1 Yasmin kale dhanurvedanusare^a dharmata^ kshatriya yudh- yante tasmin kale pa^aprade^eshur asit, adhuna tv iyam aniyata- parima;za vartante, Say.
2 Viz. by means of the mountains, according to Sayawa.
VI KAiVDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 21. 237
by means of the horizontal belt, and that lower part of it by means of these (vertical bands).
16. At their tops they form nipples ; for the gods,
having made these worlds, the fire-pan, drew forth
for themselves from these nipples all (objects of)
their desires ; and in like manner the Sacrificer,
having made these worlds, the fire-pan, draws forth
from these nipples all his desires.
1 7. This (fire-pan) indeed is a cow, for the fire-pan
is these worlds, and these worlds are a cow : that
horizontal belt is its udder ; it is in the (upper) third
of it, for the udder is in one-third of the cow.
18. He forms nipples to it, whereby he forms the
nipples of the udder : it has four nipples, for the
cow has four nipples.
19. Some, indeed, make it with two nipples, or
also with eight nipples ; but let him not do so, for
those cattle which have fewer nipples than a cow,
and those which have more nipples, are less fit to
yield him a livelihood : hence they make this (fire-
pan) less fit to yield a livelihood ; and, indeed, they
do not make it (like) a cow, but (like) a bitch, or a
ewe, or a mare ; hence let him not do so.
20. He then takes hold of its bowl, with, 'May
Aditi seize thy bowl!' Aditi, doubtless, is Speech ;
and the gods, having then fashioned it, perfected it
by means of Aditi, speech ; and in like manner this
one, having fashioned it, now perfects it by means of
Aditi, speech.
21. Having grasped it with both hands, he sets it
down, with, 'She, having fashioned the great
(mahim) fire-pan/ — that is, ' she, having fashioned
the great (mahattm) fire-pan ; ' — 'the earthen
womb for Agni;' — for this is indeed Agni's
238 DATAPATH A-BRAHM A2VA.
earthen womb; — ' Aditi offered it unto her sons,
thinking, They shall bake it!' — for Aditi, indeed,
having fashioned it, offered it to the gods, her sons,
to bake it ; and in like manner does this one now,
after fashioning it, offer it to the gods to bake it.
22. Now some make three (fire-pans), saying,
'Three (in number) are these worlds, and the fire-pans
are these worlds ; ' and also for mutual expiation,
thinking, ' If the one will break, we shall carry (Agni)
in the other, and if the other (breaks), then in the
other (or third).' Let him not do so ; for that first
bottom part is this world ; and that first (lower) side-
part is the air ; and the upper one is the sky ; and
that fourth, the prayer, doubtless is the quarters;
and just as much as these worlds and the quarters
are, so much is this whole (universe). But were he
to add anything thereto, he would make it to be
redundant, and whatever redundant (act) is done in
the sacrifice is left over for the Sacrificer's spiteful
rival. And as to the expiation in case of the
(fire-pan being) broken, that (will be told) in a subse-
quent chapter \
Third Brahma;va.
1. Of that same (clay) she (the queen) forms the
first, the ' invincible ' (brick) ; for the invincible one
(Asha^M) is this earth, and this earth was created
first of these worlds. She forms it of that same clay,
for this earth is (one) of these worlds. The (Sacri-
ficed) consecrated consort (mahisht) forms it; for
this earth is a ' mahisht ' (female buffalo, a cow). She
who is first taken to wife is the consecrated consort.
1 VI, 6, 4, 8.
VI KANDAy 5 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 5. 239
2. It measures a foot (in length and breadth), for
the foot is a foundation, and this earth also is a
foundation. It is marked with three lines, for this
earth is threefold 1.
3. Now he (the Sacrificer) makes the fire-pan : he
thereby makes these worlds. He then makes the
(three) ' all-light ' (bricks), that is these deities, Agni,
Vayu, Aditya, for those deities indeed are all the
light. He makes them from that same clay (as the
fire-pan) : he thus produces these gods from these
worlds. The Sacrificer makes them. They are
marked with three lines, for threefold are these
gods 2. Thus as regards the deities.
4. Now as regards the self (or body) : the fire-pan,
indeed, is the self (of Agni). The 'invincible'
(brick) is speech : that she (the wife) makes first, for
this speech is foremost in the body. She makes it
from that same clay, for this speech is of the body.
The (Sacrificer's) consecrated consort makes it, for
speech is a ' mahishi.' It is marked with three
lines, for speech is divided into three kinds, Rik-
verses, Ya^us-formulas, and Saman-tunes ; and be-
cause of this threefold form of speech, low-voiced,
half-loud, and loud.
5. He makes the fire-pan : thereby he makes
( Agni's) self. He then makes the ' all-light ' (bricks),
— the ' all-light' (brick) is offspring, for offspring
indeed is all the light : he thus causes generation to
take place. He makes them of the same clay (as
the fire-pan) : he thus produces offspring from the
self. The Sacrificer makes them : the Sacrificer thus
1 See VI, 1, 1, 14.
2 Viz. those of the sky, the air, and the earth. See VI, 1, 2, 10.
24O SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
produces offspring from his own self. He makes
them without interruption : he thus produces un-
interrupted offspring from his own self. He makes
them subsequently (to the fire-pan) : he thus pro-
duces the offspring subsequently to his own self.
They are marked with three lines, for generation is
threefold, father, mother, and son ; or, the embryo,
and the inner and outer membrane.
6. He makes these from (clay) prepared with
prayer, the others from (clay) prepared without
prayer ; for these are defined, the others undefined ;
these are limited (in number), the others unlimited.
