* According to Kity. XX, 3, 3, the Prakramas are to be oflfered in the Dakshi^iSgni ; but our Brdhma^ia, whilst mentioning, at XIII, 4, 3, 4, both that fire, and the horse's footprint as optional places of offering, there as well as here decides in favour of the Ahavaniya; whence Harisvimin remarks: — anyatr&gner iti an- vah&ryapa^toe vlrvapade v& parilikhite vakshyamdnakalpintara- nindlL
* See XIII, I, 4, 2.
' That is to say, without repeating them, when he has come to the end, as he did in the case of the * oblations of drops/ Nor are they to be repeated day after day throughout the year, as some of the other offerings and rites are.
* Viz., according to Harisvdmin, at (the beginnmg of) the dfk- sha/iiy&, prdya^tyd, dtithyS, pravargya; the upasads, agnfshomiya, sutyd, avabhn'tha, udayantyd, and udavasdntyd offerings (ish/i). This view is, however, rejected by the author.
Digitized by
284 ^atapatha-brAhmajva.
at each opening of sacrifice, he would be deprived
of his cattle, and would become poorer/ They
should be performed once only : thus he is not
deprived of his cattle, and does not become poorer.
Forty-eight (oblations) he offers ; — the G^agat! con-
sists of forty-eight syllables, and cattle are of
<7figata (movable) nature : by means of the 6^agatl
he (the Adhvaryu) thus wins cattle for him (the
Sacrificer). One additional (oblation) he offers,
whence one man is apt to thrive amongst (many)
creatures (or subjects).
Fourth BRAHMAiVA.
1. Pra^pati poured forth the life-sap of the horse
(a^ra-medha) ^ When poured forth, it went straight
away from him and spread itself over the regions.
The gods went in quest of it. By means of offer-
ings (ish/i) they followed it up, by offerings they
searched for it, and by offerings they found it And
when he performs ish/is, the Sacrificer thereby
searches for the horse (arva) meet for sacrifice*
(medhya).
2. They (the ishris*) belong to SavitW; for
Savitrf is this (earth) : if any one hides himself
thereon, if any one goes elsewhere*, it is on this
^ Or, as it might also be translated, Pra^dpati produced (created) the Ajvamedha,
' Or, for the horse full of life-sap ; or, simply, the sacrificial horse.
' Viz. three oblations of cakes on twelve kapSlas to Savitn' Prasavitri', Savitn' Asavitri, and Savitri Satyaprasava respectively. For particulars see XIII, 4, 2, 6 seqq.
* Harisv&min seems to take this in the sense of 'who moves about elsewhere (in another sphere),' and mentions, as an instance, a bird which flies in (? up into) the air — paksby&dir antarikshe gSik^ksLtx — but is ultimately caught on earth.
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XIII KANDAy I ADHYAya, 5 BRAHMAi^TA, I. 285
(earth) that they find him ; for no one (creature),
whether walking erect or horizontally (like an
animal), is able to go beyond it. Their belonging
to Savitr^ thus is in order to find the horse.
3. Concerning this they say, * Surely the horse
disappears when it goes straight away ; for they do
not turn (drive) it back '.' Now when he performs
the Dhrzti offeringa* in the evening — dhmi
(keeping) meaning peaceful dwelling, and the night
also meaning peaceful dwelling — it is by means of
peaceful dwelling that he keeps it; whence both
men and beasts rest peacefully at night. And
when he performs offerings in the morning, he
seeks that (horse); whence it is in daytime that
one goes to seek for what is lost. And again
when he offers the Dhr/tis in the evening, and the
{Savitrz) ish/is in the morning, it is security of pos-
session the Sacrificer thereby brings about, whence
security of possession is brought about for the
subjects where this sacrifice is performed.
Fifth BRAHMAiVA.
I. But, indeed, distinction, royal sway, departs from
him who performs the horse-sacrifice ; and when a
man attains to distinction, the lute is played to him.
