* The etymology and exact meaning of * selaga ' is doubtful : — here, again, whilst * pdpakriTta^ ' is added either appositionally, or attributively (wicked selagas), the ^hkh. S. adds it by means of ' v&,' and the Ajv. S. by *iti' — both apparently meant in an explanatory sense. The Ait. Br., on the other hand, has VII, i, ^selagi vi p&pakfTto V& ; ' and VIII, 1 1, ' nishidd vi selag4 v& pSpakrito vS.' The comm. on Ajv. S. explains 'selaga* by 'maddened by a snake ; ' the comm. on iSihkh. S. by ' selagSi^ se«y4g&yanya^ (?) pSpakrflo vSl wlekMA.*
Digitized by
368 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
is these he instructs; — *The Deva^anavidy4*
(demonology) is the Veda: this it is;' thus saying,
let him go over one section of the Deva^navidyi,
as if he were reciting it The Adhvaryu calls in the
same way (on the masters of lute-players), but does
not perform the Prakrama oblations.
11. And on the seventh day, after those (three)
offerings have been performed in the same way,
there is the same course of procedure. 'Adhvaryu !'
he (the Hotrt) says. — * Havai hotar ! * replies the
Adhvaryu. — * King Asita Dhanva V he says ; * his
people are the A sura; and they are staying
here;' — usurers have come thither: it is these he
instructs; — 'Magic 'is the Veda: this it is;' thus
saying, let him perform some magic trick. The
Adhvaryu calls in the same way (on the masters
of lute-players), but does not perform the Prakrama
oblations.
12. And on the eighth day, after those (three)
offerings have been performed in the same way,
there is the same course of procedure. 'Adhvaryu!'
he (the Hotr/) says. — 'Havai hotar!' replies the
* That is, the science, or knowledge of the divine (or super* natural) beings. The 5)lhkh. S. has, 'the Rakshovidyi is the Veda, . . . let him recite the Rakshovidyd'— on which the commentator remarks ' prasiddhaiva kuhukurftp& rakshovidyeti/ ( ?=s'kuhakarfip&,' cheats, or deceitful imps). Axv. S. has 'yat kbnkit plr&ihsa^nyuktajn ni^ntam,' ' some approved (spell or operation ?) connected with the PLfdihts, or demons.'
* 5ahkh. S.has 'Asita Dh&nvana.'
' The two SOtras read 'Asuravidyi' — asuravidyendra^ilidind tannirdejdn m&yftm api kim/^it kury&d ahgulinySsarftpSm (' a trick by sleight of hand,' M. Mailer), comm. on «Sinkh. S. On ' indra- ^lavidyi' ('magic art, trickery'), cf. Daxakum., p. 25, 1. 12. The association of the black art with the usurer or money-lender (kustdin) is rather curious.
Digitized by
xin kAj^da, 4 adhyAya, 3 brAhmaya, 13. 369
Adhvaryu. — 'King Matsya SAmmada V he says;
'his people are the water-dwellers, and they are
staying here ; ' — ^both fish and fishermen * have
come thither: it is these he instructs; — 'the
Itihisa' is the Veda: this it is;' thus saying,
let him tell some Itih&sa. The Adhvaryu calls
in the same way (on the masters of lute-players),
but does not perform the Prakrama oblations.
13. And on the ninth day, after those (three)
offerings have been performed in the same way,
there is the same course of procedure. 'Adhvaryu!*
he (the Hotri) says. — ' Havai hotar!' replies the
Adhvaryu. — ^' King T&rkshya Vaipa^yataV he
says; 'his people are the Birds, and they are
staying here ; ' — both birds and bird-catchers * have
come thither : it is these he instructs ; — ' the
Pur4»a' is the Veda: this it is;' thus saying,
let him tell some Purfiz/a". The Adhvaryu calls
^ 'Matsya^ Simmada ity ash/ame, Matsya^ Sdmmado Hl^ti sTUteh pradkagraha^am etat,' comm. on 5inkh. S.
* * ^tisambandhena matsyavido vl,Tnainikdn pft/^fnidivireshavi* kalpdn vidanti ye tan vd,' comm. on ^lihkh. S.
' Regarding the Itihisa (cosmogonic account) and Puri/ia (ancient legend), see p. 98, note 4. The Ajv. S. connects the Itihdsa ^ith the ninth, and the Purd^a with the eighth day. ' Itihisam &i(aksh!ta, itihdsavedasya prnhagbhivena dar.rajsit,' comm. on 5ihkh. S.
* ksv. S. has T&rkshya Vaipar^Kia. — 'Tdrkshyo Vaiparyaio r^ety fiheti pratika(/«) xniteA,' comm. on tSinkh. S.
