18. There are two vidhmis^ of sugar-cane, lest
^ Because the Gayatri metre is connected with the pratay^savana or morning pressing. See IV, 2, 5, 20 seq.; Ait. Br. Ill, 27 seq.
^ See I, 3, 3, 19-20, where the approved kinds of wood for the paridhis at an ish/i are enumerated.
^ For the prastara, or bunch of reed-grass, representing the sacrificer, see I, 3, 3, 5 seq.; 8, 3, 11 seq. The ai'vavala (horse- tail) grass (generally called ka^a) is said to resemble horse-hair, and is used for twine, mats, thatch, &c. Sir H. M.Elliot, ' Races of the N. W. Prov.,' II, pp. 371, 372, describes it as growing from three to fifteen feet high, and flowering in great profusion after the rains ; the base of the flowers being surrounded with a bright silvery fleece, which whitens the neighbouring fields so much as frequently to resemble a fall of snow.
* For the vidhr/'ti or stalks laid across the barhis (sacrificial
90 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
the barhis and the prastara should become mixed
up together. Having then purified the ghee ^ he
takes all the butter-portions in four ladlings ^ for at
this (sacrifice) there are no after-offerings.
19. When he has placed the sacrificial dishes (on
the altar) ^ he churns the fire. For the guest-offer-
ing Is the head of the sacrifice ; and in churning
(the fire) they produce that (sacrifice) ; and one who
is born is born with the head first: hence he thereby
makes the sacrifice to be produced with the head
first. Further, Agni means all the gods, since
offering is made in the fire to all gods ; and the
guest-offering is the head of the sacrifice : hence,
throueh all the deities, he secures success to the
sacrifice from the very head (beginning). This is
why he churns the fire *.
20. He takes the bottom piece of wood^ with
the text (Va^. S. V, 2), ' Thou art the birth-place
of Agni;' for it is thereon that Agni is produced:
hence he says, ' Thou art the birth-place of Agni.'
21. Thereon he lays two sprouts of a kui^a stalk (with the tops towards the east), with, 'Ye are
grass covering the altar), to keep the prastara separate from the latter when laid upon it, see I, 3, 4, 10. As no special mention is made of the barhis, the same material has to be used for it as at the model ish/i (New and Full-moon sacrifice), viz. Ku^a grass (Poa Cynosuroides).
' See I, 3, I, 22-23. ^ See I, 3, 2, 8-9.
' See I, 3, 4, 14.
* On the production of the fire by 'churning,' see part i, p. 294, note 3.
° The adhimanthana jakala is a chip of wood used for the lower churning-stick (adhararawi), wherein the upper churning-stick is drilled, to rest upon. It is laid down on the altar-grass (barhis) from south to north. According to Saya«a it is a chip obtained in rough-hewing the sacrificial stake.
Ill KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAA^A, 23. 9 1
males ^;' thereby these two are as two (sons) born together here from a woman.
22. Thereon he lays the lower churning- stick
(with the top to the north), with, 'Thou art Ur-
va^i!' He then touches the (ghee in the) ghee-
pan with the upper churning-stick, with, ' Thou art
Ayu,' he puts it down (on the lower ara;zi) with,
'Thou art Pururavas.' For Urvai"t was a
nymph, and Pururavas was her husband; and the
(child) which sprung from that union was Ayu ^ : in
like manner does he now produce the sacrifice from
that union. Thereupon he says (to the Hotr^), 'Re-
cite to Agni, as he is churned^!'
23. He churns, with the texts, 'With the Gayatri
metre I churn thee! — With the Trish/ubh
metre I churn thee! — With the 6^agati metre
I churn thee!' For it is with the metres that he
churns him (Agni, the fire) ; the metres he recites to
him when he is churned, whereby he attaches the
metres to the sacrifice, even as the rays (are attached)
to yonder sun. — ' Recite to the born one !' he says,
^ In this sense 'vr/shawau' is taken by Mahidhara (sektarau, from vr/shan), Sayawa, and apparently also by our author. Per- haps it means 'testicles' (vr?sha«a) in the text. See III, 6, 3, 10; and part i, p. 389, note 3.
