VII KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 7. 363
into his own self whilst standing, he builds him up
sitting ; — Agni is an animal : hence the animal,
having received the foetus standing, gives birth
after lying down.
3* He now sings the Satya Saman1 (true hymn).
For the gods then said, ' Let us make the truth
(satya) his mouth (or beginning) : thus we shall be-
come the truth, truth will turn unto us, and true will
become that wish of ours for which we are about to
perform this rite ! '
4. They sang that * true hymn ' at the outset, and
thus made the truth his (Agni's) mouth; and they
became the truth ; the truth turned unto them, and
true became that wish of theirs for which they per-
formed this rite.
5. And in like manner when the Sacrificer now, at
the outset, sings the ' true hymn/ he thereby makes
the truth his (Agni's) mouth ; and he (himself) be-
comes the truth ; and truth turns unto him ; and true
becomes that wish of his for which he performs this
rite.
6. Now that truth is the same as the waters, for the
waters are the truth. Hence they say, 'Whereby2
the waters flow, that is a form of the truth/ It is the
waters indeed that were made first of this universe :
hence when the waters (rains) flow, then everything
whatsoever exists is produced here.
7. He then puts down a lotus-leaf (in the centre of
1 Probably Sama-v. S. I, 99 (jRzk S. I, 69, 4), 'O Agni, lord of bovine food, child of strength, grant unto us, O knower of beings, great glory!' See Weber, Ind. Stud. XII, p. 148, note 2.
2 ?Or, in that (or because, yena) the waters flow, — that is to say, the flowing of the waters (rain, &c.) is a manifestation of eternal truth.
364 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAA'A.
the altar-site); — the lotus-leaf is a womb: he hereby puts a womb to it (for Agni to be born from).
8. And, again, why he puts down a lotus-leaf; —
the lotus means the waters, and this earth is a leaf
thereof : even as the lotus-leaf here lies spread on
the water, so this earth lies spread on the waters.
Now this same earth is Agni's womb, for Agni (the
fire-altar) is this earth, since thereof the whole Agni
is built up: it is this earth he thus lays down. He
lays it down so as not to be separated from the
truth : he thereby establishes this earth on the truth ;
— hence this earth is established on the truth ; and
hence the truth is this earth, for this earth is the
most certain of these worlds.
9. [He lays it down, with V^. S. XIII, 2] ' The
waters' back thou art, the womb of Agni/ for
this earth is indeed the back of the waters, and the
womb of Agni; — 'around the swelling ocean/
for the ocean indeed swells around this earth; —
* growing great on the lotus/ that is, 'growing,
flourish thou on the lotus;' — 'spread out with
the extent, with the breadth, of the sky ! ' with
this he strokes along (the leaf), — for this Agni is
yonder sun, and no other extent but that of the sky
is able to contain him : he thus says (to the leaf),
' Having become the sky, contain him ! ' He lays it
down with a Svara^" verse, for self-rule (svara^ya)
belongs to the waters. Having f settled ' it, he pro-
nounces the Sudadohas 1 upon it : the significance of
this has been explained.
10. He then puts the gold plate 2 thereon. Now
1 See p. 301, note 3.
2 Viz. the one the Sacrificer wore round his neck during the initiation period. See VI, 7, 1, 1 seq.
VII KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 1 4. 365
this gold plate is yonder sun, for he shines over all
the creatures here on earth ; and * ro^as ' (shine) they
mystically call ' rukma ' (gold plate), for the gods
love the mystic : he thus lays down yonder sun
(on the altar). It is golden, and round, with one
and twenty knobs, — the significance of this has been
explained. He puts it down with the knobs pointing
downward ; for the knobs are his (the suns) rays,
and his rays (shine) downwards.
11. He puts it down on the lotus-leaf; — the lotus-
leaf is a womb : in the womb he thus places him
(Agni).
1 2. And, again, why he puts it on the lotus-leaf; —
the lotus-leaf is a foundation, for the lotus-leaf is
this earth, and this earth is the foundation : he who
is not settled on this earth, is unsettled even as one
who is far away. Now by means of his rays that
(sun) is settled on this earth : he thus settles him
(Agni) on this earth, as his foundation.
