19. But how many are there really?' — 'Five,' he replied. — * Five, indeed,' he said ; ' the sacrifice is fivefold ; the sacrificial animal is fivefold * ; there are five seasons in the year, and the sacrifice is the year ;
* In the scheme of the Gavdm ayanam, given above (p. 139, note i), there is one day in excess of the year, viz. either the central Vishuvat day (XII, 2, 3, 6) or the final Atir^tra; but by making this latter day identical with the opening Atirdtra, Udddlaka would seem to bring the whole within the compass of one year of six seasons. In the next paragraph, on the other hand, the same result is obtained by the identification of the second and the last but one days of the session. Another, and perhaps more probable, explanation of Udddlaka's calculation would, however, be this. In the scheme of the sacrificial session there occur, as not included in the diflerent sacrificial groups or periods (the sha/^has, svarasimans, &c.), seven special days — the opening and final Atirdtras, the iTaturvimwi and Mah&vrata days, and the Abhj^t, Vishuvat, and VLfva^it days. These seven days he here successively reduces to six and five days. The further reduction of this number by the identifica- tion of the Pr/shMya and Abhiplava, as well as of the Svarasiman days, requires no explanation. Cf., however, the Addenda.
' For the 'pdnkta' nature of the sacrifice, see III, i, 4, 19. 20 ; XIII, 2, 5, 1, for the five kinds of sacrificial animals, VI, i, 2, 32 seqq.
Digitized by
XII KAiVDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAhMAJNTA, I. 1 55
and one and the same day are those two, the JCzturvintSB, and the Mahivrata ; —
20. But how many are there really ? ' — * Four/
he replied. — * Four, indeed,' he said ; * animals are
four-footed, and animals constitute a sacrifice ; and
one and the same day are those two, the Pr^shMya
and Abhiplava ; —
21. But how many are there really?' — 'Three,*
he replied. — * Three, indeed,' he said ; * there are
three metres, three worlds ; and the (Soma-) sacri-
fice consists of three services ; and ooe and the
same day are those two, the Abhi^it and Vijva^t ; —
22. But how many are there really?' — *Two/
he replied. — ' Two, indeed,' he said ; * for man is
two-footed, and the sacrifice is man ; and one and
the same day are the Svaras4mans ; —
23. But how many are there really ?' — * One,' he
replied. — ' A day, indeed,' he said ; * the whole year
is just that day after day :' — this is the mystic import
of the year ; and, verily, whosoever thus knows this
mystic import * of the year grows more (and more)
glorious up to (the end of) it ; he becomes possessed
of a (new) body, he becomes the year, and in the
shape of the year he joins the gods.
Third BrAhma^va.
I. That year, doubtless, amounts to a Br/hatt, — there are two shaflSahas (12) of winning days * ; the
* Prof. Oldenberg (Zeitschr. d. Deutschen Morg. Ges., vol. 50^ p. 460) takes 'upanishad' in the sense of 'worship' — *this is the worship to be offered to the year.' Perhaps ' meditation ' might be the more appropriate rendering : — ' this is the form in which the year should be meditated upon.' Cf. X, 4, 5, i ; 5, i, i.
* TTie term ' drkshyat' is apparently a future participle of ' d-ar^,'
Digitized by
156 iSATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
two, Pr/sh/Aya and Abhiplava (12); the Go and
Ayus, and the Dajaritra (ten days) — that makes
thirty-six ; for the Br^Tiatl consists of thirty-six
syllables, and by means of the B;7hatt the gods
strove to reach heaven, and by the Br^hatl they did
gain heaven ; and in like manner does this one,
by means of the BWhatl, now strive to reach
heaven, and thereby gain heaven ; he who knows
this secures for himself whatever wish there is in
the Brzhditi.
