* According to Ait. Br. I, 24 the gods deposited their forms in the house of king Varuwa.
Ill KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 2. 97
from those divine objects) that he burns. Hence,
if many persons perform the consecration \ let it (the
TanCinaptra butter), after pouring the fast-milk to it,
be handed only to the master of the house, since he,
among them, is the representative of Indra. And if
he perform the consecration by means of an (offering)
with a dakshii^^a, let them hand it (the butter) to the
sacrificer, after pouring the fast-milk to it, for thus
it is said, — ' The Sacrificer is Indra.'
16. Now what favourite forms and desirable
powers the gods then laid together, all that was
wrought together and became the Saman : where-
fore they say, ' The Saman is the truth, the Saman
is born of the gods.*
THE AVANTARADIKSHA, or INTERMEDIARY CONSECRATION.
Third Brahmajva.
1. When the gods had performed the guest-
offering, discord arose between them. They allayed
It by means of the Tanunaptra (oaths). They
desired an atonement for having spoken evil to one
another ; for they had appointed no other consecra-
tion-ceremony till the expiatory bath. They per-
ceived this intermediate consecration^.
2. By means of fire they enveloped (the body) with
a skin. Now, fire being fervour, and the consecration
being fervour, they thereby underwent an interme-
diate consecration ; and because they underwent that
^ That is, in a Sattra or sacrificial session, where all the officiating priests are consecrated and 'sacrificers;' theYa^amana proper being styled GnTiapati (master of the house). See IV, 6, 8, i seq.
^ The Avantaradiksha extends to the end of the sixth Brahma/za.
98 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVrA.
intermediate consecration, therefore this int erme-
diary consecration (avantaradiksha, is performed).
They turned in their fingers more tightly and drew^
their zone tighter, whereby they (again) put round
them what had been put round them before ^; — and so
does he thereby make atonement for what heretofore
he has done injurious to the vow, for what he has
spoken injurious to the vow.
3. By means of the fire they (the priests) envelop
him with a skin. Now, fire being fervour, and the
consecration being fervour, he thereby undergoes an
intermediate consecration. He turns in his finders
more tightly and draws the zone tighter, whereby he
(again) puts round himself what was put round him
before. Moreover, it was offspring the gods thereby
obtained.
4. By means of Agni (fire) they enveloped (the
body) with a skin. Now, Agni being the causer of
sexual union, the progenitor, they thereby obtained
offspring. They turned in their fingers more tightly
and drew their zone tighter, whereby they produced
offspring for themselves. And in like manner does
he (the sacrificer) thereby obtain offspring.
5. By means of Agni he envelops himself with a
skin. Now, Agni being the causer of sexual union,
the progenitor, he thereby^ obtains offspring. He
turns in his fingers more tightly and draws his zone
tighter, whereby he produces offspring for himself.
6. Now, while the gods were consecrated, whichever
of them fetched fire-wood or uttered his appointed
texts, him the Asura-Rakshas endeavoured to
^ Our text has no verb ; the Kawva recension reads 'auhanta.' ^ Viz. the diksha, as symbolised by the zone (or the skin). ^ Viz. through Agni, or the Avantaradiksha.
Ill KAiVDA, 4 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 9. 99
Strike — the one by (assuming) the form of this one,
and the other by that of another. They came to-
gether, upbraiding one another, saying, ' See, what
thou hast done to me ! see, how thou hast struck
me!' But Agni alone did not speak thus to any
one, nor did any one speak thus to Agni.
7. They said, 'Have they spoken thus to thee
also, Agni?' He said, 'Verily, I have not spoken
to any one, nor has any one spoken to me.'
8. They became aware, — ' He verily is the greatest
repeller of the Rakshas among us ; let us be like him :
thereby we shall escape from the Rakshas, thereby
we shall attain to the heavenly world.' They accord-
ingly became like Agni, and thereby escaped from
the Rakshas and attained to the heavenly world. And
in like manner does this one now become like Aeni.
and thereby escape from the Rakshas and attain to
the heavenly world. It is in putting a kindling-stick
on (the Ahavaniya fire ^) that he enters upon the
Avantaradiksha.
