' The Trivrtt, or nine-versed stoma, is, however, followed by the Pa^i^adaja, or fifteen-versed stoma — the thirteen-versed form not being in ordinary use — and these are succeeded by the Saptadara (17), Ekavim^a (21), &c. Possibly, however, this last sentence may refer to the six days of the Pnsh/Aya-sha^/aha for which the stomas consisting of 9, 15, i*j, 21, 27 and 33 verses respectively are used. On the Abhi^it day, each of the first four stomas is used in succession for three stotras, the four hymn-forms thus making up the twelve stotras of the Agnish/oma, On the Vijva^it day, on the other hand, only three stomas are used — the Trivrit, Pa^^dara, and Saptadaja — four stotras being assigned to each of these three hymn-forms.
Digitized by
Xii Kanda, 3 Adhyaya, I Brahmana, 9. 167
the two Sides, by means of the Tri«ava, correspond to the ribs.
7. The Abhiplavas on both sides (of the Vishuvat)
are his arms, the Pr/sh/>6ya is the back, — ^so say the
wise ; and his spine the Br&hma;^as fashion in the
year by means of the (series of stomas increasing)
successively by four (syllables).
8. The Abh^t and Vi^vajfit are his ears; and
his eyes, they say, correspond to the Svarasimans ;
the Vishuvat, they say, is the breath of the nostrils ;
and the Go and Ayus are those two downward
breathings.
9. The Darar&tra they call his limbs, and the
Mahivrata the Br&hma/^s fashion (arrange) so as
to be the mouth in the year ^ ; — the Supreme Self
has entered into that year endowed with all stomas
and with all simans : having fashioned him alike
with the body, the sage is seated free from pain * on
the heights of the ruddy one (the sun).
^ Though the MahAvrata day is actually the last day but one of the one year's sacrificial session, whilst the iSTaturvimxa day is the second, these two days mark really the end and beginning of the year, whilst the nominal first and last days of the sessional performance may be considered as consisting of mere preliminary and concluding (winding-up) rites. The above symbolic identifi- cation of the Mahfivrata with the mouth of Agni-Prs^^pati, the Year, might thus lead one to suppose (as, indeed, is done by Prof. Hillebrandt, Die Sonnwendfeste in Alt-Indien, p. 11) that if two such annual sessions were immediately to succeed each other, the Mahivrata and JTaturvim^ would fall on one and the same day. The Mahdvrata, representing (at least symbolically) the winter-solstice, would thus mark both the end and the beginning of two successive solar periods.
' Literally, with unborn pain (or, with the pain of one unborn).
Digitized by
1 68 ^atapatha-brAhmajva.
Second BrAhmaya.
1. The Year is Man^ : — *Man' is one unit, and
* year ' is another, and these now are one and the
same ; — there are in the year the two, day and night,
and in man there are these two breathings, and
these now are one and the same ; — there are three
seasons in the year, and these three breathings in
man, and these (two) now are one and the same ; —
* saw^vatsara (year) ' consists of four syllables, and so
does * ya^mina (sacrificer),' and these (two) now are
one and the same ; — there are five seasons in the
year, and these five breathings in man, and these (two)
now are one and the same ; — there are six seasons
in the year, and these six breathings in man, and
these (two) now are one and the same ; — there are
seven seasons in the year, and these seven breathings
in man, and these (two) now are one and the same.
2. There are twelve months in the year, and
these twelve breathings in man, and these (two)
now are one and the same; — there are thirteen
months in the (leap-) year, and these thirteen
(channels of) breathings in man, the navel being
the thirteenth, and these (two) now are one and the
same ; — there are twenty-four half-months in the year,
and this man is twenty-four-fold, being possessed of
twenty fingers and toes and four limbs; and these
(two) now are one and the same ; — there are twenty-
six half-months in the (leap-) year, and this man is
twenty-six-fold, the two feet making up the twenty-
six ; and these (two) now are one and the same,
3. And there are three hundred and sixty nights
^ Or, the man, identified with the Sacrificer.
