1 That is, of the pan containing the fire.
2 Saya#a (on VII, 2, 1, 15) explains them as two balls of straw. The comparison in 26 rather points to their being round mats.
3 Thus S&yaz/a. If, on the other hand, Agni be intended here, this might be taken as an illusion to the regular worship of the fire at the morning and evening twilights (cf. VI, 7, 2, 3).
2 72 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
28. Now the total correspondence, — four feet and
four boards (of the seat), the netting, and the sling
of the gold plate, or any other corded netting ; after
that the pan and fire, and the gold plate, — that
makes thirteen ; — thirteen months are a year, and
the year is Agni : as great as Agni is, as great as is
his measure, so great does this become.
Second Brahmajva.
1. Standing he puts on that (gold plate)1, — for
that gold plate is yonder sun, and yonder sun stands,
as it were ; and moreover, while standing one is
stronger. [He does so] standing with his face
towards north-east : the significance of this has
been explained.
2. [Va£\ S. XII, 1 ; Rik S. X, 45, 8] ' Looking
like2 a golden disk he hath shone far and
wide/ — for that gold plate, being seen, indeed
shines far and wide; — 'flashing forth unquench-
able3 life for glory/ — for not easily dying is his
(Agni's) life (vital power) ; and for glory he does
shine; — 'Agni became immortal by his powers,
when Dyaus bore him — / for Dyaus (the sky)
did bear him; — 'she that hath good seed — / for
good seed indeed she has whose seed he (Agni) is.
3. He then takes hold of him by means of the two pads, with (Va^.S. XII, 24), ' Night and Dawn,
1 The author now proceeds to give further particulars regarding the ceremonial details treated of in the preceding chapter (VI, 7, 1, 1 seq.).
2 Literally, ' seen ' or ' appearing (like)/
3 Rather ' irresistible, difficult to bear (against) ; ' but the author connects ' durmarsha ' with ' mar,' to die.
4 Rik S. I, 96, 5, slightly different.
VI KAiYDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAA7A, 5. 273
of one mind, unlike in form/ — night and dawn,
doubtless, are day and night, (and they are) of one
mind1, and unlike in form; — 'nourish one child,
combining together/ — whatever belongs to the
day and the night, therewith they, combining to-
gether, indeed nourish him (Agni); — 'a golden
disk, he shineth between heaven and earth/ — -
whilst taking it (the fire), he mutters this prayer ;
for heaven and earth are those two, the sky and the
earth ; and moving between these two he shines :
that is why, in taking it, he mutters this prayer; —
'the wealth-giving gods kept Agni;' — there-
with, having taken hold of it in both hands, he
sets it down ; for the wealth-giving gods are the
vital airs, and they indeed kept up Agni at first : by
means of them he now keeps him up.
4. He then puts round his (neck) the sling of the
netting, with (Va^. S. XII, 3; Rib S. V, 81, 2),
'The wise putteth on all forms,' — the wise one,
doubtless, is yonder sun, and the netting is all
forms; — 'he hath brought forth what is good
for the two-footed and four-footed/ — for in
rising he does bring forth what is good for the two-
footed and four-footed; — 'the adorable Savitrz
hath glanced over the firmament/ — the firma-
ment, doubtless, is the heaven, and even in rising he
looks along it; — 'he flasheth forth after the
starting2 of the Dawn/ — for the Dawn shines
forth first, and after her shining forth he (the sun)
follows, flashing forth.
5. By means of the fashioning (formula) he then fashions him out of that (matter) : he thereby
1 That is to say, they are allied.
2 Or, perhaps, after the precedence (example) of the Dawn. [41] T
2 74 SATAPATHA-BRAHMA2VA.
fashions that infused seed, whence the seed infused into the womb is fashioned.