9. He puts on the kindling-stick, with the text
(Va^. S. V, 6), 'O Agni, protector of vows; on
thee, O protector of vows — ' for Agni is lord of
vows to the gods ; wherefore he says, ' O Agni,
protector of vows, on thee, O protector of vows — '
' whatbodilyform^ there is of thine, (may that be)
here on me; and what bodily form there is of
mine, (may that be) on thee! May my vows be
bound up with thine, O lord of vows!' whereby
he envelops himself with the skin by means of Agnio
'May the lord of consecration approve my
^ The sacrificer's wife performs silently on and near the Garha-
patya fire the same ceremonies as her husband.
2 Tanu, see p. 10, note 4.
lOO i'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
consecration, and the lord of penance my pen-
ance!' Thereby he enters upon the intermediary
consecration. More closely he turns in his fingers,
and closer he draws the zone ; whereby he (again)
puts round himself what was put round him before.
10. They then attend on him with the boiling
lustral water (madanti) ; — fire is heat, and the lustral
water is heat ; that is why they attend on him with
the lustral water.
11. Having touched the lustral water, they (the
priests and sacrificer) therewith strengthen^ the
king (Soma). The reason why, after touching the
lustral water, they strengthen the king is this ; — ghee
is a thunderbolt, and Soma is seed : hence they
strengthen the king after touching the lustral water,
lest they should injure the seed. Soma, by the thun-
derbolt, the ghee.
1 2. Here now they say, ' Him, Soma, for whom that
strengthening (meal), the guest-offering, is prepared,
they ought first to strengthen, and then (ought to
be performed) the Avantaradiksha, and thereupon
the Tantanaptra.' But let him not do this. For such
indeed was the course of the sacrificial performance :
discord arose between them (the gods) thereat ; they
attained to their former tranquillity ; then the AX^an-
taradiksha and finally the strengthening.
13. Then as to why they strengthen (Soma).
Soma is a god, since Soma (the moon) is in the sky.
' Soma, forsooth, was Vmra ; his body is the same as
the mountains and rocks : thereon grows that plant
called Ui-ana,' — so said ^Svetaketu Auddalaki;
^ On the ' apyayana' (a-pyai, 'to swell, make swell,' to strengthen, become strong, increase, fill), see part i, p. 178, note 2. According to Apastamba and other authorities, they tie a piece of gold to their nameless (gold) finger, and touch the Soma with their moist hands.
Ill KAiVJDA, 4 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 1 8. lOI
* they fetch it hither and press It ; and by means of
the consecration and the Upasads, by the Tanunaptra
and the strengthening they make it Into Soma.' And
in like manner does he now make it Into Soma by
means of the consecration and the Upasads, by the
Tanunaptra and the strengthening.
14. ' It is bees' honey,' they say; for bees' honey
means the sacrifice, and the bees that make the
honey are no other than the officiating priests ; and
ill hke manner as the working-bees make the honey
increase, so do they (the priests) thereby strengthen
the sacrifice.
15. By means of the sacrifice the gods gained
that supreme authority which they now wield.
They spake, ' How can this (world) of ours be
made unattainable to men?' Having sipped the
sap of the sacrifice, as bees would suck out honey,
and havinof drained the sacrifice and scattered it
by means of the sacrificial post, they disappeared ;
and because they scattered (yopaya) therewith,
therefore it is called yupa (post).
16. Now this was heard by the 7?/shis. They
collected the sacrifice ; and as that sacrifice was col-
lected, so does he collect the sacrifice who is con-
secrated. The sacrifice Is speech : hence he thereby
again supplies what part of the sacrifice here has
been sucked out and drained.