2. And as to the JCaLturvimsB, day, it is the same
as either the seventh or the ninth (day) of the
Dafaritra \ From out of the Abhiplava the Pr^sh-
/^ya is formed, from the Pr/shMya the Abhi^t,
hence * calculated to procure, or win/ The Ait.-Br. has ' dkshyat ' instead. The two Sha</ahas (or periods of six days), here counted as such days, would seem to include the six Svarasdman days, and the special named days scattered over the session (the opening and concluding Atiritra being apparently counted as one).^
^ ^aturvi/n^a day is one in which the Aaturvix^/^a-stoma, or twenty-four-fold hymn-form, is exclusively used in the chanting of the Stotras. The one usually denoted by that term is the second day of the Gavdm ayanam. In the Darardtra, or ten-days' period, there is, however, likewise a day in which the Aaturvi/wja-stoma is used exclusively. That period consi.«ts of a Pr/shMya-sha^aha (six days), three AT/iandoma days, and a final Atyagnish/oma, called Avivikya. The three J^^ndoma days (i.e. days fashioned after metres) have assigned to them as their exclusive Stomas the twenty- four-fold, the forty-four-fold, and the forty-eight- fold hymn-forms respectively ; the first of them, or the seventh day of the Da^irdtra, being thus a ICeiiUTvimsQ, day. But in the second half of the year's session the regular order of the days of the minor sacrificial periods — ^the Sha^ahas and Svarasimans — is reversed, the last day being performed first; and according to this paragraph the same is optionally to be the case in regard to the three A'Aandoma days, the ATaturvi/Tua day being taken either first or last (see, however, parag. 9). Cf. also Haug, Ait.-Br., TransL, p. 347, note (where, in L 3, read Dararitra instead of Dv&dajiha).
Digitized by
XII KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAhMAJV'A, 5. 1 57
from the Abhi^t the Svaras&mans, from the Svara-
simans the Vishuvat, from the Vishuvat the Svara-
s&mans, from the Svarasinians the Vi^va^it, from
the WisvBgit the PrishMya \ from the P/VshMya the
Abhiplava, from the Abhiplava the Go and Ayus»
and from the Go and Ayus the Dasar&tra.
3. And that Mah4vrata is a winning-day, for its
Stoma is the Pa»>feaviw5a, and a metre does not
collapse from (excess or deficiency of) a syllable —
neither from one nor from two (syllables) ; neither
does a Stoma by (an excess of) one hymn-verse \
4. Prior to the Vishuvat they perform first the
Abhiplava, and afterwards the Prz'sh/Aya, for the
Abhiplava represents the sons, and the FrishiAy^,
the father ; whence in early life the sons subsist on
(the resources of) their father. Subsequent to the
Vishuvat they perform first the Pr/sh//4ya, and after-
wards the Abhiplava ; whence in later life the father
subsists on (the resources of) his sons ; and, verily,
the sons of him who thus knows this subsist on
him in early life, and he subsists on his sons in
later life.
5. Here, now, they ask, * If he were to die after
entering on the KsLturvimsB, day, how does he
become one who has not merely (uttered) the Agur-
* Here, the order of Abhiplava and PrishMya followed in the first half of the year is reversed.
' The author apparently claims for the pa^^avixuxa-stoma, or twenty-five-versed hymn-form, the same efficacy as for the )hiturvimxa-stoma, the hymn-form of what is practically the first day of the sacrificial session (cf. TS»</ya-Br. XXV, 1,1, where it is called jK^inrvifnszm prdya^tyam), and which by the number of its stotriy&*verses, being that of the halP-months in the course of the year (24), is supposed to represent the whole year; cf. Ait.-Br. IV, 12.
Digitized by
1 58 ^atapatha-brAhmana.
formula^?' Let him say, * In that they then
perform the Opening AtirAtra, thereby (he becomes
such a one)/
6. As to this they ask, ' Seeing that there are the
twelve months of the year, and that one day, to wit,
the Vishuvat, is in excess, does this belong to those
(months) that go before or to those that follow ? '
Let him say, ' Both to those that go before and to
those that follow ; ' for the Vishuvat is the body
(trunk) of the year, and the months are its limbs ;
and where the body is there are (or, that includes)
also the limbs, and where the limbs are there is also
the body ; and neither is the body in excess of the
limbs, nor are the limbs in excess of the body : and
thus, indeed, that (day) belongs both to those
(months) that go before and to those that follow.
