^ [He does so, thinking], ' Lest I should cook it on the Aha- vaniya uncooked.' Kawva rec.
2 ' For it is for the drops that he thus lights it.' Ka«va rec.
^ That is, across the altar immediately behind the fire cr high altar.
196 DATAPATH A-BR A HMAA^A.
between the sacrificial stake and the fire. Having gone round to the south side, the Pratiprasthatr2 roasts it.
21. Thereupon the Adhvaryu, having taken ghee
with the dipping-spoon, pours it upon the omentum,
with, * May Agni graciously accept the ghee,
Hail!' Thus those drops thereof reach the fire after
becoming cooked offerings, made with Svaha (hail) !
22. He then says (to the ]Maitravaru;/a^), ' Recite
to the drops!' He recites to the drops verses
addressed to Agni-. The reason why he recites to
the drops verses addressed to Agni, is that rain
originates from gifts made from this earth, for from
here it is that Agni obtains the rain ; by means of
these drops (falling from the omentum) he obtains
those (rain) drops, arid those drops rain down ; there-
fore he recites to the drops verses addressed to
Agni. When it is roasted, —
23. The Pratiprasthatr/ says, * It is roasted: pro-
ceed^ !' The Adhvaryu, having taken the two spoons
and stept across (to the north side of the fire) and
called for the ^'rausha^', says (to the Maitravaru7za),
' Prompt for the Svahas ^ ! ' and offers (the ghee)
when the Vasha/ has been pronounced ^
^ Thus according to the commentator on Katy. VI, 6, 18. See also note on IV, 2, 5, 22, and Haug, Transl. Ait. Br. p. loi note.
^ The (invitatory) formulas are Rig-veda I, 75, i, and III, 21, 1-5; Ait. Br. II, 12 ; A^v. ^r. Ill, 4, i.
^ The Pratiprasthatr/ withdraws the omentum from the fire, and takes it (between fire and stake) to the north of the pit, where the Adhvaryu in the first place performs the so-called pra«adana (vol. i, p. 438 note), after which he deposits it on the altar. Katy. VI, 6, 20.
* That is, for the offering-prayer or ya^ya of the last fore-offering, being the last verse of whatever apri hymn may be used ; followed by a number of Svahas, each with the name of some deity or deities (cf. I, 5, 3, 22-23).
^ Cf. Haug, Transl. Ait. Br. p. 100, note 4.
Ill KAA^DA, 8 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 26. I97
24. Having offered, he bastes first the omentum,
then the clotted ghee. Now the A'araka-Adhvaryus,
forsooth, baste first the clotted ghee, arguing that the
clotted ghee is the breath ; and a A'araka-Adhvaryu,
forsooth, cursed Ya^;/avalkya for so doing, saying,
' That Adhvaryu has shut out the breath ; the breath
shall depart from him !'
25. But he, looking at his arms, said, 'These
hoary arms — what in the world has become of the
Brahman's word^ !' Let him not heed that (objection
of the T^arakas) ; for this is the last fore-offering, —
and this being a havis-offering, at the last fore-
offering he first pours ghee into the dhruva, being
about to offer the first two butter-portions with it 2.
Now, on the present occasion, he will first offer the
omentum ; therefore let him first baste the omentum,
then the clotted ghee. And though he does not
baste the victim with ghee, 'lest he should baste
the uncooked,' that whole victim of his yet becomes
(as it were) basted with ghee in that he bastes the
omentum ; let him therefore first baste the omentum,
then the clotted ghee.
26. Thereupon he makes an ' underlayer' of ghee
(in the^uhu-spoon),and lays a piece of gold thereon.
Then, cutting off the omentum (from the spits and
putting it into the spoon), he says (to the Hotri),
' Recite (the invitatory prayer) to Agni and Soma
1 That is, so much time has gone by since I first adopted that practice, and here I am grown old and still in full vigour. Say. ' But he, lying old and worn out, said, " These two arms have be- come gray — what in the world has become of the Brahman's wordl'"
Kawva text.
2 On the two butter-portions to Agni and Soma, succeeding the
fore-offerings, see part i, p. 174 note.
198 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
for the omentum and fat of the buck!' He then
lays (another) piece of gold on (the omentum) and
bastes it twice with ghee above.
