THE PRAYATVIYESHn, or OPENING-SACRIFICE. Third Brahmaa-a,
I. He prepares the Praya;dya rice-pap for Aditi.
Now while the gods were spreading (performing)
the sacrifice on this (earth) they excluded her (the
earth) from the sacrifice. She thought, ' How is it
that, in spreading the sacrifice on me, they should
exclude me from the sacrifice.?' and confounded
their sacrifice : they knew not that sacrifice.
^ Dhikshate, apparently the desiderative of dih (Weber, in St. Petersb. Diet. s. v.) Cf. Ill, i, 3, 7 seq. The construction (especially the first hi) is rather peculiar. This paragraph apparently is to supply further proof why he should be cautious in his speech, and the words ' sa vai dhikshate' have to be taken parenthetically :
' He speaks his speech cautiously ; for (anointing himself as he
does) he anoints himself for speech, &c.' The Ka«va text offers less difficulty : Atha yad dhikshito nama va-^e va esha etad dhik- shate, ya^?Iaya hi dhikshate, ya^wo hi vak, tasmad dhikshito nama, dhikshito ha vai namaitad yad dikshita ity ahu/^. Saya«a's com- ment (MS.) is not very satisfactory: YikdiM ya^fiasadhanatvena praj-awsati ; sa vai dhikshita iti prasahgad dhikshitajabda?« nirvakti dhikshito ha va iti yasmad dikshita iti nama tadmi diksha vak sadhyeti vak jruti^.
48 ^-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
2. They said, ' How comes it that our sacrifice
was confounded, when we spread it on this (earth) ?
how is it that we know it not ?'
3. They said, ' In spreading the sacrifice on her,
we have excluded her from the sacrifice : it is she
that has confounded our sacrifice, — let us have
recourse to her!'
4. They said, ' When we were spreading the sacri-
fice on thee, how was it that it became confounded,
that we know it not ?'
5. She said, ' While spreading the sacrifice on me,
ye have excluded me from the sacrifice : that was
why I have confounded your sacrifice. Set ye
aside a share for me ; then ye shall see the
sacrifice, then ye shall know it!'
6. 'So be it!' said the gods: 'Thine, forsooth,
shall be the opening (praya;^iya^), and thine the
concluding (udayaniya) oblation!' This is why
both the Praya/nya and the Udayaniya (pap) belong
^ At IV, 5, 1, 2, the name prayawiya is derived from pra-i, to go forth, because by means of this offering they, as it were, go forth to buy the Soma. Similarly, udayaniya is explained as the offer- ing he performs after coming out (ud-i) from the bath. In Ait. Br. I, 7, on the other hand, the name praya?nya is explained as that by means of which sacrificers go forward (pra-i) to the heavenly world. In the Soma sacrifice, the Praya^nya and Udayaniya may be said to correspond to the Fore-offerings and After-offerings (pray%a and anuy%a) of the New and Full-moon Sacrifice ; though, of course, the Fore- and After-offerings form part of the prayawiya and udayaniya, as ish/is. But they are peculiar in this respect, that offering is made at both to the very same deities, and that the invitatory prayers (anuvakya) of the praya«iyesh/i form the offering-prayers (y%ya) of the udayaniyesh/i, and vice versa. For these formulas, see Ajval. 6'rautas. IV, 3 ; Haug, Ait. Br. Transl. p. 16. The offering formula of the oblation to Aditi at the Prayawiyd (and invitatory formula at the Udayaniya), strange to say, is not a Rik-verse, but one from the Atharvan (VII, 6, 2).
Ill KAA^DA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAA'A, 12. 49
to Aditi ; for Aditi truly is this (earth). Thereupon they saw and spread the sacrifice.
7. Hence, when he prepares the Praya;«iya rice-pap
for Aditi, he does so for the purpose of his seeing
the sacrifice : 'After seeing the sacrifice I shall buy
(the Soma) and spread that (sacrifice);' thus think-
ing he prepares the Praya;2iya pap for Aditi. The
sacrificial food had been prepared, but offering had
not yet been made to the deity (Aditi), —
8. When Pathya Svasti^ appeared to them.
They offered to her, for Pathya Svasti (the wishing
of *a happy journey') is speech, and the sacrifice
also is speech. Thereby they perceived the sacri-
fice and spread it.