^ Lit., men acquainted with the science of birds (v&yovidyika). The two Sfitras, on the other hand, here identify the birds with ' brahmaiirina^,' or religious students.
* According to the comm. on 5&hkh. S.,it is the Viyupur4«a (purS- »ai» v&yuprokum) that is to be recited (from), and not the hymn j^/g* veda X, 130 ('tasya vedaikade^tvdt '). This hymn is probably referred to in this connection chiefly on account of the passage ' ys^e ^te puriive ' in verse 6.
[44] Bb
Digitized by
3 ^0 DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
in the same way (on the masters of lute-players), but does not perform the Prakrama oblations.
14. And on the tenth day, after those (three)
offerings have been performed in the same way,
there is the same course of procedure. • Adhvaryu!'
he (the Wotri) says. — * Havai hotarl' replies the
Adhvaryu. — ' King Dharma IndraV he says, *his
people are the Gods, and they are staying here ;' —
learned ^rotriyas (theologians), accepting no gifts *,
have come thither: it is these he instructs; *the
Sdman (chant-texts) are the Veda: this it is;' thus
saying, let him repeat * a decade of the S&man.
The Adhvaryu calls in the same way (on the
masters of lute-players), but does not perform the
Prakrama oblations.
15. [In telling] this revolving (legend), he tells
all royalties, all regions, all Vedas, all gods, all
beings; and, verily, for whomsoever the Wotri,
knowing this, tells this revolving legend, or who-
soever even knows this, attains to fellowship and
communion with these royalties, gains the sovereign
rule and lordship over all people, secures for himself
all the Vedas, and, by gratifying the gods, finally
establishes himself on all beings. This very same
legend revolves again and again for a year; and
inasmuch as it revolves again and again, therefore
^ ' Dhanna Indra iti darame, Dharma Indro lig^y Sheti .SleUa- pathe prattkadarjan&t,' comm. on iS^hkh. S.
* The two SOtras still further qualify them as ' young ^otriyas vtho accept no gifts,' ' manu(shya)devi hi ta ity abhipriy&t,' comm. on JUhkh. ; cp. 5at. Br. II, 2, 2, 6, ' ye br&hma^ mmivdmso xnOi^nfts te manushyadevd^.'
■ The text has 'brftyit,' Met him say;' whilst the two SAtras read * s&ma g&yfit,' ' let him sing a S&man ' (' yat kimiid anindyam ev^&medhikam v4 prakaranit,' comm. on .S&nkh. S.).
Digitized by
XIII KkNDAy 4 ADHYAyA, 4 BRAhMAJVA, 2. 37 1
it is (called) the revolving (legend). For thirty-six
ten-days' periods he tells it, — the B^Tiatl (metre)
consists of thirty-six syllables, and cattle are related
to the Br/hatl metre ; by means of the Br/hatI he
thus secures cattle for him.
Fourth BrAhma;va.
1. When the year has expired \ the Dlkshft
(initiation) takes place. After the slaughtering of
the victim sacred to Pra^dpati \ the (ish/i) offerings *
come to an end. Some, however, say, *Let him
offer (them) on the fires of his Purohita (court-
chaplain). But why should one who is initiated make
offering ? There are twelve Dlkshd (days), twelve
Upasad (days) and three Sutyfis (Soma-days), that
amounts to the thrice-ninefold (stoma); but the
thrice-ninefold, indeed, is a thunderbolt, and the
horse is the nobility (kshatra), and the R4^nya
is the nobility ; and political power (kshatra) is won
by the thunderbolt : thus he wins * political power
by means of the thunderbolt.
2, When the Initiation-offering has been com- pleted, and Speech released in the evening, masters
* Viz. from the day of the setting free the horse, not from that of the mess of rice cooked for the four priests.
' That is, according to the comm., the he-goat offered to Pra^^pati (along with one, or five, to Vdyu) in connection with the building of the fire-altar (which is required for the Arvamedha), see part iii, pp. 1 65 seqq., 171 seqq. The building of the altar, generally occupy- ing the space of a year, is apparently compressed on this occasion within the time of the Diksh& and Upasads.
' Viz. the three ish/is to Savitrf* performed daily throughout the year.
^ One would expect here the middle (sprinute) instead of the active (spriivoti); cf. Delbrflck, Altind. Syntax, p. 269«
B b 2
Digitized by
372 DATAPATH A-BRAHMAiVA.
of lute-players have come thither : these the Adh-
varyu calls upon, * Masters of lute-players/ he says,
' sing ye of this Sacrificer along with the gods ! ' and
they accordingly sing of him in that manner —
3. Day by day, after speech has been released,
when, on the completion of the Agntshomtya
(animal sacrifices), the Vasatlvarl (water) has been
carried round ^ (the sacrificial ground). The reason
why they thus sing of him along with the gods is
that they thereby make him share the same world
with the gods.
