1 Saya/za remarks, — The high glory, in the heaven, of Soma growing in the form of a creeper is said to be the moon: in yonder heavenly world that moon indeed, when being drunk (by the gods) in the form (?) of ambrosia, causes him, Soma, to be celebrated.
2 See part ii, p. 104.
A a 2
356 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
2. He spreads it in front of the Garhapatya, on
the Vedi, with the hairy side upwards, and the neck
towards the east : thereon they appease that layer.
Now he sprinkles (the bricks) ; — when he sprinkles,
he thereby makes it pure, sacrificially clean ; — with
clarified butter (he sprinkles), for that is pure,
sacrificially clean; and also with the view of its
being unsurpassed *, for no other sacrificial food is
sprinkled with ghee ; — silently (he sprinkles), for
what is (done) silently is undefined, and the un-
defined is everything : by means of everything he
thus makes it pure, and sacrificially clean ; and also
with the view of its being unsurpassed, for no other
sacrificial food is sprinkled silently.
3. And, again, why he sprinkles, — this (layer of bricks) is sacrificial food, and as such he bastes it 2 ; for whatever sacrificial food is buttered, and basted, that is palatable and sacrificially clean. With ghee (he bastes it), for sacrificial food is basted with ghee ; silently (he does so), for silently sacrificial food is basted ; — by means of stalks of Kusa. grass, for these are pure, and sacrificially clean ; — by means of the tops, for the top is sacred to the gods.
4. As to this they say, ' When he sprinkles only
the first layer, how does that whole fire-altar of his
come to be sprinkled, how does it come to be led
forward on the skin, and how led forward by the
horse 3 ? ' Inasmuch as in this (layer) he (symbo-
lically) 4 sprinkles the bricks of all the layers ; and
1 Literally, for not surmounting.
2 See part i, p. 192, note 1.
3 On the leading forward of the fire, and laying it down on the foot-print of a horse, see II, 1, 4, 23 seq.
4 According to Katy. XVII, 3, 18-19 some ritualists would seem to put the (ya^-ushmatf) bricks of all the layers on the skin. But
VII KAATDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 7. 357
thus indeed that whole fire-altar of his comes to be
sprinkled, and led forward on the skin, and led
forward by the horse. They lift up this (first)
layer T.
5. He (the Adhvaryu) then says (to the Hotrz),
' Recite to the fires being led forward ! ' For at
that time when the gods were setting out to spread
the sacrifice, the Rakshas, the fiends, sought to smite
them, saying, ' Ye shall not sacrifice ! ye shall not
spread the sacrifice ! ' Having made those fires,
those bricks, to be sharp-edged thunderbolts, they
hurled these at them, and laid them low thereby ;
and having laid them low, they spread that sacrifice
in a place free from danger and devilry.
6. Now, what the gods did is done here, — even
now those Rakshas are indeed smitten by the gods
themselves ; and when he nevertheless does this, it
is because he thinks, ' I must do what the gods did/
And so, having made those fires, those bricks, to be
sharp-edged thunderbolts, he hurls them at whatever
Rakshas, whatever evildoers there may be, and lays
them low thereby; and having laid them low, he
spreads the sacrifice in a place free from danger and
devilry.
7. And as to why (he recites) to the fires, — it is
because there are here many fires, to wit, those
layers ; and as to (his reciting) to them being led
forward (pra-har), it is because he hurls (pra-har)
them forward (as thunderbolts).
perhaps this is merely a wrong interpretation of this passage of the Brahmawa ; though the three ' naturally-perforated ' bricks are probably placed together.
1 The Adhvaryu's attendants take up the ox-skin with the bricks for the first layer lying on it.
35§ DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
8. Now some recite (V&g: S. XII, 50), 'The
Agnis Purishyas, together with those of the
streams/ — a form of starting1. Let him not do
so ; let him recite gayatrl verses addressed to Agni,
and relating to (objects of) desire: (Va^*. S. XII,
115; Rik S. VIII, 11, 7), 'Hither may Vatsa lead
thy mind even from the highest seat, O Agni,
with the song desirous of thee !' — (Va£\ S. XII,
116) Rik S.VIII, 43,18), 'To thee, O Agni, best
of Angiras, all good homesteads have laid
themselves out for (the obtainment of) their de-
sire/—(Va^. S. XII, 117), 'Agni, the one all-
ruler, shineth in the beloved homes, the (object
of) desire of all that is and shall be/
9. Verses addressed to Agni he recites for the
obtainment of Agni's forms ; — and such as relate to
desire, for the obtainment of his desires; — G&yatrt
ones, — Agni is Gayatra : as great as Agni is, as
great as is his measure, with so much he thus pours
him forth as seed; — with three (verses), — Agni is
threefold : as great as Agni is, as great as is his mea-
sure, with so much he thus pours him forth as seed.
These (three), with the (first and last verses) recited
thrice, amount to seven, — of seven layers consists the
fire-altar 2, seven seasons are a year, and the year is
Agni : as great as Agni is, as great as is his mea-
sure, so great does this become. He recites in a
low voice, for here in the sacrifice seed is (cast), and
seed is cast silently. He (the Wotri) marches reciting
behind (the bricks carried by the attendants) ; he
thus marches, defending the sacrifice by the metres
from behind.
1 See VII, 1, i, 25. 2 See p. 249, note 3.
Vii Kanda, 3 Adhyaya, 2 Brahmajva, 12. 359
10. And in front they lead a white horse. For at
that time the gods were afraid lest the Rakshas, the
fiends, should smite them here. They saw that
thunderbolt, even yonder sun ; for that horse is
yonder sun : having driven off the Rakshas, the
fiends, in front, by that thunderbolt, they obtained
well-being in a place free from danger and devilry.
