11. The gods spake, * Verily, our great hero
^ That is, a certain species of ants that are supposed to find water wherever they dig. Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, p. 139.
* That is, the draught of hot milk boiled in the Mahivfra pot, and hence often used as a synonym for the latter or the Pravargya.
Digitized by
XIV kKnda, I adhyAya, t brAhmaya, 1 6. 443
(mahdn vtra^) has fallen : ' therefrom the Mahftvlra
pot (was named). And the vital sap which flowed
from him they wiped up {ssLm-mrig) with their
hands, whence the Samr^ ^
12. The gods rushed forward to him, even as
those eager to secure some gain (will do) *. Indra
reached him first He applied himself to him limb
after limb, and encompassed him*, and, in encom-
passing him, he became (possessed of) that glory
of his. And, verily, he who knows this becomes
(possessed of) that glory which Indra is (pos-
sessed of).
13. And Makha (sacrifice), indeed, is the same as
Vishnu : hence Indra became Makhavat (possessed
of makha), since Makhavat is he who is mystically
called Maghavat *, for the gods love the mystic.
14. They gave to those ants the enjoyment of
food ; but, indeed, all food is water, for it is by
moistening (the food) therewith that one eats here
whatever one does eat.
15. This Vish«u, the (Soma-) sacrifice, they then
divided amongst themselves into three parts: the
Vasus (received) the morning-pressing, the Rudras
the midday-pressing, and the Adityas the third
pressing.
16. Agni (received) the morning-pressing, Indra
' That is, emperor, or lord paramount, as the Pravargya is named, in the same way as the Soma-plant (and juice) is styled King.
* Cf. IV, I, 3, 5. The construction is hardly so irregular as it is represented there.
* That is, he enclosed him (in bis own self)» he took him in (gobUed him up).
^ I. e. ' the mighty (lord),' an epithet of Indra.
Digitized by
444 .satapatha-brAhmajva.
the midday-pressing, and the Vi^ve Dev&A the third pressing.
17. The Gftyatrt (received) the morning-pressing,
the Trish/ubh the midday-pressing, and the (Fagatl
the third pressing. The gods went on worshipping
and toiling with that headless sacrifice*
18. Now Dadhya^^ Atharva^a knew this pure
essence \ this Sacrifice, — how this head of the
Sacrifice is put on again, how this Sacrifice becomes
complete.
19. He then was spokeiv to by Indra sajring, 'If
thou teachest this (sacrificial mystery) to any one
else, I shall cut off thy head/
20. Now this was heard by the Arvins, — * Verily,
Dadhya^i Atharva^^a knows this pure essence, this
Sacrifice,— how this head of the Sacrifice is put on
again, how this Sacrifice becomes complete/
21. They went up to him and said, 'We two will
become thy pupils/ — 'What are ye wishing to
learn?' he asked. — 'This pure essence, this Sacri-
fice,— how this head of the Sacrifice is put on
again, how this Sacrifice becomes complete,' they
replied.
22. He said, ' I was spoken to by Indra saying,
' If thou teachest this to any one else, I shall cut
off thy head ; ' therefore I am afraid lest he should
indeed cut off my head : I cannot take you as my
pupils.'
23. They said, 'We two shall protect thee from
him.' — * How will ye protect me ? ' he replied. —
They said, ' When thou wilt have received us as thy
* Viz. the Madhu ('honey') or sweet doctrine of the Pravargya, or pot of boiled milk and ghee.
Digitized by
XIV KkNDA, I ADHyAyA, I BRAhMAYA, 28. 445
pupils, we shall cut off thy head and put it aside
elsewhere ;- then we shall fetch the head of a horse,
and put it on thee : therewith thou wilt teach us ;
and when thou wilt have taught us, then Indra will
cut off that head of thine ; and we shall fetch thine
own head, and put it on thee again/ — * So be it,' he
replied.
24. He then received them (as his pupils); and
when he had received them, they cut off his head,
and put it aside elsewhere ; and having fetched the
head of a horse, they put it on him : therewith he
taught them ; and when he had taught them, Indra
cut off that head of his ; and having fetched his own
head, they put it on him again.
25. Therefore it is concerning this that the ^ishi
has said (^/g-v. I, ii6, 12), 'That Dadhya«^ Athar-
va^a, with a horse s head, anywise spake forth unto
you two the sweet doctrine : ' — * Unrestrainedly he
spoke this,' is what is thereby meant
26. One must not teach this to any and every
one, since that would be sinful, and lest Indra
should cut off his head ; but one may only teach it
to one who is known to him, and who has studied
sacred writ, and who may be dear to him, but not to
any and every one.
27. He may teach it to one dwelling with him
(as a pupil) for a year; for the year is he that
shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that (sun) :
it is him he thereby gratifies, and therefore he may
teach it to one dwelling with him for a year.
28. For three nights he keeps the rule (of
abstinence) ; for there are three seasons in the year,
and the year is he that shines yonder, and the
Pravargya also is that one: it is him he thereby
Digitized by
446 5atapatha*brAhma/va,
gratifies, and therefore he keeps the rule for three nights.
29. Hot* (water) he sips, thinking, *I will teach it
as one practising austerities/ He teaches it whilst
abstaining from flesh-food, thinking, ' I will teach it
as one practising austerities ; '
30. And whilst not drinking out of earthen (vessels) ;
for whatever untruth (man) speaks on this (earth) is,
as it were, immixed with her : therefore (one should
do so) whilst not drinking out of earthen (vessels) ;
31. And whilst not coming into contact with .SMras
and remains of food ; for this Gharma is he that
shines yonder, and he is excellence, truth, and light ;
but woman, the .SOdra, the dog, and the black bird
(the crow), are untruth: he should not look at
these, lest he should mingle excellence and sin,
light and darkness, truth and untruth.
