1 See VI, 6, 1, 3 seq.
VI KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 2. 265
way eastward from the G&rhapatya, and put fuel on
it, he performs two expiations : whatever (kind of
Soma) sacrifice may be (performed) at the time, the
expiation of that sacrifice he should perform ; and of
like kind is the expiation of the fire-altar.
15. And if the Agnidhriya fire were to go out, it
is doubtless to the Garhapatya that it goes, for from
the Garhapatya it has been taken. Having taken it
from the Garhapatya eastward along the north of
the Sadas, and put fuel on it, he performs two expia-
tions. And if the Garhapatya were to go out, the
meaning (procedure) of that has been explained.
Seventh Adhyaya. First Brahma;va.
1. He hangs a gold plate (round his neck), and
wears it ; for that gold plate is the truth, and the
truth is able to sustain that (fire *) : by means of the
truth the gods carried it, and by means of the truth
does he now carry it.
2. Now that truth is the same as yonder sun. It is
a gold (plate), for gold is light, and he (the sun) is the
light; gold is immortality, and he is immortality. It
(the plate) is round, for he (the sun) is round. It
has twenty-one knobs, for he is the twenty-first 2. He
wears it with the knobs outside, for the knobs are
his (the sun's) rays, and his rays are outside.
1 That is, the Ukhya Agni, or fire in the pan, which the Sacrificer will have to carry about during his time of initiation ; and which, moreover, is here taken to be the Sacrificer's divine body (VI, 6,
2 See I, 3, 5, 12, — twelve months of the year, five seasons, and three worlds : this makes twenty ; and he that burns yonder is the twenty-first. See also Ait. Br. IV, 18, where the sun is identified with the Ekavima or Vishuvat day, the central day of the year, by which the gods raised the sun up to the heavens.
2 66 SATAPATHA-BRAHMA2VA.
3. And as to why he puts on and wears the gold
plate ; — that plate is yonder sun, and man, in his
human form, is unable to sustain that fire : it is
only in this (solar or divine) form that he bears that
(divine) form.
4. And, again, why he puts on and wears the gold
plate ; — this fire is seed poured out here ; and the
gold plate means vital energy (or brilliance) and
vigour : he thus lays vital energy and vigour into
that seed.
5. And, again, why he puts on and wears the gold
plate ; — the gods now were afraid lest the Rakshas,
the fiends, should destroy here that (Agni) of theirs.
They made that (plate), yonder sun, to be his (Agni's)
protector (standing) by his side, for the gold plate is
yonder sun : and in like manner does this (Sacrificer)
now make that (plate) to be his (Agni's) protector by
his side.
6. It is sown up in a black antelope's skin ; for the
black antelope skin is the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is
able to sustain that (Agni) : by means of the sacrifice
the gods carried him, and by means of the sacrifice
he now carries him ; — with the hair (inside), for the
hair are the metres, and the metres are indeed able
to sustain him : by the metres the gods carried him,
and by the metres he now carries him.
7. It is sown into the white and black hair, for
these two are forms of the rik (hymn-verse) and the
saman (hymn-tune), and the rik and saman are
indeed able to sustain him (Agni) : by the rik and
saman the gods carried him, and by the rik and
Sclman he now carries him. The hempen sling of
the gold plate is a triple (cord) : the significance of
this has been explained.
VI KANDAy 7 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, I 3. 267
8. He wears it over the navel ; for that gold
plate is yonder sun, and he (stands) over the navel
(of the earth or sky).
9. And, again, why over the navel, — below the
navel is the seed, the power of procreation, and the
gold plate represents vital energy and vigour : (he
does so, thinking,) * Lest the gold plate burn up my
seed, my power of procreation, my vital energy and
vigour/
10. And, again, why over the navel ; — sacrificially
purer is that part of the animal (victim) which is
above the navel, and more in contact with ordure is
that which is below the navel : he thus carries it
(the plate) by means of that part of the animal
which is sacrificially purer.
11. And, again, why over the navel, — that part
of the vital air which is immortal is above the navel,
and streams out by upward breathings ; but that
which is mortal passes by and away from the navel :
he thus makes him (the Sacrificer) obtain the part
of the vital air which is immortal, and by that he
then carries it (the fire).
12. Now, he carries that (fire in the pan) on a
seat; — the seat (asandi) doubtless is this earth, for
on her everything here is settled (asanna) ; and she
indeed is able to sustain him (Agni) : it was thereby
that the gods carried him, and thereby he now
carries him.
1 3. It is made of udumbara wood (ficus glomerata),
for the Udumbara tree is sustenance (sustaining
strength), life-sap : by means of sustenance, life-sap,
he thus carries him. Moreover, that Udumbara
represents all the trees here (on earth), and all the
trees (together) are capable of sustaining that (fire) :
268 DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
by means of all the trees the gods bore (or, main-
tained) it, and by means of all the trees does he now
bear it.
14. It (the seat) is a span high ; for Vishnu, as
an embryo, was a span high : he thus makes the
womb equal in size to the embryo. It is a cubit
across ; for the cubit is (the length of) the (fore-)
arm, and strength is exerted by the arm. It thus is
made equal to strength, and strength is indeed
capable of sustaining him (Agni) : by means of
strength the gods did bear him, and by means of
strength does he now bear him.
