VII KAiVDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMA2VA, 33. 37 1
would be just as if he said ' sacrifice (or, worship) be to thee ! '
31. With three (formulas) he worships, — three are
these worlds, and threefold, also, is Agni : as great
as Agni is, as great as is his measure, by so much
he thus stops these worlds (from moving) ; and by
so much does he appease everything here. Stand-
ing he worships, for these worlds stand, as it were ;
and besides, while standing one is stronger.
32. Thereupon, having sat down he offers on (the
gold man) with fivefold-taken ghee, — the significance
of this has been explained. On each side (of the
fire he offers), moving round : he thus gratifies him
(Agni) with food from all quarters.
33. And, again, why he offers thereon. The gods,
having laid down that body of theirs, now were
afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, should smite that
(body) of theirs. They saw those Rakshas-killing
counter-charms1,— (V&£\ S. XIII, 9-13; Rik S. IV,
1 See p. 53, note 2. In the present instance, the sacrificial formulas themselves constitute these charms. The five verses, only the first pada of the first of which is given in the text, are as follows : —
1. Put forth thy power as (if it were) a broad host (or, net) ; go forth, like a mighty king with his following, following up the swift host ! An archer thou art : pierce the Rakshas with thy fieriest (darts).
2. Swiftly fly thy whirling (darts): fiercely burning attack thou boldly ! Unfettered, O Agni, with thy tongue pour forth on all sides winged flames and firebrands.
3. Thou, the most rapid, send forth thy spies : be thou an un- daunted protector to this people (from him) who planneth evil against us from afar or from near by ; O Agni, let none dare to attack us without thy cognizance.
4. Rise, O Agni, spread thyself out, and burn down the foes, O sharp-darted : whosoever hath done us injury, burn him down, O flaming one, like dry brushwood.
B b 2
3 7 2 DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
4, 1-5), 'Put forth thy power, like a broad
army!' slayers of Rakshas are the counter-charms :
having, by means of these counter-charms, repelled
the Rakshas, the fiends, in every quarter, they (the
gods) restored that body in a place free from danger
and devilry; and in like manner this Sacrificer,
having, by means of these counter-charms, repelled
the Rakshas, the fiends, in every quarter, now re-
stores that body (of Agni) in a place free from
danger and devilry.
34. He offers with ghee ; for the ghee is a thunder-
bolt : by the thunderbolt he thus repels the Rakshas,
the fiends; — with fivefold-taken (ghee), — of five
layers consists the fire-altar ; five seasons are a year,
and the year is Agni : as great as Agni is, as great
as is his measure, with so much he thus repels the
Rakshas, the fiends ; — with (five) verses addressed
to Agni, for the Rakshas-killing light is Agni : by
Agni he thus repels the Rakshas, the fiends ; — with
trishAibh verses, — the Trish/ubh is a thunderbolt :
by the thunderbolt he thus repels the Rakshas, the
fiends. On each side (he offers) moving round :
in every quarter he thus repels the Rakshas, the
fiends.
35. Behind the altar (he offers) while seated with
his face towards the east ; then on the left (north)
side (looking) to the south ; then in front (looking)
to the west ; then going round behind, (he offers) on
the right (south) side while sitting with his face to-
wards the north. Thus (he moves) to the right, for
5. Stand up, O Agni ; strike out for our sake, and manifest thy divine powers ! unstring the strong (arrows, or bows) of the goblins : crush the enemies, be they kindred or strangers !
Vii Kanda, 4 Adhyaya, I Brahma^a, 38. 373
that (leads) to the gods. Thereupon, going back,-
(he offers) while sitting behind, with his face towards
the east ; and in this way that performance of his
takes place towards the east \
36. He then lays down two offering-spoons, — the
offering-spoons are arms 2 : it is his arms he thus
restores to him (Agni). And as to why offering-
spoons (are laid down), it is because the arms are
offering-spoons,— that bowl and the handle are two,
for there are two of these arms. He lays them down
at the (left and right) sides, for these arms (of ours)
are at the sides.
