^ That i% he would be liable to die, and join the departed ancestors.
• The layer of sacrificial grass spread on the Vedi, serving as a seat for the deities to whom offering is made.
' For this dish, prepared of sweet and sour milk, and offered at the New-moon sacrifice, see part i, p. 178, note 4.
* For the Trznit&A, see I, i, i, la.
Digitized by
2 2 ^TATAPATHA-BRAhM AJVA,
the entrance on the fast, offering is always made by himself \
Eighth BRAHMAJ^rA.
1. Now, the gods and the Asuras, both of them
sprung from Pra^pati, once strove together. Then
the Asuras, even through arrogance, thinking, ' Unto
whom, forsooth, should we make offering?' went
on offering into their own mouths. They came to
naught, even through arrogance : wherefore let
no one be arrogant, for verily arrogance is the
cause of ruin*.
2. But the gods went on offering unto one
another. Pra^pati gave himself up to them, and
the sacrifice became theirs ; for, indeed, the sacrifice
is the food of the gods.
3. Having given himself up to the gods, he created
that counterpart of himself, to wit, the sacrifice:
whence people say, ' The sacrifice is Prsi^pati ;' for
he created it as a counterpart of himself.
4. By this (Full and New-moon) sacrifice he
redeemed himself from the gods. Now when he
(the Sacrificer) enters on the fast, he thereby gives
himself up to the gods, even as Pra^pati thereby
gave himself up to the gods. Let him therefore
endeavour to pass that night (with his mind) com-
pletely restrained^, in the same way as he would
^ That is to say, even though on other nights the Agnihotra were perfoimed for him by a priest, it would always count as being per- formed by himself.
" S^ V, I, I, I. 2.
' Professor DelbrQck, Altind. Syntax, p. 350, takes this injunction, and apparently also the illustration, to refer to sexual intercourse. Cf, I, I, I, II.
Digitized by
XI kXnda, 2 adhyAya, I brAhmajva, I. 23
proceed with (material for) an oblation, for he becomes an oblation to the gods.
5. And when (on the following day) he performs
the sacrifice, then he redeems himself by sacrifice
from the gods, even as Pra^pati thereby redeemed
himself: when he takes out the material for (the
chief) sacrificial dish, he redeems the sacrifice by the
material for the sacrificial dish ; the sacrificial dish
(he redeems) by the invitatory formula, the invitatory
formula by the portion cut (from the sacrificial dish),
the portion by the offering-formula, the offering-
formula by the Vasha/-call, and the Vasha/-call by
the oblation. His oblation itself is still unre-
deemed,—
6. And that sacrifice of his is like a tree with its
top broken off. He redeems the oblation by the
Anv4hirya (mess of rice) ^ ; and because he thereby
supplies (anv-i-harati) what is wanting in the sacri-
fice, therefore it is called Anv4h4rya. Thus, then,
that entire sacrifice of his comes to be redeemed ;
and that sacrifice becomes the Sacrificer s self in
yonder world. And, verily, the Sacrificer who,
knowing this, performs that (offering of) redemption
comes into existence in yonder world with a com-
plete body.
Second AdhyAya. First BrAhmajva.
I. Verily, man is born thrice, namely in this
way : — first he is bom from his mother and father ;
and when he to whom the sacrifice inclines performs
offering he is born a second time ; and when he
dies, and they place him on the fire, and when he
* See part i, p. 49, note i.
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
24 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
thereupon comes into existence again, he is bom
a third time ; —wherefore they say, 'Man is born
thrice/
2. He (the Hotrz) recites those eleven kindling-
verses \ — there are these ten vital airs in man, and
the body in which these vital airs are established is
the eleventh, — so great, indeed, is man : he thus
causes him to be born complete. And what comes
after the kindling-verses that is the foundation :
thus, having caused him to be born, he establishes
him.
3. There are nine utterances of impulsion (or
quickening) 2, — there are these nine vital airs in
man :. he thereby causes him to be born a second
time; and the (Adhvaryu's) call and (the Agnldhra s)
response ® are the foundation. And when there, on
the occasion of the throwing* (of the grass-bunch
* See part i, p. 95 seqq.
