12. But let him rather make it so as to reach
* Sec XIII, 8, I, 15. F f 2
Digitized by
436 5'atapatha-brAhmajva.
below the knee : he thus leaves no room for another.
While that (mound) is being made, they hold a
bundle (of reed grass) to the left (north, uttarataA) of
it, — that is offspring : they thus hold the (deceased's)
offspring upwards (uttarata^). Do not let him
throw it down either after holding it up, or after
bringing it ; but let him set it up in the house * : he
thus sets up offspring in the house.
13. Having prepared it, he sows barley grain
(yava), thinking, * May they ward off (yavaya) sin from
me ! ' He covers it over with Avakd-plants * in order
that there may be joy (or moisture, ka) for him ;
and with Darbha grass (Poa cynosuroides) he covers
it for the sake of softness.
Fourth BrAhmaj^a.
I . They now fix pegs round it \ — a Pallia (Butea
frondosa) one in front, — ^for the Pali^a is the
Brahman (n.) : he thus makes him go to the heavenly
world with the Brahman for his leader; — ^a 6am!
(Prosopis spicigera) one on the left (north corner),
in order that there may be peace (^m) for him ; —
a Vara»a (Crataeva Roxburghii) one behind, in
order that he may ward off (vfiraya) sin from him ; —
^ That is, fix it so as to stand upright, by means of a bambft stick to which it is tied. Cf. K4ty. XXI, 3, 27 comm.
• BIyxa (or Vallisneria) octandra (Roxburghii), a grass-like plant with sword-shaped leaves (A. K. Naime, The Flowering Plants of Western India, p. 318), growing freely on the margins of tanks. Cf. VII, 5, I, II ; IX, I, 9, 22 (where read ' Avakd-plant ' instead of ' lotus-flower ').
' According to Kdty. •S'r. XXI, the pegs are driven in immediately after the measuring, and prior to the sweeping, of the site of the tumulus ; and this must certainly be the case, seeing that the cords by which the site is enclosed (XIII, 8, i, 19) are fastened to the pegs.
Digitized by
XIII kXnda, 8 adhyAya, 4 brAhmajva, 4. 437
and a Vrttra-peg ^ on the right (south corner) for sin not to pass beyond.
2. On the right (south) side they then dig two-
somewhat curved (furrows *), and fill them with milk
and water, — these, indeed, are two inexhaustible
streams (that) flow to him in the other world ; — and
seven (they dig) on the left (north) side, and fill
them with water, for sin not to pass beyond, for
indeed sin cannot pass beyond seven rivers \
3. They* throw three stones each (into the
northern furrows), and pass over them, with (V^.
S. XXXV, 10; ^fg-v. X, 53,8): 'Herefloweth
the stony one: hold on to each other, rise,
and cross over, ye friends : here will we leave
behind what unkind spirits there be, and
will cross over to auspicious nourishments;'
— as the text so its import.
4. They cleanse themselves with Ap&mdrga plants* — they thereby wipe away (apa-marg) sin —
' The exact meaning of * vnlra-jahku ' is doubtful. K&ty. St. XXI, 3, 31 has ' deha-janku ' instead, to which the commentary assigns the rather improbable meaning of * stone-pillar,' in favour of which he refers to IV, a, 6, 16 of our Brihma»a — ' Soma, in truth, was Vnlra : the mountains and stones are his body; ' whence he makes ' vr/tra '=' arman ' (stone).
* Or narrow trenches or ditches — ku/Oe karsh^ Kdty. XXI, 4, 20. They are apparently semicircular, probably with their open part towards the grave.
' These seven furrows are straight, running fromwesttoeast; thus separating the grave from the north, the world of men.
* That is, the Adhvaryu and the members of the Sacrificer'g family.
' Lit. * cleansing-plants ' or < wiping-plants,' Achyranthes aspera ; also called the burr-plant (Birdwood), a conmion hairy weed found all over India, and much used for incantations and sacrificial purposes.
