1 See p. 155, note 8.
2 Or, that (layer), the three naturally-perforated bricks occupying the centre of the first, third, and fifth layers of the altar, these bricks are, as it were, the representatives of the respective layers. This first svayam-atrz/zwa brick is laid down with the formula, 'May Pra^-apati settle thee ! ' See VII, 4, 2, 6.
8 A stalk of Durva (Dub) grass — Panicum (or Cynodon) dacty- lon, or Agrostis linearis — is laid upon the first naturally-perforated brick (which again lies on the man of gold) in such a way that the root lies upon it and the tops hanging down to the ground. ' Its flowers in the perfect state are among the loveliest objects in the vegetable world, and appear through a lens like minute rubies and emeralds in constant motion from the least breath of air. It is the sweetest and most nutritious pasture for cattle, and its usefulness, added to its beauty, induced the Hindus in the earliest ages to believe it was the mansion of a benevolent nymph/ Sir W. Jones, Works, vol. v, p. 78. Professor R. Wallace, in his 'India in 1887/ gives an excellent illustration of this famous grass. He remarks (p. 282) that 'it has a wonderful power of remaining green, being the grass of all Indian grasses which retains its succulence through- out the extreme heat of summer/
4 That is to say, immediately after (the earth-brick had been laid on).
1 88 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
meditating, Indra and Agni, and Visvakarman saw
the air, as a second naturally-perforated layer :
hence he lays on that (brick1) by means of Indra
and Agni, and Viivakarman.
4. Vayu said to them, * I will step nigh ! ' —
'Wherewith!' — 'With the regions!' — ' So be it !' He
thereby doubtless meant to say, ' with the regional
(bricks 2) : ' hence on the second naturally-perforated
one the regional ones are laid, without being sepa-
rated from it3; and hence not separated from the air
are the regions, the wind ; for not separated there-
from he (Vayu) stepped nigh with this (brick).
5. They said, 'Meditate ye yet!' — whereby no
doubt they said, ' Seek ye a layer ! seek ye (to build)
from hence upwards ! ' Whilst they were meditating,
Paramesh^in saw the sky, as a third naturally-per-
forated layer : whence it is by Paramesh^in (the
most high) he lays on that (brick 4).
1 This second naturally-perforated brick, representing the air, forms the centre of the third layer of the altar. See VIII, 3, 1, 1 seq.
2 That is, the bricks marking the regions, or quarters (dLyya) ; five of these are laid down immediately after the self-perforated one, in the four directions from it, two of them being laid on the south. See VIII, 3, 1, 11.
3 Viz. without being separated from the layer which the second svayam-atrz/z/za represents. They would seem to lie about a foot away from the central brick; but as no other special brick lies between them, they may on that account be considered as not separated from it.
4 The third svayam-atrzVzzza, though considered as forming part of the fifth layer, is really laid on the top of it or rather on the ' puna^iti ' — an additional pile of eight bricks laid over the central, garhapatya-like, portion of the fifth layer (cf. VI, 6, 1, 14, with note). It is laid down with the formula ' May the Most High settle thee ! ' — and on it the fire is subsequently placed. See VIII, 7, 3, 13 seq.
Vi Kanda, 2 Adhyaya, 3 Brahmaa'a, 8. 1 89
6. Yonder Sun said to him, ' I will step nigh ! ' — ' Wherewith ? ' — ' With a space-filling (brick 1).f — ' So be it ! ' — Now he (the sun) indeed is the space-filler : 'by (mine own) self/ he thus means to say. Hence the third naturally-perforated one is laid on so as not to be separated from the space-filling one 2 ; and hence yonder sun is not separated from the sky, for not separated therefrom did he step nigh with this (brick).
7. These six deities forsooth became all this
(universe), whatsoever exists here. The gods and
the i?2shis said, ' Those six deities forsooth have
become all this (universe) : bethink ye yourselves
how we also may share therein ! ' They said, ' Medi-
tate ye ! ' whereby doubtless they meant to say, * Seek
ye a layer ! seek ye how we also may share in this 3 ! '
Whilst they were meditating, the gods saw a second,
the i?zshis a fourth, layer 4.
