c c 2
Digitized by
388 5atapatha-brAhmajva.
Now (some) put the omentum of the Gomr^ga and
that of the hornless he-goat upon the horse and
then take it (to the Ahavantya), saying, * The horse
has no omentum/ Let him not do so : of the horse
he should certainly take the fat ; the (omenta of the)
others are normal
11. When the omenta have been roasted, and
when they have performed (the oblations) with the
Sv&h&s ^ and returned to the back (of the sacrificial
ground), they hold a Brahmodya* (theological
discussion) in the Sadas. Having entered by the
front door, they sit down at their several hearths.
12. The Hotrt asks the Adhvaryu (V4f. S.
XXIII, 45), ' Who is it that walketh singly' ? ../
He replies to him (ib. 46), * Sftrya (the sun) walketh
singly...'
13. The Adhvaryu then asks the Hotri (V&f. S.
XXIII, 47), * Whose light is there equal to the
sun ? . . . ' He replies to him (ib. 48), * The Brah-
man (n.) is the light equal to the sun...'
14. The Brahman then asks the UdgAtre (V4f.
S. XXIII, 49), *I ask thee for the sake of
knowledge, O friend of the gods [if thou hast
applied thy mind thereto: hath Vish«u en-
tered the whole world at those three places
at which offering is made unto him?]' and
he replies (ib. 50), 'I too am at those three
places [at which he entered the whole world :
* See III, 8, 2, a 1-23.
' For a similar discussion between the Brahman and Hotn,
prior to the binding of the victims to the stakes, see XIII, 2, 6, 9
scqq.
• For the complete verse, comprising four questions, see XIII, 2, 6, 10-13 ; the answers being given there in the form of explanations.
Digitized by
XIII kAjvda, 5 adhyAya, 2 brAhmajva, 18. 389
daily do I, with the one body^ go round the earth, the sky, and the back of yonder sky]/
15. The UdgAtr/then asks the Brahman iy^. S.
XXIII, 51), 'Into what (things) hath the Spirit*
entered, [and what (things) are established in
the spirit ? this, O Brahman, we crave of thee :
what answer dost thou give unto us there-
on?]' and he replies (ib. 52), 'Into five (things)
hath the spirit entered, and they are estab-
lished in the spirit: this I reply unto thee
thereon ; not superior in wisdom art thou
(to me)/
16. When this (verse) has been uttered, they
rise and betake themselves from the Sadas east-
wards to the Sacrificer. Having come to him, seated
in front of the Havirdh&na ® (shed), they sit down
in their several places.
17. The Wotri then asks the Adhvaryu (VS^. S*
XXIII, 53), * What was the first conception*?. .• '
and he replies (ib. 54), 'The sky was the first
conception...'
18. The Adhvaryu then asks the Hotr/(ib. 55),
* Who, pray, is the tawny one (pl^hgil4) ? [who
is the kurupi^angild? who moveth in leaps?
who creepeth along the path?]' and he replies
(ib. 56), *The tawny one is the uncreated (night)*;
[the kurupi^ahgil4 is the porcupine; the hare
^ Or, with the one limb (eken&ngena) which Mahtdhara takes to mean 'with the mind, in mind.' Possibly 'asya' may have to be taken together with it — * with the one body of his (Vishnu's).'
' Or, man (punisha). The h\e things, according to Mahidhara, are the vital airs, or breathings.
' That is, behind the uttaravedi, according to K&ty. XX, 7, 12.
* See XIII, 2, 6| 14 seqq.
* Mahidhara takes ' 9^ ' (the eternal) here as meaning either the
Digitized by
3^0 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAi^TA.
moveth in leaps; the snake creepeth along the pathy
19. The Brahman then asks the Udgkiri (Vig:
S. XXIII, 57), *Howmanykinds-are thereof this
(sacrifice), how many syllables? — [how many
oblations? how often is (the fire) enkindled?
The ordinances of sacrifice have I now asked
of thee : how many priests offer in due form ?]'
and he replies (ib, 58), *Six kinds there are of
this (sacrifice), a hundred syllables, [eighty
oblations, and three kindling-sticks; the or-
dinances of sacrifice do I declare unto thee:
seven priests offer in due form].'
20. The UdgSitrt then asks the Brahman (V^f-
S. XXIII, 59), 'Who knoweth the navel of this
world? [who heaven and earth and the air?
who knoweth the birth-place of the great Sun ?
who knoweth the Moon, whence it was born?]'
and he replies (ib. 60), * I know the navel of this
world, [I know heaven and earth and the air;
I know the birth-place of the great Sun, and
I know the Moon, whence it was born].'