Digitized by
43? 9ATapatha-brAhmaj^a.
with (VAf. S. XXXV, ii). 'O Apdmirga, drive
thou away from us sin, away guilt, away
witchery, away infirmity, away evil dreams!'
— as the text so its import
5. They bathe at any place where there is water.
With (V^. S. XXXV. 12), ' May the waters and
plants be friendly unto us! ' he takes water with
his joined hands, — for water is a thunderbolt : with
the thunderbolt he thus makes friendship, — and with,
* Unfriendly may they be unto him who hateth
as, and whom we hate!' he throws it in the
direction in which he who is hateful to him may
be, and thereby overthrows him.
6. And if it be standing water, it makes their
(the bathers') evil stop; and if it flows, it carries
away their evil. Having bathed, and put on
garments that have never yet been washed, they
hold on to the tail of an ox ^ and return (to their
home), — for the ox is of Agni's nature: headed
by Agni they thus return from the world of the
Fathers to the world of the living. And Agni,
indeed, is he who leads one over the paths (one has
to travel), and it is he who leads these over.
' That is to say, one of them takes hold of the tail, whilst the others follow in single file, each holding on to the one walking in front of him. Prof. Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. ai, note, refers to the somewhat analogous practice of tying to the left arm of a dead man the tail of the anustarani-cow slain at the funeral sacrifice, whereby the deceased b supposed to be led safely — across the river Vaitara»f (Styx) ; see Sdy. on Sha^. Br., as quoted Ind. Stud. I, p. 39 ; cf. also Colebrooke, Misc. Essays, second ed., p. 192 — ^to the world of the Fathers. According to Kdty. XXI, 4, 24 the ceremony of taking hold of the tail is performed with the verse, V^. S. XXXV, 13, *For our well-being we hoW on to the ox, sprung from Surabhi: even as Indra to the gods, so be thou a saving leader unto us I'
Digitized by
XIII KkNDA, 8 adhyAva, 4 brAhmaj^a, IO. 439
7. They proceed (towards the village) muttering
this verse (V^f, S. XXXV, 14), * From out of the
gloom have we risen * . • / — from the gloom, the
world of the Fathers, they now indeed approach the
light, the sun. When they have arrived, ointments
for the eyes and the feet are given them: such,
indeed, are human means of embellishment, and
therewith they keep off death from themselves.
8. Then, in the house, having made up the
(domestic) fire, and laid enclosing-sticks of Varaiia
wood round it, he offers, by means of a sruva-spoon
of Varaira wood, an oblation to Agni Ayushmat^
for Agni Ayushmat rules over vital power: it is
of him he asks vital power for these (the Sacrificer $
family). [V^. S. XXXV, 16.] * Thou, Agni, causest
vital powers to flow: (send us food and drink,
and keep calamity far from us),' serves as in-
vitatory formula.
9; He then offers, with (V^. S. XXXV. 17).
'Long-lived be thou, O Agni, growing by
offering, ghee-mouthed, ghee-born : drinking
the sweet, pleasant cow*s ghee, guard thou
these, as a father does his son, hailP he thus
says this so that he (Agni) may guard and protect
these (men).
10. The sacrificial fee for this (ceremony) consists
of an old ox, old barley, an old arm-chair with head-
cushion — this at least is the prescribed Dakshiiid,
but he may give more according to his inclination.
Such, indeed, (is the performance) in the case of
one who had built a fire-altar.
^ See XII, 9, 3, 8.
' I. e. imbued with vital power, long-lived.
Digitized by
440 ^ATAPATHA-BkAHMAJVA.
11. And in the case of one who has not built
a fire-altar, there is the same mode of selecting
the site (for the sepulchral mound) and the same
performance save that of the fire-altar. ' Let him
use pebbles (instead of bricks ') in the case of one
who keeps up a sacrificial fire/ say some, 'they
are just what those pebbles used at the Agny&dheya
are ".' * Let him not use them/ say others ; * surely
they would be liable to weigh heavily upon one
who has not built a fire-altar." Let him do as he
pleases.