Digitized by
XII KkNDA, 3 adhyAya, 2 brAhmajva, 8. 1 69
in the year, and three hundred and sixty bones in
man, and these (two) now are one and the same ; —
there are three hundred and sixty days in the year,
and three hundred and sixty parts of marrow in man,
and these (two) now are one and the same.
4. And there are seven hundred and twenty days
and nights in the year, and seven hundred and twenty
bones and parts of marrow in man, and these (two)
now are one and the same.
5. And there are ten thousand and eight hundred
* muhGrta ' in the year ; and fifteen times as many
• kshipras' as there are * muhArta ' ; and fifteen times
as many * etarhi ' as there are * kshipra ' ; and fifteen
times as many ' idAni ' as there are * etarhi ' ; and
fifteen times as many breathings as there are Mdini';
and as many spirations as there are breathings ^ ;
and as many twinklings of the eye as there are
spirations, and as many hair-pits as there are twink«
lings of the eye, and as many sweat-pores as there
are hair-pits ; and as many sweat-pores as there are
so many drops it rains.
6. Concerning this, V4rkali, knowing this, once
said, * I know the raining cloud extending over the
whole earth, and the drops of that rain/
7. It is with reference thereto that this verse is
told, — Whilst whirling round, be it standing, or
sitting, or even sleeping, how often does man,
otherwise than from toil, breathe and expel the air
regularly * by day and night ?
8. And in answer thereto this verse is told, —
^ Perhaps the distinction between 'prina' and 'ana' here is that of out-breathing and in-breathing.
' Or, uniformly (gleichmSissig). The St. Petersb. Diet, here takes 'samena' in the sense of 'exactly.'
Digitized by
1 70 ^atapatha-brAhmaj^ta.
Inasmuch as man is what is measured a hundred
hundred and eight hundred, therefore they say : — so
often does man regularly^ breathe and expel the air
by day and night
Third BrAhmaiva.
1. The gods were once performing the initiation
ceremony for a (sacrificial session) of a thousand
years. When five hundred years had passed with
them, everything here was worn out — to wit. Stomas,
and Pmh/Aas, and metres (texts).
2. The gods then perceived that unexhausted
element of the sacrifice, and by means of that
unexhausted element they obtained what success
there was in the Veda ; and, verily, for him who
thus knows this, the Vedas are unexhausted, and the
work of the officiating priests is performed with the
unexhausted threefold science.
3. Now, this is that unexhausted element of the
sacrifice: — o-i'rivaya, astu ^rausha/, ya^a, ye
ya^4mahe, and vausha/ ^ In these five utterances
there are seventeen syllables : — o-^r Avaya consists
of four syllables, astu ^rausha/ of four syllables,
ya^ of two syllables, ye ya^Amahe of five
syllables ;
4. And the Vasha/-call consists of two syllables.
This is the seventeenfold Pra^pati, as established
in the deity and in the body, and, verily, whosoever
thus knows that seventeenfold Pra^pati, as estab-
lished in the deity and in the body, establishes him-
self by offspring and cattle in this, and by immortality
in the other, world.
' See note 2 on p. 169.
^ For these sacrificial calls, see part i, p. 142, note 2.
Digitized by
XII kAjvda, 3 iiDHYAYA, 3 brAhmajva, II. 171
5. The gods then spake, * Find ye out that sacri-
ficial performance which shall be a substitute for one
of a thousand years ; for what man is equal thereto
that he could get through with (a performance of)
a thousand years ?'
6. They saw the YisvBgit with all the Pnsh/ias*
to be an accelerated Soma-feast in lieu of the Prtsh-
/^3ra-shai]&iha, for there are those (same) Stomas,
those Pr/sh/Aas, and those metres-
7. They saw the PrfshMya-sha^a&tha to be an
accelerated Soma-feast in lieu of the Dvdda^&ha, for
there are those (same) Stomas, those PnishMas, and
those metres *.
8. They saw the Dvddaj&ha to be an accelerated
Soma-feast in lieu of (a session of) a year^, for there
are those (same) Stomas, those PrtshMas, and those
metres.