13. And, again, why he puts it on the lotus-leaf.
When Indra had smitten Wztra, he, thinking that
he had not laid him low, entered the waters. He
said to them, ' I am afraid : make ye a stronghold for
me ! ' Now what essence of the waters there was that
they gathered upwards (on the surface), and made
it a stronghold for him ; and because they made (kar)
a stronghold (pM) for him, therefore it is ' ptishkara ; '
* ptishkara ' being what is mystically called ' push-
kara ' (lotus-leaf), for the gods love the mystic. Now
when he puts it (the gold plate) on the lotus-leaf, he
then establishes him (Agni) in that essence which the
waters gathered together for him (Indra), and in that
stronghold which they made for him.
14. [He puts it down, with V&£*. S. XIII, 3]
366 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAATA.
1 ' Simata^ ' would rather seem to mean i from the boundary line/ but the author here takes ' siman ' in the sense of (simanta) ' hair-line, parting of the hair, crown of the head (Scheitel)/
2 In the Sanskrit participial (or gerundial) construction, the relation between the primary and secondary notions is usually the reverse of ours, — thus ' he rises in overspreading/
3 It is usually with Indra that the Trish/ubh metre is connected — see part i, introduction, p. xviii ; *Sat. Br. IX, 4, 3, 7 (cf. VIII, 5, 1, 10) — the Trish/ubh being also the emblem of the nobility (III, 4, 1, 10).
4 See p. 301, note 3.
VII KAiVDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 1 8. 367
16. And, again, why he lays down the man. When
Pra^&pati was relaxed, his pleasing form went out
from within ; when it had gone out of him, the gods
left him. When the gods restored him, they put
that pleasing form into him, and the gods were
pleased with that (form) of his ; and inasmuch as the
gods were pleased (ram) with that pleasing (ramya)
form of his, it is called ' hiramya ; ' ' hiramya ' being
what is mystically called ' hiramya ' (gold), for the
gods love the mystic. And in like manner does this
(Sacrificer) now put that pleasing form into him
(Agni), and the gods are pleased with that (form) of
his. But that pleasing form of his is the vital air : it
is that vital air he thus puts into him.
17. He lays him on the gold plate, for the gold
plate is yonder sun : that same man who is in that
(sun's) disk, it is him he now lays down (on the
altar).
18. He lays him down on his back1; — for the
gods at that time said, ' If we lay down these two 2
both looking hitherwards, they will burn up every-
thing here ; and if (we lay) both so as to be turned
away from here, they will give warmth only in the
opposite direction ; and if facing each other, then
there will be light only between those two, and they
will injure each other/ They laid down the one so
as to look hitherwards, and the other so as to look
away from here : that one (the sun), the gold disk,
looking downwards, gives warmth by his rays, and
1 Professor Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, p. 249, takes 'uttanam' in the sense of ' standing erect/ with his face towards the east ; but this surely must be a mistake.
2 Viz. both the gold plate (the sun), which was laid down with the embossed or front side downwards, and the gold man.
368 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
that man (tends) upward by his vital airs *. He
lays him down (with the head) towards the east, for
(with the head) towards the east this Agni (the fire-
altar) is built up.
19. [He lays him down, with Va^*. S. XIII, 4;
Rik S. X, 121, 1] * Hira^yagarbha came first
into existence/ for that golden child did come first
into existence; — 'born he was the one lord of
being ; ' for he indeed was born as the one lord of all
this being; — 'he upholdeth this earth and the
sky/ for he (the sun) does uphold both the sky and
the earth; — 'to the god Ka let us do homage
by offering! ' Ka (Who ?) is Pra^&pati : thus, ' let
us do homage to Him by offering ! '
20. [Va^. S. XIII, 5; Atk S. X, 17, 11] 'The
drop leaped along the earth and sky ; ' the drop
is yonder sun, and he leaps both to the sky and to
the earth — thus (in rising) to that (sky), and thus
(in setting) to this (earth) ; — 'along this seat, and
that which was afore ;' that is, to this world, and
to that one ; or this (Ahavaniya altar) which is now
being built, and that (Gclrhapatya altar) which yonder
was built before; — '(the drop) moving along the
commonseat;' for he (the sun) moves along that
common seat; — 'the drop I offer along the seven
hotras;' the drop is yonder sun; and the seven
hotras are the regions : he thus establishes yonder
sun in the regions.