37. On the right (south) side he lays down one of
karshmarya (gmelina arborea) wood. For at that
time the gods were afraid lest the Rakshas, the
fiends, should destroy their sacrifice from the south.
They saw that Rakshas-killing tree, the Karshmarya :
having by that tree repelled the Rakshas, the fiends,
on the south, they spread that sacrifice in a place
free from danger and devilry. And in like manner
the Sacrificer, having by that tree repelled the Ra-
kshas, the fiends, on the south, now spreads that
sacrifice in a place free from danger and devilry. It
(the spoon) is filled with ghee ; — the ghee is a
thunderbolt : it is by the thunderbolt he thus repels
the Rakshas, the fiends, on the south.
38. On the left (north) side he then lays down
one of udumbara (ficus glomerata) wood ; for the
Udumbara means strength, life-sap : strength, life-
sap he thus puts into him. It is filled with sour
1 The order in which he offers would thus be,— west, north, east, (then going back along the north and west sides) south, west.
2 They are indeed of an arm's length, with bowls of the shape and size of the hand, see part i, p. 67, note 2.
3 74 SATAPATHA-BRAHMA2VA.
curds, — sour curds are life-sap : it is life-sap he thus puts into him.
39. And, again, why he lays down two offering-
spoons. When Pra^apati was relaxed, Agni took
his (Pra^apati's) fiery spirit, and carried it off to the
south, and there stopped ; and because after carrying
(karsh) it off he stopped (ud-ram), therefore the Kar-
shmarya (sprang up). And Indra took his (Pra^d-
pati's) vigour and went away to the north : it became
the Udumbara tree.
40. He (Pra^&pati) said to those two, ' Come ye
to me, and put back into me that (substance) of mine
wherewith ye have gone off ! ' — ' Well then, bestow
thou all food here on us two ! ' they said. — ' Well
then, join me, becoming these two arms of mine ! ' —
' So be it ! ' He bestowed all food on them, and
they joined him, becoming those two arms of his :
hence it is by the arms that food is made, and by
means of the arms that it is eaten, for he (Pra^a-
pati) bestowed all food on the two arms.
41. The k&rshmarya one he lays down on the
right side, with QJ&g. S. XIII, 13), 'By Agni's
fiery spirit I settle theeF — that fiery spirit of his
(Pra^&pati's) which Agni then took and carried off to
the south, he now puts back into him. — 'Agni, the
head, the summit of the sky, he, the lord of the
earth, animates the seeds of the waters/ for
Agni indeed is this (spoon). With a Gayatri verse
(he performs), — Agni is Gayatra : as great as Agni
is, as great as is his measure, with so much he thus
lays down that (spoon). It is filled with ghee, for
ghee belongs to Agni : with his own share, with his
own life-sap he thus gratifies him.
42. He then lays down the udumbara one on the
VII KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 43. 375
left (north) side, with (V^. S. XIII,i4), 'By Indra's
vigour I settle thee!' that vigour of his (Pra^ci-
pati's) which Indra then took and went away to the
north, he now puts back into him. — (Va£*. S. XIII,
15; Rik S. X, 8, 6), 'Thou hast become the
leader of the sacrifice, and of the sphere to
which thou tendest with propitious teams;
the light-giving head hast thou lifted to the
sky; thy tongue, O Agni, hast thou made the
bearer of the offering ;' — Indra indeed is this
(spoon). And as to its being a verse addressed to
Agni, it is because it is the performance of Agni
(the fire-altar) ; — and a trish/ubh one, because Indra
is connected with the Trish/ubh ; and Agni includes
Indra and Agni : as great as Agni is, as great as is
his measure, with so much he thus lays it down.
Moreover, all the gods are Indra and Agni, and
Agni belongs to all the deities : as great as Agni
is, as great as is his measure, with so much he
thus lays it down. It is filled with sour curds, for
sour curds belong to Indra : with his own share,
with his own life-sap he thus gratifies him.
