1 That is, from the right thigh to the left thigh (south-west to north-west). Whilst the first furrow was ploughed from the south- west to the south-east corner, the present and two following furrows are ploughed l sunwise ' from south-west to north-west, north-west to north-east, and north-east to south-east respectively. We are not told in what manner the plough is to be got back from the south- east to the south-west corner after the ploughing of the first furrow, whether it is to be carried there, or to be pulled back outside the enclosed square.
2 That is, from the left thigh to the left shoulder (north-west to north-east).
3 Or, the metal-shod. The author's reason for interpreting * paviravat ' by ' rayimat ' is not clear.
4 According to the St. Petersburg dictionary, ' somapitsaru ' is probably a corrupt form, like the various readings ' somasatsaru ' (Ath. S. Ill, 17, 3) and ' sumatitsaru' (Taitt. S. IV, 2, 5, 6 = ' moving up and down/ Saya/za). Cf. Vasish/^a Dharma^astra (Btihler's translation, Sacred Books of the East, vol. xiv, p. 13), where ' soma-
VII KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 1 3. 329
wheeled waggon/ for all this the furrow throws up (yields).
12. Then on the forepart (he ploughs a furrow)
southwards1, with (V&jr. S. XII, 72), ' Milk out, O
cow of plenty, their desire to Mitra, and to
Varuf/a, to Indra, to the Asvins, to PCishan, to
creatures and plants ! ' husbandry is (beneficial) to
all deities : thus, ' Milk out for these deities all their
desires!' — He first ploughs thus (south-west to south-
east), then thus (south-west to north-west), then thus
(north-west to north-east), then thus (north-east to
south-east) : that is (sunwise), for thus it is with the
gods 2.
13. Four furrows he ploughs with prayer: he
thereby puts into him (Pra^apati-Agni) what food
there is in the four quarters ; and that with prayer, —
true is the prayer, and true (manifest) are those
quarters.
pitsaru ' is explained in the text as meaning ' provided with a handle (tsaru) for the Soma-drinker ' (somapi). Also Indische Studien, XVII, p. 259, where Professor Weber proposes to divide the word ' somasatsaru ' into ' soma(n)/ with thongs, and ' sa-tsaru/ with handle. If ' somapi-tsaru ' really represent the constituent elements, * tsaru/ handle, may indeed be intended as having special reference to the handle of the Soma-cup (^amasa) ; though * somapi ' could only be taken in the sense of ' Soma-drinker/ and not in that of ' Soma-cup/ optionally suggested by Mahidhara.
1 That is, from the left to the right shoulder (north-east to south- east).
2 Or, perhaps, thus it goes to the gods; this tends godward. Whilst the last three furrows are indeed ploughed ' sunwise ' (east to south, &c), the first furrow was ploughed in the opposite direction (south-west to south-east). The reason for this is that the whole performance is to take place in an easterly direction, so as to tend towards the gods. Were he to start at the south-east corner, and then plough right round, he wrould be moving away from the gods, who are supposed to reside in the east.
3 30 DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
14. He then ploughs (again) through the body:
he thereby puts into him what food there is in the
year. Silently (he does so), for what is silent is un-
determined, and the undetermined is everything : by
means of everything he thus puts food into him. He
first ploughs thus (through the middle from south to
north), then thus (south-west to north-east), then thus
(east to west), then thus (north-west to south-east),
— that is sunwise *, for thus it is with the gods.
15. Three furrows he ploughs each time, — three-
fold is Agni : as great as Agni is, as great as is his
measure, with so much he thus puts food into him.
16. Twelve furrows he ploughs silently, — the
year (consists of) twelve months, and the year is
Agni : as great as Agni is, as great as is his
measure, by so much he thus puts food into him.
1 7. Both kinds (of furrows) amount to sixteen, —
of sixteen parts Pra^apati consists, and Pra^&pati is
Agni : he thus puts into him food proportionate to
his body. And, indeed, the food which is propor-
tionate to the body, satisfies, and does no harm ; but
that which is too much, does harm, and that which
is too little, does not satisfy.
1 Here, again, the sunwise motion of the plough only applies to the three last furrows (or sets of furrows), which always move from left to right, — south-west to north-east, east to west, north- west to south-east. The first set of furrows — drawn from south to north, or along the * cross-spine ' (as distinguished from the real, or easterly spine running from west to east) — are apparently drawn in this way, in order to avoid the southerly direction, as that would imply speedy death to the Sacrificer, — his going to the Fathers, or deceased ancestors, who are supposed to reside in the south. In drawing the furrows in the way they do, the priests not only avoid that region, but at the very outset move away from it, and thereby assure long life to the Sacrificer.
VII KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 21. 33 1
1 8. And, again, why he ploughs through him, —
the gods being about to put him (Pra^*apati) together,
thereby in the first place put the vital airs into him ;
and in like manner does this (Sacrificer), being about
to put him together, thereby in the first place put
the vital airs into him. They (the furrows) are lines,
for these vital airs (move) in lines (channels).
19. Four furrows he ploughs with prayer: he
thereby puts into him those four well-defined vital
airs which are in the head ; and this (he does) with
prayer, — true is the prayer, and true (manifest, real)
are these vital airs in the head.
20. And as to why he ploughs through the body :
he thereby puts into him those vital airs which are
inside the body. Silently (he does so), for who
knows how many vital airs there are inside the body ?
21. Having gained the object for which he yokes
those (oxen), he now unyokes them, with (Va^. S.