21. The Sacrificer then asks the Adhvaryu (VAf.
S. XXIII, 61), *I ask thee about the farthest
end of the earth, [I ask where is the navel
of the world; I ask thee about the seed of
the vigorous steed; I ask thee about the
highest seat of speech];' and he replies (ib. 62),
'This altar-ground is the farthest end of the
earth ; [this sacrifice is the navel of the world ;
this Soma-juice is the seed of the vigorous
night, or M4y4 ; cf. XIII, 2, 6, 17. Perhaps, however, *i^' may mean * goat ' here.
Digitized by
XIII kXnda, 5 adhyAya, 2 BRAnMAi^rA, 23. 391
steed; this Brahman (priest) is the highest seat of speech}'
22. Verily, this is the complete attainment of
speech, to wit the Brahmodya, and in the A^va-
medha all desires are contained : ' By means of all
speech may we obtain all our desires!' so (they think).
23. When the colloquy has been held, the Adh-
varyu enters the (Havirdhfina), and draws Pra^-
pati's (first) Mahiman cup (of Soma) in a gold vessel.
The PurorUi^ formula* thereof is (V^jf. S. XXIII, i ;
/?/g-v. X, 121, i), •The golden germ was first
produced...' And its Furo^nuvAkyd is (V4^. S.
XXIII, 63), * Of good nature, self-existent at
first (within the great ocean: I verily place
the right germ whence is born Pra^dpati).' —
*May the Hotri offer to Pra^Apati : [of the
Mahiman Soma (cup); may he relish, may he
drink the Soma! Hotri, utter the offering-
formula!]' is the Praisha (ib. 64). The Hotr^'
utters the offering-formula (ib. 65), *0 Pra/dpati,
none other than thee hath encompassed all
these forms * ...; ' and as the Vasha/ is pronounced,
he (the Adhvaryu) offers with (Vd^. S. XXIII,
2), *What greatness of thine there hath 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^dpati, hail, to the gods®!]' He
does not repeat the Vasha/, for he offers the cup
of Soma all at once.
^ That is, the preliminary formula, or formulas, preceding the
* upay&ma ' (* Thou art taken with a support ...').
* See V, 4, 2, 9. 'See 2QII, a, 11,2 with note.
Digitized by
392 ^atapatha-brAhmajva.
Third BrAhmaya. Thb Vap^-Offeungs.
1. Now as to the offering of the omenta. * They
should proceed with them singly up to the omentum
ofthe Vaifvadeva (victim)* ; and when the omentum
of the Vai,nradeva has been offered, they should
thereupon offer the others,' said Satyak&ma G^4-
b&la; •for, doubtless, the All-Gods (Vi^e DevfiA)
are all (sarve) the gods : it is in this way he gratifies
them deity after deity/
2. * When the omentum of the Aindrdgna (victim)
has been offered, they should thereupon offer the
others/ said the two Saumapa M&nutantavya;
' for, doubdess, Indra and Agni are all the gods :
it is in this way he gratifies them deity after deity/
3. * When the omentum of the (victim) sacred to Ka has been offered, they should thereupon offer
^ Whilst there are amongst tlie victims immolated on the second day, several others consecrated to the VLrve DeviA, Indra and Agni, and Ka, — the Vaixvadeva, Aindr&gna, and Kija victims, referred to in this and the following two paragraphs, belong to the Aaturmisya, or Seasonal victims, being amongst those tied to the fourteenth and sixteenth stakes. Though the text speaks only of one Vaixvadeva &c. victim, there are really three such victims in each case. According to the views referred to in these paragraphs (cf. comm. on Kity. XX, 7, 23), the omenta of all the preceding victims (from the ' paryangya ' onwards) up to the beginning of the iTdturmfisyas, would be offered together after (or along with) the vapds of those of the respective victims (Vaijvadeva &c.) spedfied in these para* graphs ; and along therewith the vapSs of all die subsequent Seasonal victims. The deities to which this heap of omenta would be offered, would thus be either the Vijve DevS^, or Indra and Agni, or Ka, as representing all the deities. Asv. S. X, 9, 7, assigns the omenta of all the victims, except the three Pr^patya ones, to the Virve Dev&^.