9. Thereupon Agni appeared to them: they
offered to him ; whereby they perceived that part
of the sacrifice which was of Agni's nature. Now
of Agni's nature is what is dry in the sacrifice : that
they thereby perceived and spread.
10. Then Soma appeared to them : they offered
to him ; whereby they perceived that part of the
sacrifice which was of Soma's nature. Now of
Soma's nature is what is moist in the sacrifice : that
they thereby perceived and spread.
11. Then Savitr 2 appeared to them : they offered
to him. Now Savitr/ represents cattle, and the sacri-
fice also means cattle : hence they thereby perceived
and spread the sacrifice. Thereupon they offered
to the deity (Aditi), for whom the sacrificial food
had been prepared.
12. It is to these same five deities, then, that he offers. For that sacrifice, when thrown into dis-
^ I. e. ' welfare on the road, or a happy journey,' a genius of well-being and prosperity.
50 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAA^A.
order, was in five parts ; and by means of those five deities they recognised it.
1 3. The seasons became confounded, the five : by
means of those same five deities they recognised
them.
14. The regions became confounded, the five : by
means of those same five deities they recognised
them.
15. Through Pathya Svasti they recognised
the northern (upper) region : wherefore speech
sounds higher here ^ among the Kuru-Paw/^alas ;
for she (Pathya Svasti) is in reaHty speech, and
through her they recognised the northern region,
and to her belongs the northern region.
16. Through Agni they recognised the eastern
region : wherefore they take out Agni from behind
towards the east 2, and render homage to him ; for
through him they recognised the eastern region, and
to him belongs the eastern region.
17. Through Soma they recognised the southern
region : hence, after the Soma has been bought,
they drive it round on the south side ; and hence
they say that Soma is sacred to the Fathers ; for
through him they recognised the southern region,
and to him belongs the southern region.
18. Through Savitr^' they recognised the western
region, for Savitrz is yonder burning (sun) : where-
fore he goes towards the west, for through him they
recognised the western region, and to him belongs
the western region.
* Atra, ? ' there.' In the St. Petersb. Diet, uttarahi is here taken in the sense of ' in the north,' instead of ' higher.' See also part i, pref. p. xlii, note i; Weber, Ind. Stud. I, p. 191.
' That is, from the Garhapatya to the Ahavaniya fire-place.
Ill KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAA^A, 2 2. 5 I
19. Through Aditi they recognised the upper
region, for Aditi is this (earth) : wherefore the plants
and trees grow upwards on her; for through her
they recognised the upper region, and to her belongs
the upper region.
20. The hospitable reception^ (of King Soma)
verily is the head of the sacrifice, and the opening
and closing oblations are its arms. But the arms are
on both sides of the head, and hence those two obla-
tions, the Praya^^iya and Udayaniya, are made on
both sides of (before and after) the reception.
21. Now, they say that whatever is done at the
Praya/^iya should be done at the Udayaniya 2, and
the barhis (grass-covering of the altar), which is used
at the Praya;2iya, is also used at the Udayaniya : he
lays it aside, after removing it (from the altar). The
pot (in which the rice-pap was cooked) he puts aside
with the parched remains of dough, and (so he does)
the pot-ladle after wiping it. And the priests who
officiate during the Praya/dya, officiate also at the
Udayaniya. And because of this identical perform-
ance at the sacrifice the two arms are alike and of
the same shape.
22. But let him not do it in this way. Let him
rather 2 (at the proper time) throw both the barhis
and the pot-ladle after (the prastara, into the fire^),
and let him put the pot aside after rinsing it. The
priests who officiate during the Praya/ziya, officiate
also at the Udayaniya; but should they (in the
^ See III, 4, I.
^ See p. 48, note i. For the Udayaniya, see IV, 5, i. ^ Or, perhaps, ' let him, if he chooses (kamam) . . . ;' see Katy. VII, 5, 16-19; cf. also note on III, 2, 4, 14. * Seel, 8, 3,19; 9, 2, 29.
52 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAA^A.
mean time) have departed this hfe, others may offi-
ciate instead. It is because he offers to the same
deities, and the same oblations, that the two arms
are alike and of the same shape.
