^ When, instead of a single he-goat to Agni, eleven victims are slaughtered, they are either bound to one stake each, or all to one and the same. See III, 9, i, 4 seq. The chip alluded to is one of those obtained in rough-hewing the stake and making it eight- cornered.
1 74 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAA'A.
there is above the top-ring, — the gods called the
' Blessed \' — their world he therewith gains ; verily,
whosoever thus knows this, he becomes one of the
same world with the blessed gods.
26. That (sacrificial stake) he sets up on the
fore-part (of the altar) ; for the stake is a thunder-
bolt, as the club is a thunderbolt. But in hurling
the club one takes hold of its fore-part; and that
(stake) is the fore-part of the sacrifice ; therefore he
sets it up on the fore-part (of the altar).
27. Verily, by means of the sacrifice the gods
gained that supreme authority which they now wield.
They spake, * How may this (world) of ours be made
unattainable to men ?' They sipped the sap of the
sacrifice, as bees would suck out honey, and having
drained the sacrifice and scattered it by means
of the sacrificial stake, they disappeared. And
because they scattered (yopaya) therewith, there-
fore it is called yupa (sacrificial stake). At the
head stands intelligence, at the head swiftness of
thought; therefore he sets it up on the fore-part
(of the altar).
28. It is eight-cornered ; for the giyatri metre
consists of eight syllables, and the gayatri is the
fore-part of the sacrifice, as this (stake) is the fore-
part of the sacrifice ; therefore it is eight-cornered.
29. Now the gods once threw it after (the pra-
stara into the fire) even as now some throw it after,
thinking, ' So the gods did it.' Thereupon the Rak-
shas sipped the sacrifice (Soma) after (the gods).
30. The gods said unto the Adhvaryu, ' Offer thou only a chip of the stake ; thereby this (sacri-
^ On the ' sadhyas ' see Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 6, note 2.
Ill KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 2. I 75
ficer) will be bid good-speed^ ; and thus the Rakshas
will not hereafter sip the sacrifice, thinking, " that
(stake) surely is a raised thunderbolt.'"
31. The Adhvaryu, then, offered up only a chip
of the stake, and thereby that (sacrificer) was bid
good-speed ; and thus the Rakshas did not there-
after sip the sacrifice, thinking, ' that surely is a
raised thunderbolt.'
32. And in like manner does he now only offer
up that chip of the sacrificial stake ^ ; thereby this
(sacrificer) is bid good-speed ; and thus the Rakshas
do not thereafter sip the sacrifice, thinking, ' that
surely is a raised thunderbolt!' He offers it^ with
the text (Va^. S. VI, 21), ' May thy smoke rise up
to the sky, thy light to the heavens! fill the
earth with ashes, Hail!'
Second BRAHMAivA.
1. Verily, as large as the altar is, so large is the
earth. The sacrificial stakes are thunderbolts ; and
by means of these thunderbolts he obtains posses-
sion of this earth, and excludes his enemies from
sharing therein. Hence there are eleven stakes, and
the twelfth lies aside rough-hewn ; he puts it down
south (of the altar). The reason why the twelfth
lies aside is this.
2. Now the gods, while performing this sacrifice.
^ See I, 8, 3, II seq. 2 gee Ait. Br. II, 3.
^ The offering of the chips does not take place till the end of the after-offerings (see note to III, 8, 5, 6). It is somewhat strange that it should be anticipated in this place, both in this and the Ka«va recensions.
1 76 S-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAATA.
were afraid of an attack from the Asura-Rak-
shas. Those raised (sacrificial stakes), then, were
as a discharged arrow, — therewith one either smites
or smites not ; as a hurled club, — therewith one
either smites or smites not. But that twelfth (stake)
lying aside, — even as an arrow drawn but not dis-
charged, as (a weapon) raised but not hurled, so
was that a thunderbolt raised for repelling the evil
spirits on the south ; therefore the twelfth (stake)
lies aside.