32. And, verily, he that shines yonder is glory ; and as to that glory, Aditya (the sun), that glory is just the sacrifice ; and as to that glory, the sacrifice, that glory is just the Sacrificer; and as to that glory, the Sacrificer, that glory is just the officiating priests ; and as to that glory, the officiating priests, that glory is just the sacrificial gifts : hence, if they bring up to him a dakshini he must not, at least on the same day, make over these (objects) to any one else lest he should make over to some one else that glory which has come to him; but rather on the morrow, or the day after : he thus gives it away after having made that glory his own, whatever it be — gold, a cow, a garment, or a horse.
^ During the performance of the Pravargya ceremony Ixnling water has to be used whenever water is required.
Digitized by
XIV kAjVDA, I ADHYAYA, 2 BRAhMAJVA, 2. 447
33. And, verily, he who either teaches or partakes
of this (Pravargya), enters that life, and that light.
The observance of the rule thereof (is as follows).
Let him not cover himself (with a garment) whilst
the sun shines, lest he should be concealed from
that (sun). Let him not spit whilst the sun shines,
lest he should spit upon him. Let him not dis-
charge urine whilst the sun shines, lest he discharge
it upon him. For so long as he shines, so great he
(the sun) is : thinking, * Lest I should injure him by
these (acts),' let him take food at night, after striking
a light, whereby it is made to be a form of him who
shines yonder. But on this point Asuri used to
say, — One rule the gods indeed keep, to wit, the
truth : let him therefore speak nothing but the
truth.
Second BRAHMAiVA. The making of ths Pot.
1. He equips (the Mahivlra) with its equip-
ments;— inasmuch as he equips it therewith from
this and that quarter; that is the equipping nature
of the equipments * (sambhfira) : wheresoever any-
thing of the sacrifice is inherent, therewith he
equips it^
2. He gets ready a black antelope-skin, — for the black antelope-skin is the sacrifice*: it is at the
' See part i, p. 276, note i. Here, as formerly, it has not been thought desirable to adhere throughout to the technical rendering of ' BBja-bhri,'
* Pravargya being masculine, the original would, of course, have ' him ' here and throughout, the ceremony (just like the sacrifice in general) being indeed looked upon as a person.
' See part i, p. 23, note 2. In making the Gharma, or Mahavira,
Digitized by
448 ^atapatha-brAhma^ta.
sacrifice he thus prepares (the pot); — with its
hairy side (upwards),— for the hairs are the metres :
on the metres he thus prepares it ; — (spread
out) on the left (north) side\ — ^for the north is
the quarter of men ; — on (the skin) with its neck-
part to the east*, for that (tends) towards the
gods.
3. With a spade (he digs out the clay), for the
spade is a thunderbolt, and the thunderbolt is
vigour : with vigour he thus supplies and completes
it (the Pravargya).
4* It is made of Udumbara (Ficus glomerata)
wood, for the Udumbara is strength * : with strength,
with vital sap, he thus supplies and completes it.
5. Or of Vikankata (Flacourtia sapida) wood ; for
when PrafApati performed his first offering, a Vikan-
kata tree sprang forth from that place where, after
offering, he cleansed (his hands); now an offering
is a sacrifice, and (consequently) the Vikankata is
pot, on the present occasion, the order of proceeding is to a con- siderable extent the same as that followed at the Agniiayana, in providing the materials for, and making, the fire-pan, for which, see VI, 3, 3, I seqq. Cf. also the Apastamba 5'rautas. XV, with Garbe's Translation and Notes, Journal of Germ. Or. Soc, vol. xxxiv.
* That is, immediately north of the lump of clay (previously prepared by a potter) and the other objects to be used for making the Mahdvlra pot, which have been previously deposited near the antai^pStya peg marking the middle of the west or hinder side of the Mah&vedi.
' The locative, instead of the accusative, is rather strange here. As it stands, the locative is evidendy parallel to ' ya^e ' and ' ^^^an- da^su,' and one has therefore to supply — he collects (prepares) the Pravargya, viz. by putting the lump of clay and the other objects thereon.
• See VI, 6, 3, 2 seqq.
Digitized by
XIV kAnDA^ I ADHYAYA, 2 BRAhMAYA, 9. 449
the sacrifice : with the sacrifice he thus supplies and completes it
6* It is a cubit long, for a cubit means the (fore-)
arm, and with the arm strength is exerted : it (the
spade) thus is composed of strength, and with
strength he thus supplies and completes it
7. He takes it up, with (V^f. S. XXXVII, i),
*At the impulse of the god Savitr/, I take
thee by the arms of the A^vins, by the hands
of PAshan : thou art a woman ; ' — the import (of
this formula) is the same as before \
8. Having placed it in his left hand, he touches it
with the right, and mutters (V^. S. XXXVII, 2),
'They harness the mind, and they harness
the thoughts, the priests of the priest, of
the great inspirer of devotion; the knower
of the rites alone hath assigned the priestly
offices: great is the praise of the god Sa-
vitri'/ — the import of this is the same as before •.
9. He then takes the lump of clay with the (right)
hand and spade on the right (south) side, and with
the (left) hand alone on the left (north) side •, with
(Va^. S, XXXVII, 3), 'O divine Heaven and
Earth,' — for when the sacrifice had its head cut
off, its sap flowed away, and entered the sky and
the earth : what clay (firm matter) there was that is
this (earth), and what water there was that is yonder
(sky) ; hence it is of clay and water that the Mahd-
vtra (vessels) are made: he thus supplies and
* See I, I, 2, 17 ; VI, 3, i, 38 acq.