4. On the Suty4-days (they sing of him) along
with PrajjfApati in the same way day by day, after
the Vasatlvarl (water) has been carried round 2, and
the Udavas&ntyA (offering) has been finally com-
pleted. The reason why they thus sing of him
* See part ii, p. 222 seqq. Whilst there the offering of a he- goat to Agni and Soma took place on the Upavasatha, or day before the SutyS or Soma-day, on the present occasion these preliminary animal sacrifices would also seem to be performed on each day from the completion of the Dlkshi up to the Upava- satha day inclusive ( ? i.e. on the Upasad days, cf. Kity. Sr. XX. 3, 9 ; 4, 21). Moreover, though technically called Agnfshomiya, tfie sacrifice— on the Upavasatha day, at all events (XIII, 4, 4, 11) — is not one of a single he-goat sacred to Agni and Soma, but a set of eleven victims distributed over the central eleven stakes (of which twenty-one are required on the Soma-days) in the manner explained in III, 9, I, I seqq.
* That is, at the end of each of the three Soma-sacrifices, see part ii, p. 454. The U^davas&nfyd (completing offering) takes place before the carrying round of the sacred water (ib. p. 389 seqq.). According to KSty. XX, 3, lo-i i, however, this singing of the Sacri- ficer^s praises along with those of Pra^pati is to take place not only at the juncture specified in the text, but also at the beginning of the animal sacrifice of the Soma-days, that is, as would seem, prior to the slaying of the victims, at the morning pressing. The wording of our text seems hardly to admit of this interpretation.
Digitized by
XIII kXnda, 4 adhyAya, 4 brAhmajva, 7. 373
along with Pra^pati is that they thereby finally make him share the same world with Pra^pati.
5. There are twenty-one sacrificial stakes, all of
them twenty-one cubits long. The central one ^ is
of ra^^d&la ^ wood ; on both sides thereof stand
two* pltud&ru (deodar) ones, six of bilva wood
(Aegle Marmelos) — three on this side, and three
on that, — six of khadira (Acacia Catechu) wood —
three on this side, and three on that, — six of pallra
(Butea frondosa) wood — three on this side, and three
on that
6. Then as to why these stakes are suchlike.
When Pra^pati's vital airs had gone out of him,
his body began to swell; and what phlegm there
was in it that flowed together and burst forth
from inside through the nose, and it became this
tree, the rag^ddla, whence it is viscid, for it
originated from phlegm : with that form (quality)
he thus endows it (the stake). And as to why it
is the (stake) standing by the fire, it is because that
one is the centre of the stakes, and that nose is the
centre of the (channels of the) vital airs : he thus
puts it in its own place.
7. And what watery (liquid) fire, and what fragrance there was, that flowed together and
^ That is, the so-called ' agnishMa,' ' standing by (or opposite) the (Ahavanfya) fire.' Cp. p. 301, note i.
* The ra^^ddla (or rii^^dila, Siy. on Taitt. Br. Ill, 8, 19, i) or ' sleshmitaka' is the Cordia Myxa or C. latifoha, from the bark of which (according to Stewart and Brandis, Forest Flora of N.W. and Centr. India) ropes (r^^) are made, whence doubtless the above, as well as its scientific name, is derived ; whilst ' the adhesive viscid pulp is used as bird-lime.'
^ That is, one on each side, right and left.
Digitized by
3 74 DATAPATH A-BRAhMAJVA.
burst forth from the eye, and became that tree,
the pttud&ru ; whence that (wood) is sweet-smelling,
since it originated from fragrance, and whence it is
inflammable, since it originated from fire : with that
quality he thus endows it And because these two
(pltud&ru stakes) are on the two sides of the central
one, therefore these two eyes are on the two sides of
the nose : he thus puts those two in their own place.
8. And what * kuntlLpa ^' what marrow there was,
that flowed together, and burst forth from the ear,
and became that tree, the bilva; whence all the
fruit of that (tree) is eatable* inside, and whence
it (the tree, or wood) is yellowish, for marrow is
yellowish: with that quality he thus endows it.
The two (sets of) pltud&ru (stakes) stand inside,
and the bilva ones outside, for the eyes are inside,
and the ears outside: he thus puts them in their
own place.
9. From his (Praf4pati's) bones the khadira was
produced, whence that (tree) is hard and of great
strength ^ for hard, as it were, is bone : with that
quality he thus endows it. The bilva (stakes) are
