* Viz. neither the Sho</ajin which, to (the twelve stotras, and
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
92 5ATAPATHA-BRA HM AYA.
a sacrificial session of a hundred Atirdtras : when
ye have thereby repelled the Asuras and darkness,
and all evil, ye shall find the world of heaven/
6. They entered upon a sacrificial session of
a hundred AtirAtras ; and, having thereby repelled
the Asuras and darkness, and all evil, they found
(the way to) the world of heaven. In their first
fifty days^ the night-hymns reached into the day,
and the day-hymns into the night
7. They spake, 'Verily, we have got into con-
fusion and know not what to do : come, let us resort
to Father Pra^pati ! ' Having come to Father
Pra^pati, they spake (the verses), *Our night-hymns
are (chanted) in daytime, and those of the day at
night : O sage, being learned and wise, teach thou
us who are ignorant (how to perform) the sacri-
fices ! '
8. He then recited to them as follows, 'A stronger,
pursuing, has, as it were, driven a great snake from
its own place, the lake : therefore the sacrificial
session is not carried through.'
9. ' For your A^vina (^stra), being recited, has indeed driven the morning-litany from its place V —
^stras of the Agnish/oma, and) the fifteen chants of the Ukthya, adds a sixteenth; and the Atir&tra which has thirteen additional chants (and recitations), viz. three nocturnal rounds of four chants each, and one twilight-chant, followed by the Ajvina- jastra, recited by the Hotr/. No account is here taken of either the Atyagnish/oma of thirteen chants, or the Aptory&ma, which, to those of the Atirdtra, adds four more chants. Cf. part ii, p. 397, note 2.
* Or, perhaps, rather, in their days prior to the fiftieth (arvikp^- i^S^eshv aha^su), St. Petersb. Diet.
' The Ajvina-,fastra, with the recitation of which, by the Hoin\ the Atir&tra concludes, takes the place, and is, indeed,
Digitized by
XI kAnDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 5 BRAhMAJVA, IO. 93
* What ye, being wise, have unwise-like driven from
its place, take ye up that gently through the Pra-
s&striy reciting so as not to disturb ^ (the HotrtY
10. They spake, * How, then, reverend sir, is
(the A^vina-^astra properly) recited and how is the
recitation not disturbed?' He spake, 'When the
Hotrt, in reciting the A^vina-Jastra, reaches the end
of the Giyatra metre of the Agneya-kratu 2, the
Pratiprasthdt/V ^ should carry round the Vasatlvarl
water*, and bespeak the Prdtar-anuv4ka for the
Maitrfi.varu«a (seated) between the two HavirdhSna
(carts containing the offering-material). The Hotri
recites (the A^rina-jastra) in a loud voice, and the
other (the Maitrivaru«a) repeats (the morning-
litany) in a low voice, only just muttering it : in this
merely a modification, of the Pritar-anuvaka, or morning-litany (see part ii, p. 229, note 2), by which an ordinary Soma-sacrifice is ushered in. Like it, its chief portion consists of three sections, termed kratu, of hymns and detached verses addressed to the 'early-coming' deities, Agni, Us has and the two Ax v ins. The whole is to consist of not less than a thousand Br/'hatis, that is to say, the whole matter is to amount to at least 36,000 syllables. For a full account of this 6'astra, see Haug's Transl. of Ait. Br., p. 268.
' Whilst the Hotri is reciting the Ax vina-xastra, his first assistant, the Prajastri'(or, as he is more commonly called, the Maitravaru«a), is to repeat the Pritar-anuvdka in a low voice.
* The hymns and detached verses of each of the three sections — the Agneya-, Ushasya- and Ajvina-kratu — of the Axvina-xastra (as of the Prdtar-anuv&ka) are arranged according to the seven prin- cipal metres — giyatri, anush/ubh, trish/ubh, br/'hatt, ush«ih, ^gatt, and pahkti — forming as many subdivisions of the three sections.
' That is, the first assistant of the Adhvaryu priest ; the latter having to respond (pratigara) to the Hotn^'s calls (see part ii, p. 326, note i) at the beginning and end of the iSastra, and to sit through the recitations (III, 9, 3, 11). '
* See III, 9, 2, 13 seqq.
Digitized by
94 ^ATAPATHA-BRAlOCAJrA.
way he does not run counter to (the Hotrf s) speedi by (his own) speedi, nor metre by metre.