* According to Sdya^a, this refers either to the formula by which the Adhvaryu calls on the Hotrz to recite the kindling-verses, and which, he says, consists of nine syllables (samidhyamSnSy&nubrfihi) ; or to nine preliminary formulas (forming a nigada) pronounced by the Hoiri before the performance of the fore-offerings, see I, S> «» I seqq. These latter formulas are probably those intended by the author ; the former formula being the less likely to be referred to, as, in its above form of nine syllables, it is indeed allowed to be used optionally by the Apastambasiitra, but not by the authorities of the white Ya^us, who use the formula ' (Hotar) Agnaye samidh- yamdndySnubrilhi ; ' see »S'at. Br. I, 3, 5, 2. 3.
* Viz. the two calls — *0m jr&vaya' and *Astu jrausha/,' see part i, p. 132, note.
* The word 'sn*sh/i' usually means 'creation,' but in accord- ance with the primary meaning of the verb ' sr^,' it apparently refers here (as Sdyana seems to think) to the throwing of the anointed Prastara, as the representative of the Sacrificer, into the Ahavantya fire, thus insuring for the Sacrificer his despatch to, and renewed life in, the heavenly world. With reference to
Digitized by
XI KANDA, 2 ADHYAyA, I BRAHMAJ\rA, 6. 25
into the fire), birth is spoken of, he thereby causes
him to be born a third time : on this occasion the
Patnlsaw^yi^as * are the foundation.
4. For thrice, indeed, man is born, and it is just in
this way that he causes him to be born thrice from
the sacrifice. Of those eleven (kindling-verses) he
recites thrice the first and last : —
5. This makes fifteen kindling-verses, — there are
two libations of ghee (Aghfira 2), five fore-offerings,
the W4, three after-offerings, the S(iktav4ka, and
^amyorv&ka * — that makes thirteen oblations. And
when there, at the Patnlsa?«y^s, he takes up at
the same time (the two spoons) ; and the Samish/a-
ysL^s * : —
6. That makes fifteen oblations: — for these fifteen
oblations those fifteen kindling-verses (serve, as it
were, as) invitatory formulas; and for these invitatory
formulas these (serve as) offering-formulas — what-
ever formula (is used) there (at those oblations) and
what Nigada (is used at the invocation of the Idk *)
that is of the form of oflfering-formulas. Thereby,
then, those oblations of his come to be supplied with
invitatory formulas through those kindling-verses ;
and through those oblations those invitatory formulas
come to be supplied with both offering-formulas and
oblations.
this throwing of the gras^bunch into the fire (I, 8, 3, 11 seq.; 9, 2, 19) some of the Sfitras use, indeed, the verb ' srig* cf. Hillebrand, Das Altindische Neu- und Vollmondsopfer, p. 146.
^ See part i, p. 256 seqq. ' See part i, p. 124 seqq.
■ Part i, p. 236 seqq. * See I, 9, 2, 19 ; 25 seqq,
• See part i, p. 222 seqq.
Digitized by
26 -satapatha-brAhmajva,
Second BrAhmaya,
1. He recites a g&yatrl invitatory formula* ; the
gfiyatrl consisting of three feet, these worlds being
three in number*, it is these worlds the gods thereby
established.
2. He offers with a trish/ubh (verse) : the trishAibh
consisting of four feet, and cattle being four-footed,
it is cattle the gods thereby established in these
established worlds.
3. The Vasha/-call consists of two syllables (vau-
sha/) : man being two-footed, it is two-footed man
they thereby established among the established
cattle.
4. Two-footed man, then, is established here
among cattle. In like manner this (Sacrificer)
establishes thereby the worlds ; and in the esta-
blished worlds he establishes cattle, and among the
established cattle he establishes himself: thus,
indeed, is that man established among cattle, who,
knowing this, offers sacrifice.
5. And when he offers, after the Vasha/ has been
uttered, — that Vasha/-call being yonder shining
(sun), and he being the same as Death* — ^he thereby
consecrates him (the Sacrificer) after death, and
causes him to be born from out of it, and he is
* The anuvSkyis recited prior to the principal oblations (pra- dhina-havis) are in the gdyatrl metre ; whilst the y^gyis (referred to in the next paragraph), at the end of which the Vausha/ 1 is uttered and the oblation poured into the fire, consist of trish/ubh verses ; cf. I, 7, 2, 15.
' These inserted clauses with * vai ' supply the reason for what follows, not for what precedes, them.
» See X, 5, I, 4.