Two Brfihmamcal lute-players sing (and play) for a
year ; for that — to wit, the lute — is a form (attribute)
of distinction : it is distinction they thus confer
upon him.
« See XIII, 4, 2, 16.
• The four Dhr/tis are performed on the Ahavanfya after sunset on the first day ; cf. XIII, 4, 3, 5. For the four formulas used with these oblations (' here is joy/ &c.), see Xill, i, 6, 2.
Digitized by
286 ^atapatha-brAhmajva.
2. Concerning this they say, *Were both to be
Br&hma^^s who sing, noble rank (or political power)
would depart from him ; for he — to wit, a Br&hma^ca
— is a form of the priestly office ; and the nobility
takes no delight in the priestly office (or priesthood).
3. ' And were both to be R^anyas (nobles),
spiritual lustre would depart from him ; for he — ^to
wit, the Ri^nya — is a form of noble rank, and
spiritual lustre takes no delight in noble rank.*
One of those who sing is a Br&hma^a, and the other
a R4^nya ; for the Br&hma^^a means priestly office,
and the R^anya noble rank : thus his distinction
(social position) comes to be guarded on either side
by the priesthood and the nobility.
4. Concerning this they say, * Were both to sing
by day, his distinction would be apt to fall away from
him : for that — to wit, the day — is a form of the
priestly dignity ; and when the king chooses he may
oppress (despoil) the Brihma^a, but he will fare the
worse (or, become the poorer) for it
5. * And if both (were to sing) at night, spiritual
lustre would fall away from him ; for that — to wit,
the night — is a form of the nobility, and spiritual
lustre takes no delight in the nobility.' The
BrShma/ta sings by day^, and the Ri^n5ra at
night*; and thus, indeed, his distinction comes to
be guarded on either side by the priesthood and
the nobility \
6. * Such sacrifices he offered, — ^such gifts he gave!' such (are the topics about which) the
' Viz. at the fore-offerings of the three cake-offerings (ish/is) to Savitr/, v^hilst staying in the south part of the sacrificial ground. * Viz. during the performance of the Dhr/tis after sunset ' The ' iti ' at the end belongs to the following paragraph.
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XIII KkNDAy I ADHYAyA, 6 BRAhMAJVA, I. 287
Br&hmsinz, sings ^; for to the Br&hma^a belongs
the fulfilment of wishes ' : it is with the fulfilment
of wishes he (the Br&hma;^a) thus endows him (the
Sacrificer). 'Such war he waged, — such battle he
won ! ' such (are the topics about which) the
RS^nya sings; for the battle is the R^^nya's
strength : it is with strength he thus endows him.
Three stanzas the one sings, and three stanzas the
other, they amount to six, — six seasons make up
a year: he thus establishes (the Sacrificer) in the
seasons, in the year. To both of them he presents
a hundred ; for man has a life of a hundred (years),
and a hundred energies: it is vitality and energy,
vital power, he confers upon him.
Sixth BkAhuana.
I. [The Adhvaryu and Sacrificer whisper in the
right ear of the horse, Vfi^. S. XXII, 19 3,]
'Plenteous by the mother, strengthful by the
father,' — its mother, doubtless, is this (earth), and
its father yonder (sky) : it is to these two he
commits it; — *a horse thou art, a steed thou
art,' — he thereby instructs it, whence clever subjects
(or children) are born to him; — *a courser (atya)
thou art, a charger thou art,' — he therewith
leads it beyond (ati), whence the horse goes beyond
(surpasses) other animals, and whence the horse
attains to pre-eminence among animals; — *a runner
thou art, a racer thou art, a prize-winner thou
' Cf. XIII, 4, 2, 8.
■ The author apparently takes * ish/ipflrta ' in the sense of eilher < sacrifice and fulfilment,' or *the fulfilment of (the objects of) sacrifice.' Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 319; X, p. 96.
» See XIII, 4, 2, 15.