23. To five deities he offers at the Praya;2iya, and
to five at the Udayaniya : hence there are five
fingers here and five there. This (Praya;/iya offer-
ing) ends with the ^'amyu. They perform no Patni-
sa;72ya^as^ For the arms are on the fore-part of
the body, and the fore-part of the sacrifice he perfects
by this (opening ceremony). This is why it ends
with the ^'amyu, and why no Patnisawya^as are
performed.
HIRAA^YAVATI-AHUTI, or OFFERING WITH GOLD; AND HOMAGE TO THE SOMA-COW.
Fourth BRAHMAivA.
1. Now Soma was in the sky, and the gods were
here on earth. The gods desired, — ' Would that
Soma came to us : we might sacrifice with him,
when come.' They created those two illusions,
Suparm and Kadru. In the chapter on the hearths
(dhish/^ya^) it is set forth how that affair of Suparm
and Kadru came to pass.
2. Gayatri flew up to Soma for them. While she
was carrying him off, the Gandharva Vi^-vavasu stole
him from her. The gods were aware of this, —
' Soma has indeed been removed from yonder (sky),
but he comes not to us, for the Gandharvas have
stolen him.'
^ For the .Samyuvaka, see I, 9, i, 24 ; for the Patnisawya^as, I, 9, 2, I seq.
^ See III, 6, 2, 2 seq.
Ill KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 7. 53
3. They said, ' The Gandharvas are fond of
women : let us send Va^ (speech) to them, and she
will return to us together with Soma.' They sent
Yak to them, and she returned to them together
with Soma.
4. The Gandharvas came after her and said,
'Soma (shall be) yours, and Va/^ ours^'' 'So be
it!' said the gods; 'but if she would rather come
hither, do not ye carry her off by force : let us woo
her!' They accordingly wooed her.
5. The Gandharvas recited the Vedas to her, saying, ' See how we know it, see how we know it^l'
6. The gods then created the lute and sat playing
and singing, saying, ' Thus we will sing to thee, thus
we will amuse thee!' She turned to the gods; but,
in truth, she turned to them vainly, since she turned
away from those, engaged in praising and praying, to
dance and song. Wherefore even to this day women
are given to vain things : for it was on this wise that
Va/f turned thereto, and other women do as she did.
And hence it is to him who dances and sings that
they most readily take a fancy ^.
7. Both Soma and Vak were thus with the gods.
Now, when he buys Soma he does so in order that
he may sacrifice with him, when obtained, for his
(own) obtainment (of heavenly bliss*); for he who
^ ' Yours (shall be) Soma, and ours Ya.k, wherewith you bought (Soma) from us.' Kawva text.
^ The G. proclaimed the sacrifice and Veda to her, saying,' Thus we know the sacrifice, thus we know (the Veda) ; mighty are we.' Ka«va text.
^ 'And hence it is to him who is given to vain things, who dances and sings, that women are most attached.' Kawva text.
* Literally, ' that he may sacrifice with the arrived (guest) for his own arrival (? in the world of the gods).'
54 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
sacrifices with Soma that has not been bought, sacri- fices with Soma that has not been (properly) obtained \
8. In the first place he pours the butter, which
remains in the dhruva spoon, in four parts into the
^uhu ; and having tied a piece of gold with a blade
of the altar-grass ^ and laid it down (in the^hu), he
offers (the butter), thinking, ' I will offer with pure
milk ;' for milk and gold are of the same origin, since
both have sprung from Agni's seed^
9. He lays down the piece of gold, with the text
(Va^. S. IV, 17), 'This (butter) is thy body, O
shining (Agni) ! this (gold) is thy light,'— for
that gold is indeed light: — 'unite therewith
and obtain splendour!' When he says, 'Unite
therewith,' he means to say, ' Mingle therewith ;' and
when he says, ' Obtain splendour,' — splendour mean-
ing Soma, — he means to say, ' Obtain Soma.'
10. And as the gods then sent her (Va/^) to Soma,
so does he now send her to Soma ; and the cow
for which the Soma is bought being in reality Vai,
it is her he gratifies by this offering, thinking,
' With her, when gratified, I shall buy the Soma.'
11. He offers, with the text, 'Thou art the
singer of praises*,' — for this (word '^M'), the
' singer of praises,' is one of her (Vak's) names ; —
'upholden by the Mind,' — this speech of ours