12. Having fetched a clod from the boundary,
he* deposits it (midway) between (the grave and
the village), with (V&f. S. XXXV, 15), 'This
I put up as a bulwark for the living, lest
another of them should go unto that thing:
may they live for a hundred plentiful har-
vests, and shut out death from themselves by
a mountain!' — he thus makes this a boundary
between the Fathers and the living, so as not to
commingle; and therefore, indeed, the living and
the Fathers are not seen together here.
» See XIII, 8, 3, 6. • See II, t, i, 8 seqq.
" Viz. the Adhvaryu, according to Mahfdhara on VS^. S. XXXV, 15. According to K&iy. XXI, 4, 25, this ceremony takes place whilst they are on their way back from the grave to the village ; as indeed appears from the order in which the formula used appears in the VS^. Samhit^. It is difficult to see why the author should not have given it in its right place, unless it was done with a view to a good conclusion to the K&itdlEi, or because he really wished it to be done after the performance of the offering. It is scarcely necessary to assume that this Kan^ikft is a later addition, perhaps based on the K£iiva recension.
Digitized by
XIV kAj^da, I adhyAya, I brAhmaj^ta, 5. 44!
FOURTEENTH KAATDA.
THE PRAVARGYA.
First AdhyAya. First Brahmaj^ta.
1. The gods Agni, Indra, Soma, Makha, Vishnu,
and the Vi^ve DevA^, except the two A^ns,
performed a sacrificial session ^
2. Their place of divine worship was Kuru-
kshetra. Therefore people say that Kurukshetra
is the gods' place of divine worship : hence wherever
in Kurukshetra one settles there one thinks, * This
is a place for divine worship ; ' for it was the gods'
place of divine worship.
3. They entered upon the session* thinking, * May
we attain excellence! may we become glorious!
may we become eaters of food ! ' And in like manner
do these (men) now enter upon the sacrificial session
thinking, 'May we attain excellence! may we be-
come glorious ! may we become eaters of food ! '
4. They spake, * Whoever of us, through austerity,
fervour, faidi, sacrifice, and oblations, shall first
compass the end of the sacrifice, he shall be the
most excellent of us, and shall then be in common
to us all/ • So be it,' they said.
5. Vishnu first attained it, and he became the
* For this legend, see J. Muir, Orig. Sansk. Texts, vol. iv, p. 124.
* Lit, they were sitting (for the session) : ' ds ' (like * sad ') is here used in its technical sense, and not in its ordinary sense ' to sit, to be ' ;— * They were [there. They said],' J. M.
Digitized by
442 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
most excellent of the gods; whence people say, ' Vishnu is the most excellent of the gods.'
6. Now he who is this Vishwu is the sacrifice ;
and he who is this sacrifice is yonder Aditya (the
sun). But, indeed, Vishnu was unable to control
that (love of) glory of his ; and so even now not
every one can control that (love of) glory of his.
7. Taking his bow, together with three arrows,
he stepped forth. He stood, resting his head-on
the end of the bow. Not daring to attack htm»
the gods sat themselves down all around him.
8. Then the ants said — these ants (vamrl), doubt-
less, were that (kind called) 'upadlka*' — 'What
would ye give to him who should gnaw the bow-
string?'— 'We would give him the (constant)
enjoyment of food, and he would find water even
in the desert : so we would give him every enjoy-
ment of food.' — ' So be it/ they said.
9. Having gone nigh unto him, they gnawed
his bowstring. When it was cut, the ends of the
bow, springing asunder, cut off Vishnu's head.
10. It fell with (the sound) 'ghrm'; and on
falling it became yonder sun. And the rest (of
the body) lay stretched out (with the top part)
towards the east. And inasmuch as it fell with
(the sound) *gh;^m,' therefrom the Gharma* (was
called) ; and inasmuch as he was stretched out
(pr^-vrtg), therefrom the Pravargya (took its name).
