rejected (Pas antiquated, or inauspicious) by the author of the Brdhmaxra. The ceremony of lying near the dead horse being looked upon as assuring fertility to a woman, the formula used here is also doubtless meant to express an eagerness on the part of the women to be led to the slaughtered horse, representing the lord of creatures, Pra^pati. On this passage compare the remarks of Professor Weber (Ind. Stud. I, p. 183), who takes the formula to be spoken by the queen consort to her three fellow-wives; and who also translates the words 'na ma nayati kaj >kLna' (nobody leads me) by ' nobody shall lead me (by force to the horse ; but if I do not go) the (wicked) horse will lie near (another woman such as) the (wicked) Subadhri living in Kdmpfla.' — Harisvimin's commentary on this passage is rather corrupt, but he seems at all events to assume that each of the four wives apostrophizes the others with the above formula (probably substituting their real names for the words *ambi,' &c.): — lepsam (Flipsd/w) tavad esha patntvaktraka^ (Ppatntvaktrata^) prdpnoti, katham, ekaiki hi patni itar&s tisra Smantrya ^shd^ paiidevayamdn& dnlryate, he ambe he ambike he ambilike yQyam apu/iyd ntshpidotv asya (?) samipam, sa /^ pakshap^ii kutsito'^vako may! yushmdka/71 sasasti meva(I) subhadrikd/7i kamptlavdsinim ida (? iha) surOpdm na tu mSm kax^Ht tatra nayattti ; sasastity eva vartamdnasSmipye vartamdnavad {Vin. Ill, 3, 131) ity dsannasevane drash/avya^. — This barbarous ceremony was evidently an old indigenous custom too firmly established in popular practice to be easily excluded from the sacrificial ritual. That it had nothing to do with Vedic religion and was distasteful to the author of the BrShma;ia is evident from the brief way in which he refers to it, and from the far-fetched symbolic explanations attached to the formulas and discourses.
* Viz. from their ordinary place near the G&rhapatya he leads them whilst holding jars of water in their hands.
' Apahnuvate vismaranty evismai etat pradakshi^idvartanena BAnigHapaxiSja unnayanti, comm«
Digitized by
XIII kXndA, 2 ADHY^YA, 8 BRAHMAi^TA, 5. 323
indeed, they also fan ^ it Thrice they walk round * ;
for three (in number) are these worlds : by means
of these worlds they fan it Thrice again they
walk round ^ — that amounts to six, for there are
six seasons : by means of the seasons they fan it
5. But, indeed, the vital airs depart from those
who perform the fanning at the sacrifice. Nine
times they walk round*; for there are nine vital
airs : vital airs they thus put into their own selves,
and the vital airs do not depart from them. * I will
urge the seed-layer, urge thou the seed-
layer!' (the Mahishl says*); — seed, doubtless,
means offspring and cattle: offspring and cattle
she thus secures for herself. [V^. S. XXIII, 20,]
* Let us stretch our feet,' thus in order to secure
union. •In heaven ye envelop yourselves'
(the Adhvaryu says), — for that is, indeed, heaven
where they immolate the victim : therefore he
* Thus Harisv&min : — dhuvate dhfinane(na) upavSj^yanti, evam arvam rS^nam iva vya^'anair etat, — 'they shake Uiemselves,' St. Petersb. Diet. ; and, indeed, it is doubtless by the flutter of the gannents produced in walking round first one way and then another, that the fanning is supposed to be produced.
* Viz. in sunwise fashion (pradakshinS), that is so as to keep the object circumambulated on one's right side.
' Viz. in the opposite, the ' apradakshi^iain ' way, as is done in the sacrifice to the departed ancestors. They do so with the text, ' We call upon thee, the dear Lord of the dear ones, O my true lord I'
* Viz. another three times in the sunwise way. Having com- pleted their circumambulaiion, the king^a wives cleanse the horse's apertures of the vital airs (mouth, nostrils, eyes, &c.), as the Sacrificer's wife did at the ordinary animal sacrifice (III, 8, 2, 4), which they do with the text, *We call upon thee, the treasure- lord of treasures, O my true lord I '
* Cf. Ill, 5, 2, I seqq.
