1 This common portion of the two formulas forms the so-called 'settling' (or ' setting ') formula (sadana); Katy. *Sr. XVI, 7, 14; cf. VI, 1, 2, 28, and p. 301, note 3. 'Angiras-like' apparently means, ' as (thou didst) in the case of, or with, Angiras/
2 V&g. S. XII, 55 ; Rik S. VIII, 69, 3. 'At his birth the well- like milking, speckled ones mix the Soma (draught), the clans of the gods in the three spheres of the heavens/ This difficult verse has been differently translated by different translators. The Brahma^a itself also gives a very different, doubtless quite fanciful, interpreta- tion of it at VIII, 7, 3, 21.
3 That is, in accordance with the course of the sun.
4 Or, 'thus (it goes, — or, Agni, as a bird, flies) to the gods/ 6 See VI, 1, 1, 15.
308 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
so great he thus builds him. Eight bricks he
' settles ' five times, that makes thirteen, — thirteen
months are a year, and there are thirteen layers of
earth in the fire-altar : as great as Agni is, as great
as is his measure, so great does this become.
33. He then puts on a space-filling one : the
significance of that one (will be explained) further
on \ Three there are in front 2, — threefold is Agni :
as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, so
great he thus builds him ;■ — and ten those that
follow 3, — the significance of these (will be explained)
further on. Or first two, then ten, and then one,
for in this way they build up the pile, — these amount
to thirteen : the significance of this has been told.
34. Both these kinds (of bricks) amount to twenty-
one ; — there are twelve months, five seasons, these
three worlds, and yonder sun as the twenty-first :
that sun he thus establishes in this fire-altar.
35. Moreover, there are twenty-one enclosing-
stones, — twelve months, five seasons, these three
worlds, and that Agni from yonder (sun) 4 as the
twenty-first : this Agni he thus establishes in yonder
sun. And inasmuch as he puts on those (bricks) in
this way, he thereby establishes those two (the sun
and the fire) in each other, and (accordingly) those
two are established in each other ; for both of them
he now makes out to be the twenty-first, and both
1 VIII, 7, 2, 1 seq.
2 Viz. one in the north-east, and two (of half the size) in the south-east corner.
8 Viz. one in the south-west, and one in the north-west corner ; and further, eight more filling up the four segments of the circle. See the outline of the Garhapatya altar at p. 302.
4 Or, perhaps that Agni on yonder sky (or fire-altar ?). In any case it is the sun that is referred to.
VII KANDA, I ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 37. 309
of them are then here 1, as the Ahavaniya and the G&rhapatya.
36. He then throws thereon a layer of earth, — the
significance of this (will be told) further on 2. He
takes it from the edge of the pit (A^atvala) ; for the
isfatvala is the same as Agni 3, and in this way does
that which is of Agni's nature become his. It (the
Garhapatya altar) should be even with the mouth
(of the fire-pan) : the significance of this has been
told 4.
37. It (the Garhapatya hearth) measures a fathom
(in diameter5), for man is a fathom high, and man is
Pra^apati (the lord of generation), and Pra^apati is
Agni : he thus makes the womb of equal size to his
(Agni's) body. It is circular, for the womb is
circular ; and moreover the Garhapatya is this
(terrestrial) world, and this world doubtless is
circular.
1 That is to say, they will be here after the completion of the two altars,— the Garhapatya fire being the Agni proper, and the Ahavaniya fire the sun.
2 For this, and the formula (V&g. S. XII, 56) used therewith, see VIII, 7, 3, 1 seq.
3 See part ii, p. 116, note 3, 'The earth taken from the pit being used for constructing the high altar, both are of the same size or cubic extent/
4 See VI, 3, 3, 26.
5 Or rather, it is a circle corresponding in area to a square of one fathom ; which gives a diameter somewhat exceeding in length a fathom (that is, the space between the tips of the middle fingers when the arms are extended). The measurement is (at least theoretically) a relative one, being adapted to the Sacrifice's size ; but practically the fathom (vyama, or purusha, man) may be taken to be of about 6 feet, the vyama being equal to 4 aratnis (cubits) of 2 pradcras (spans of some 18 inches each). This allows for a central square of 4 feet, and about 1 foot (in reality somewhat less) for each of the two bisectors of the segments.
SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
38. He then pours those two (fires) together1, —
he thereby establishes concord between them — with
(Va£\ S. XII, 57-60), ' Unite ye two, and get ye
on together, loving, radiant, well-disposed,
dwelling together for food and drink! — To-
gether have I brought your minds, together
your rites, together your thoughts: O Agni
Purlshya2, be thou the overlord, and bestow
thou food and drink upon our Sacrificer! — O
Agni, thou art the Purlshya, wealthy, pros-
perous: having made happy all the regions,
seat thee here in thine own seat! — Be ye two
unto us of one mind, of one thought, without
guile! Injure ye not the sacrifice, nor the
lord of the sacrifice, and be ye propitious
unto us this day, ye knowers of beings ! ' He
therewith pacifies them for (mutual) safety, so that
they shall do no injury to one another.
39. With four (verses) he pours them together, —
he thereby establishes concord between them by
whatever four-footed cattle there are ; and cattle
being food, it is by means of food that he establishes
concord between them.
40. Let him not look at that (pan) while empty :
c I must not look at the empty one !' so he thinks.
Were he to look at the empty (pan), it would cer-
tainly devour him.
41. He then pours sand into it 3, for sand (sikata) is
1 That is, he pours the fire of the pan (ukhyagni) on the Garhapatya (hearth).
2 ' Purishya ' seems here to have the sense of ' rich, plentiful/ See p. 201, note.