6. \y$g. S. XII, 4] ' A well-winged bird thou
art!' — the well-winged bird means vigour: he thus
forms him so as to be (endowed with) vigour ; —
'the Trivrzt is thy head,' — he thus makes the
Trivrzt stoma (nine-versed hymn) his head; — 'the
Gayatra thine eye/ — he thus makes the Gayatrt
metre his eye; — 'the Brz'hat and Rathantara
thy wings/ — he thus makes the Brzhat and
Rathantara (hymn-tunes) his wings; — 'the hymn
is the self/ — the Pa^avi^sa stoma (twenty-five-
versed hymn) he makes the self (soul, or body) ; —
' the metres the limbs/ — for the metres are indeed
his (Agni's) limbs; — 'the prayers his name/ —
the prayers (ya^us) are his name ' Agni ' by which
they call him, — 'the Vamadevya saman is thy
body/ — the body, doubtless, is the self: thus ' the
V&madevya (hymn-tune) is thy body, thy self;' —
'the Ya^aya^Tnya thy tail/ — he thus makes
the Ya^/zaya^/ziya x his tail; — 'the hearths thy
hoofs/ — by means of the hearths he (Agni) is indeed
established in this world; — 'thou art a well-
winged bird: go to the heaven! fly to the
light!' — thus having made him a well-winged
bird 2, he says, ' Go to the gods ! fly to the heavenly
world ! '
7. He fashions him here (in the pan or womb)
into (a bird) with wings and tail ; for whatlike the
seed is fashioned in the womb, suchlike it is born ;
and because he here fashions him as (a bird) with
1 The ordinary hymn-tune of the Agnish/oma-saman, the last and characteristic stotra of the simplest, or Agnish/oma Soma-sacrifice.
2 Or, the bird (or eagle, supanza) Garutmat.
VI KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, IO. 275
wings and tail, therefore he is hereafter born with wings and tail.
8. Now some, after addressing him by that
fashioning (formula), build a different altar (than
of an eagle's shape), either one constructed in the
form of a trough 1, or like a chariot-wheel, or like
a kite, or like the front part of a thill, or like a
thill on both sides, or one consisting of a heap of
loose soil 2. Let him not do so, (but) in such wise
as one might carve a young one with wings and
tail : let him therefore build it (the fire-altar) in the
form of an eagle.
9. With that fashioning (formula) he holds him
high up from thence towards east 3 ; for he, Agni, is
yonder sun : he thus places yonder sun high up
from here in the east ; and hence yonder sun is
placed high up from here in the east. He holds
him up so as to be beyond the reach of the arms,
for he (the sun) is beyond the reach of the arms
from here. He then lowers him, and, having
lowered him, he holds him above the navel : the
significance of this has been explained 4.
10. He then strides the Vishnu-strides 5. For the
gods, in the form of Vishnu (the sun), then strode
through these worlds ; and inasmuch as, in the form
of Vishnu, they thus strode, they are called the
Vishnu-strides : in like manner does the Sacrificer,
1 Saya^a seems to make this a round vessel, — drowa^ pari- ma^alanama-(?lamana)rupa/^ dro^am iva >£iyate drona&t.
2 Samuhya samuhya purishazrc tenaiva kevalena ^iyata iti samu- hyapurisha^, Say.
3 As in the case of the lump of clay, VI, 4, 3, 10.
4 VI, 7, 1, 8 seq.
B Or the Vishmi-steps, as the term, for a special reason, was translated at V, 4, 2, 6.
2 76 satapatha-brAhma^a.
in the form of Vishnu, now stride through these worlds.
ii. Now he who is Vishnu is this sacrifice; and
he who is this sacrifice is that same Agni in the
ukha (fire-pan) : into that same (Agni) the gods
changed themselves, and strode through these
worlds ; and in like manner the Sacrificer, having
changed himself into that same (Agni), strides
through these worlds.
12. Standing with his face towards north-east (he
strides) ; for standing towards north-east Pra^apati
created offspring by means of the Vishnu-strides :
in like manner does the Sacrificer now, standing
towards north-east, create offspring by means of the
Vishnu-strides.
