^ Probably inasmuch as the cups of milk are offered there pre- viously.
* For this jarful of consecrated water, used at the sacrifice^ see part i, pp. 9, note ; 265.
Digitized by
XII KANDAy 9 ADHYAYA, 3 BrAhMAYA, 12. 2Jl
9. Now, the fore-offerings had been performed,
but the fire had not been carried round ^ (the
oblations), when the Asuras came after him. By
means of the circumambient fire the gods shut
out their hostile rivals, the Asuras, from Ya^»a
(the sacrifice) ; and in like manner does this one
now^, by means of the circumambient fire, shut out
his spiteful enemy from the sacrifice,
10. Verily, that Ahavanlya is the womb (seat)
of the gods, and those two fires ^ on either side
thereof are its immortal wings: thus, when they
perform the sacrifice on the Ahavanlya, they indeed
perform the sacrifice for the gods in the womb of
the gods ; and, verily, the continued sacrifice inclines
to him, and the sacrifice is not cut off from him who
thus knows this, or for whom, knowing this, this
sacrificial rite is performed.
11. On the northern fire they offer (libations
from) the cups of milk, on the northern fire they
cook the sacrificial animals : the sacrificial animals,
whilst being mortal, he thus places in the immortal
womb, and them that are mortal he causes to be
born (again) from out of the immortal womb ; and,
verily, whosoever thus knows this, or he for whom,
knowing this, this sacrificial rite is performed, wards
off the recurring death of his cattle, and the sacrifice
is not cut off from him.
12. On the southern fire they offer (libations from) the cups of Suri-liquor, near the southern fire
* On the ceremony called ' paryagnikaranam,' see part i, p. 145, note; part ii, p. 187, note.
• See p. 225, note i. Properly speaking, the two fires of the two special Vedis are in front (or, rather, north-east and south-east) of the Ahavanlya.
Digitized by
272 iSATAPATHA-BRAHMA-YA.
they purify (the liquor) with triple strainers: the
Fathers, whilst being mortal, he thus places in
the immortal womb, and them that are mortal he
causes to be born (again) from out of the immortal
womb; and, verily, whosoever thus knows this, or
he for whom, knowing this, this sacrificial rite is per-
formed, wards off the recurring death of the Fathers,
and the sacrifice is not cut off from him.
13. Now, inasmuch as these two fires are taken
from the Ahavanlya, they are Ahavanlyas (offering-
fires), and inasmuch as they do not again reach the
Ahavanlya, they are not Ahavanlyas : he thereby
obtains both kinds of oblations, that which is
(offered) on the Ahavanlya. and that which is
(offered) on what is not an Ahavanlya-r-both what
is offered and what is not offered.
He (Balhika Prdtiplya) then went home, and
said, * It is not so (as we had thought) : that king-
dom of the Srin^aysLS now belongs to Dush/a-
rltu ; — in such and such a manner has that Al'akra
Sthapati this day performed at the sacrifice.'
14. On die northern fire they thus perform the
rites of the sacrificial animals, the (animal) cakes,
and the cups of milk, and what other (rite) there
is: it is the gods, in the world of the gods, he
thereby gratifies, and, thus gratified, they gratify
him, and he wins the world of the gods.
15. In the southern fire they offer (libations from)
the cups of SurA-liquor, near the southern fire they
purify (the liquor) with triple strainers : it is the
Fathers, in the world of the Fathers, he thereby
gratifies, and, thus gratified, they gratify him, and
he wins the world of the Fathers.
16. Verily, the Sautrfima;«l is the same as the
Digitized by
XII KkNDA, 9 adhyAya, 3 brAhmajva, 1 6. 273
body, whence it is (clearly) defined, for defined is
the body. And (Indra) Vayodhas (the bestower
of strength) is the world, whence he is undefined ',
for undefined is the world. The Sautr&ma»l is the
body (trunk), and the Aindra (victim) and (the one
to) Vayodhas * are the two arms ; and inasmuch as
there are those two animal offerings on both sides
(of the Sautrimawi), therefore these two arms are
on both sides of the body. And as the sacrificial
animal, so the sacrificial stake; and inasmuch as
there are those two stakes on both sides of the
stake of the Sautr4ma»l (bull of Indra), therefore
these two arms are on both sides of the body \
^ The term 'vayodhas' is said to be undefined inasmuch
as, though it is meant to apply to Indra, the name of this
god is not mentioned along with it in the formulas.
* During the performance of the Sautriroaiii proper (on the fourth day) three victims are immolated, a he-goat to the Ajvins, a ram to Sarasvati, and another bull to Indra. But at the beginning of the whole performance — either before or after the first pap to Aditi (cf. XII, 9, 2, 11) — a bull is sacrificed to Indra ; and at the end — ^after the second pap to Aditi and the dish of curds to Mitra and Varwfa (see p. 252, note 4)— another animal sacrifice is performed to Indra Vayodhas. The sacrificial stakes for the first and last of the three victims sacred to Indra, are to be placed north and south of that of Indra's second bull, the one sacrificed as part of the Sautrdma^if proper.
• The object of identifying different ceremonial acts and features with certain parts of the body is of course to impress upon the mind of the Sacrificer the efi&cacy of the Sautr&mant in securing to him a new, complete body for the other life.
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
2 74 5ATAPATHA-BRAhM AiVA.
THIRTEENTH KhNDk.
THE A5VAMEDHA, or HORSE-SACRIFICE.
PRELIMINARY CEREMONIES*. First Adhyava. First BrAhmaj^ta.
1. He (the Adhvaryu) cooks the priests' mess of
rice * i it is seed he thereby produces. Having
greased a rope with the ghee which is left over^,
he takes it ; for ghee is (a type of) fiery spirit, and
the horse is sacred to Pra^pati * : he thus endows
Pra^Spati ivith fiery spirit. Impure, and unfit for
sacrifice, indeed, is that (animal), to wit, the horse.