3. He lays it down with (Va^. S. VI, 6), 'This
is thy place on earth; thine is the beast of
the forest.' There are the animal (victim) and
the sacrificial stake ; to this one he thereby assigns
of animals that of the forest, and thus it, too, is
possessed of an animal (victim). That setting up
of the eleven sacrificial stakes is said to be of two
kinds, — some, namely, set (them all) up (on the pre-
vious day) for the morrow's Soma feast, and others
set up (one) stake for the preparation^ of the mor-
row's Soma feast,
4. Let him, however, not do this ; but let him
only set up the one opposite the fire. For after
setting it up the Adhvaryu does not quit his hold
of it till the girding ; but those (others) remain
^ No satisfactory explanation of ' prakubrata ' occurs to me. It seems to be derived from ' kubra,' to which the dictionaries assign the meanings ' hole for sacrificial fire' and 'thread ' (besides those of ' forest,' ' earring,' and ' cart'). U«ad. II, 28, derives this from a root ' kub,' to cover, shelter. ? For the safe foundation (or the pro- traction) of to-morrow's Soma feast. The Ka«va text, on the other hand, reads : ' Some, now, raise all (the stakes) on the upavasatha (day before the Soma feast) for the sake of quickening (? prakudra- tayai) the work, thinking, 'we will quickly bring the sacrifice to a close.'
Ill KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 8. IJJ
ungirt during that night. Thus there would be an
offence, since it is for the victim that the stake is set
up, and the victim is (only) slaughtered on the next
morning : let him therefore set up (the others) on
the next morning.
5. Let him first set up that (stake) which stands
(immediately) north of the one opposite the fire,
then the one on the south, then a northern one, —
last of all the one on the southern flank : thus it
(the row of stakes) inclines to the north.
6. But they also say conversely ^ ' Let him first
set up that which is south of the one opposite the
fire, then the northern one, then a southern one, —
last of all the one on the northern flank : and thus in-
deed his work attains completion towards the north.'
7. Let the largest be the one forming the southern
flank ; then shorter and shorter ; and the one form-
ing the northern flank the shortest : thus (the row
of stakes) inclines to the north.
8. Thereupon they set up the wife-stake for the
wives. It is for the sake of completeness, forsooth,
that the wife-stake is set up : there they seize (and
bind) the victim for Tvash/r/, for Tvash/re fashions
the cast seed, and hence he fashions the seed now
cast. It (the victim to Tvash^ri) is an animal with
testicles, for such a one is a begetter. Let him not
slay that one, but let him set it free after fire has
been carried round it. Were he to slay it, there
would assuredly be an end to offspring, but in this
way he sets free the offspring. Therefore let him not
^ The Ka«va text first mentions the practice set forth in the pre- ceding paragraph, as the teaching of ' some,' but then rejects it in favour of the second alternative.
1 78 ^SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
slay it, but let him set it free after fire has been carried round it.
Third Brahmajva.
B. The Killing of the Victim.
1. There are both an animal and a sacrificial
stake, for never do they immolate an animal without
a stake. And as to why this is so : — well, animals did
not at first submit thereto that they should become
food, as they are now become food ; for just as man
here walks two-footed and erect, so did they walk
two-footed and erect.
2. Then the gods perceived that thunderbolt, to
wit, the sacrificial stake ; they raised it, and from
fear thereof they (the animals) shrunk together and
thus became four-footed, and thus became food, as
they are now become food, for they submitted
thereto : wherefore they immolate the animal only
at a stake and never without a stake.
3. Having driven up the victim, and churned the
fire, he binds it (to the stake). And as to why this is
so : — well, animals did not at first submit thereto that
they should become sacrificial food, as they are now
become sacrificial food and are offered up in the fire.
The gods secured them : even thus secured they did
not resign themselves.
4. They spake, ' Verily, these (animals) know not
the manner of this, that it is in fire that sacrificial
food is offered, nor (do they know) that secure resort
(the fire) : let us offer fire into the fire after securing
the animals and churning the fire, and they will
know that this truly is the manner of sacrificial food.
