^ That is, the iron pins driven into the axle, round which the naves of the wheels revolve. See also p. 121, note 2.
^ They make her enter the hall by the south door and walk round by the back of the (old) Garhapatya fire-place to the wheel- tracks on the north side where the Pratiprasthatr/ is about to offer.
' The rays of the sun are apparently likened to ropes wherewith he keeps the earth straight and firm.
Ill KAiVDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, I 7. 131
'Audible to the gods, announce ye unto the gods!' Then as to why he thus offers.
15. Now, once on a time, the gods, while per-
forming sacrifice, were afraid of an attack on the
part of the Asura-Rakshas ; and, the ghee being
a thunderbolt, they kept off the evil spirits from
the south by that thunderbolt, the ghee ; and
thus they came not after them on their way.
And in like manner does he now keep off the evil
spirits from the south by that thunderbolt, the ghee ;
and thus they do not come after him^ on his way.
And the reason why he offers with two verses relating
to Vish;^u, is that the Soma-cart belongs to Vish7m.
16. And in that the wife anoints the burning (part)
of the axle, thereby a productive union is effected ;
for when woman and man become heated, the seed
flows, and thereupon birth takes place. She anoints
in a direction away (from the cart), for away the
seed is cast. He then says (to the Hotrz), ' Recite
to the Soma-carts as they are wheeled forward^ !'
17. He makes (the sacrificer) say, 'Go ye both
forward, furthering the cult!' The cult, namely,
is the sacrifice : ' go ye both forward, furthering the
sacrifice' he thereby means to say. 'Conveyyethe
sacrifice upward ; lead it not astray^ !' whereby
he means to say, ' convey this sacrifice upward to
the world of the gods;' and by saying 'lead it not
astray,' he prays for this (sacrificer) that he may not
^ While reciting his hymn of eight verses (brought up, as usual, to twelve by repetitions of the first and last verses) the Hotri has to follow the carts so as to have the north wheel-track of the south cart between his feet, Cf. p. 79, note i. For the verses recited by him, see Ait. Br. I, 29 ; Asv. St. IV, 9.
2 Or, ' falter not ! '
132 fi-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
Stumble. Let them wheel (the carts) forward, as it
were lifting them, so that they may not creak ; for
of the Asuras is that voice which is in the axle^ :
' Lest the Asuras' voice should speak here ! ' so he
thinks. But if they should creak, —
18. Let him make (the sacrificer) say this, 'Speak
ye unto your own cow-pen, ye divine resorts;
speak not my life away, speak not my offspring
away!' This, then, is the expiation thereof.
19. As to this they say, 'Let him stride three
steps from the high altar westward and make the
Soma-carts stop there : this is the measure for the
Soma-carts.' But there is no (fixed) measure in
this ; wherever he himself may think fit in his mind,
only not too near^, nor too far (from the high altar),
there let him stop them.
20. He salutes them with, 'May ye rejoice
here on the height of the earth !' for this (altar)
is verily the height" (top) of the earth, since his offer-
inof-fire is in the heaven. He makes them rest on
their naves* for that is the appearance of repose.
* The Taitt. S. VI, 2, 9 refers it to Yarwia., on account of the axle being bound firmly with strings (thongs), resembling Varu^a's noose.
^ Rather, ' not so very near,' ' nicht allzu nahe, nicht gar zu nahe.' ' Both here, and on Taitt. S. I, 2, 13, Sayawa takes 'varshman' in the sense of ' body (jarira).'
* Or rather, ' nave-boards (nabhya).' The cart wheels are de- scribed as consisting, after the fashion prevalent in Malava (Katy. VIII, 4, 5 scholl.), of three parallel boards : the two outer ones form segments, and the middle and largest one has the nave fixed to it, the axle-pin running through its centre. It is on this middle board that he is to make the carts stand. Perhaps ' kshema ' should be taken in the sense of 'security, firm position,' instead of ' repose, rest,' in which case the upright position of the middle board would seem to be compared with a man in upright position; 'nabhi (nabhya)' meaning both 'navel' and 'nave.'