^ The myth of Pururavas and Urva-s-i is given at length XI, 5, r, 1-17. Compare also Max Miiller, Chips, vol. ii,p. 102 seq.; A. Kuhn, Herabkunft des Feuers, p. 78 seq.
' The verses which the Hotr/ has to recite are (a) one to Savitn (the Vivifier, viz. Rig-veda I, 24, 3); (b) to Heaven and Earth (IV, 56, i); (c) a triplet to Agni (VI, 16, 13-15). If fire has not appeared by this time, he recites the so-called Rakshas-killing verses (X, 118), repeating them until fire has been produced. See Ait. Br. 1, 1 7 ; Ajv.^r.II, 16.
92 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
when he (Agni) is produced ^ and ' To him who is
thrown 2.'' when he throws him (on the old Aha-
vaniya fire).
24. He throws (die fire on the hearth), with the
text(Va/. S.V, 3), 'For our sake be ye two (fires)
friendly to one another, of one mind, un-
blemished! Injure not the sacrifice, nor the
lord of the sacrifice ! be gracious unto us this
day, ye knowers of beings!' He thus bespeaks
peacefulness between them, that they may not injure
each other.
25. He then takes out some clarified butter with
the dipping-spoon, and pours it on the fire, with the
text (Va^. S. V, 4), 'Agni resorteth to Agni, he
the son of the seers that shieldeth us from
curses : graciously offer thou for us now with
good offering, never withholding the oblation
from the gods, Hail!' For the purpose of offering
they have produced him, and by this offering he has
now gratified him : that is why he thus makes
offering unto him.
26. It (the guest-offering) ends with the I</a; no
after-offerings are performed. For the guest-offer-
ing is the head of the sacrifice, and the head is the
fore-part: he thus fits him up as the head of the sacri-
fice. But were he to perform the after-offerings,
it would be as if, by reversing, he were to put the
feet in the place of the head. Hence it ends with
the I^a, and no after-offerings are performed.
^ The Hotr/ recites the two verses, Rig-veda I, 74> 3 ; VI, 1 6, 40.
^ The verb is ' pra-hr/,' which is also the common term for the hurling of the thunderbolt. The six verses, recited by the Hotrz', are Rig-veda VI, 16, 41-42; I, 12, 6; VIII, 43, 14; VIII, 73, 8 ; I, 164, 50.
Ill KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAA^A, 3. 93
THE TANUNAPTRA, or COVENANT OF TANUNAPAT K
Second Brahmaa^a.
1. When the gods had performed the guest-
offering, discord befell them. They separated into
four different parties, unwilling to yield to each
other's excellence, — Agni with the Vasus, Soma with
the Rudras, Varu;za with the Adityas, and Indra
with the Maruts. B/'zhaspati with the All-gods,
say some^ but, indeed, those who separated into
four parties were ' all the gods.' When they were
separated, the Asura-Rakshas came after them and
entered between them.
2. They became aware of it, — ' Forsooth, we are
in an evil plight, the Asura-Rakshas have come in
between us : we shall fall a prey to our enemies.
Let us come to an agreement and yield to the excel-
lence of one of us !' They yielded to the excellence
of Indra; wherefore it is said, 'Indra is all the
deities, the gods have Indra for their chief.'
3. For this reason let not kinsmen fall out, for
any (enemy) of theirs, be he ever so far away, steps
in between them ; they do what pleases their
enemies and fall a prey to their enemies : therefore
let them not fall out. For he who, knowing this,
quarrels not, does what displeases his enemies and
^ The Tanunaptra is a solemn covenant made by the sacrificer and his priests, in the name of Tanfinapat, and while touching sacrificial butter ; thereby pledging themselves not to injure each other.
^ Thus Ait. Br. I, 24, vt-here moreover the Rudras are assigned to Indra, (the Vasus to Agni, and the Adityas to Varuwa.)
94 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
falls not a prey to his enemies: let him therefore not quarrel.
4. They said, ' Well then, let us contrive so that
this (concord) of ours shall be for ever im-
perishable !'
