Digitized by
XII kXnda, 4 adhyAya, 4 BRAHMAyA, 7. 195
him, because the gods go from him ; and after that
failure — whether he know it or know it not — those
two (fires) say, * He (the sun) has set on his unlifted
(fire)/ In such a case let him proceed thus: —
having fastened a piece of yellow gold to a plant
of darbha grass, let him order it to be taken towards
the back (west) : thus it is made of the form of him
who shines yonder ; and that (sun) being the day, it
is made of the form of the day. And darbha plants
are a means of purification ^ : he thus purifies it
thereby. Having then kindled some firewood, let
him order it to be taken forward (to the Ahavanlya
hearth). A Brihma/^a descended from a Hishi
should take it out, for a Brdhma^a descended from
a jRtshi represents all the deities : it is thus with
the help of all the deities that he causes it (the fire)
to succeed. Having laid it down, he returns, and
having placed ghee on the G&rhapatya, taken it off,
purified it and looked down on it ^, he takes ghee by
four ladlings, and, having seized a log, he hastens up
to the front ; and, having put the log on the Aha-
vanlya, he bends his right knee, and offers with, * To
the All-gods, hail!' Even as one would call
(back) to him a Br^hma^a staying at one s dwelling,
when he goes away offended, by (presenting him with)
a cow longing for the bull, so he thereby calls to him
the All-gods; and they indeed acknowledge, and
^ Viz. inasmuch as they are used as strainers; see I, i, 3, 5; cf. also part i, p. 84, note 2.
* Whilst, on ordinary occasions, in clarifying butter for oflfering, the priest would first make the lady of the house look down on the ghee taken from the fire, before he himself (or the Sacrificer) does so (I, 3, I, 19; 26); on the present occasion — as at offerings to the Fathers (Kdty, II, 7, 4 comm.) — the priest alone does so.
Digitized by
196 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
turn to, him. This, then, is the rite performed in
that case.
7. They also say, * If the sun were to rise over
any one's Ahavantya not having been taken out,
what rite and what expiation would there be in
that case ? ' Verily, those rays are the All-gods ;
and, having dwelt there, they now go from him,
and that (Agnihotra) fails him, because the gods
go from him ; and after that failure — ^whether he
know it or know it not — those two (fires) say, * He
(the sun) has risen on his unlifted (fire).' In such
a case let him proceed thus : — having fastened
a piece of white gold (silver) to a plant of darbha
grass, let him order it to be taken towards the
front : thus it is made of the form of the moon ;
and, the moon being the night, it is made of the
form of the night. And darbha plants are a means
of purification : he thus purifies it thereby. Having
then kindled some firewood, let him order it to be
taken after (the piece of silver). A Brihma»a
descended from a Htshi should take it out, for
a Br^ma^^a descended from a 7?^shi represents
all the deities : it is thus with the help of all the
deities that he causes it (the fire) to succeed. Hav-
ing laid it down, he returns, and, having placed
ghee on the G&rhapatya, taken it off, purified it and
looked down upon it, he takes ghee in the same
way as it was taken before, and, having seized
a log, he hastens up to the front ; and, having put
the log on the Ahavanlya, he bends his right knee
and offers with, *To the All-gods, hail!' The
import is the same as before ; and, verily, no hurt and
no harm of any kind befalls where that expiation is
made. This, then, is the rite performed in that case.
Digitized by
XII kXnda, 5 adhyAya, i brAhmaya, 3. 197
Fifth AdhyAya. First BrAhmajva. Ceremonies in connection with the Death of the Agnihotrin.
1. They also say, *If that performer of a long
sacrificial session — to wit, he who (regularly) offers
the Agnihotra — were to die whilst staying abroad,
are they to sacrifice for him or not ? ' Now, some
indeed think that (his Agnihotra) should be offered
till they get home ^ ; but let him not do so, for
that (fire) does not submit thereto that they should
offer to it, as for the burning of a dead body : it is
rather to sacrifice and oblations that it submits, and,
unable to endure it, it stays by him with impatience.
2. And some, indeed, say, * They (the fires) should
lie in the very same condition, kept up (with fuel)
but without offering being made on them ; ' but let
him not do so, for that (fire) does not submit thereto
that they should kindle it as for the burning of
a dead body : it is rather to sacrifice and oblations
that it submits, and, unable to endure it, it stays by
him with impatience.
3. And some, indeed, having lifted the two fires
* Prof. DelbrGck, Altind. Syntax, p. 430, takes *dganto^- in the sense, — ' (thinking) he may still come ; ' but cf. Kity. XXV, 8, 9 with comm., according to which, in case of an Agnihotrin dying away from home, his people are — if the place of his death be somewhere near his home — to take ihe body there ; but if it be far from home, they are to kindle a fire by * churning ' and bum the body, and having collected the bones and taken them home, they are there to perform the punard&ha, or second cremation ; and in either case the Agnihotra is to be performed regularly for the deceased, in the evening and morning, * till the body or the bones arrive at the house (gr/Mgamanaparyantam)/ The force of * iti ' here evidendy is, — (thinking,) ' we will do so until the home-coming.' Harisvimin rightly resolves ' igantoA * by * & dgantpA'
Digitized by
1 98 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA,
on the churning-sticks, lay them down, and chum
it (the new fire) out on his being brought (home) ;
but let him not do so, for that (fire) does not submit
thereto that they should churn it out as for the
burning of a dead body : it is rather to sacrifice and
oblations that it submits, and, unable to endure it,
it stays by him with impatience.
