)
from these waters ! ' He compressed it 3 and threw
it into the water. The juice which flowed from
it became a tortoise ; and that which was spirted
upwards (became) what is produced above here over
the waters. This whole (earth) dissolved itself all
over the water : all this (universe) appeared as one
form only, namely, water.
13. He desired, ' May it become more than one,
may it reproduce itself!' He toiled and practised
austerity ; and worn out with toil and austerity, he
created foam. He was aware that * this indeed
looks different, it is becoming more (than one) : I
must toil, indeed ! ' Worn out with toil and
austerity, he created clay, mud, saline soil and sand,
gravel (pebble), rock, ore, gold, plants and trees :
therewith he clothed this earth.
14. This (earth), then, was created as (consisting
of) these same nine creations. Hence they say,
' Threefold (three times three) is Agni ; ' for Agni
is this (earth), since thereof the whole Agni (fire-
altar) is constructed.
15. * This (earth) has indeed become (bhu) a
foundation ! ' (he thought) : hence it became the
earth (bhiimi). He spread it out (prath), and it
1 ? Or, that part (of the egg) which made a noise (in cracking).
2 The word ' ag-a ' is apparently fancifully taken here in the sense of { unborn (a-g-a)/
8 That is, the earth when as yet in the form of the egg-shelL
1 48 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
became the broad one (or earth, prithivi). And she
(the earth), thinking herself quite perfect1, sang;
and inasmuch as she sang (ga), therefore she is
Gayatri. But they also say, ' It was Agni, indeed,
on her (the earth's) back, who thinking himself quite
perfect, sang ; and inasmuch as he sang (ga), there-
fore Agni is Gayatra/ And hence whosoever
thinks himself quite perfect, either sings or delights
in song 2.
Second Brahma^a.
1. That Pra^apati desired, ' May it multiply, may
it be reproduced ! ' By means (or, in the form) of
Agni he entered into union with the Earth : thence
an egg arose. He touched it : ' May it grow ! May
it grow and multiply ! ' he said.
2. And the embryo which was inside was created
as Vayu (the wind). And the tear which had formed
itself became those birds. And the juice which
was adhering to the shell became those sun-motes.
And that which was the shell became the air.
3. He desired, 'May it multiply, may it reproduce
itself ! ' By means of Vayu he entered into union
with the Air: thence an egg arose. He touched it,
saying, ' Bear thou glory ! ' From it yonder sun
was created, for he indeed is glorious. And the
tear which (ami) formed itself became that varie-
gated pebble (asman) ; for ' a^ru ' indeed is what
1 Abhimaninistrivigraha yasmad agayad tasmad iyaw Gayatri, Say. — ' Because, like a haughty woman, she (the earth) sang, therefore she is Gayatri/
2 On this illustration, which might either be taken as applying to men in easy circumstances, not troubled with cares ; — or, perhaps, to a new-born child which cries out lustily, and likes to be sung to, — Saya^a only remarks, — tasmad u haitad iti svabhavanuvada/z, karyadharme^a kara/zadharmanupadanaya.
VI KAiVDA, I ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 1 49
they mystically call ' aiman,' for the gods love the
mystic. And the juice which was adhering to the
shell became those sunbeams. And that which was
the shell became the sky.
4. He desired, ' May it multiply, may it reproduce
itself! ' By means of the Sun he entered into union
with the Sky : thence an egg arose. He touched it,
saying, ' Bear thou seed ! ' From it the moon was
created, for he (the moon) is seed. And the tear
which formed itself became those stars. And the
juice which was adhering to the shell became those
intermediate quarters ; and that which was the shell
became those (chief) quarters (points of the com-
pass).
5. Having created these worlds, he desired, ' May
I create such creatures as shall be mine in these
worlds ! '
6. By his Mind (manas) he entered into union
with Speech (va>£) : he became pregnant with eight
drops. They were created as those eight Vasus * :
he placed them on this (earth).
7. By his Mind he entered into union with Speech :
he became pregnant with eleven drops. They were
created as those eleven Rudras 2 : he placed them in
the air.
8. By his Mind he entered into union with Speech :
he became pregnant with twelve drops. They were
created as the twelve Adityas 3 : he placed them in
the sky.
1 As here, this class of deities — whose sphere of action are the terrestrial regions — was associated with Agni, the guardian of the earth, at III, 4, 2, 1.
2 Another class of (storm) deities, here associated with Vayu, the wind, the guardian of the air-region.
3 This class of deities (of light) are here associated with the
1 50 SATAPATHA-BRAHMA2VA.
9. By his Mind he entered into union with Speech :
he became pregnant. He created the All-gods : he
placed them in the quarters.
10. And so they say, 'After Agni having been
created, the Vasus were created : he placed them on
this (earth); — after Vayu, the Rudras: (he placed)
them in the air ; — after the sun, the Adityas : (he
placed) them in the sky; — after the moon, the
All-gods 1 : he placed them in the quarters/
11. And so they say, ' Pra^apati, having created
these worlds, was firmly established on the earth.
For him these plants were ripened 2 into food : that
he ate. He became pregnant. From the upper
vital airs he created the gods, and from the lower
vital airs the mortal creatures/ In whatever way he
created thereafter, so he created ; but indeed it was
Pra^apati who created everything here, whatsoever
exists.
12. Having created creatures he, having run the
whole race, became relaxed3; and therefore even
now he who runs the whole race becomes indeed
Sun, who indeed is called the Aditya in paragraphs 4 and 10 (instead of Siirya).