Ill KAA'DA, 5 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAA^A, 23. I 33
2 1. The Adhvaryu, having gone round along the
north side (of the carts), props the southern cart,
with (Va^. S. V, i8 ; Rig-veda I, 154, i), ' Now will
I declare the heroic deeds of Vishnn, who
measured out the earthly regions; who
propped the upper seat, striding thrice, the
wide-stepping! For Vish;^u (I prop) thee !' He
fixes the prop in a different place from where (it is
fixed) in ordinary practiced
22. The assistant then props the northern cart,
with (Va^. S. V, 19), 'Either from the heaven,
O Vish;/u, or from the earth, or from the
great, wide airy region, O Vish;^u, fill both
thine hands with wealth and bestow on us
from the right and the left! For Vish;2u thee !'
He fixes the prop in a different place from where
(it is fixed) in ordinary practice. The reason why
he performs with prayers to Vish;^u is that the
Soma-cart belongs to Vish;m.
23. He then makes (the sacrificer) say, after touch-
ing the middle reed-mat^ (Va^. S. V, 20 ; Rig-veda I,
154, 2), 'Let Vish;/u then be praised for his
power, terrible like a wild beast prowling
about the mountains, on whose three wide
strides all beings abide !' Now that (mat-covering)
indeed is his (Vish;ai, the shed's) upper skull-bone",
^ Saya?za, on Taitt. S. I, 2, 13, remarks: — 'The southern and northern parts of the yoke represent the ears of the cart. Through a hole (is effected) the firm tying (of the yoke parts) to the shafts. At the juncture (sandhi) at the (place of) fastening of the southern (part of the yoke) the prop is fixed.' In ordinary practice the prop is put up to support the extreme end of the shafts or pole.
^ See p. 128, note i.
^ Apparently the parietal bone is meant ; or perhaps the frontal bone. The Ka«va text reads : ' He then touches that reed-mat, or
1 34 .SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
for thereon, as it were, the other skull-bones rest : this is why he says * they abide on/
24. Thereupon he makes him say, after touching
the front-band (Va^. S. V, 2), 'Thou art Vish;m's
fillet;' for it indeed is his fillet. He then makes
him say, after touching the two upright hurdles,
'Ye are the corners of Vish;2u's mouth ;' for
they indeed are the corners of his mouth. Then
that mat which is behind there, that indeed is that
skull-bone of his here behind (viz. the occiput).
25. With 'Thou art Vish;2u's sewer\' he sews
(the hurdles to the four door posts) with cord by
means of a wooden pin. With, 'Thou artVish^^u's
fixed (point) ^' he then makes a knot, ' lest it should
fall asunder.' That same (knot) he undoes when
the work is completed; and thus disease^ befalls
not either the Adhvaryu or the Sacrificer. The
completed (cart-shed) he touches with, 'Thou art
Vish;2u's own,' for the Soma-cart (and shed) be-
longs to Vish/^u.
cane-frame, above, with "Let Vish?m ..." for that is for him (Vish;m, the shed) what that skull-bone is up here. And when he says " they abide upon," it is because that rest on the other skull-bones [? adhi hy etad anyeshu kapaleshu kshiyanti !]. Then what two reed-mats there are on the two carts, they indeed are for him what the two skull-bones are here on both sides. And that reed-mat, or cane- frame, which he puts on there behind (or behind that one), that is for him what the skull-bone behind is.'
^ Syu, explained by Sayawa as 'thread, cord,' by Mahidhara as ' needle.'
^ ? Dhruva,^, the 'firm one,' (.? 'pole-star.') The St. Petersburg Dictionary gives the tentative meaning ' knot.' The Taitt. S. reads ' dhruvam.'
•' Graha, lit. ' seizing.' For Varuwa, whose attribute the knot is (I, 3, I, 16), seizing upon men by means of disease ; see II, 5, 2, 2.
Ill KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 4. 1 35
Fourth Brahmajva.
1. It is for a twofold reason that the sounding-
holes are dug. The cart-shed, truly, is the head
of the sacrificer ; and what four holes there are here
in the head — namely, these two and these two^ —
those he thereby makes : for this reason he digs the
sounding-holes.