4. Let him rather proceed thus : — let him bid
them seek for a cow suckling an adopted calf, and
let him make offering with milk from her; for
tainted is that milk which comes from a cow
suckling an adopted calf, and tainted is the Agni-
hotra of one who is dead: by thus removing the
tainted by the tainted, he becomes more glorious.
5. Concerning this there also is a simile : — if two
smashed cars were to (be made to) unite there would
be at least one (fit) for driving.
6. The procedure of this same Agnihotra (is as
follows) : — He causes her to be milked whilst east-
ward invested^; for, sacrificially invested, one gets
(the Agnihotra-cow) milked for the gods, but in the
case of the Fathers it is done thus.
7. He does not put (the milk) on the (burning)
coals*; for were he to put it on coals he would
be doing (what is done) for the gods : having shifted
some hot cinders from the Girhapatya towards the
right (south) side, he puts it thereon, and thus makes
it to be sacred to the Fathers.
* That is, wearing the Br&hman ical cord over the right shoulder, and under the left arm ; instead of over the left shoulder, and under the right arm as is done at the sacrifice.
' For boiling the milk for the Agnihotra burning coals are shifted northwards from the G&rhapatja, and the pot placed there- on ; see part i, p. 330, note.
Digitized by
XII kXnda, 5 adhyAya, i brAhmaata, ii. 199
8. He does not cause the light (of a burning
straw) to fall upon it, nor does he pour water to it ;
for were he to make the light fall on it, and to pour
water to it, he would be doing (what is done) for the
gods. He does not take it off thrice, setting it down
each time^ ; for were he take it off thrice, setting it
down each time, he would be doing (what is done)
for the gods : only once he takes it off drawing it down-
wards^, and thus makes it to be sacred to the Fathers.
9. He does not say, ' I will ladle out ^ ! ' nor does
he ladle out (the milk) four times ; for were he to
say * I will ladle out ! ' and were he to ladle out four
times, he would be doing (what is done) for the gods :
only once he silently turns it upside down (into the
spoon), and thus makes it to be sacred to the Fathers.
ID. He does not take it (to the Aha vantya) whilst
holding a kindling-stick over (the handle of the
spoon*); for were he to take it (there) whilst holding
a kindling-stick over it, he would be doing (what is
done) for the gods: he takes it whilst holding
(a billet) underneath, and thus makes it to be sacred
to the Fathers.
II. He does not pass along the north side of the G^rhapatya^, for were he to pass along the north
* When a spoonful of water has been added to the Agnihotra- milk, and the light of a burning straw again thrown on it, the pot is taken up three several times and put down each time further north on the hot ashes ; see part i, p. 331, note i.
* That is, down from the ashes — towards the south (where the Fathers, or departed ancestors, are supposed to reside), — ^whilst in the case of the ordinary Agnihotra he would be shifting the pot more and more upwards, or northwards. Cf. K&ty. XXV, 8, 10.
' See XII, 4, a, 8. * See part i, p. 331, note 4.
* Possibly we ought to translate, — ^he does not go to the north side of the Girbapa^a (but to the south side) — ^that is, if he makes
Digitized by
200 ^atapatha-brAhmajva.
side of the Girhajpatya he would be doing (what is
done) for the gods : he passes along the south side
of the Girhapatya, and thus makes it to be sacred
to the Fathers.
12. And that sacrificial grass which (ordinarily) is
lying with its tops towards the north he lays so as to
have its tops towards the south, and thus makes (the
offering) to be sacred to the Fathers. And having
put a kindling-stick on the Ahavanlya, and bent his
left knee, he silently turns (the ladle) once upside
down (pouring the milk into the fire) and thus makes
it to be sacred to the Fathers. He neither shakes
(the spoon) upwards ^ nor wipes it, nor does he eat
(the milk left in the spoon), nor does he throw it out :
he thus makes it to be sacred to the Fathers.
1 3. They also say, * If that performer of a long sac-
rificial session — to wit, he who (regularly) offers the
Agnihotra — were to die whilst staying abroad, how
would they supply him with his fires ? ' Well, some,
having burnt him, bring (the bones) home and make
the fires smell him as he is brought ; but let him not
do this, for this would be as if he were to seek to
cause the seed implanted in one womb to be born
forth from another womb. Having brought home
the bones, let him throw them on a black antelope
skin, and arrange them in accordance with man's
form, and having covered them with wool and
sprinkled with ghee, let him by burning unite him
two oblations, not only on the Ahavantya, but also on the Girha- patya (as well as on the Dakshi^dgni), in which case the Adhvaryu would be standing north (or rather north-west) of the fire. Cf. Katy. IV, 14, 22-25.
* Ordinarily, after the second libation, the priest twice jerks the spoon upwards, and then lays it down on a bunch of grass.