7. But, indeed, that year is a great eagle : the six
months which they perform prior to the Vishuvat
are the one wing, and those which they perform sub-
sequent thereto are the other ; and the Vishuvat is
the body ; and, indeed, where the body is there are
also the wings, and where the wings are there is also
the body ; for neither is the body in excess of the
wings, nor are the wings in excess of the body : and
thus, indeed, that (day) belongs both to those
(months) that go before and to those that follow.
8. As to this they ask, * Seeing that for six
months prior to the Vishuvat they perform Stomas
tending upwards, and for six (months) reversed
* See XI, 2, 5, 10 with note. The Aaturvi»wa day is, as it were, a promise on the part of the Sacrificer to perform the sacrificial session; whilst the Pr&yantya Atir&tra not only represents the actual entering on the performance, but, as it were, implies the Udayanfya Atir&tra (XII, 2, 2, 18).
Digitized by
xn KkNDA, 2 adhyAya, 3 brAhmajv^a, II. 159
(Stomas), how are these latter performed so as
to tend upwards?' Let him say, * In that they
perform that Da^arAtra as one with upward
tending Stomas, thereby they do so/ Now, the
Mahdvrata did not yield itself to the gods saying,
* How is it, ye have performed the Vishuvat w'ith
upward tending hymns, and me with reversed ones ? '
9. The gods said, * Try ye to find out that sacri-
ficial performance which has upward tending Stomas,
and whereby we may gain this.' They saw that
Da^arAtra with upward tending Stomas after the
manner of the year : what Pmh^ya-sha^aha there
is in it that is the seasons, the (three) A^Aandomas are
these worlds, and the ter\th day is the year. Thereby
they gained this (MahAvrata), and it yielded itself
to them ; and, verily, the Mahfivrata yields itself to
him who so knows this.
ID. And in this way, indeed, there is an ascent of
days : — by means of the Opening Atiritra they
ascend the concluding Atir4tra, by means of the
A^aturvi^wa the MahAvrata, by means of an Abhi-
plava a subsequent Abhiplava, by means of
a PrishMya a subsequent Pr^sh/^ya, by means of
the Abhi^t the Vixva^t, by means of the Svara-
sAmans the subsequent SvarasAmans — ^but that one
day is not ascended, to wit, the Vishuvat : and,
verily, he who thus knows this ascends to (the state
of) one more glorious, and no one inferior to him
ascends (to be equal) to him.
1 1. And in this way, indeed, there is a descent of
days : — the Pr4ya«lya AtirAtra descends to the
KzXMTvintsdL day, the K?X\irv\nts^ day to the Abhi-
plava, the Abhiplava to the P^'/shMya, the Pr/shMya
to the Abhi^t, the Abhi^t to the Svarasdmans, the
Digitized by
1 60 ^satapatha-brAhmajva.
Svaras&mans to the Vishuvat, the Vishuvat to the
SvarasAmans, the Svarasimans to the Vi^va^t, the
Vi,yva^t to the Pr/sh/^ya, the Pr/sh/Aya to the
Abhiplava, the Abhiplava to the Go and Ayus,
the Go and Ayus to the Darardtra, the DaJaritra
to the MahAvrata, the Mahivrata to the Udayanlya
Atir4tra, the Udayanlya Atiritra to the world of
heaven, to the resting-place, to plenty.
12. Such, indeed, are the wilds and ravines of
sacrifice, and they (take) hundreds upon hundreds
of days' carriage-drives ; and if any venture into
them without knowledge, then hunger or thirst,
evil-doers and fiends harass them, even as fiends
would harass foolish men wandering in a wild
forest ; but if those who know this do so, they pass
from one duty to another, as from one stream into
another, and from one safe place to another, and
obtain well-being, the world of heaven.
13. As to this they say, ' How many onward, and
how many backward days are there ? ' Well, those
which are performed once each are onward days,
and those which are performed repeatedly are
backward days : let him at least consider these * as
backward ones, for in accordance with the course of
the Sha^ahas he himself moves.
Fourth BrKkuana.
I. The Year, indeed, is Man ; — the Pr4ya«lya
Atir4tra is his breath, for by means of the breath
men go forward (prayanti) ; and the Arambha^lya
