^ While the Hotr/, as we saw (parag. 2, above), uses the same two verses twice in one day, viz. one for the anuvakya in the morning and for the ya_§ya in the afternoon ; and the other for the yagya, in the morning and for the anuvakya in the evening, — the Adhvaryu is to use the three formulas here mentioned on the three Upasad days respectively, both at the morning and afternoon performances.
^ Viz. of the vratadugha, or cow supplying his fast-milk. The milk so obtained is to be his only food during the Upasad days.
Ill KAA^DA, 5 ADHYAYA, 1 BRAHMAiVA, I. Ill
milks out three on the first day, then two, and then
one, are those that get narrower and narrower.
Those getting narrower and narrower are (as good
as) those getting wider and wider ; and those getting
wider and wider are (as good as) those getting nar-
rower and narrower.
27. Verily, the world is conquered by austere
devotion. Now, his devotion becomes ever and
ever wider, he conquers an ever and ever more
glorious world and becomes better even in this world,
whosoever, knowing this, undertakes the Upasads
that get narrower and narrower^ : let him, therefore,
undertake the Upasads that get narrower and nar-
rower. And should he undertake twelve Upasads,
let him have three (teats) milked out for four days,
two for four days, and one for four days.
PREPARATION OF THE SOIMA ALTAR WITH THE HIGH ALTAR I
Fifth Adhyaya. First BRAHMAiVA.
I. From that post which is the largest on the
east side (of the hall)^ he now strides three steps
forwards (to the east), and there drives in a peg, —
this is the intermediate (peg)*.
^ The simile is apparently taken from the arrow, which pierces the deeper the more pointed it is ; of. parag. 14, above; Ait. Br. I, 25. Also Taitt. S. VI, 2, 3, 5, where a goad (ara?) is compared.
^ The preparation of the special altars — viz. the large Soma altar (maha-vedi, or saumiki-vedi) and the ' high altar ' (uttara-vedi) on the former — takes place on the last but one Upasad day, after the morning performance of the Upasads.
^ This post stands in the middle of the east door of the hall
or 'Prakma.-vamsa., just in front of the Ahavaniya-fire. See p. 3,
* Anta/^pata, lit. 'falling within or between,' because it stands
I I 2 i'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
2. From that middle peg he strides fifteen steps
to the right, and there drives in a peg, — this Is the
right hip.
3. From that middle peg he strides fifteen steps
northwards, and there drives in a peg, — this is the
left hip.
4. From that middle peg he strides thIrty-sIx
steps eastwards, and there drives In a peg, — this Is
the fore-part ^
5. From that middle peg (In front) he strides
twelve steps to the right, and there drives In a peg, —
this Is the right shoulder.
6. From that middle peg he strides twelve steps
to the north, and there drives In a peg, — this Is the
left shoulder. This is the measure of the altar.
7. Now the reason why it Is thirty steps broad
behind Is this : the Vira^ metre consists of thirty
syllables, and by means of the Vlra^ the gods ob-
tained a firm footing in this world ; and even so does
he now, by means of the Vira^, obtain a firm foot-
ing in this world.
8. But there may also be thirty-three (steps) ; for
of thirty-three syllables also consists the Vlra^; and
by means of the Vlra^ he obtains a firm footing in
this world.
9. Then as to why the ' easterly line ^ ' is thirty-six
steps long ; — the Br/hatt consists of thirty-six sylla-
bles, and by means of the Br/hati the gods obtained
between the (new) altar and the Pra^ina-va7«ja fires and altar. See III, 5, 2, 2.
^ That is, the middle of the front side of the altar, or, as it were, its head, where the ' high altar ' is to be raised.
- The ' pra/('i ' is the line drawn from the middle of the west side to that of the front side of the altar, forming as it were the spine {■pn'shf/iya) of the altar.