Digitized by
324 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
speaks thus, — *May the vigorous male, the
layer of seed, lay seed!' she says in order to
secure union.
Ninth BrAhmajva.
1. But, indeed, that glory, royal power, passes away from him who performs the A,rvamedha.
2. [The UdgAtre^ says concerning the kings
favourite wife, Vi^. S. XXIII, 26,] 'Raise her
upwards V — the Ayvamedha, doubtless, is that
glor)', royal power: that glory, royal power, he
thus raises for him (the Sacrificer) upward.
3. *Even as one taking a burden up a
mountain,' — glory (pomp), doubtless, is the burden
of royal power: that glory, royal power, he thus
fastens on him (as a burden); but he also endows
him with that glory, royal power.
4. * And may the centre of her body prosper,'
— the centre of royal power, doubtless, is glory:
glory (prosperity), food, he thus lays into the very
centre of royal power (or, the kingdom).
5. *As one winnowing in the cool breeze,' — the cool of royal power, doubtless, is security of
* The colloquy between the men and women, referred to in paragraphs 1-8, would seem to go on simultaneously. The verse addressed by the Hotri' to the king's discarded wife, V^^, S. XXIII, 28, is omitted by the Brdhmana, as are also the verses spoken in reply by the women (with their attendants), and closely resembling those of the men in tone and wording. According to some authorities it is the attendant women alone who reply, not the king's wives. Kfity. XX, 6, 20-
• Mahidhara takes the objective pronoun to refer to the V4viti, whilst Harisvamin, on the other hand, supplies some such word as ' sifMm:
Digitized by
XIII kAndA, 2 ADHYAyA, 9 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 325
possession : security of possession he procures for him.
6. [The Adhvaryu addresses one of the attendant
maids, V4f. S. XXIII, 22,] 'That little bird,'—
the little bird, doubtless, is the people (or clan), —
* which bustles with (the sound) "ahalak/" — for
the people, indeed, bustle for (the behoof of) rojral
power, — * thrusts the "pasas" into the cleft,
and the ''dhdraki" devours it,' — the cleft, doubt-
less, is the people, and the * pasas ' is royal power ;
and royal power, indeed, presses hard on the people ;
whence the wielder of royal power is apt to strike
down people.
7. [The Brahman addresses the queen consort,
V^. S. XXIII, 24,] ' Thy mother and father,'—
the mother, doubtless, is this (earth), and the father
yonder (sky) : by means of these two he causes him
to go to heaven; — 'mount to the top of the
tree,' — the top of royal power, doubtless, is glory :
the top of royal power, glory, he thus causes him
to attain; — 'saying, "I pass along," thy father
passed his fist to and fro in the cleft,' — the
cleft, doubtless, is the people ; and the fist is royal
power; and royal power, indeed, presses hard on
the people ; whence he who wields royal power is
apt to strike down peopled
8. [The chamberlain addresses the king's fourth
wife, V^. S. XXIII, 30,] 'When the deer eats
the corn,* — the grain (growing in the field), doubt-
less, is the people, and the deer is royal power : he
^ The Mahishi : Thy mother and father are playing on the top of the tree like thy mouth when thou wilt talk: do not talk so much. Brahman !
Digitized by
326 ^atapatha-BrAhmaj^ta.
thus makes the people to be food for the royal
power, whence the wielder of royal power feeds
on the people; — *it thinks not of the fat
cattle/ — ^whence the king does not rear cattle; —
'when the .Sfldra woman is the Arya's mistress,
he seeks not riches that he may thrive V — hence
he does not anoint the son of a Vai^a woman.
9. But, indeed, the vital airs pass from those who
speak impure speech at the sacrifice. [The queen
consort having been made to rise by her attendants,
the priests and chamberlain say, Vdf. S. XXIII, 32,
jRtg-v. S. IV, 39, 6,] * The praises of Dadhikrd van
have I sung, (the victorious, powerful horse:
may he make fragrant our mouths, and pro-
long our lives!),* — thus they finally utter a verse
containing the word * fragrant': it is (their own)
speech they purify *, and the vital airs do not pass
from them.