1 Professor Weber (Ind. Stud. XIII, p. 268) has drawn attention to the discrepancy between this passage and III, 4, 2, 1, where the VLrve Deva^ (with Bnhaspati) are denied the privilege of forming a special class of deities, — this being one of many points of differ- ence, doctrinal as well as linguistic, between Books 1-5 and 6-10.
2 Professor Delbriick, Altind. Synt. p. 147, reads 'apa&inta/ — the plants matured fruit.
3 Literally, he fell asunder, or to pieces, became disjointed. Hence, when the gods ' restored ' Pra^apati (the lord of generation, identified with the sacrifice, and with Agni, the fire), the verb used is samskri, ' to put together;' and this putting together, or restora- tion, of Pra^&patj is symbolically identified with the building up of the fire-altar.
VI KANDA, I ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 1 6. 151
relaxed. From him being thus relaxed, the vital
air went out from within. When it had gone out of
him the gods left him.
13. He said to Agni, * Restore me ! ' — ' What will
then accrue to me ? ' said he. — ' They shall call me
after thee ; for whichever of the sons succeeds (in
life), after him they call the father, grandfather, son,
and grandson : they shall call me after thee, — restore
me, then ! ' — ' So be it ! ' so (saying) Agni restored
him : therefore, while being Pra^apati, they call
him Agni ; and verily, whosoever knows this, after
him they call his father, grandfather, son, and
grandson.
14. He said, 'Whereon shall we set thee up1?' —
1 On the hita (set, or suitable, good) ! ' he said : the
vital air is indeed something good, for the vital air
is good for all beings. And inasmuch as he set him
up on the hita, therefore one says, ' I shall set up,
I am setting up, I have set up V
15. As to this they say, 'What is hita, and what
is upahita ?' The vital air, forsooth, is the ' hita/
and speech is the * upahita/ for it is on the vital air
that this speech is based (upa-hita). The vital
air, again, is the ' hita/ and the limbs are the ' upa-
hita/ for on the vital air these limbs are indeed
based.
16. This, then, was his (Pra^apati's) '/£itya ' (Agni
to be set up on an altar-pile) ; for he had to be built
up (ii) by him, and therefore was his ' /£itya.' And
1 Upa-dha. Paragraphs 14 and 15 involve a double meaning
of the word hita, the past participle of dha, to put, — viz. put, set,
or suitable, beneficial.
2 Or, ' I shall put on/ &c, upa-dha, the verb used of the putting on of bricks in building up the altar. Cf. II, 1, 2, 15.
152 SATAPATHA-BRAHMA2VA.
so indeed he now is the Sacrificers ' /£itya ; ' for he is to be built up by him, and therefore is his ' /£itya/
1 7. Now it was those five bodily parts (tanu) of his
(Pra^apati's) that became relaxed, — hair, skin, flesh,
bone, and marrow, — they are these five layers (of the
fire-altar) ; and when he builds up the five layers,
thereby he builds him up by those bodily parts ;
and inasmuch as he builds up (/£i), therefore they are
layers (iiti).
18. And that Pra^apati who became relaxed is
the year ; and those five bodily parts of his which
became relaxed are the seasons ; for there are five
seasons, and five are those layers : when he builds
up the five layers, he thereby builds him up with
the seasons ; and inasmuch as he builds up (lays
down), therefore they are layers.
19. And that Pra^apati, the year, who became
relaxed, is that very Vayu (wind) who blows yonder.
And those five bodily parts of his, the seasons,
which became relaxed, are the regions (or quarters) 1 ;
for five in number are the regions, and five those
layers : when he builds up the five layers, he builds
him up with the regions ; and inasmuch as he builds
up, therefore they are layers.
20. And the Fire that is laid down on the built
(altar), that is yonder Sun ; — that same Agni is
indeed (raised) on the altar, and that just because
Agni had restored him (Pra^apati).
21. But they say, — Pra^apati, when relaxed, said
to the gods, ' Restore me ! ' The gods said to Agni,
1 In thee we will heal this our father Pra^apati.' —
1 That is, the four quarters, or cardinal points of the compass ; and the upper region, or rather the upward (or perpendicular) direction.
VI KANDA, 1 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 26. 1 53
1 Then I will enter into him, when whole/ he said. —
4 So be it ! ' they said. Hence, while being Pra^a-
pati, they yet call him Agni.
22. In the fire the gods healed him by means of
oblations ; and whatever oblation they offered that
became a baked brick and passed into him. And
because they were produced from what was offered
(ish/a), therefore they are bricks (ish/aka). And
hence they bake the bricks by means of the fire, for
it is oblations they thus make.
23. He spake, 'Even as much as ye offer, even
so much is my happiness : ' and inasmuch as for
him there was happiness (ka) in what was offered
(ish/a), therefore also they are bricks (ish/aka).
24. Here now Aktakshya used to say, ' Only he
who knows abundant bricks possessed of (special)
prayers, should build up the fire (altar) : abundantly
indeed he then heals Father Pra^apati.'
25. But Ta^ya used to say, 'Surely the bricks
possessed of prayers are the nobility, and the space-
fillers 1 are the peasants ; and the noble is the feeder,
and the peasantry the food ; and where there is
abundant food for the feeder, that realm is indeed
prosperous and thrives : let him therefore pile up
abundant space-fillers ! 9 Such then was the speech
of those two, but the settled practice is different
therefrom.