They arrive at the (site of) the fire-altar ; south of
the tail (of the altar) they set down the layer (of
bricks) ; from the north they make the horse step
(on the site of the altar).
11. They lead it eastward on the left (north)
side of the altar, inside the enclosing-stones, whereby
they ward off evil from the eastern region ; then
southward, whereby they ward off evil from the
south ; then westward, whereby they ward off evil
from the western region ; then northward, whereby
they ward off evil from the northern region. Having
thus warded off the Rakshas, the fiends, from all the
regions, he sets it (the horse) free towards north-
east : the significance of this has been explained.
12. Whilst it goes westward he makes it smell
(kiss) that layer (of bricks) ; — that horse is yonder
sun, and those bricks are the same as all these crea-
tures (on earth) : thus even as he makes (the horse)
smell, so yon sun kisses these creatures l. And hence,
by Pra^dpati's power, every one now thinks, ' I am ! '
And as to why he makes it smell while going west-
ward, it is because, whilst going (from east) to west,
that (sun) kisses all these creatures.
1 According to Saya/za, it is by his rays (identified with the vital airs of living beings) that the sun kisses (or puts himself in contact with) the creatures (and animates them) ; so that every one feels that he is ( labdhatmaka/ or has obtained ' a self/ or life and being.
360 DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
13. And, again, why he makes it smell; — that
horse is yonder sun, and those naturally-perforated
(bricks) are these worlds ; and even as he makes it
smell, so yonder sun strings these worlds to himself
on a thread \ And as to that thread, the significance
of that (will be explained) further on.
14. And, again, why he makes it smell; — Agni
went away from the gods ; he entered the water.
The gods said to Pra^apati, ' Go thou in search of
him : to thee, his own father, he will reveal himself/
He became a white horse, and went in search of
him. He found him on a lotus leaf, having crept
forth from the water. He eyed him, and he (Agni)
scorched him : hence the white horse has, as it
were, a scorched mouth2, and indeed is apt to
become weak-eyed. He (Agni) thought he had hit
and hurt him, and said to him, ' I grant thee a boon ! '
15. He (Pra^apati) said, 'Whoever shall seek
thee in that form (of a white horse), shall find thee ! '
And, accordingly, he who seeks him (Agni) in that
form, finds him ; and having found him, he then
builds him up.
16. It should be a white (horse), for that is a
form of him (the sun) who burns yonder. If he
cannot obtain a white one, one that is not white
might do ; but a horse it should be. If he cannot
obtain a horse, even an ox might do, for the ox is
of Agni's nature, and Agni is the repeller of all
evils.
1 That is, he passes a thread through them (as through pearls), fastened to himself. Regarding this Thread, or spiritual bond, holding together all sentient existences of the universe, see XIV, 6, 7, 2 seq.
2 That is, according to Sayawa, a reddish mouth.
VII KAiVDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 1 9. 36 1
17. Now, then, as to the mounting1 (of the altar).
Now some mount it from the front (east) towards
the back, or from the back towards the front : let
him not do so ; for that Agni (the fire-altar) is an
animal ; and if one mounts an animal (ox) from the
front towards the back, it strikes him with its horns ;
and if he mounts it from the back towards the front,
it does so with its feet. Let him mount it only by
the middle body2; for the animal which people
mount by the (middle) body, carries them forward,
and does not hurt them. From the left (north) side
(he should mount it), for any animal which people
mount they mount from the left side. By mounting
the (body of the) altar from the left side, and per-
forming the work connected with the Uttara-vedi,
he takes hold of Agni in the (middle) body (or, into
himself) ; and having taken Agni into his own self,
he sings the ' true hymn/ He puts a lotus-leaf on
(the altar) : thereof further on.
18. Now that horse they lead about when even-
ing is closing in ; for at that time the gods were
afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, should there
smite that (Agni, or altar) of theirs. They made that
thunderbolt, to wit, yonder sun, his protector, for
that horse is yonder sun ; and in like manner does
this one now make that thunderbolt his (Agni's)
protector.
19. He leads it about towards the setting of the
sun ; for he (the sun) is manifestly his protector by
day; and the Rakshas are the associates of the
1 That is, as to the way in which the priests and sacrificer are to step on the body of the altar-site, when coming from outside.
2 That is to say, from sideways as in getting on the saddle of a horse.
362 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
night : for the night he thus makes that thunderbolt
his protector. He leads it about on every side : on
every side he thus makes that thunderbolt his pro-
tector. Thrice he leads it about : he thus makes
that thunderbolt his (Agni's) threefold protector. He
then lets it loose towards north-west : the purport of
this has been explained. It afterwards returns (to
the sacrificial ground) : the purport of this (will be
explained) further on.
THE BUILDING OF THE ALTAR. THE FIRST LAYER.
Fourth Adhyaya. First Brahmajva.
1. Being about to build Agni (the fire-altar), he
takes him up into his own self; for from out of his
own self he causes him to be born, and wherefrom
one is born, suchlike he becomes. Now were he to
build up Agni without taking him up into his own
self, he would beget man from man, mortal from
mortal, one not freed from sin from one not freed
from sin ; but when he builds up Agni after taking
him up into his own self, he causes Agni to be born
from Agni, the immortal from the immortal, the
sinless from the sinless.
2. He takes him in (by muttering, Vag\ S. XIII,
1), ' Within me I first take Agni/ he thereby first
takes Agni into his own self; — 'for increase of
wealth, for healthy progeny, for vigorous man-
hood!' and hereby he takes all blessings to him-
self;— 'and may the deities stand by me!' and
hereby he takes all the gods to himself ; and thus
he takes into his own self all that he is about to
generate from his own self. Having taken Agni