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288 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
art/ — in accordance with the text is (the meaning
of) this; — *a male thou art, well-disposed
towards man thou art/ — this is with a view to
its (or, his) being supplied with a mate ; — * Speedy
thou art called. Child thou art called,' — this
is the horse's favourite name : by its favourite
name he thus addresses it; whence even if two
enemies S on meeting together, address one. another
by name, they get on amicably together.
2. *Go thou along the way of the Adityas!'
— to the Adityas he thus makes it go. — * Ye divine
guardians of the quarters, protect this horse,
sprinkled for sacrifice to the gods I' — the
guardians of the quarters are a hundred princes
born in wedlock: to them he commits it; — 'here
is joy: here let it rejoice! — ^here is safe keep-
ing, here is its own safe keeping, hail!' For
a year he offers the (four Dhmi) oblations* —
(amounting to) sixteen nineties, for they are the
horses chain ^ and it is therewith alone that he
chains it ; whence the horse when let loose returns
to its chain : (they amount to) sixteen nineties * ; for
these (oblations of safe keeping) are the horse's
chain, and it is therewith alone that he chains it,
whence the horse, when let loose, does not (entirely)
abandon its chain.
3. Verily, the A^vamedha means royal sway: it
is after royal sway that these strive who guard the
horse. Those of them who reach the end become
* Harisvdmin, perhaps rightly, takes * imitrau ' in the sense of * amitrayoA putrau,' * the sons of two enemies.'
• See note on XIII, 4, 3, 5.
• Or, place of confinement, stable, — * bandhanasthanam.' Harisv,
* That is, four times 360.
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XIII KANDA, I ADHYAyA, 7 BRAhMA/VA, I. 289
(sharers in) the royal sway, but those who do not
reach the end are cut off from royal sway. Where^
fore let him who holds royal sway perform the
horse-sacrifice; for, verily, whosoever performs the
horse-sacrifice, without possessing power, is poured
(swept) away. — Now, were unfriendly men to get
hold of the horse, his sacrifice would be cut in twain,
and he would become the poorer for it. A hundred
men clad in armour guard it for the continuity and
uninterrupted performance of the sacrifice ; and he
will not become the poorer for it ; (but if it be lost)
they should fetch another (horse), and sprinkle it ;
this is the expiation in that case.
Seventh BrAhmazva.
The Initiation of thk Sacrificer.
I. Pra^pati desired, * Might I perform a horse-
sacrifice^?' He toiled and practised fervid devotion.
From the body of him, when wearied and heated,
the deities departed in a sevenfold way : therefrom
the Dikshi (initiation) was produced. He per-
ceived those Vai^vadeva* (oblations). He offered
' Or, ' might I make offering with the life-sap of the horse ? * the natural, as well as the technical, meaning of the term < arva- medha ' being generally understood in these speculations,
• The oblations offered prior to the initiation — here, as at any Soma-sacrifice — are called Audgrabha»a (elevatory) oblations. On the present occasion he, in the first place, performs, on each of the first six days of the Dfkshd, the four oblations of this kind offered at the ordinary Soma-sacrifice (for which see III, i, 4, I seqq.) ; whilst on the seventh day he offers, instead of these, the six corresponding oblations of the AgnL^ayana (which forms a necessary element of the Axvamedha), see VI, 6, 1, 15-20; for a further and final oblation offered on all these occasions, see p. 292, note I. He then performs on each day three additional pblationf
Digitized by
290 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA,
them, and by means of them he gained the DlkshA :
and when the Sacrificer offers the Vai.yvadeva
(oblations) it is the Dlkshi he thereby gains.
Day after day he offers them: day after day he
thus gains the Dikshi ^ Seven of them he offers ;
for seven were those deities that departed (from
Pra^pati); it is by means of them that he (the
priest) gains the Dlkshft for him.
2. But, indeed, the vital airs depart from those who exceed (the duration of) the Dikshd. For