Digitized by
XIII kAnda, 5 adhyAya, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 7. 393
the others/ said ^aildli ; 'for, doubtless, Ka is
Prs^pati, and behind Pra^pati are all the gods :
it is in this way he gratifies them deity after deity/
4. * Having gone through the twenty-one deities of
the Seasonal ^ (victims), let them proceed by divid-
ing (the omenta) into twenty-one parts*,' said
Bhdllaveya; 'for as many as there are Seasonal
deities so many are all the gods : it is in this way he
gratifies them deity after deity/
5. ' Let them proceed (with the omenta) singly
and not otherwise,' said Indrota iSaunaka; 'why,
indeed, should they hasten ? It is in this way he
gratifies them deity after deity/ This, then, is what
these have said, but the established practice is
different therefrom.
6. Now Yd^»avalkya said, 'They should pro-
ceed simultaneously with the (omenta) of Prajfipati's*
(victims), and simultaneously with those consecrated
to single gods : it is in this way that he gratifies them
deity after deity, that he goes straightway to the
completion of the sacrifice, and does not stumble/
7. When the omenta have been offered, the Adhvaryu enters (the Havirdhdna shed) and draws
' See p. 309, note 2.
* According to this view, the omenta of all the victims after the three first (Pr^patya) ones, — i. e. beginning from the * paryah- gya' animals (see p. 299, note 2) up to the end of the -Oturmdsya, or Seasonal victims, which are the last of the domesticated .animals — woald be put together in one heap and divided into twenty-one portions, which would then be offered to the first twenty-one deities of the Seasonal offerings, that is to say, to those of the Vaixvadeva, VaniJiapragh&sa, S&kamedha, and Mahfthavis offerings, thus omit- ting the deities of the Pitryesh/i and the ^nfisfrtya offerings.
' That is the first three victims, viz. the horse, the hornless he- goat, and the Gomnga.
Digitized by
394 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAi^TA*
Pra^patis second Mahiman cup of Soma in
a silver vessel. The Puroruife thereof is (V4^.
XXIII, 3), * He who by his greatness hath be-
come the one king of the breathing and blink-
ing world, [and who here ruleth over the
two-footed and the four-footed : to the god
Ka(Who?) will we pay homage by offering].'
The Anuv&kyA and Yd^& are interchanged so as
to (ensure) unimpaired vigour ^ and the Praisha
(direction to Hotri) is the same (as that of the first
cup). As the Vasha/ is uttered, he offers with
(V^. S. 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 and
the moon, to that greatness of thine, to
Pra/Apati, to the gods, haiP].' He does not
repeat the Vasha/ : the significance of this has been
explained.
8. Of the blood of the other victims they make
no sacrificial portions ; of (that of) the horse they
do make portions *. Of (the blood of) the others *
they make portions * on the south side, of (that of)
the horse on the north side (of the altar) ; of (the
blood of) the others he makes portions on (a mat
of) plaksha (ficus infectoria) twigs, of (that of) the
horse on rattan twigs.
^ By simple repetition this would be impaired.
• See XIII, a, II, a with note. » See XIII, 3, 4, 2-5.
^ This would be an alternative view. According to the scholl. on K4ty. XX, 8, 1-3, this would seem to refer to the other PrS^- patya victims, in which case one would, however, expect the dual here, as there are only two of them besides the horse.
Digitized by
XIII KAJVJDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, II. 395
9. But concerning this, Sdtyaya/»i said, *They
may indeed do it in either way, only one must not
depart from the (right) path/ But the former,
indeed, is the established practice. The sacrifice
(of the second day) is an Ukthya : thereby he causes
the air-world to prosper. The last day is an
AtirAtra with all the Stomas, for him to obtain and
secure everything, for the Atiritra with all the
Stomas is everything, and the A^vamedha is every-
thing.
ID. Its Bahishpavamina (stotra) is in the Trlvrtt
(9-versed Stoma), the A^ya (stotras) in the PsLnksL-
dafa (15-versed), the Mddhyandina-pavam&na in
the Saptadaya (17), the PmhMas in the Ek^vimsa,
(21), the Tr/tlya Pavamdna in the Triwava (27),
the Agnish/oma-s&man in the Trayastri#«ja (33), the
Ukthas in the Ekavi^w^ (21), the Shoda^in in the
Ekavi^^i^a, the night (chants) in the Paniada^,
the Sandhi (twilight chant) in the Trivm (9).
Whatever ^astra is (recited) for the second day of
the Pr/sh/^ya Sha^aha that is (used at) the Atiritra
sacrifice^; thereby he causes yonder (heavenly)
world to prosper.
II. 'There are twenty-one Savanlya victims, all
of them consecrated to Agni, and there is one and
the same performance for them,' so say some ; but
let him rather immolate those twenty-four bovine
(victims 2) for twelve deities, — twelve months are
a year, and the year is everything, and the Ajva-