2. The rope consists of darbha grass (poa cyno-
suroides) ; — for darbha stalks * are a means of puri-
fication : he thus purifies that (horse), and immolates
it as one purified and meet for sacrifice-
3. Now, when the horse* was immolated, its
* The ceremonies treated of in the first six chapters (brihmanas) refer to the setting apart of the horse for its sacred office, a year before the sacrifice, and to the intervening period during which the horse is allowed to roam about, though under careful super- vision.
* For further particulars regarding this opening ceremony of the sacrifice see XIII, 4, i, i seqq.
* Viz. from the ghee used for greasing the four dishes of cooked rice.
* Or, the horse is of the nature of Pn^pati.
* See above, p. 195, note i.
* That is, as would seem, Pra^pati in the form of a horse, see part iv, introd., p. xiv seqq.
Digitized by
XIII kXnda, I adhyAya, I brAhmaj^a, 4. 275
seed went from it and became gold ^ : thus, when
he gives gold (to the priests) he supplies the horse
with seed.
4, Pra^^pati produced the sacrifice*. His great-
ness departed from him, and entered the great
sacrificial priests \ Together with the great priests
he went in search of it, and together with the great
priests he found it : when the g^reat priests eat the
priests* mess of rice, the Sacrificer thereby secures
for himself the greatness of the sacrifice. Along
with the priests' mess of rice he presents gold (to
the priests) ; for the mess of rice is seed, and gold
is seed : by means of seed he thus lays seed into
that (horse, and Sacrificer). It (the gold*) weighs
a hundred (grains) ; for man has a life of a hundred
(years), and a hundred energies: it is life, and
energy, vigour, he lays into his own self. At midday
he takes Vasatlvarl* water of four kinds; it is
brought together from the (four) quarters, for food
is in (all) the (four) quarters, and water is food : by
means of food he thus secures food for him.
^ Pn^pati is Agni, and gold is Agni's seed, cf. II, i, i, 5 ; III,
3. I. 3 Ac-
• That is, the Ajvamedha sacrifice, and thus the immolation (or emptying out) of his own self, so to speak.
• That is, the four principal officiating priests. Brahman, Hotr/, Adhvaryu, and UdgStn*. Cf. VIII, 4, 3, i seqq., where it is the vital airs that, in their capacity as i?i'shis, assist Prs^pati in the first sacrifice.
^ That is to say, each piece of gold weighs as much. According to K4ty. XX, I, 6 he is to give to the priests 4000 cows and as many 5atamina coins.
• For this water used for the Soma-sacrifice where, however, it is taken from a cistern, or some course of flowing water, see part ii, p. 222 seqq.
Digitized by
276 SATAFATHA-hRkUMANA.
Second Brahma-^^a.
1. Now, unsuccessful in the sacrifice, assuredly, is
what is performed without a formula. (With Vd^. S.
XXII, 2,) *This rope did they take, at the
first age of the truth, [the sages, at the rites:
it hath been with us at this Soma-sacrifice,
declaring the course in the gaining of the
truth],' he takes the halter of the horse in order to
supply a formula for the success of the sacrifice. It
(the rope) is twelve cubits long, — twelve months
make a year : it is the year, the sacrifice \ he
secures.
2. Concerning this they say, * Is the rope to be
made twelve cubits long, or thirteen cubits long ? '
Well, that year is the bull among the seasons, and
the thirteenth (or intercalary) month is an excres-
cence of the year ; and this Axvamedha is the bull
among sacrifices ; and inasmuch as the bull has an
excrescence (hump), one may add on a thirteenth
cubit to the rope as an excrescence to this
(Aivamedha) : even as the bull's hump is attached *
(to his back), suchlike would this be.
3. [He puts the halter on the horse, with V^. S. XXII, 3, 4,] * Encompassing^ thou art,' —
* Or, possibly, it is for the space of a year that he secures the sacrifice, but see part iv, introduction, p. xxiii.
■ Lit., spread out.
' Some such meaning as this (or perhaps ' encompassed, en- circled ') seems to be assigned by the author to * abhidhi^,' with evident reference to * abhidhSnt,' * halter/ from * abhi-dhd,' * to fasten, enclose/ The St. Petersburg Diet., on the other hand, takes it in the sense of * naming, denoting ' (? inasmuch as the horse gives the name to the horse-sacrifice); whilst MaMdhara explains it by * that whfch is named or praised.'
Digitized by
XIII kAjVDA, I ADHYAyA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 4. 277
therefore the offerer of the A^vamedha conquers
all the quarters^; — *the world thou art/ — ^the
world he thus conquers; — *a ruler thou art, an
upholder,' — he thus makes him a ruler and up-
holder;— 'go thou unto Agni Vaijvinara/ —
he thus makes him go to Agni Vai^vinara (the
friend of all men); — *of wide extent/ — he thus
causes him to extend in offspring and cattle; —
'consecrated by Svihd (hail!)/ — ^this is the
Vasha/call* for it; — 'good speed (to) thee for
the gods!' — he thus makes it of good speed for
the gods; — 'for Pra^ipati/ — the horse is sacred
to Pra^pati: he thus supplies^ it with his own
deity.
4, But, verily, he who fetters the horse without
announcing it to the Brahman and the gods is liable
to incur injury. He addresses the Brahman (the
superintending priest) by saying, ' O Brahman, I will
fetter the horse for the gods, for Pra^pati : may
I prosper therewith!' and having made the announce-
^ In epic tiroes the Arvamedha is commonly performed by kings who have been successful in the * digv^g^aya,' or conquest in all quarters.