9. They saw the (session of a) year to be an
accelerated Soma-feast in lieu of the TApa^iita*, for
there are those (same) Stomas, those Pr/sh/Aas, and
those metres.
ID. They saw the Tdpa^iita to be an accelerated
Soma-feast in lieu of the thousand years' performance,
for there are those (same) Stomas, those Presh/^s,
and those metres.
II. He passes a year with the rites of initiation,
^ For such a day's performance with all the Pn'shMa-sftmans, see part Hi, introd., p. xx seq.
• The IMdardha, or twelve-days' performance, includes a Pnsh- Mya-shai/aha as its second to seventh days.
' The one year's session includes a Da^ar&tra, or ten-days' performance, forming the central part of the Dvidarfiha; and the first and last days of the latter being, like those of the Gav&m ayanam, a prdya^tya and udayaniya Atiratra.
* See part iv, p. 317, note a.
Digitized by
I 7 2 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
a year with the Upasads, and a year with the pressings of Soma.
12. When he passes a year with the rites of
initiation he thereby secures for himself the first part
of the performance of a thousand years ; and when
he passes a year with the Upasads he thereby
secures for himself the central part of the perform-
ance of a thousand years ; and when he passes a year
with the pressings he thereby secures for himself the
last part of the performance of a thousand years.
13. Twelve months he passes with the rites of
initiation, twelve with the Upasads, and twelve with
the pressings, — that makes thirty-six. Now the
BWhatl (metre) consists of thirty-six syllables, and
by means of the B^'hatl the gods strove to reach
heaven, and by means of the Br^'hatl they indeed
attained heaven ; and in like manner does this one,
by means of the Bnhatl, now strive to reach heaven,
and by means of the Brthatl he indeed attains
heaven ; and whatever object of desire there is in
the B^^^'hatl, that he thereby secures for himself.
14. But, indeed, there is that triad that is per-
formed together, — the Agni (fire-altar), the Arkya,
and the Mahad Uktham (great litany). When he
passes a year with the rites of initiation, and a year
with the Upasads, thereby the Agni and the Arka
are secured by him ; and when he passes a year with
the pressings, thereby the Mahad Uktham is secured
by him : this, then, to wit, the T&pay>^ita, is the substi-
tute for the performance of a thousand years, and this,
to wit, the Tdpajifeita, conduces to the procreation of
creatures.
Fourth BrAhma^a. I. Pra^pati once upon a time spake unto Punisha
Digitized by
XII ¥lAnda, 3 adhyAya, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 173
N&ilyai^, 'Offer sacrifice! offer sacrifice!' He
spake, * Verily, thou sayest to me, " Offer sacrifice !
offer sacrifice ! " and thrice have I offered sacrifice :
by the morning-service the Vasus went forth, by the
midday-service the Rudras, and by the evening-
service the Adityas ; now I have but the offering-
place^, and on the offering-place I am sitting.'
2. He spake, ' Offer yet sacrifice ! I will tell thee
such a thing that thy hymns shall be strung as
a pearl on a thread, or a thread through a pearl.'
3. And he spake thus unto him, *At the (chanting
of the) Bahishpavam&na, at the morning-service,
thou shalt hold on to the Udgfttr^' from behind,
saying, " Thou art a falcon formed of the G&yatrl
metre, — I hold on to thee : bear me unto well-being!"
4. * And at the midday Pavam^na thou shalt hold
on to the JJdg&trt from behind, saying, " Thou art
an eagle formed of the TrishAibh metre, — I hold on
to thee : bear me unto well-being ! "
5. * And at the Arbhava-pavam&na, at the evening-
service, thou shalt hold on to the Vdgktrz from
behind, saying, " Thou art a Hthhxi formed of the
G^agat metre, — I hold on to thee : bear me unto
well-being ! "
6. * And at the close of each pressing thou shalt
mutter, "In me be light, in me might, in me glory,
in me everything ! " '
7. Now light, indeed, is this (terrestrial) world,
might the air-world, glory the heavens, and what
other worlds there are, they are everything (else).