2. Now the gods and the Asuras, both of them
sprung from Pra^apati, were contending. The Asuras
then by way of witchcraft buried charms ^ within
these worlds, thinking, ' Peradventure we may thus
overcome the gods.'
3. The gods then prevailed. By means of these
(sounding-holes) they dug up those magic charms.
Now, when a charm is dug up, it becomes inopera-
tive and useless. And in like manner, if any mali-
cious enemy buries here charms by way of witchcraft
for this (sacrificer), does he thereby dig them up:
this is why he digs sounding-holes. He digs just
beneath the fore-part of the shafts of the southern
cart.
4. He takes up the spade ^ with the text (Va^. S.
^ Viz. the ears and nostrils.
2 Kntyam valagan nikakhnuh, ' they dug in, as a charm, secret (magic) objects.' Valaga is explained as charms, consisting of bones, nails, hair, foot-dust, and similar objects, tied up in a piece of worn matting or cloth, or the like, and dug into the ground arm- deep, for causing injury to enemies. See Taitt. S. VI, 2, 11, where Professor Weber refers to Wuttke, Der Deutsche Volksaberglaube,
§ 492 seq.
^ The instrument used seems to be a kind of scoop or trowel,
136 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
V, 22), 'At the impulse of the divine Savitr/,
I take thee with the arms of the A«fvins, with
the hands of Pushan: thou art a woman.' The
significance of this formula is the same (as before).
That spade (abhri, fern.) is indeed a female : there-
fore he says ' thou art a woman.'
5. He draws their outlines, saving^ the measure
of a span, with, ' Here do I cut off the necks of
the Rakshas!' For the spade is the thunderbolt :
it is with the thunderbolt that he thus cuts off the
necks of the Rakshas.
6. Let him first mark off the right (southern) one
of the two that are in front ; then the left one of the
two behind; then the right one of those behind;
then the left one of those in front.
7. But they say conversely, that he should mark
off first the left one of the two behind ; then the right
one of those in front ; then the right one of those
behind; and then the left one of those in front.
Or he may also mark them off in one and the
same direction ^ : but let him, in any case, mark
off last of all the one which is on the left of those
in front.
8. He digs them, in the very same order in which they have been marked off, with, 'Thou artgreat,
sharpened on one side. For a fuller description, see VI, 3, i, 30 seq.
1 Vina, i. e. leaving that space between each two adjoining upa- ravas. They are themselves to be round, a span in diameter. Hence by connecting the four centres by lines, a square of two spans (of thumb and forefinger), or one cubit, is obtained. See Baudh. .Sulvas. loi.
^ That is, successively the south-eastern, the south-western, the north-western, and last, the north-eastern hole.
Ill KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 1 3. 137
of great sound !' — he praises and extols them, when
he says, ' Thou art great, of great sound ;' — ' Utter
thou the great voice unto Indra!' — Indra, for-
sooth, is the deity of the sacrifice ; and the cart-shed
belonging to Vish;2u, he thereby makes it to be
connected with Indra : therefore he says, ' Utter
thou the great voice unto Indra!'
9. 'The Rakshas-killing, charm-killing
(voice),' for it is indeed for the killing of the charms
of the Rakshas that these (holes) are dug ; — ' O f
Vish;^u;' for that voice in the cart-shed is indeed
Vish?2u's.
10. He throws out (the earth from) them in the
order in which he has dug them, with (Va^. S. V, 23),
' Here do I cast out the charm which the alien,
which the inmate of my house has buried for
me!' Either an alien or an inmate of his house
buries charms by way of witchcraft : these he thereby
casts out.
11. 'Here do I cast out the charm which
my equal, which my unequal has buried for
me!' Either one equal, or one unequal, to him
buries charms by way of witchcraft : these he
thereby casts out.
12. 'Here do I cast out the charm which
the kinsman, which the stranger has buried
for me!' Either a kinsman or a stranger buries
charms by way of witchcraft : these he thereby
casts out.
13. ' Here do I cast out the charm which the
countryman, which the foreigner has buried
for me !' Either a countryman or a foreigner buries
charms by way of witchcraft : these he thereby casts
out. With 'I cast out witchcraft!' he finally