8. They said, ' We will step nigh ! ' — ' Where-
with ? ' — ' With what is over and above these
worlds ! ' — ' So be it ! ' Now what there is above
the earth on this side of the air, therewith the gods
stepped nigh, that is this second layer ; and what there
1 See p. 153, note.
2 The laying down of the last svayam-atr/^a (together with the likewise perforated 'vikarm') is immediately preceded by the filling up of the fifth layer with the i space-filling' bricks, only one of which has the common formula pronounced over it. See VIII, 7, 2, 1 seq.
3 Viz. in this universe, and, as a representation thereof, in this fire-altar.
4 In the foregoing 1-5 paragraphs only those three layers, which have a ' naturally-perforated' brick in the centre, viz. the first, third, and fifth layers, were mentioned. The author now remarks on the two other layers, representing as it were the space between the three worlds,
1 90 SATAPATHA-BRAHM AiVA.
is above the air on this side of the sky, therewith the jRishis stepped nigh, that is this fourth layer.
9. Now when they said, i Meditate ye (/£etaya-
dhvam) ! ' they doubtless meant to say, ' Seek ye a
layer (/£itim i&Mata) ! ' and inasmuch as meditating
(/£etay) they saw them, therefore they are ' layers '
(/£itaya>£).
10. Pra^apati saw the first layer: Pra^apati
assuredly is its (spiritual) ancestry. The gods saw
the second layer: the gods assuredly are its an-
cestry. Indra and Agni, and VLsvakarman saw the
third layer : they assuredly are its ancestry. The
jRtshis saw the fourth layer : the i?zshis assuredly
are its ancestry. Paramesh^in saw the fifth layer :
Paramesh//£in assuredly is its ancestry. And, verily,
whosoever so knows that (spiritual) ancestry of the
structures (layers of the fire-altar), his structures are
indeed possessed of an ancestry, possessed of rela-
tions (or, of mystic significance, bandhu).
THE SAVITRA LIBATIONS.
Third Adhyaya. First Brahmawa.
1. The gods then said, l Meditate ye !' whereby
doubtless they meant to say, ' Seek ye a layer ! '
Whilst they were meditating, Savitr/ saw those
Savitra (formulas) ; and inasmuch as Savitrz saw
them, they are called Savitra. He offered that
eightfold-taken libation ; and when he had offered it,
he saw this eightfold-appointed Asha^a \ which had
been created aforetime.
1 That is, the ' invincible ' brick, being the first brick which is made, and that by the Sacrificed chief wife (mahishi) herself. See VI, 5, 3, 1 seq. — Sayawa remarks, — tarn anuria hutva imam pnthivim adhiya^ikim ash/adhavihitam mrz'tsikatabhi^ prz'thivya- vairiyaw (? przthivyahgair imam) ash/avihitatmikam asha^/Mm ish/a-
Vi Kanda, 3 Adhyaya, I Brahma^a, 6. 191
2. Now when they said, ' Meditate ye !' they doubt-
less meant to say, ' Seek ye a layer ! ' and inasmuch
as they saw it whilst meditating (/§etay), therefore it
is a layer (>£iti). And the libation is a sacrifice ; and
inasmuch as he saw it after sacrificing (ish/va), it is
a brick (ish/aka).
3. Now that same (libation of ghee), while being a
single one, he offers as an eightfold one * with eight
formulas : whence this (' invincible ' brick), while
being a single one, is eightfold appointed.
4. He offers while raising upwards (the spoon) ; —
he thereby raises this earth upwards by means of its
forms 2 : whence this earth is raised (above the
water) by its forms.
5. He offers it continuously ; — for at that time the
gods were afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, should
come thither after them ! They saw that continuous
libation for preventing the Rakshas, the fiends, from
coming after them : hence he offers it continuously.