Ill KAA'ZIA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 1 5. II3
the heavenly world : and so does he now, by means
of the Brzhatt, obtain the heavenly world and that
offering-fire (Ahavaniya) of his is in the sky.
10. And as to (the altar) being twenty-four steps
broad in front ; — the Gayatrt consists of twenty-four
syllables, and the Gayatri is the fore-part of the
sacrifice : this is why it is twenty-four steps broad in
front. This is the measure of the altar.
11. And why it is broader behind, — 'Wider behind,
broad-hipped,' thus they praise a woman. And by
its being wider behind, he makes that womb at the
hind-part (of the altar) wider, and from that wider
womb these creatures are born.
12. That high altar (Uttaravedi ^) is the nose
of the sacrifice ; because they throw it up so as to
be higher than the altar, therefore it is called ' high
altar.'
13. Now, in the beginning there were two kinds
of beings here, the Adityas and the Aiigiras. The
Aiigiras then were the first to prepare a sacrifice,
and having prepared the sacrifice they said to Agni,
* Announce thou to the Adityas this our to-morrow's
Soma-feast, saying, " Minister ye at this sacrifice of
ours 1
14. The Adityas spake (to one another), ' Contrive
ye how the Ahgiras shall minister unto us, and not
we unto the Angiras !'
15. They said, 'Verily by nothing but sacrifice is there a way out of this^: let us undertake another
^ On the uttara-vedi (lit. ' higher, upper altar '), now about to be raised on the fore-part of the great altar (maha-vedi or saumiki vedi) described in the preceding paragraphs, see also part i, p. 392 note.
2 The Ka;^va MS. reads, napakramawam astv iti, which, if correct,
114 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
Soma-feast!' They brought together the (materials
for) sacrifice, and having made ready the sacrifice,
they said, ' Agni, thou hast announced to us a Soma-
feast for to-morrow ; but we announce to thee and
the Anglras a Soma-feast even for to-day : it is for
us that thou art (to officiate as) Hotr/M'
1 6. They sent back some other (messenger) to the
Angiras; but the Angiras going after Agni, were
exceeding angry with him, saying, ' Going as our
messenger, why didst thou not mind us^ ?'
17. He spake, 'The blameless chose me: as the
chosen of the blameless, I could not go away.' And
let not therefore the chosen (priest) of a blameless
man turn away from him. The Angiras then offi-
ciated for the Adityas in the sacrifice with Soma
bought (kri) on the same day (sadyas) ; whence this
Sadya//kri^.
18. They brought Va/^ (speech) to them for their
sacrificial fee. They accepted her not, saying, * We
shall be losers if we accept her.' And so the perform-
ance of that sacrifice was not discharged (completed),
as it was one requiring a sacrificial fee.
19. Thereupon they brought Surya (the sun) to
them, and they accepted him. Wherefore the An-
giras say, ' Verily, we are fit for the sacrificial ofiice,
we are worthy to receive Dakshi;/as ; yea, even he
that burns yonder has been received by us^!'
would mean, ' Let there be no going away!' i.e. ' Let us not go (to the Angiras) ! ' or perhaps, 'Do not thou (Agni) go away!'
^ Teshawz nas \szm hotasiti, perhaps ' thou wilt sacrifice for us.'
2 ' Sent by us, why didst thou not return ?' Ka«va rec.
^ An ekaha (one day's) performance of the Soma-sacrifice at which the consecrations, buying and pressing of Soma, are com- pressed into one day.
" Api va asmabhir esha pratignliita/^, '1st doch jener von uns empfangen worden.'
Ill KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAA^A, 23. II5
Hence a white horse is the sacrificial fee for the Sadya/^krt.
20. On the front of this (horse) there is a golden
ornament, whereby it is made an image of him that
burns yonder.
21. Now Vai was angry with them: 'In what
respect, forsooth, is that one better than I, — where-
fore is it, that they should have accepted him and
not me^ ?' So saying she went away from them.