1 7. They strengthen (the Soma), being six ^ ; —
there are six seasons : havlnar become the seasons,
they strengthen it^.
18. They strengthen him with (Va^. S. V, 7),
^ Viz. the five priests— Brahman, Udgatr/, Hotnj Adhvaryu, and Agnidhra — and the sacrificer.
"^ That is, as the seasons make the Soma-plant grow.
I02 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
' Let Stalk after stalk of thine wax strong, O
divine Soma!' whereby they strengthen (increase)
stalk after stalk of his; — 'for Indra, the winner of
the ekadhanas^ ;' Indra indeed is the deity of the
sacrifice : therefore he says, ' For Indra, the winner
(or bestower) of the ekadhanas.' For verily every one
of those stalks swells to fill a hundred or ten- eka-
dhana cups for the several gods. ' May Indra wax
strong for thee, and wax thou strong for Indra!'
for Indra is the deity of the sacrifice : he thus strength-
ens him who is the deity of the sacrifice. By saying,
' Wax thou strong for Indra,' he instils that invigor-
ating draught into him. ' Strengthen us friends
with gain and understanding!' 'With gain' he
says with reference to what he gains ; and ' with
understanding' he says with reference to what he
recites. 'Mayest thou thrive, O divine Soma,
and may I attain to the Soma-feast!' They,
the priests and sacrificer, have one prayer in
common, 'May we reach the end of the sacrifice!'
hence he thereby means to say, ' May I reach the end
of the sacrifice ! '
19. Thereupon they make amends on the pras- tara. For the sacrifice requires a northward attend-
^ Ekadhana-vid; the meaning of 'ekadhana' (apparently 'one prize ' or * one part of the booty or goods') in this compound is not clear. The author of the Brahma«a seems to take it in its technical sense, viz. the ekadhana pitchers in which the ekadhana water, used for mixing with the Soma juice, is kept, see III, 9, 3; 16; 27; 34. According to Haug, Transl. Ait. Br. p. 1 1 4 notes, they are so called because the Adhvaryu throws one stalk of Soma (eka-dhana) into each pitcher to consecrate it.
^ This anticlimax is rather curious. The Ka/zva text reads : daj'a daja va ha smaisha ekaiko 'msur devan pratindrayaikadhanan apya- yayanti (!) jataw jatam va tasmad ahaikadhanavida iti.
Ill KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 21. IO3
ance ; but now they strengthen (Soma) after going, as
it were, towards the right (south) ^ ; and, the sacrifice
being the fire, they thereby turn their back on the
sacrifice and thus do wrong and are cut off from
the gods. Now the prastara also is (part of) the
sacrifice, and by (touching) it they again get hold of
the sacrifice. And this is his expiation of that
(transgression) ; and so no wrong is committed by
them and they are not cut off from the gods : for
this reason they make amends on the prastara.
20. Here now they say, ' On the anointed ? — let
them rather make amends on the unanointed ^ ! '
They should indeed make amends on the un-
anointed (prastara), since anointed it is thrown into
the fire.
21. They make amends^ with, 'Desirable trea-
sures (may come) forth for strength and well-
being — the right for the right-saying' — whereby
^ Soma's throne stands south of the Ahavaniya fire, and in going to perform the apyayanam upon him, the priests and sacrificer have to move round the fire, along the east side of it towards the south (the region of the Fathers).
2 This seems to be Sayawa's interpretation of the passage ' akte nihnuviran anaktai.' The two words, with their final syllable pro- tracted, being intended to strongly contradict the preceding 'akte.' It is hardly possible to take the latter absolutely, ' it being anointed (when thrown into the fire), let them make amends on it while un- anointed.' On the throwing of the prastara into the fire, see I, 8, 3, 17. The prastara referred to is that of the guest-offering (ati- thyesh/i), which was broken off after the I^a ceremony (see III, 4, I, 26) and has to be completed after the present ceremony. Neither the prastara nor the barhis is burnt on this occasion.