11. 'When the Pritar-anuvSka has been com-
pleted, he (the Pratiprasthdtfr), having offered, at
their proper time^, the Up&jvsmi and Antary&ma
cups \ presses out the straining-doth and puts it in
the Droiirakala^a '. And when ye have performed
the (offering of the cups of) fermented Soma ^ and
returned (to the Sadas), ye should drink the
fermented Soma (remaining in those cups). Having
then, in the proper form, completed the " tail of the
sacrifice,'' and taken up the cups of Soma (drawn)
subsequent to the AntaryAma*, and offered the
oblation of drops *, as well as the Santani-oblation ^,
ye should perform the Bahishpavam&na chant, and
enter upon the day (-performance).'
12. Concerning this there are these verses: —
* With four harnessed Saindhava (steeds) the sages
left behind them the gloom — ^the wise gods who
spun out' the session of a hundred sacrifices.'
13. In this (sacrificial session) there are, indeed,
four harnessed (steeds), — to wit, two Hotris and
two Adhvaryus. — ' Like unto the artificer contriving
spikes to the spear, the sages coupled the ends of
' Yath&yatanam eva prakritau yasmin k&Ie biiyeta tathaiva hutvd, say.
• See IV, I, I, 22 seqq. ; i, 2, 21 seqq. ' See II, I, 2, 3, with note thereon.
* That is, having, afler the completion of the Arvina-jastra, offered to the Arvins some of the Soma that has been standing * over the previous day.'
* Viz. the Aindravftyava, Maitr&varuna, &c., see IV, i, 3, i seqq.
• See IV, 2, 5, I seqq.
^ Called ' savanasantani ' (? i. e. continuity of pressing) by KSty., XXIV, 4, I.
Digitized by
XI kXnda, 5 adhyAya, 6 brAhmaya, 2. 95
two days : now the D&navas, we know ^, will not
disorder the sacrificial thread of them stretched out
by us, — They leave undone the work of the previous
day, and carry it through on the following day, —
difficult to be understood is the wisdom of the
deities: streams of Soma flow, interlinked with
streams of Soma ! — Even as they constantly sprinkle
the equal prize-winning * steeds, so (they pour out)
the cups full of fiery liquor in the palace of 6^aname-
^ya/ Then the Asura-Rakshas went away.
Sixth BrAhmajva. The Study of the Veda.
1. There are five great sacrifices, and they, indeed,
are great sacrificial sessions, — to wit, the sacrifice to
beings, the sacrifice to men, the sacrifice to the
Fathers, the sacrifice to the gods> and the sacrifice
to the Brahman.
2. Day by day one should offer an oblation to
beings: thus he performs that sacrifice to beings.
Day by day one should offer (presents to guests) up
to the cupful of water ^: thus he performs that
* SiysjtSi constnies, — we know the extended sacrificial thread of these (days), and the D&navas (Asuras) do not henceforth confound us. In that case the order of words would be extremely irregular.
* K&sh/Hbhntaih, dgyzntk (I) k&sh/^ni tdni bibhrattti k^h- Mabhr/tai svddasam (P^Aindasam) pdrvapadasya hrasvatvam, ^- dh&vanam kr/'tavato hay&n arvfin, Siy. According to this authority the general meaning of the verse is that even as the (king^s) horses, when they have performed their task, have sweet drinks poured out on (? to) them, and thus obtain their hearts' desire, so the gods, by performing a sacrificial session of a hundred Atir&tras, in accord- ance with Prs^pati's directions, dispel the darkness and gain the world of heaven.
* Or perhaps, from a cupful of water onwards, — aharahar dadyftd
Digitized by
96 iJATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
sacrifice to men. Day by day one should offer with
Svadh& up to the cupful of water ^: thus he performs
that sacrifice to the Fathers. Day by day one
should perform with Sv&h4 up to the log of fire-
wood * : thus he performs that sacrifice to the
gods.
3. Then as to the sacrifice to the Brahman. The
sacrifice to the Brahman is one's own (daily) study
(of the Veda). The ^hii-spoon of this same sacri-
fice to the Brahman is speech, its upabhr/t the mind,
its dhruvi the eye, its sruva mental power, its
purificatory bath truth, its conclusion heaven. And,
verily, however great the world he gains by giving
away (to the priests) this earth replete with wealth,
thrice that and more — ^an imperishable world does
he gain, whosoever, knowing this, studies day by
day his lesson (of the Veda) : therefore let him study
his daily lesson.