43. Indra and Agni indeed are those two arms of
his (Pra^tpati's) : they join him with fiery spirit and
vigour. Where he (the Sacrificer) touches (the
ground with his arms), whilst viewing intently the
gold man with his breast close to him1, there he
1 There seems to be considerable difference of opinion between Katyayana and Sayawa regarding this point of the ceremonial. The gold man lies stretched out on his back with his head towards the east. According to Katyayana, XVII, 4, 10, he (the Sacrificer) is to lie down so as to cover the gold man, but without actually touching him with his breast, and at the extreme end of where the arms touch (the ground) he is to make two marks, where the spoons are then to be laid down with the bowl towards the east. Saya«a,
376 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
(the Adhvaryu) makes a mark and lays down those (spoons) ; for that is the place of those two (arms).
44. Now some lay them down sideways (from
south to north), saying, 'Sideways run these two arms
(of ours)/ Let him not do so, but let him lay them
with the bowl towards the front (east), for this Agni
(altar) is built with the head towards the front ; and,
besides, in this way the arms are stronger. Sepa-
rately he lays them down, separately he ' settles '
them, and separately he pronounces the Sudadohas
verse on them ; for separate are these two arms.
45. As to this they say, ' Let him make no arms
to this (gold) man *, lest he should cause him to be
redundant ; for these two spoons are (in lieu of) his
arms/ Let him nevertheless make (him with arms),
for those two spoons are (merely) after the manner
of the two arms. Moreover, those two (arms of
Agni) are wings ; and whatever forms, whatever
stomas, whatever przshMas, whatever metres he will
be applying to that fire-altar, that will be the perfec-
tion, that will be the growth of those two : let him
therefore make arms to that (gold) man.
on the other hand, explains — ' Let the Adhvaryu lay down the two spoons close to the breast of the laid-down gold man. Having beheld (i.e. recognised) — or, whilst beholding (?) — that man, where- ever the laid-down pair of spoons reaches his breast there, having made a mark, let him lay down the two spoons : that part of the breast doubtless is the place of those two (spoons, or gods?) extolled as the arms.' Perhaps the text of this comment is some- what corrupt. The ceremony is apparently intended to symbolise the identification of the Sacrificer with the sacrificial man, or the sacrifice itself. The Sacrificer lies down so as to rest on his fore- arms ; the spoons being afterwards laid down on the marks left by the fore-arms (and naturally running in an easterly direction). — For Professor Weber's view, see p. 367, note 1.
1 That is to say, Let it be a gold statuette without arms.
vii kaivda, 4 adhyaya, 2 brahma2va, 4. 377
Second Brahma-na^.
1. He puts aSvayam-atf^^a (naturally-perfor-
ated brick) on (the gold man) ; — the (first) naturally-
perforated one being this earth, he thus puts this
earth thereon. He puts it on so as not to be separ-
ate from the man ; for the naturally-perforated one
means food, and the naturally-perforated one means
this earth, and this earth is food, since it is on her
that all food ripens : he thus places food close to him
(the man, Agni). Upon (the man he puts it) : he
thus places the food upon him 1.
2. And, again, why he puts on a naturally-
perforated one ; — the naturally-perforated (brick) is
the breath (or vital air), for the breath thus bores it-
self (svayam atrzhtte) through the body : it is breath
he thus bestows on it. He puts it so as not to be
separate from the man ; for the naturally-perforated
one is the breath, and the naturally-perforated one is
this earth, and this earth is the breath, since this
earth bears everything that breathes : he thus puts
the breath so as not to be separate from him.
Upon (the man he places the brick) : he thus puts
the breath upon him \
3. And, again, why he puts thereon the naturally-
perforated one. The deities, taking up the disjointed
Pra^apati, separated ; and, having obtained a resting-
place in them, thus separated, he settled down.
4. Now that Pra^apati who became disjointed is
this very Agni (fire-altar) that is now being built up ;
and that resting-place (or, foundation) is this first