1 That is, after the cars have come back, that of the Sacrificer keeping ahead of the others.
V Kanda, 2 Adhyaya, I Brahma2va, I. 29
he makes the horses smell, — he made them smell
before, thinking, ' May I win this (world) ; ' and now
(he does so) thinking, ' I have won this (world) : '
that is why he makes the horses smell.
28. Now on one of those race-running (rival)
chariots there has been standing either a Vaisya, or a
Ra£*anya ; he now sits down on the northern hip of
the altar. Thereupon the Adhvaryu and Sacrificer,
taking the honey-cup, step out by the front door (of
the cart-shed), and place it in the Vaisyas, or Ra-
^anya's, hand. And the Nesh/rz, taking the cups of
Surd, steps out by the back door. He walks round
by the back of the hall, and placing one (of the cups)
in the VaLsya's, or Ra^anya's, hand, he says, ' With
this I buy Him of thee !' For the Soma is truth,
prosperity, light; and the Sura is untruth, misery,
darkness : he thus imbues the Sacrificer with truth,
prosperity, and light ; and smites the Vaisya with
untruth, misery, and darkness ; — whatever benefit (or
enjoyment) he desires, he obtains for himself by
those (cups of Sura). But that cup of honey he
presents to the Brahman, together with the golden
vessel. In presenting it to the Brahman, he imbues
himself with immortal life ; for gold is immortal
life ; — and whatsoever benefit he desires that he
thereby obtains for himself.
Second Adhyaya. First Brahmawa,
1. Thereupon, taking the dipping-spoon (sruva)
and the pot for melting butter, he goes to the
Ahavaniya fire. He either offers those twelve
Apt is1, or makes (the Sacrificer) pronounce (the
1 The term apti, literally ' obtainment, gain,' is technically used
30 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
formulas). Whether he offers, or makes him pro- nounce (the formulas), the significance is the same.
2. He offers, with (Va£\ S. IX, 20), ' To the ally,
hail! — To the good ally, hail! — To the after-
born, hail! — To the purpose, hail! — To the
Vasu, hail! — To the Lord of day, hail! — To
the failing day, hail! — To the failing one,
sprung from the evanescent, hail! — To the
evanescent one, sprung from the terminal,
hail! — To the terminal descendant of being,
hail! — To the Lord of being, hail! — To the
over-lord, hail!' These twelve aptis (obtain-
ments) he offers, because there are twelve months in
the year, and Pra^apati is the year, and the sacrifice
is Pra^apati : hence whatever obtainment, whatever
accomplishment there is for him1, that he thereby
wins, that he makes his own.
3. He then either offers six k/zptis2, or makes
(the Sacrificer) pronounce them. Whether he offers,
or makes him pronounce them, the significance is
the same.
4. He makes him pronounce (Va^. S. IX, 21),
'May the life prosper through sacrifice! —
May the breath prosper through sacrifice! —
May the eye prosper through sacrifice! — May
the ear prosper through sacrifice! — May the
back prosper through sacrifice! — May the sa-
for the twelve formulas, given in the next paragraph, as well as for the oblations made therewith. The first of these formulas is ' apaye svaha/ whence the above term is probably derived.
1 Or perhaps, ' there is of (belongs to) that (sacrifice)/
2 This term, literally ' success, accomplishment/ is technically used to denote the succeeding formulas containing the verb 'k/z'p,' to succeed, prosper, as well as the oblations made therewith.
V KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 8. 3 1
crifice prosper through sacrifice.1. These six
k/eptis he makes him pronounce, because there are
six seasons in the year, and Pra^apati is the year,
and the sacrifice is Pra^apati : thus whatever success,
whatever accomplishment there is for him, that he
thereby wins, that he makes his own.
5. The sacrificial post is eight-cornered ; for the
Gayatrt metre has eight syllables, and the Gayatrl
is Agni's metre : he thereby wins the world of the
gods. The post is either wrapt up, or bound up, in
seventeen cloths ; for Pra^apati is seventeenfold :
he thus wins Pra^&pati.