13. [Vaf. S. XII, 5] 'Thou art Vishnu's
stride/ — for in the form of Vishnu he strides; —
' the slayer of foes ; ' — for he now slays his foes ; —
'mount thou the Gayatri metre/ — the Gayatri
metre he does mount, — 'stride along the earth!'
— along the earth he indeed strides. He stretches
forward his (right) foot and strides : he raises the
fire upwards, for upwards he ascends.
14. ' Thou art Vishnu's stride/ — for in the
form of Vishnu he strides; — 'the slayer of
plotters/ — for he now does slay the plotters; —
'mount thou the Trish^ubh metre!' — the Tri-
sh^ubh metre he does mount; — 'stride along the
air ! ' — along the air he indeed strides. He stretches
forward his foot and strides : he raises the fire (yet
further) upwards, for upwards he ascends.
15. 'Thou art Vishnu's stride/ — for in the
form of Vishnu he strides; — 'the slayer of the
evil-minded/ — for he now does slay the evil-
VI KAiVDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 2. 277
minded; — 'Mount the tragati metre!' — for the
Gagatl metre he does mount; — 'stride along the
sky ! ' — along the sky he indeed strides. He
stretches his foot forward and strides : he raises
the fire (yet further) upwards, for upwards he
ascends.
16. 'Thou art Vishnu's stride,' — for in the
form of Vishmi he strides; — 'the slayer of the
hostile/ — for he now does slay the hostile ; —
'mount thou the Anush/ubh metre!' — the
Anush/fubh metre he does mount; — 'stride along
the quarters ! ' — he looks along the (four) quarters ;
he does not stretch forward his foot, thinking, ' Lest
I lose these worlds!' — He raises the fire right up,
for he ascends completely (to the top).
Third Brahma^a.
1. He then holds it (the fire in the pan) up thus
(towards north-east). Now the gods at that time
were desiring, ' May we be like Par^anya (the rain-
god) ! ' By that body (of his a) they became like
Par^anya, and in like manner does the Sacrificer by
that body (of his) become like Par^anya.
2. [V^. S. XII, 6; jRik S. X, 45, 4] 'Agni
roared like the thundering sky,' — for he (Agni)
indeed roars like the thundering Par^anya ; — ' again
and again licking the ground, stroking2 the
plants,' — for Par^anya, whilst licking again and
1 Viz. by the Agni who is now being held up, and of whom Par^anya is said to be another form, at VI, 1, 3, 15. It is pro- bably the smoke rising from the fire-pan that suggests the idea of the Jupiter pluvius sending forth his flashes of light from the dark cloud.
2 Literally, anointing (? either furbishing, or impregnating).
2 78 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
again the ground, does stroke the plants; — 'scarce
born, the kindled shone forth/ — for scarce born
he indeed lights up everything here; — 'with his
light he shineth between the two worlds/ —
the two worlds, doubtless, are the heaven and the
earth, and these two he indeed illumes by his light.
He holds it (the fire in the pan) up so as to be
beyond the reach of his arms, for Par^anya is
beyond the reach of (our) arms.
3. He then lowers it ; for whatever sap, what-
ever sustenance there is in this world, that rises
upwards with it through these worlds, for Agni is
the sap, Agni is the substance in this world : thus
were that always to be so \ then there would be no
sap, no sustenance in this world ; but when he lowers
(the fire), he bestows sap and sustenance on this
world.
4. And, again, why he lowers it, — he then indeed
rises upwards from here through these worlds : that
is, as it were, a rising away from here. But this
earth is the resting-place ; and were that always to
be so, the Sacrificer would be removed from this
world. But when he lowers (the fire), he thereby
comes back to this resting-place, and stands firmly
on this resting-place.
5. And, again, why he lowers it, — there, indeed,
in rising upwards, he conquers these worlds from
here : that is, as it were, a conquering in a forward
direction. Now the conquest of him who conquers
only in a forward direction is completed by others ;
but for him who conquers both ways there is free
scope : thus, when he lowers (the fire) he conquers