XII, 73), cBe ye unyoked, ye inviolable (oxen)!'
for inviolable 1 they indeed are with the gods ; — ' Y e
godward-striding ! ' for with them he performs the
divine work; — ' We have come to the end of this
gloom;' — gloom doubtless means famine: thus,
4 we have come to the end of this famine ;' — 'we
have attained the light!' for he who attains the
gods, the sacrifice, indeed attains the light. He then
lets them loose towards north-east — the significance
of this has been explained 2. He gives them to the
Adhvaryu, for it is he that does the work with them :
let him assign them (to him) at the time of (the pre-
sentation of) the Dakshi/zas.
1 See part ii, p. 216, note 2, where 'aghnya' was used of cows.
2 See VI, 4, 4, 22. The plough is put aside on the utkara (heap of rubbish).
332 satapatha-brahmaiva.
Third Brahma^a.
i. He then places a bunch of darbha (kim) grass
(poa cynosuroides) on (the middle of the altar-site) ;
for the gods then placed plants thereon, and in like
manner does the Sacrificer now place plants thereon.
2. And, again, why he places a bunch of grass
thereon ; — when he (Agni) is built up, he is born,
and he is born here for all (kinds of) food ; but these
darbha plants (contain) both kinds of food, for they
are both water and plants. Now the waters which,
loathing Vntra, rose up on the dry land forming
bushes, became those grasses1, — inasmuch as they
rose forming bushes (drzbh), they are (called) darbha-
grasses. These darbha-grasses, then, are the water
(which remained) pure, and meet for sacrifice, when
VWtra flowed towards it ; and inasmuch as they are
darbha-grasses, they are plants : by both kinds of
food he thus gratifies him (Agni).
3. [He places it] at the meeting of the furrows,
for the meeting of furrows is speech (the mouth) 2,
and the furrows (channels) are the vital airs ; and
this is their place of meeting ; and in the mouth
food is put for the vital airs. In the middle (he
places the bunch), whereby he puts it into the very
1 The author here alludes to the legend given at I, 1, 3, 4~£, — Vrz'tra lay enveloping all that space which extends between heaven and earth, and because he lay enveloping (yri) all that, he is called Vrz'tra. Him Indra slew. Being slain, he flowed stinking in all directions towards the water ; for in every direction lies the ocean. Now some of the water loathed him, it rose higher and higher and flowed over : hence (sprang) these Iowa grasses, — they are indeed the water which was not putrified ; but with the other water some (matter) has indeed become mixed when the putrid Vrztra flowed into it.
2 See p. 200, note 3.
Vii Kanda, 2 Adhyaya, 3 Brahma2va, 6. 333
middle of him ; silently (he does so), for what is
silent is undefined, and the undefined is everything :
with everything he thus puts food into him.
4. He then offers thereon, — when he (Agni) is
built, he is born, and he is born here for all (kinds
of) food ; but that ghee is the life-sap (essence) of
this universe, for it is the life-sap of both the waters
and plants : he thus gratifies him by the life-sap of
this universe. And as far as the life-sap extends, so
far extends the body : he thus gratifies him by this
universe. With (ghee) taken in five (ladlings, he
offers), — the fire-altar consists of five layers, five
seasons are a year, and the year is Agni : as great
as Agni is, as great as is his measure, with so much
food he thus gratifies him.
5. And, again, why he offers thereon ; — when in
the beginning the i?zshis, the vital airs1, put together
this Agni, they gained for themselves that fore-share2
in him : hence they are the fore-sharers. Thus when
he offers on (the grass-bush) he thereby gratifies those
i?zshis, the vital airs, who gained for themselves the
fore-share in him (Agni). With fivefold-taken ghee
(he offers) : the significance of this has been ex-
plained.
6. And, again, why he offers thereon ; — what-
ever forms, whatever modes of chanting, whatever
prishtka. (stotras), whatever metres he is now going
to bestow on Agni, for them he prepares this fore-
share, and it is them he thereby gratifies. With
1 See VI, 1, 1, 1.
2 Literally, a share in front, in the first place, i. e. a preferential share, or fore-taste. Being accented separately, 'purastat' here, however, forms no compound with 'bhaga;' though it does in ' purastadbhaga/ fore-sharer. Cf. Taitt. S. V, 6, 4, 2.
334 DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
fivefold-taken ghee (he offers) : the significance of this has been explained.
7. And, again, why he offers thereon ; — at that
time the gods were afraid, thinking, ' Long indeed
is this performance : we hope the Rakshas, the
fiends, will not smite here this (Agni) of ours ! '
They saw this preliminary conclusion * of this per-
formance, and brought that whole (Agni) to com-
pletion even at that (point), and built him up then ;
and in like manner this (Sacrificer) brings that whole
(Agni) to completion even at this (point), and builds
him now.
8. [Va£\ S. XII, 74] 'The year/ this is a layer
(of bricks); — 'together with the dark half-
months/ this is a layer of earth; — 'the Dawn/
this is a layer (of bricks); — 'together with the
ruddy (cows)/ this is a layer of earth; — 'the two
Asvins/ this is a layer (of bricks) ; ' together with
their wonderful deeds/ this is a layer of earth ; —
'the Sun/ this is a layer (of bricks); — 'together
with the dappled horse/ this is a layer of earth ; —
' (Agni) Vauv&nara/ this is a layer (of bricks) ; —
i together with I^a/ this is a layer of earth; —
'with ghee/ this is a layer (of bricks); — 'Sva-/
this is a layer of earth; — 'ha!' this is a layer (of
bricks).
9. There are thirteen utterings, — thirteen months
are a year ; thirteen in number are the layers of
bricks and earth of the fire-altar : as great as Agni
is, as great as is his measure, so great he thus builds
him up. With butter he sacrifices, — butter is the