Digitized by
XI KAi^DA, 2 adhyAya, 3 brAhmajva, 3. 27
delivered from that death. And the sacrifice, indeed,
becomes his body : thus, having become the sacri-
fice, he is delivered from that death, and all his
chief offerings are thereby delivered from that
deaths
6. And, verily, whatever offering he there per-
forms, that offering becomes his body in yonder
world; and when he who knows this departs this
world then that offering, being behind him, calls out
to him, ' Come hither, here I am, thy body ; ' and
inasmuch as it calls out (invokes, Ahvayati), it is
called ' fihuti ' (offering or invocation).
Third BRAHMAiVA.
1. Verily, in the beginning, this (universe) was
the Brahman (neut.) *. It created the gods ; and,
having created the gods, it made them ascend these
worlds : Agni this (terrestrial) world, Vfiyu the air,
and Slirya the sky.
2. And the deities who are above these he made
ascend the worlds which are above these ; and,
indeed, just as these (three) worlds and these (three)
deities are manifest, so are those (higher) worlds and
those (higher) deities manifest — (the worlds) which
he made those deities ascend.
3. Then the Brahman itself went up to the sphere
beyond. Having gone up to the sphere beyond, it
considered, ' How can I descend again into these
worlds?' It then descended again by means of these
two — Form and Name. Whatever has a name,
^ Viz. inasmuch as the oblation is made with the Vasha/.
* On this speculative mj^, see John Muir, Orig. S. Texts, vol. v,
pp. 387-89.
Digitized by
2 8 ^atapatha-brAhmaj^a.
that is name ; and that again which has no name,
and which one knows by its form, ' This is (of a certain)
form/ that is form : as far as there are Form and
Name so far, indeed, extends this (universe).
4. These, indeed, are the two great forces of the
Brahman; and, verily, he who knows these two
great forces of the Brahman becomes himself a
great force.
5. These, indeed, are the two great manifestations*
of the Brahman ; and, verily, he who knows these
two great manifestations of the Brahman becomes
himself a great manifestation. One of these two is
the greater, namely Form ; for whatever is Name,
is indeed Form; and, verily, he who knows the
greater of these two, becomes greater than he whom
he wishes to surpass in greatness,
6. In the beginning, indeed, the gods were mortal,
and only when they had become possessed ^ of the
Brahman they were immortal. Now, when he makes
the libation to Mind * — form being mind, inasmuch
as it is by mind that one knows, * This is form ' —
he thereby obtains Form ; and when he makes the
libation to Speech — name being speech, inasmuch
as it is by speech that he seizes (mentions) the
name — he thereby obtains Name ; — as far as there
are Form and Name, so far, indeed, extends this
whole (universe) : all this he obtains ; and — the
^ Or, phantasmagories, illusive representations.
* The use of ' &p ' with the instrumental (brahmadt ipuh) is peculiar, — brahma^id vydptiA, SSy.
* The two libations (&gh&ra) of ghee, forming the first oblations of an ish/i, made on the newly kindled fire, are o£Fered to Mind and Speech respectively ; cf. part i, p. 124 seqq.
Digitized by
XI kXndA, 2 ADHYAyA, 3 BRAHMAJVA, 9. 29
all being the imperishable — imperishable merit and the imperishable world thus accrue to him.
7. There, on the occasion of the offering to Agni\
it has been told how the sacrifice then pleased the
y?/shis, and how they performed it Now, when
the i?^shis were performing the sacrifice, the Gan-
dharvas came nigh to them. They looked on,
thinking, * Here, surely, they have done too much,
— ^here they have done too little.' And when their
sacrifice was completed, they pointed it out to them,
saying, * Here, surely, ye have done too much, —
here ye have done too little.'
8. Now, wherever they had done too much it was
like a hill ; and wherever they had done too little it
was like a pit.
9. Now, when he pronounces the 5amyos (all-
hail and blessing), he touches (the earth ^) with
(Vfij^. S. H, 19), 'O Sacrifice, homage be unto
thee: mayest thou complete thy course up
to the success of the sacrifice and up to
mine own right offering!' Wherever (in the
course of the sacrifice) he has committed any
excess, he makes amends for it by doing homage ;
and wherever he has left anything defective, it
ceases to be defective by his saying, *up to.' In
saying, ' Mayest thou complete thy course up to the
success of the sacrifice,' — success being whatever
in the sacrifice is neither defective nor excessive —
he thereby makes amends for both of these (mis-
takes) ; and in saying, * Mayest thou complete thy