15. The feet and boards1 are four-cornered; for
there are four regions, and the regions are able to
sustain him : by means of the regions the gods
bore him, and by the regions does he now bear
him. It is interwoven with cords of reed-grass,
triple ones, — the significance of this has been
explained ; — and smeared over with clay, — (the
significance) of this also has been explained ; but it
also serves to keep them from taking fire 2.
16. Now he carries him (Agni, the fire) by means
of a netting3, — he, Agni, is these worlds, and the
netting is the regions, for by means of the regions
these worlds are able to stand ; and inasmuch as
they are so able (sak), it is called a netting (sikya) :
he thus carries him by means of the regions. It
is furnished with six strings, — for there are six
1 That is, the boards forming the seat itself, and being a cubit long.
2 Lit. ' from (the fire in the pan) burning over (or through the clay) ; ' or ' from (their) being burnt over.'
3 Apparently a round netted mat, on which the fire-pan is to be placed, and which is fastened to a cord by means of six strings, thus somewhat resembling the scale of a balance.
VI KAiVDA, 7 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 1 9. 269
regions ; — made of reed-grass, triply wound — the
significance of this has been explained ; — and smeared
with clay — (the significance) of this also has been
explained; but it also serves to keep them from
taking fire.
17. The waters are his (Agni's) foundation, for
on the waters these worlds are founded. The sun
is the connecting link 1, for to the sun these worlds
are linked by means of the quarters : whosoever
thus knows this, carries suchlike a one by suchlike
a one 2.
18. And, again, why he carries him by means of
a netting, — he, Agni, is the year, and the netting is
the seasons ; for by means of the seasons the year
is able to exist, and inasmuch as it is so able (?ak),
therefore (the netting is called) ' sikya : ' he thus
carries him by the seasons. It is furnished with six
strings, for there are six seasons.
19. Day and night are his foundation, for on day
and night this year is founded. The moon is the
connecting link, for to the moon this year is linked
by means of the seasons : whosoever thus knows
this, carries suchlike a one by suchlike a one. And
verily by him who so knows this, he (Agni) is carried
for a year ; and by him who does not so know it, he
is attended to for a year 3. Thus as to the deities, —
1 Or, the central point, the hinge or hook, to which the worlds are attached.
2 Lit. carries that form by that form, — that is to say, he sus- tains, by means of the sun, the whole world in the form of Agni.
3 That is to say, he who desires to derive the full benefit from the initiation ceremony, and the Agni^ayana generally, must not only keep up the Ukhya Agni (or pan-fire) during the year of the initiation, but must also carry him at least for a time every day during that period.
2 70 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
20. Now as to the self (or body of Agni). Agni
doubtless is the self, and the netting is the vital airs,
for by means of the vital airs that self is able to
exist ; and inasmuch as it is so able (sak) therefore
(the netting is called) ' sikya, : ' he thus carries
(sustains) him by means of the vital airs; and it is
furnished with six strings, because there are six
vital airs.
21. The mind is his foundation, for on the mind
this body is founded, — and food is the connecting
link, for to food this body is linked by means of the
vital airs : whosoever thus knows this, carries such-
like (Agni) by suchlike means.
22. Now he carries him by means of the fire-
pan ; for the pan is these worlds, and these worlds
are indeed able to hold him : by means of these
worlds the gods carried him, and by means of them
he (the Sacrificer) now carries him.
23. And as to why it is called ' Ukha ; ' — by means
of this sacred performance and this process the gods
at that time dug out these worlds ; and inasmuch as
they so dug out (ut-khan), it (the pan representing
the worlds) is called ' utkha/ — 'utkha' being what they
mysteriously (esoterically) call ' ukha/ for the gods
love the mysterious.
24. Now ' ukha ' (consists of) two syllables, — the
Sacrificer is two-footed, and the Sacrificer is Agni :
as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, by
so much he thus carries him. And that same (pan)
is a pot (kumbht), it is a cauldron (sthali) x ; this
1 These words, according to Sayaraa, are merely intended as synonymous (paryaya) for 'ukha/ or fire-pan, not as different vessels (such as the pot used temporarily when the pan is broken) as one might suppose.
VI KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 2*] . 27 I
makes six (syllables), — six seasons are a year, and
the year is Agni : as great as Agni is, as great as is
his measure, so great does this become.
25. He now takes hold of him (Agni 2) by means
of two (straw) pads 2 ; for he, Agni, is yonder sun,
and the two pads are day and night : he thus takes
hold of yonder sun by means of the day and the
night, and hence that (sun) 3 is encompassed by day
and night.
26. And, again, why he takes hold of him by
means of two pads, — he, Agni, is yonder sun, and
the two pads are these two worlds : he thus encom-
passes yonder sun by these two worlds, and hence
he is encompassed by these two worlds. They
are round, for these two worlds are round ; of reed-
grass, triply wound, — the significance of this has
been told ; — and smeared with clay, — (the signifi-
cance) of this also has been told, but it also serves
to keep them from taking fire.
27. Now then the (mystic) correspondence (of
the number of objects to the nature of Agni), — the
seat, the fire-pan, the sling of the gold plate, the
fire, and the gold plate, — these amount to six ; — six
seasons are a year, and the year is Agni : as great
as Agni is, as great as is his measure, so great does
this become. Two pads, that makes eight, — the
Giyatrl has eight syllables, and Agni is Gayatra :
as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, so
great does this become.