4. Verily, the Rzk-texts are milk-offerings to the
gods ; and whosoever, knowing this, studies day by
day the i?/k-texts for his lesson, thereby satisfies
the gods with milk-offerings; and, being satisfied,
they satisfy him by (granting him) security of
iti manushyin uddijya odapitrSt udakapiiritani pdtram udap&tram udakapdtrdvadhi yad odanddika^i dadyit sa manushyaya^nfa ity arthaA, Sdy. — Cf. J. Muir, Orig. Sanskrit Texts, vol. iii, p. 18 seqq.
* In making offering to the (three immediately preceding) departed ancestors, water is poured out for them (to wash them- selves with) both at the beginning and at the end of the ceremony j see II, 4, 2, 16 ; 23 ; II, 6, i, 34 ; 41, where each time it is said that this is done ' even as one would pour out water for (a guest) who is to take (or has taken) food with him ;' — pitrfh uddi^ya pratyaham svadhakdre»a annddikam udapitraparyanta/n dadyit, S&y.
* Apparently the log of wood placed on the Girhapatya after the completion of the offering.
Digitized by
XI KAiVDA, 5 adhyAya, 6 brAhmajva, 7. 97
possession \ by life-breath, by seed, by his whole
self, and by all auspicious blessings; and rivers
of ghee and rivers of honey flow for his (departed)
Fathers, as their accustomed draughts.
5. And, verily, the Ya^s-texts are ghee-offerings
to the gods ; and whosoever, knowing this, studies
day by day the Ya^s-texts for his lesson thereby
satisfies the gods with ghee-offerings; and, being
satisfied, they satisfy him by security of possession,
by life-breath, by seed, by his whole self, and by
all auspicious blessings; and rivers of ghee and
rivers of honey flow for his Fathers, as their accus-
tomed draughts.
6. And, verily, the Sdman-texts are Soma-offer-
ings to the gods ; and whosoever, knowing this,
studies day by day the Sdman-texts for his lesson
thereby satisfies the gods with Soma-offerings ; and,
being satisfied, they satisfy him by security of
possession, by life-breath, by seed, by his whole
self, and by all auspicious blessings; and rivers
of ghee and rivers of honey flow for his Fathers,
as their accustomed draughts.
7. And, verily, the (texts of the) Atharvingiras
are fat-offerings to the gods ; and whosoever, know-
ing this, studies day by day the (texts of the)
Atharvfiiigiras for his lesson, satisfies the gods with
fat- offerings ; and, being satisfied, they satisfy him
by security of possession, by life-breath, by seed, by
his whole self, and by all auspicious blessings ; and
rivers of ghee and rivers of honey flow for his
Fathers, as their accustomed draughts.
* Apraptasya phalasya pr&ptir yoga^ tasva paripdlana/n kshema^, Siy.
Digitized by
98 ^^atapatha-brAhmajva.
8. And, verily, the precepts ^ the sciences ^ the
dialogue ^ the traditional myths and legends*, and
the Ndr4^a»^st GithAs* are honey-offerings to
the gods; and whosoever, knowing this, studies
day by day the precepts, the sciences, the dialogue,
the traditional myths and legends, and the N&r4-
ssimsi Gdthds, for his lesson, satisfies the gods with
honey-offerings; and, being satisfied, they satisfy
him by (granting him) security of possession, by
life-breath, by seed, by his whole self, and by all
auspicious blessings ; and rivers of ghee and rivers
of honey flow for his Fathers, as their accustomed
draughts.
^ The Anu jdsan&ni, according to S&ya^ia^ are the six Vedangas, or rules of grammar, etymology, &c.
* By vidyi^, according to Sdya«a, the philosophical systems, NySya, Mimims&, &c., are to be understood. More likely, how- ever, such special sciences as the ' sarpavidyd ' (science of snakes) are referred to ; cf. XIII, 4, 3, 9 seqq.
■ Vakovdkyam, apparently some special theological discourse, or discourses, similar to (if not identical with) the numerous Brahmodya, or disputations on spiritual matters. As an example of such a dialogue, Sdya»a refers to the dialogue between Uddilaka Aruni and Svaid^ya»a Gautama, XI, 4, i, 4 seqq.
^ Itih&sa-purd/ia: the Itihisa, according to Sdyana, are cos- mological myths or accounts, such as 'In the beginning this universe was nothing but water,' &c. ; whilst as an instance of the Pur^a (stories of olden times, puratanapurushavrf'tt^ta) he refers to the story of Purftravas and Urvajl. Cf. Max Mailer, History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 41.