6. There is a wheaten head-piece 1 on it ; for man
is nearest to Pra^apati, and he is skinless 2. And
among plants wheat comes nearest to man, (for) it
has no skin : thus he thereby wins the world of men.
7. The post has a hollow (at the top), and is not
pointed at the end ; for the hollow is sacred to the
Fathers : he thus gains the world of the Fathers.
It is seventeen cubits long, for Pra^apati is seventeen-
fold : he thus wins Pra^apati.
8. Thereupon the Nesh/rz, being about to lead up
the (Sacrificers) wife, makes her wrap round herself,
over the garment of consecration, a cloth, or skirt,
made of Kma grass 3 ; for she, the wife, is the hind
1 For the ordinary mortar-sbaped top-piece fixed on the post, see part ii, p. 168, note 1. On the present occasion it is to be made of wheaten dough.
2 According to a legend given at III, 1, 2, 13 seq., man had originally a (hairy) skin, or hide; but the gods having flayed him, put his skin on the cow.
3 In the ceremonial of the Black Ya^us (Taitt. Br. I, 3, 7, 1) the Sacrificer himself has to put on a ' tarpya ' garment, for which see note on V, 2, 5, 20.
3 2 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
part of the sacrifice * ; and he wishes her, thus
coming forward, to propitiate the sacrifice. But
impure is that part of woman which is below the
navel, and pure are the plants of (Kusa) grass : thus
having, by means of those plants of (Kusa) grass,
made pure whatever part of her is impure, he causes
her to propitiate the sacrifice, while coming forward.
This is why the Nesh/frz, being about to lead up
the wife, makes her wrap round herself, over the
garment of consecration, a cloth, or skirt, made of
Kma grass.
9. He then leans a ladder (against the post). He
may ascend either from the south northwards, or
from the north southwards ; but let him rather ascend
from the south northwards (udak), for thus it goes
upwards (udak).
10. Being about to ascend, he (the Sacrificer)
addresses his wife, 'Come, wife, ascend we the
sky!' — 'Ascend we!' says the wife. Now as to
why he addresses his wife : she, the wife, in sooth
is one half of his own self; hence, as long as he
does not obtain her, so long he is not regenerated,
for so long he is incomplete. But as soon as he
obtains her he is regenerated, for then he is complete.
' Complete I want to go to that supreme goal/ thus
(he thinks) and therefore he addresses his wife.
11. He ascends, with, 'We have become Pra^a-
pati's children;* for he who offers the Va^apeya
indeed becomes Pra^apati's child.
12. He then touches the wheat (top-piece)2, with,
1 Viz. because her ordinary seat is at the back, or west, end of the altar.
2 According to the ritual of the Black Ya^-us (Say. on Taitt. S. I? 7, 9> vol. i, p. 1039), the Sacrificer, having ascended, lifts up his
V KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, I 7. 33
'We have gone to the light, O ye gods!' for
he who offers the Va^apeya, indeed goes to the
light.
1 3. And as to why he touches the wheat : wheat is
food, and he who offers the Va^apeya, wins food, for
va^a-peya is the same as anna-peya (food and drink):
thus whatever food he has thereby won, therewith
now that he has gone to that supreme goal, he puts
himself in contact, and possesses himself of it, —
therefore he touches the wheat (top-piece).
14. He then rises by (the measure of) his head
over the post, with, 'We have become immortal!'
whereby he wins the world of the gods.
1 5. Thereupon, while looking in the different direc-
tions, he mutters (Va^*. S. IX, 22), 'Ours be your
power, ours your manhood and intelligence,
ours be your energies!' For he who offers the
Va^apeya wins everything here, winning as he does
Pra^apati, and Pra^apati being everything here ; —
having appropriated to himself the glory, the power,
and the strength of this All, he now lays them
within himself, makes them his own : that is why he
mutters, while looking in the different directions.