5. The gods laid down together ^ their favourite
forms and desirable powers ^, one after another, and
said, 'Thereby he shall be away from us, he shall be
scattered to the winds, whosoever shall transgress
this (covenant) of ours ! ' — Whose (is it) as wit-
ness^?'— ' Tanunapat, the mighty!' — Now the
mighty Tanunapat indeed is yonder blowing (wind),
he is the witness of living beings, entering thus as
the in-breathing and out-breathing.
6. Wherefore they say, 'The gods know the mind
of man.' In his mind he proposes; it passes on to
the breath, and the breath to the wind, and the wind
tells the gods what the mind of man is.
7. Hence it was in regard to this what was said
by the 7?/shi, ' In his mind he proposeth, and it
goeth on to the wind '*; and the wind telleth the
gods what thy mind is, O man.'
8. The gods laid down together their favourite
forms and desirable powers, and said, ' Thereby he
shall be away from us, he shall be scattered to the
winds, whosoever shall transgress this (covenant) of
ours!' And even now the gods do not transgress
that (covenant), for how would they fare, were they
^ Literally, ' cut off together, part by part.'
^ Or, attributes, resources, ' dhamani.'
^ Kasya upadrash/ur ; the Ka«va text has, Tasya na^ ka upa- drash/a, ' who (shall be) the witness of this (covenant) of ours ? '
* Cp. Atharva-veda XII, 4, 31, 'In his mind he proposes and it goes forth to the gods.'
Ill KAA^DA, 4 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, II. 95
to transgress it ? — they would speak untruth, and
verily there is one law which the gods do keep,
namely, the truth. It is through this that their
conquest, their glory is unassailable : and so, for-
sooth, is his conquest, his glory unassailable who-
soever, knowing this, speaks the truth. Now, the
Tanunaptra is really that same (covenant of
the gods).
9. The gods laid down together their favourite
forms and desirable powers. Now it is by taking
portions of butter that they (the priests) lay down
together the desirable forms and favourite powers.
Let him, then, not covenant with any one and every
one, lest his favourite forms and desirable powers
should be mixed up (with those of others). But let
him not deceive one with whom he makes a cove-
nant ; for thus it is said, ' Let there be no deceiving
of him with whom one has made the covenant of
TanCuiapat.'
10. In the first place he takes (butter) there-
from i, with the text (Vaf. S. V, 5), 'For him
that rushes onward, for him that rushes
about, I take thee.' He that blows yonder (the
wind) does indeed rush onward and rush about;
and it is for him that he takes (the butter) : there-
fore he says, 'for him that rushes onward, for him
that rushes about, I take thee.'
11. 'For Tanunapat, the mighty.' The
mighty Tanunapat truly is yonder blowing (wind),
and it is for him that he takes (the butter) : there-
fore he says, ' For Tanunapat, the mighty.'
^ Viz. the butter in the dhruva spoon, pouring it into the ' vrata- pradana,' or vessel in which the fast-milli is handed to the sacrificer.
96 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
12. ' For the powerful, the most Strong !' He
is indeed powerful and most strong ; and for him he
takes it : therefore he says, ' For the powerful, the
most strong.'
1 3. They then touch it at the same time. Now
the gods were fully agreed on this point, ' Verily, so
and thus shall he of us fare who shall transgress this
(covenant) of ours !' And so are these (priests and
sacrificer) now agreed on this, — 'Verily, so and thus
shall he of us fare who shall transgress this (cove-
nant) of ours !'
14. They touch it simultaneously, with the text,
'Thou art the strength of the gods, unassailed
and unassailable ; for the gods were indeed un-
assailed and unassailable while being together, and
speaking with one accord and holding together.
' The strength of the gods ' doubtless means the
favourite forms and desirable powers of the gods,
'uncursed, curse-averting, uncursable,' for the
gods have overcome every curse; — 'May I
straightway go to the truth!' whereby he means
to say, 'May I speak the truth, may I not transgress
this (covenant);' — ' Establish me in welfare !' for
in welfare the gods indeed established themselves
by speaking the truth, by performing the truth :
therefore he says, ' Establish me in welfare !'
15. Now those favourite forms and desirable
powers which the gods put together, they then
deposited in Indra^; — Indra verily is he that burns
yonder (the sun); but he indeed did not burn in the
beginning, but as now everything else is dark, so
was he then ; and it is by that very energy (derived