27. The reason why there is a piece of gold on
both sides is this. When they offer the victim in
the fire they slay it ; and gold means immortal life :
hence it (the victim) rests in immortal life. And so
it rises from hence, and so it lives ; for this reason
there is a piece of gold^ on both sides. Having
called for the Sraushaf, he says (to the Maitrava-
rwia.), ' Prompt (the Hotrz to recite the offering-
prayer ^ on) the omentum and fat of the buck for
Agni and Soma !' He does not say, '. . . (the omen-
tum and fat) brought forward ;' when the Soma has
been pressed he says, 'brought forwards' He offers
when the Vasha^ has been pronounced.
28. Having offered the omentum, he lays the two
spits together and throws them after (the omentum
into the fire), with, 'Consecrated by Svaha, go
ye to t)rdhvanabhas^ son of the Maruts!' He
does so, thinking, ' Lest these two wherewith we have
cooked the omentum should come to nought.'
29. The reason why they perform with the omen-
tum is this. For whatever deity the victim is seized,
that same deity he pleases by means of that fat (part) ;
and that same deity, thus pleased with that fat, waits
^ The Kawva text has ' hirawyajalka (masc.) ' here and elsewhere.
2 The anuvakya and ya^ya for the omentum are Rig-veda I, 93, I and 5 respectively.
^ At the animal offerings on the Soma-days he adds to his praisha (order) the word ' prasthitam,' lit. standing before (the altar). Katy. VI, 6, 27. See also S. Br. IV, 4, 3, 9.
* Urdhvanabhas, 'he who drives the clouds upwards' (or, keeps the clouds above), or, perhaps, 'he w^ho is above (in) the welkin,' is apparently a name of Vayu, the wind. Cf. Ill, 6, i, 16.
Ill KANDA, 8 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAA^A, 2. 1 99
patiently for the other sacrificial dishes being cooked ; this is why they perform with the omentum.
30. They then cleanse themselves over the pit^
For in quieting and cutting up (the victim) they
wound it ; and water being a means of soothing,
they now soothe it by means of water, heal it by
means of water ; therefore they cleanse themselves
over the pit.
Third BRAHMAiVA.
1. For the same deity for which there is a victim,
he subsequently prepares a sacrificial cake 2. The
reason why he subsequently prepares a cake is this.
Rice and barley, truly, are the sacrificial essence
of all animals (victims) ^; with that same essence he
now completes that (victim) and makes it whole.
This is why he subsequently prepares a sacrificial
cake.
2. And why he proceeds with that cake after
performing (offering) with the omentum is this. It
is from the middle (of the victim) that this omentum
is pulled out, and from the middle he now completes
that (victim) by means of that sacrificial essence and
makes it whole ; therefore he proceeds with that cake
after performing with the omentum. The relation of
^ They do so with the mantra, Va^. S. VI, 17 (Atharva-veda VII, 89, 3; cf. Rig-veda I, 23, 22 ; X, 9, 8).
^ The technical name of this cake to Indra and Agni is pa^u- purodaja (animal-cake). The anuvakya and y%ya for the chief oblation, are Rig-veda I, 93, 2 and 6 respectively ; for the Svish/a- kn"t, III, I, 23, and III, 54, 22 ; Asv. Ill, 8, i ; 5, 9. For a similar performance, described in detail, see note on III, 2, 5, 22.
^ On the sacrificial essence passing successively from man into the horse, the ox, the goat, and finally into the rice and barley, see I, 2, 3, 6-7.
200 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAA^A.
this (cake to the animal offering), indeed, is one and
the same everywhere ; that cake is prepared after
(and supplementary to) a victim.
3. Thereupon he cuts up the victim : ' Move
thrice \ and make the heart the uppermost of the
thrice-moved!' thus (he says to the slaughterer),
for threefold is the sacrifice.