Ill KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, Q. I 79
this its resort ; that it is truly in fire that sacrificial
food is offered : and accordingly they will resign
themselves, and will be favourably disposed to the
slaughtering.'
5. Having, then, first secured the animals, and
churned the fire, they offered fire into the fire ; and
then they (the animals) knew that this truly is the
manner of sacrificial food, this its resort ; that it is
truly in fire that sacrificial food is offered. And
accordingly they resigned themselves, and became
favourably disposed to the slaughtering.
6. And in like manner does he now offer fire into
the fire, after securing the animal and churning the
fire. It (the animal) knows that this truly is the
manner of sacrificial food, this its resort ; that it is
truly in fire that sacrificial food is offered ; and
accordingly it resigns itself and becomes favourably
disposed to the slaughtering. Therefore having
driven up the victim and churned the fire, he binds
it (to the stake).
7. As to this they say, ' Let him not drive up (the
victim), nor churn the fire ; but having taken the
rope and straightway gone thither and put (the rope)
round it, let him bind it.' Let him, however, not do
this ; for it would be as if he intended to commit
secretly some lawless action. Let him therefore go
round there.
8. Then, taking a straw, he drives it up, thinking,
'having a companion, I will secure it;' for he who
has a companion is strong.
9. He takes the straw with (Vag: S. VI, 7), ' Thou
art a cheerer!' for a companion does cheer one:
therefore he says, 'Thou art a cheerer.' 'The
celestial hosts have approached the gods;'
l8o DATAPATH A-BR AH MAiVA.
the celestial hosts, forsooth, are those beasts : ' they
have submitted to the gods' he means to say, when
he says, ' The celestial hosts have approached the
gods.'
10. 'The consIderate\ best of leaders;' for
the gods are wise : therefore he says, ' The con-
siderate, best of leaders.'
11. 'O divine Tvash^r^, settle the wealth!'
for Tvash^r/ is lord of beasts (cattle), and wealth
means cattle, it is with regard to those which did
not submit that the gods then said to Tvash/r?',
' Quiet them,' when he says, ' O divine Tvash/r/,
settle the wealth !'
12. * May the offerings be relished by thee !'
Since they themselves submitted thereto that they
should become sacrificial food, therefore he says,
* May the offerings be relished by thee !'
13. 'Rejoice, ye prosperous!' for cattle are
prosperous : therefore he says, ' Rejoice ye prosper-
ous.' ' O Lord of prayer, preserve our goods !'
The Lord of prayer, forsooth, is the Brahman ; and
goods mean cattle : those, which did not submit, the
gods on that occasion enclosed with the Brahman
on the farther side, and they did not pass over it.
And in like manner does he now enclose them with
the Brahman on the farther side, and they do not
pass over it : therefore he says, ' O Lord of prayer,
preserve our goods!' Having made a noose he
throws it over (the victim)^. Now then as to the
binding itself.
^ Uslg rather means ' willing, loving, devoted.' '^ According to the Taitt. authorities (Sayawa on Taitt. S. I, 3, 8), the rope is wound round the right fore-leg and then passed upwards
Ill KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAATA, 3. 181
Fourth BRAHMAivrA.
1. Having made a noose, he throws it over (the
victim) with (Vaf. S. VI, 8), 'With the noose of
sacred order I bind thee, O oblation to the
gods !' for that rope, forsooth, is Varu/za's : therefore
he thus binds it with the noose of sacred order, and
thus that rope of Varu;/a does not injure it.
2. 'Be bold, O manM' for at first man dared
not 2 to approach it (the victim) ; but now that he
thus binds it with the noose of sacred order, as an
oblation to the gods, man dares to approach it :
therefore he says, ' Be bold, O man !'
3. He then binds it (to the stake) with (Va^. S.
VI, 9), 'At the impulse of the divine Savitr/,
I bind thee with the arms of the A^vins, with
the hands of Pushan, thee agreeable to Agni
and Soma!' Even as on that occasion ^ when
taking out an oblation for a deity, he assigns it, so
does he now assign it to the two deities. He then
sprinkles it, — one and the same, forsooth, is the