Having become a lioness she went on seizing upon
(everything ^) between those two contending parties,
the gods and the Asuras. The gods called her to
them, and so did the Asuras. Agni was the mes-
senger of the gods, and one Saharakshas for the
Asura-Rakshas.
22. Being willing to go over to the gods, she said,
* What would be mine, if I were to come over to
you ?' — ' The offering shall reach thee even before
(it reaches) Agni.' She then said to the gods,
' Whatsoever blessing ye will invoke through me,
all that shall be accomplished unto you!' So she
went over to the gods.
23. And, accordingly, when he pours ghee on the
high altar ^, while the fire is held (over it) — since the
gods said to her on that occasion, ' The offering shall
reach thee even before Agni' — then that offering
does reach her even before (it reaches) Agni ; for
this (high altar) is in reality Va/§. And when he raises
^ The Kanva. text reads, Na mad esha kena kdnz jreyan iti na bandhuna na kena /^ana katham etam pragn'h«iyur na mam iti ; ' That one is not my superior by anything, not by kinship, not by anything, why should they accept him and not me ? '
^ Adadana /^a/5ara=^ighatsaya samipasthaz^i sarvaw svikurvati, Say.
^ See III, 5, 2, 9-1 1.
I I 6 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
the high altar, it is for the completeness of the sacri-
fice, for the sacrifice is Va/^ (speech) and that (high
altar) is Va/^.
24. He measures it with the yoke and pin ; —
namely with the yoke (that place) whither they take
(the earth); and with a yoke-pin that, from whence
they take (the earth ^), for the team is harnessed with
the yoke and the pin : it is because she (Va/§), as a
lioness, at that time roamed about unappeased that
he thus yokes her here at the sacrifice.
25. One must not therefore accept a Dakshi/^a
(sacrificial fee) that has been refused (by another
priest-), for, having turned into a lioness, it
destroys him ; — nor must he (the sacrificer) take
it home again, for, having turned into a lioness, it
destroys him ; — nor must he give it to any one else,
as he would thereby make over the sacrifice to some
one other than himself. Hence if he have any
wretched kinsman, let him give it to him; for in that
he gives it away, it will not turn into a lioness and
destroy him ; and in that he gives it to a kinsman,
he does not make over (the sacrifice) to one other
than himself: and this is the settling of a refused
Dakshif^a.
26. He now takes the yoke-pin and the wooden
sword; and from where the northern peg of the
front side is, he strides three steps backwards and
there marks off the pit (z^'atvala). The measure for
the pit is the same (as for the high altar) ^ ; there
^ That is to say, the pit (-^atvala) whence the earth for the high altar is taken is measured with the yoke-pin, and the high altar with the yoke. Saya«a seems to take it differently : Yatra yasmin deje yugena haranti yato yasmat tatra jamyayapi haranti.
^ Or perhaps, one must not take back a Dakshi?/a, refused byapriest.
^ The earth taken from the pit being used for constructing the
Ill KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 30. 1 1 7
is no (other) measure in regard to it : wherever he
himself may think fit in his mind (to fix it), in front
of the heap of rubbish (utkara), there let him mark
off the pit.
27. From the (north) edge of the altar he lays
down the pin from south to north, and draws the
(western) outline, with the text (Va^. S. V, 9), ' Thou
art for me the resort of the afflicted!' Thereby
he means this (earth), for it is thereon that he walks
afflicted.
28. Thereupon he lays down the pin in front from
south to north, and draws the outline with, 'Thou
art my wealth-resort.' Thereby he means this
(earth), for it is thereon that he walks having acquired
(wealth).
29. He then lays down the pin along the (north)
edge of the altar from west to east, and draws the
outline with, ' Preserve me from being in want^ !'
Thereby he means this (earth) : ' Wherever there is
want, from that preserve me!'
30. He then lays down the pin on the north side
from west to east, and draws the outline with, 'Pre-
serve me from being afflicted^!' Thereby he