4. He then instructs the slaughterer : ' If one
ask thee, " Is the sacrificial food cooked, O ^Samitar ?"
say thou only "Cooked!" not "Cooked, reverend
sir !" nor " Cooked, forsooth ! " '
' The order of proceeding is not quite clear from the context, and seems to have puzzled the later ritualists. From Katy. VI, 7-8 it would seem that the author of the Sutras means the per- formance of the cake-offering to go on simultaneously with the cutting up of the victim (and the cooking of the portions and roasting of the beast). The comm. on Katy. VI, 7, 29, how- ever, protests against this arrangement as contrary to the order laid down in the Brahmawa; and insists especially on the ' atha (now)' at the beginning of this paragraph. This particle is, however, often used in a vague sense ; as very frequently when, after sketching the chief course of performance, the author turns back to fill in the details. There seems also a difference of opinion as to the exact meaning of the above direction given by the Adhvaryu to the 6'amitar after (as would seern) the portions have been cooked. The commentator on Katy. VI, 8, i ap- parently takes ' tri/^ pra/^yavaya ' in the sense of ' shake thrice ' or * turn thrice.' Saya«a, on the other hand, explains it as meaning that the Samitri is to divide the portions into three parts, according to whether they are destined for the chief offerings, or the Svish/a- krit, or the by-offerings (?). As the direction cannot refer to the taking out of the portions from the cooking-vessel (ukha) it would seem that the ^'amitar is either to move (shake) the vessel itself, or to stir the contents, perhaps hereby separating the respective por- tions. The Ka«va text reads, Tri/i pra/^yavayad ity uttame pra/^yava uttamardhe hr/dayaw^ kurutad iti. The heart, when done, is to be removed from the spit and laid on the portions; whereupon the Adhvaryu pours ghee on the portions (paragraph 8).
in KANDA, 8 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAA^A, lO. 20I
5. Having then taken clotted ghee with the^uhu,
the Adhvaryu, stepping^ up (from the altar) to (the
^'amitra), asks, * Is the sacrificial food cooked, O
.Samitar?' 'Cooked/ he says. 'That is of the
gods,' says the Adhvaryu in a low voice.
6. The reason why he asks is this. Cooked,
forsooth, not uncooked (must be) the gods' food ;
and the ^'amitr^' indeed knows whether it is cooked
or uncooked.
7. And again, why he asks. 'I will perform
with cooked (food),' so he thinks ; and if that sacri-
ficial food be uncooked, it is yet cooked food for the
gods, and is cooked as regards the Sacrificer ; and
the Adhvaryu is guiltless ; on the slaughterer that
guilt lies. Thrice he asks, for threefold is the sacri-
fice. And as to his saying, ' That is of the gods,'
that which is cooked, indeed, belongs to the gods ;
therefore he says, 'That is of the gods.'
8. The heart he bastes (with clotted ghee) first
of all ; for the heart is the self (soul), the mind ;
and the clotted ghee is the breath ; he thus puts
the breath into its (the victim's) self, into its mind ;
and thus it verily becomes the living food of the
gods, and immortal for the immortals.
9. He bastes it with (Va^. S. VI, i8), ' May thy
mind unite with the mind; thy breath with
the breath !' He utters no Svaha (' hail'), for this
is not an oblation. They remove the victim (from
the cooking-fire) ^
10. They take it along the back of the pit, and
^ The Adhvaryu removes the dish northwards from the fire, takes the portions out of it, puts them into some kind of basket, and performs 'pra«adana' (p. 196, note 3) on them.
202 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
between the sacrificial stake and the (Ahavaniya)
fire. The reason why, though it is cooked, they
do not take it across the middle' (of the altar), as
they take other sacrificial dishes, is 'lest they
should bring the sacrifice in the middle in connec-
tion with that which is cut up by limbs and mangled.'
And why they do not take it outside (the altar) in
front of the stake, is that they would thereby put
it outside the sacrifice : therefore they take (the
flesh) along between the stake and the fire. When
they have put it down south (of the fire), the Prati-
prasthatr/ cuts off (the portions). There are Plaksha
branches ^ (Ficus Infectoria) by way of an upper barhis
(covering of altar) ; thereon he cuts. The reason
why there are Plaksha branches by way of an upper
barhis is this.
11. For when the gods, at first, seized an animal
(to sacrifice), Tvash//^ first spat upon its head,
thinking, 'Surely, thus they will not touch it!' for
animals belong to Tvash/r/. That (spittle became)
the brain in the head and the marrow in the neck-
bone ^ : hence that (substance) is like spittle, for
Tvash/r/ spat it. Let him therefore not eat that,
since it was spitten by Tvash/rz.
12. Its sacrificial essence flowed down and there
a tree sprang up. The gods beheld it ; wherefore
it (was called) 'prakhya' (visible), for 'plaksha,'