16. They throw up to him bags of salt; for salt
means cattle, and cattle is food ; and he who offers
the Va^apeya wins food, for va^a-peya is the same
as anna-peya : thus whatever food he thereby has
gained, therewith now that he has gone to the
supreme goal, he puts himself in contact, and makes
it his own, — therefore they throw bags of salt up
to him.
1 7. They (the pieces of salt) are done up in asvattha
arms to heaven, praying, ' We have gone to the light, to the gods, we have become immortal ; we have become Pra^apati's children i ' [41] D
34 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAWA.
(ficus religiosa) leaves : because Indra on that
(former) occasion called upon the Maruts staying
on the A^vattha tree \ therefore they are done up
in a^vattha leaves. Peasants (vis) throw them up to
him, for the Maruts are the peasants, and the peasants
are food (for the nobleman) : hence peasants throw
them up. There are seventeen (bags), for Pra^pati
is seventeenfold : he thus wins Pra^apati.
1 8. Thereupon, while looking down upon this
(earth), he mutters, 'Homage be to the mother
Earth ! homage be to the mother Earth ! ' For
when Brzhaspati had been consecrated, the Earth
was afraid of him, thinking, ' Something great surely
has he become now that he has been consecrated :
I fear lest he may rend me asunder 2 ! ' And
Brzhaspati also was afraid of the Earth, thinking,
'I fear lest she may shake me off!' Hence by
that (formula) he entered into a friendly relation
with her ; for a mother does not hurt her son, nor
does a son hurt his mother.
19. Now the Brzhaspati Soma-feast3 is the
same as the Va^apeya ; and the earth in truth is
afraid of that (Sacrificer), thinking, ' Something great
1 See part ii, p. 334, with note 2. On the ' awattha devasadana ' cp. also Ath.-veda V, 4, 3; Rig-veda I, 164, 20-22; A. Kuhn, Herabkunft des Feuers und des Gottertranks, p. 126 seq. (Mythol. Stud. i. p. 1 1 2 seq.).
2 Or, ' I hope he will not rend me asunder/ For this construc- tion— exactly corresponding to the German { dass (or, wenn) er mich nur nicht aufreisst ! ' (cf. also the colloquial use of the French 'pourvu/ — ' pourvu qu'il ne me d^chire pas!') — see part ii, p. 31,
3 The B r z'h a s p a t i s a v a is performed by a Brahmawa with a view to obtaining the office of Purohita (royal chaplain, or family priest). For Ajvalayana's rule, which places it on a level with the Ra^-asuya sacrifice of a king, see p. 4, note 1.
V KANDAy 2 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 24. 35
surely has he become now that he has been conse-
crated : I fear lest he may rend me asunder ! ' And
he himself is afraid of her, thinking, ' I fear lest she
may shake me off!' Hence he thereby enters into
a friendly relation with her, for a mother does not
hurt her son ; neither does a son hurt his mother.
20. He then descends (and treads) upon a piece of
gold ; — gold is immortal life : he thus takes his stand
on life immortal.
21. Now (in the first place) he (the Adhvaryu)
spreads out the skin of a he-goat, and lays a (small)
gold plate thereon : upon that — or indeed upon this
(earth) itself — he (the Sacrificer) steps.
22. They then bring a throne-seat for him; for
truly he who gains a seat in the air \ gains a seat
above (others) : thus these subjects of his sit below
him who is seated above, — this is why they bring
him a throne-seat.
23. It is made of udumbara wood, — the Udumbara
tree being sustenance, (that is) food, — for his obtain-
ment of sustenance, food : therefore it is made of
udumbara wood. They set it down in front of the
Havirdhcina (cart-shed), behind the Ahavaniya (fire).
24. He then spreads the goat-skin thereon; for
truly the he-goat is no other than Pra^apati, for they,
the goats, are most clearly of Pra^apati (the lord of
generation or creatures) ; — whence, bringing forth
thrice in a year, they produce two or three 2 : thus
he thereby makes him (the Sacrificer) to be Prafapati
himself, — this is why he spreads the goat-skin thereon.