21. With two (verses) he lays him down; — two-
footed is the Sacrificer, and the Sacrificer is Agni :
as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, with
so much he thus lays him down ; — with two trish/ubh
1 Cf. VI, 7, 1, 11, where it is said that the immortal part of the vital air of man streams out by upward breathings. Cf. p. 359, n. 1.
VII KANDAf 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 26. 369
verses, for he (the sun) is related to the Trish/ubh.
Having * settled ' him, he pronounces the Stidadohas
on him : the significance of this has been explained.
22. He then sings a Saman. For the gods, having
laid down that man, then saw him (looking) even
suchlike as yonder dry plank.
23. They said, ' Think ye upon this, how we may
put vigour into this man ! ' They said, ' Meditate ye
(^etay) ! ' whereby, doubtless, they meant to say,
' Seek ye to build up (/£itim ish) ! seek ye how we
shall put vigour into this man ! '
24. Whilst meditating, they saw this Saman, and
sang it, and thereby put vigour into him ; and in like
manner does this (Sacrificer) thereby put it into him :
he sings on the man, he puts vigour into the man ; —
he sings on the bright one *, for Agni is all bright
things. After he has laid him down, let him not walk
round him in front, lest that Agni should injure him.
25. He (the Sacrificer) then stands by (the gold
man) worshipping him with the Sarpanama (serpent-
named) formulas. The serpents doubtless are these
worlds, for these glide along (sarp) with everything
here whatsoever there is ; and Agni is no other than
the self (body) of all the gods. They, the gods,
having laid down (on the altar) that self of theirs,
were afraid lest these worlds should glide away with
that self of theirs.
26. They saw those Sarpanama and worshipped
with them ; by these (verses) they stopped these
worlds for him, and caused them to bend themselves ;
and because they caused them to bend (nam) them-
1 That is, he sings the j&fitra-saman, Sama-v. I, 169 (V&g. S. XXVII, 39), 'With what favour will the bright one, the ever- growing friend, be with us; with what mightiest host? ' [41] B b
3 70 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVTA.
selves, therefore (the formulas are called) Sarpanama.
And in like manner does the Sacrifices when he
stands by worshipping with the Sarpanama formulas,
stop these worlds for him, and cause these worlds to
bend themselves ; and so they do not glide away with
that self of his.
27. And, again, why he stands by worshipping
with the Sarpan&ma formulas ; — the serpents are
these worlds, for whatever creeps (sarp), creeps in
these worlds. Now when he worships with the Sar-
pandma formulas — whatever fiend there is in these
worlds, whatever devourer, whatever ogress, — all
that he thereby appeases.
28. [Va£\ S. XIII, 6-8] 'Homage be to the ser-
pents, whichever are on earth, and they that
are in the air, and they that are in the sky, to
those serpents be homage!' whatever serpents
there are in these three worlds to them he thereby
does homage.
29. ' They that are the darts of demons/ for
some (of the serpents), sent by demons, bite; —
'and those on the trees, and those which lie in
holes, to those serpents be homage P he thereby
does homage to the serpents that lie both in trees,
and in holes.
30. 'Or those that are in the luminous
sphere of the sky; or those in the rays of the
sun; those by which abode is made in the
waters, to those serpents be homage!' he
hereby does homage to them wheresoever they are.
He does so by ' homage, homage/ for homage is
sacrifice (worship) : by sacrifice, by homage, he thus
worships them. Let him therefore not say ' homage
be to thee/ to one not worthy of sacrifice, for it