7. That Agni is Pra^apati ; but Pra^apati is both
of this, defined and undefined, limited and unlimited :
thus when he makes (bricks) from (clay) prepared
with prayer, he thereby makes up that form of his
(Pra^apati's) which is defined and limited ; and when
he makes them from (clay) prepared without prayer,
he thereby makes up that form of his which is un-
defined and unlimited. Verily, then, whosoever
knowing this does it on this wise, makes up the
whole and complete Agni. From the (clay) lying
ready prepared, he leaves over a lump for expia-
tions \
8. He (the Adhvaryu) now fumigates it (the fire-
pan)— just for the sake of strength, or to (mark) the
progress of the work. And, again, as to why he
fumigates, — that fire-pan is the head of the sacrifice,
and the smoke its breath : he thus puts breath into
the head.
9. He fumigates it with horse-dung, to insure it against injury ; for the horse is sacred to Pra^apati,
1 That is, in case the fire-pan were to break. See VI, 6, 4, 8 seq.
VI KAiVDA, 5 ADHYAYA, \ BRAHMAiVA, I. 24 1
and Pra^apati is Agni, and one does not injure one's
own self. And with dung (he does it) because that is
what was eaten (by the horse) and is useless ; and thus
he does not injure the horse itself, nor the other cattle.
10. {y&g: S. XI, 60] 'May the Vasus make
thee fragrantby the Gayatrt measure,Angiras-
like ! — May the Rudras make thee fragrant by
the Trish/ubh metre, Angiras-like! — May the
Adityas make thee fragrant by the Cagati
metre, Angiras-like! — May the All-gods, the
friends of all men, make thee fragrant by the
Anush/ubh metre, Angiras-like! — May Indra
make thee fragrant ! — May Varu/za make thee
fragrant! — May Vishnu make thee fragrant!'
— he thus fumigates it by means of the deities.
11. Seven balls of horse-dung are (used), and
seven formulas : those deities are sevenfold1, and
seven vital airs there are in the head. But also
what is many times, seven times seven, is (expressed
by) seven2 : he thus puts the seven vital airs into
the head.
Fourth Brahma^a.
1. He now digs that (hole)3 in the earth; for the
gods now were afraid, thinking, 'We hope the
Rakshas, the fiends, will not smite here this (Agni) of
1 ? Or, divided into groups of seven each, as, for instance, the Maruts, see II, 5, 1, 13.
2 Comp. the Germ. ' seine sieben Sachen (or, Siebensachen) packen/ to pack one's traps.
3 One might take ' athainam asya^z khanati ' to mean, ' he now digs for him (Agni) in the earth/ or ' digs him into the earth/ Cf. VI, 4, 1, 1, ' athainam ata^ khanati.' Saya/za, however (in accordance with the formula in paragraph 3), supplies 'ava/am/ * a hole/
242 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
ours ! ' They made this (earth) to be his self (body), for protection, thinking, * The self will protect itself/
2. He digs him out with (the help of) Aditi, in
order to guard him from injury ; for Aditi is this
earth, and one does not injure one's own self; but
were he to dig with (the help of) another deity, he
surely would injure him (Agni).
3. [Vdg- S. XI, 61] 'May the divine Aditi, dear
to all the gods, dig thee, Angiras-like, O hole,
in the lap of the earth!' — for this hole (is dug)
among the gods. That bamboo spade now dis-
appears. This hole is four-cornered, for there are
four quarters : he thus digs it from all the quarters1.
Having then laid down fuel in it, he silently puts the
' invincible ' (brick) thereon, for that is made first.
4. He then sets down the fire-pan (with the bottom
part upwards), with, 'May the divine wives of the
gods, dear to all the gods, place thee, Angiras-
like, O fire-pan, in the lap of the earth!' for
of old the divine wives of the gods, dear to all the
gods, indeed, like Angiras, placed that (fire-pan) into
the lap of the earth, and by (the help of) them he
now places it. But, surely, these are the plants, — the
wives of the gods are indeed the plants ; for by the
plants everything here is supported : by means of
the plants he thus supports this (fire-pan). He then
lays down silently the 'all-light' (bricks). Having
then placed fuel thereon he kindles it.
5. 'May the divine Dhisha^as, dear to all
the gods, kindle thee, Angiras-like, O fire-pan,
in the lap of the earth!' for of old the divine
1 Sarvabhyo digbhya enam ava/a#z khanati tazra ia sarvasu dikshu wash/rd na hiwsanti, Say.
Vi Kanda, 5 Adhyaya, 4 Brahma2va, 8. 243
Dhisha/zas, dear to all the gods, indeed kindled it,
like Angiras, in the lap of the earth, and with their
help he now kindles it. But, surely, this is Va^
(speech), — the Dhisha^as are indeed speech1, for by
speech everything is kindled here : by means of
speech he thus kindles this (fire-pan). Whilst look-
ing at it, he then mutters these three formulas :
6. ' May the divine protectresses, dear to all
the gods, heat thee, O fire-pan, Angiras-like,
in the lap of the earth ! ' for of old the divine pro-
tectresses, dear to all the gods, indeed, like Angiras,
heated it in the lap of the earth ; and by them he now
heats it. But, surely, these are the days and nights,
— the protectresses are indeed the days and nights ;
for by days and nights everything is covered here :
by means of the days and nights he thus heats it.
7. ' May the divine ladies, dear to all the
gods, bake thee, Arigiras-like, O fire-pan, in the
lap of the earth ! ' for of old the divine ladies, dear
to all the gods, did, like Angiras, bake it in the lap
of the earth, and with their help he now bakes it.
But, surely, these are the metres, — the ladies (gna)
are indeed the metres (scripture texts), for by means
of these men go (gam) to the celestial world : by
means of the metres he thus bakes it.
8. 'May the divine women, with undipped
wings, dear to all the gods, bake thee, Angiras-
like, O fire-pan, in the lap of the earth !' for