3 ' UkM/ the pan, is feminine, and represents the womb from which Agni is born.
VII KANDA, I ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 44. 3II
the seed of Agni Vaisv&nara : he thus pours (sic)
Agni Vaisvanara as seed into it. It should be even
with the brim : the significance of this has been
explained.
42. He then unlooses it, to keep it from chafing ;
for if that which is yoked is not unloosed it is
chafed. Now when yoked there, it (the fire-pan)
bore this Agni within it as seed, and him it has now
brought forth. It now conceives a second time ; for
the ' Ukhd ' is a female, and hence when a female
has brought forth the seed the first time, it conceives
a second time.
43. [He unlooses it from the netting, with Vaf.
S. XII, 61] 'Even as a mother her son, so hath
the Earth borne Agni Purishya/ — that is, Agni,
favourable to cattle ; — ' she, the Ukha, in her own
womb;' that is, the Ukha has borne Agni in her
own womb ; — ' May Pra^apati, the all-former,
release her, in concert with the All-gods, the
seasons!' the All-gods doubtless are the seasons:
thus Pra^apati, the all-former, releases it, in concert
with the All-gods, the seasons. He deposits it north
of the fire, at a cubit's distance : the significance of
this has been .explained 1.
44. He then pours milk into it, — it first receives
seed, and now it receives milk ; for the fire-pan is a
female : hence when a female receives seed, then it
receives milk. The sand is below, and the milk
above, for the seed is below, and the milk above. He
pours it into the middle, so that thereon he may
place the human head 2.
1 VI, 3, i, 30. 2 See VII, 5, 2, 14.
3 1 2 satapatha-brahmajva.
Second Brahmajva.
i. Pra^apati produced creatures. Having pro-
duced creatures, and run the whole race, he became
relaxed1. From him, when relaxed, the vital air went
out from within : then his vigour went out of him.
That having gone out, he fell down. From him,
thus fallen, food flowed forth : it was from that eye
on which he lay that his food flowed. And, verily,
there was then no firm foundation whatever here.
2. The gods spake, 'Verily, there is no other
foundation than this : let us restore even him, our
father Pra^apati ; he shall be our foundation/
3. They said unto Agni, ' Verily, there is no
foundation other than this : in thee we will restore
this our father Pra^apati ; he shall be our founda-
tion.'— ' What will then be my reward ? ' said he.
4. They spake, ' This Pra^apati is food : with thee
for our mouth we will eat that food, and he (Pra^a-
pati) shall be the food of us, having thee for our
mouth/ He said, * So be it ! ' Therefore the gods
eat food with Agni as their mouth ; for to whatsoever
deity men offer, it is into Agni that they offer, since
it is with Agni for their mouth that the gods thus
took in the food.
5. Now the vital air which went out from within
him is no other than the wind that blows yonder;
and the vigour which went out of him is yonder sun ;
and the food which flowed from him is all the food
which there is within the year.
6. The gods heated him in the fire ; and when the
1 Literally, fallen asunder, i.e. broken to pieces, or disjointed (' opened/ Delbruck, Synt. F. V, p. 385).
VII KANDA, I ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, IO. 313
fire rose over him thus heated, that same vital air
which had gone out from within him came back to
him, and they put it into him ; and the vigour which
had gone out of him they put into him ; and the
food which had flowed from him they put into him.
Having made him up entire and complete, they
raised him (so as to stand) upright; and inasmuch as
they thus raised him upright he is these worlds.
7. This (terrestrial) world truly is his foundation ;
and what fire there is in this world that is his (Pra-
^apati's) downward vital air. And the air is his body,
and what wind there is in the air, that is that vital
air of his in the body. And the sky is his head ; the
sun and the moon are his eyes. The eye on which
he lay is the moon : whence that one is much closed
up, for the food flowed therefrom.
8. Now that same foundation which the gods thus
restored is the foundation here even to this day, and
will be so even hereafter.
9. And the Pra^apati who became relaxed is this
same Agni who is now being built up. And when
that fire-pan lies there empty before being heated, it
is just like Pra^apati, as he lay there with the vital
air and the vigour gone out of him, and the food
having flowed out.
10. He heats it on the fire, even as the gods then
heated him (Pra^apati). And when the fire rises
over it thus heated, then that same vital air which
went out from within him comes back to him, and he
puts it into him. And when, putting on the gold
plate, he wears it, he puts into him that very vigour
which had gone out of him. And when he puts on
kindling-sticks, he puts into him that very food which
had flowed from him.
314 SA TAPATH A-BRAHM ANA.
1 1. He puts them on in the evening and morning,
for the food both of the day and the night was flow-
ing out. These same (ceremonies) should be (per-
formed) during a whole year, for that Pra^apati
whence those (substances) went out is the year : into
that whole (Pra^apati) he thus puts all that (which
belongs to him). And in whatever part of this (year)
he should therefore 1 not do so, into that part of him
(Pra^apati) he would not put that (which belongs
therein). * One must not even be a looker-on at the
(building up of a fire) not carried about for a year/
V&makaksh&ya/za was wont to say, 'lest he should
see this our father Pra^&pati being torn to pieces V
He restores him so as to be whole and complete,
and raises him to stand upright, even as the gods
then raised him.
12. This (terrestrial) world in truth is his (Pra^a-
pati's) Garhapatya (hearth) ; and what fire there is in
this world that to him is the fire on the Garhapatya.
And what space there is between the Ahavantya and
the Garhapatya, that is the air 3 ; and that wind in