6. And, again, why he offers that libation ; — this
Agni is Savitrz, and him he gratifies at the outset
by this libation ; and having sacrificed to, and grati-
fied, him (Agni), he then puts him together. And
inasmuch as by this (libation) he gratifies Savitrz,
they (the formulas are called) Savitra : that is why
he offers this libation.
kam apajyat; puraiva lokapavarga kala (? kale or kalat) srzshfam satim. Though in the cosmogonic account, VI, 1, 1, 13 seq., the earth is rather said to consist of nine different elements, the ' invincible ' brick is commonly identified with the earth. See VI, 5, 3, 1. For the (eightfold) compositions- of the clay used for the fire-pan and bricks, see VI, 5, 1, 1 seq.
1 That is to say, the offering-spoon is filled by eight dippings with the dipping-spoon.
2 That is, by means of its constituent elements ;— przthivim urdhvaw rupair mr/dadibhir udgamayati, Say.
192 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
7. And, again, why he offers this libation ; — this
Agni is Savitrz, and him he pours out as seed at the
outset by this libation ; and whatlike seed is poured
into the womb suchlike (offspring) is born. And
inasmuch as by this (libation) he pours out Savitrz
as seed, they (the offering-formulas are called)
Savitra : that is why he offers this libation.
8. Both an offering-spoon *(sru/£) and a dipping-
spoon (sruva) are used thereat ; for the offering-spoon
is speech, and the dipping-spoon is breath ; and with
speech and breath the gods sought this sacred rite
at the beginning : hence there are an offering-spoon
and a dipping-spoon.
9. And, again, why there are an offering-spoon and
a dipping-spoon, — what Pra^apati was, that indeed
is this dipping-spoon, for the dipping-spoon is the
breath, and the breath is Pra^apati. And what Va>£
(speech) was, that is this offering-spoon ; for Va/£ is
a female, and the offering-spoon (sru/£, f.) is a female ;
and those waters which went forth from the world of
Va/£ (speech) 1, they are this (ghee) which he offers
(in) this libation.
10. He offers it continuously, for those waters
flowed continuously. And inasmuch as that Pra^a-
pati entered the waters with the threefold science 2,
that is these prayers (ya^us) with which this (priest)
now offers.
11. The first three which there are, are these (three) worlds ; and what fourth prayer there is that
1 See VI, 1, i, 9.
2 VI, 1, 1, 10. — The construction of the text is somewhat peculiar, — what the author means to say seems to be, — the three- fold science (the Veda) with which Pra^apati entered the waters is the same as the prayers now offered up.
is the threefold science, that is the Gagati, — the
Gagatl being all the metres, and all the metres
(making up) the threefold science ; and what last
four (prayers) there are, they are the quarters : now
Pra^apati indeed is those worlds and the quarters ;
and that (^agati verse in the middle) is the threefold
science.
12. He offers with (Va£\ S. XI, i), ' Harnessing
first the mind/ — Pra^apati, assuredly, is he that
harnesses, he harnessed the mind for that holy work ;
and because he harnessed the mind for that holy
work, therefore he is the harnessing one.
13. ' Savitr/, stretching out the thoughts,' —
for SavitW is the mind, and the thoughts are the
vital airs; — 'gazing reverently at Agni's light/
— that is, having seen Agni's light ; — ' bore up
from the earth;' for upwards from the earth he
indeed bears this (offering).
14. [Va£*. S. XI, 2] 'With harnessed mind we,'
— he thereby harnesses the mind for this work, for
with unharnessed mind one cannot now do anything ;
— 'at the impulse of the god Savitrz'/ — that is
impelled (sped) by the god Savitrz, — 'with power
(we strive) for the heavenly;' — 'that by this holy
work he may go to the heavenly world/ he thereby
means to say ; ' with power,' he says, for by powrer
(energy) one goes to the heavenly world.
15. [Vd£*. S. XI, 3] ' Savitrz, having harnessed
the gods/ — Szvitrz is the mind, and the gods are
the vital airs; — 'going by thought to the light, to
heaven/ — for as such as are going to the heavenly
world by thought (devotion) he has harnessed them
for this holy work ; — 'going to produce a mighty
light/ — the mighty light assuredly is yonder sun, and