Tenth BnAHMAivA.
1. When they prepare the knife-paths, the Sacri-
ficer makes for himself that passage across, a bridge,
for the attainment of the heavenly world.
2. They prepare them by means of needles ; the
needles, doubtless, are the people ' (clans), and the
A^vamedha is the royal power: they thus supply
him with people and royal power combined. They
are made of gold : the meaning of this has been
explained.
* Mahidhara interprets, — then he (her husband), the 5ftdra, does not wish for wealth, but is unhappy.
• That is to say, they make amends for any breaches of decorum committed in the preceding coUoquy.
' Viz. because of the large number and the small size (insignific- ance) of the needles, or wires, (and the common people), comm.
Digitized by
XIII kUnda, 2 adhyAya, II brAhmajva, 2. 327
3. Three kinds of needles are (used), copper ones,
silver ones, and gold ones ; — those of copper, doubt-
less, are the (principal) regions (of the compass),
those of silver the intermediate ones, and those
of gold the upper ones: it is by means of these
(regions) they render it fit and proper. By way
of horizontal and vertical (stitches ') they are many-
formed, whence the regions are many-formed ; and
they are of distinct form, whence the regions are
of distinct form.
Eleventh Brahmaj^ta.
1. Pn^pati desired, 'Would that I were great,
and more numerous ! ' He perceived those two
Mahiman (greatness) cups of Soma at the A,yva-
medha ; he offered them ; and thereby, indeed,
became great and more numerous : hence who-
soever should desire to become great, and more
numerous, let him offer up those two Mahiman cups
of Soma at the A^vamedha ; and he indeed becomes
great and more numerous.
2. He offers them on both sides (before and after)
the omentum; — the A^amedha, doubtless, is the
Sacrificer, and that Mahiman (cup) is the king : it
is with royal dignity he thus encompasses him on
both sides. Some gods have the sv&hd-call (* hail ')
in front, and the other gods have the sv&hd-call
behind ^ : it is them he thus gratifies. With * Hail
' It is doubtful what word, if any, has to be supplied here, — perhaps it means, by way of their being (in sewing) horizontal and vertical. The commentary is silent on this passage.
* The formula uttered whilst the first Mahiman cup is offered runs thus (Vfi^. S. XXIII, a) : * What greamess of thine there hath
Digitized by
3 28 ;SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
to the gods!' and *To the gods hail!' he makes
offering by means of the king (Soma) on both sides
of the omentum : he thereby gratifies those gods
who are in this world, and those who are in the
other, and thus gratified, both these kinds of gods
lead him to the heavenly world.
Third AdhyAya. First BrAhmaj^ta.
1. Praffipati's eye swelled; it fell out: thence
the horse was produced ; and inasmuch as it
swelled (arvayat), that is the origin and nature
of the horse (a^va). By means of the A^vamedha
the gods restored it to its place ; and verily he who
performs the A^vamedha makes Pra^pati com-
plete, and he (himself) becomes complete; and
this, indeed, is the atonement for everything, the
remedy for everything. Thereby the gods redeem
all sin, yea, even the slaying of a Brahman ^ they
thereby redeem ; and he who performs the Ayva-
medha redeems all sin, he redeems the slaying of
a Brahman.
2. It was the left eye of Pra^fipati that swelled : hence they cut off the (meat) portions from the left
been in the day and the year ; what greatness of thine there hath been in the wind and the air; what greatness of thine there hath been in the heavens and the sun, to that greatness of thine, to Pra^pati, hail, to the gods I ' whilst that of the second Mahiman cup runs thus (XXIII, 4) : * What greatness of thine there hath been in the night and the year ; what greatness of thine there hath been in the earth and the fire; what greatness of thine there hath been in the Nakshatras (lunar asterisms) and the moon, to that greatness of thine, to Pr£^pati, to the gods, hail 1 ' cf. XIII,
