^ This touching takes place either before or after the invocation of Ida. (see I, 8, 1,1 seq.), whereupon the priests and sacrificer eat their respective portions; the straight gut being the Agnidh's, the part above the udder (adhyudhni) the Hotrfs, the kloman (apparently the right lung) the Brahman's, the pericardium (Ppuritit) the Adh- varyu's, and the spleen the sacrificer's share, while the Ida. is eaten by all of them.
2 Or perhaps, — And as to his touching it before this, (he did so) fearing lest those (evil spirits) that hover near would tear it about ; and even if he be not (any longer?) afraid of its being torn about, let him now touch it in any case. The Ka«va text has simply, —
2IO ^-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
37. [Va^. S. VI, 20], 'To Indra belongeth
the out-breathing: may it attend^ to every
limb! To Indra belongeth the in-breathing :
it is attended to in every limb.' Where it has
been cut up limb by limb, there he heals it by
means of the out-breathing and in-breathing. — ' O
divine Tvash/rz, let thine ample (forms)
closely unite together, that it be uniform
what is of different shape:' whereby he makes
it completely enclosed (in its limbs and flesh).
'May thy friends, thy father and mother^ to
please thee, joyfully welcome thee going to
the gods!' Thus, having made it whole wherever
he has offered (a piece of) it, he afterwards unites it
firmly, and that body (self) of it is complete in yonder
world.
Fourth BRAHMAiVA.
I. Now there are three elevens at the animal
offering, — eleven fore-offerings, eleven after-offerings,
and eleven by-offerings: ten fingers, ten toes, ten
vital airs, and the out-breathing, in-breathing and
through-breathing — this much constitutes man, who
is the highest of animals, after whom^ are all animals.
This is tlie time for touching ; but if he think, ' Those standing about here will meddle with it,' he may also touch it before : but this is certainly the time for touching.
^ The St. Petersburg Dictionary suggests that ' nididhyat ' and 'nidhita' are probably corruptions of forms from ' dha;' the Taitt. S. (I, 3, 10) having ' ni dedhyat — vi bobhuvat' instead. Mahi- dhara also takes 'nididhyat' from 'dhi' in the sense of 'dha,' — ' In- dra's out-breathing is infused into every limb ; Indra's in-breathing has been infused into every limb.' The Ka«va text has ' -nidhita/;, -nididhe.'
2 Rather, ' the mothers (or mother) and fathers.' The Taitt. S. separates mala pitara/;, ' the mother and the fathers.'
^ That is, inferior to whom, or, after the manner of whom.
Ill KAiVDA, 8 ADHYAVA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 7. 211
2. Now they say, * What, then, Is done at the sacri- fice whereby the vital air is kindly to all the limbs ?'
3. When he divides the hind-part into three
portions, — the hind-part being (an opening of the)
vital air, and that (animal) extending from thence
forward, that vital air pervades it all through.
4. And in that he cuts the hind-part into three
portions, — one third for the by-offerings, one third
into the jnjihii, and one third into the upahhrzt, —
thereby the vital air is kindly to all the limbs.
5. He alone, however, may slay an animal who
can supply it with the sacrificial essence \ And if it
be lean, let him stuff into the hind-part whatever
may be left of the fat of the belly : the hind-part
being (an opening of) the vital air, and that (animal)
extending from thence forward, that vital air per-
vades it all through. The animal, forsooth, is breath ;
for only so long (does) the animal (live), as it breathes
with the breath ; but when the breath departs from
it, it lies there useless, even (as) a block of wood.
6. The hind-part is (part of) the animal, and fat
means sacrificial essence^: thus he supplies it with
the sacrificial essence. But if it be tender (juicy),
then it has itself obtained the sacrificial essence.
7. Thereupon he takes clotted ghee ; for twofold indeed is this (clotted ghee), — to wit, both ghee
' Saya«a takes 'medham' as apposition to ' enam,' and explains it by 'medharha, pravr/ddha,' and 'upanayet' by 'prapnuyal' (it is, doubtless. ' zufiihren '). The Kawva text, however, reads, — Tad ahu/i sa vai pasum labheteti ya enaw med'ia upanayed iti.
^ Gudo vai pasuk, medo vai medhas ; this is one of many excep- tions to the rule laid down by Professor Delbriick regarding the order of subject and predicate, Synt. Forsch., III. p. 26. Copulative sentences with a tertium comparationis likewise do not generally conform to that rule.
2 I 2 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
and sour milk^ — and a productive union means a couple : thus a productive union is thereby effected.
8. Therewith they perform at the after-offerings.
The after-offerings mean cattle, and clotted ghee
means milk : hence he thereby puts milk into the
cattle, and thus milk is here contained (or beneficial,
hita) in the cattle; for clotted ghee means breath,
because clotted ghee is food, and breath is food.
9. Therewith he (the Adhvaryu) performs in front
(on the Ahavaniya) at the after-offerings, — whereby
he puts into (the victim) that vital air which is here
in front; — and therewith he (the Pratiprasthatrz)
performs behind (the altar) at the by-offerings ^ —
whereby he puts into it that vital air which is here
behind : thus two vital airs are here contained (or bene-
ficial) on both sides, the one above and the one below.
*io. Here now, one (Hotri) pronounces the Vashai* for two, — for the Adhvaryu (who performs the after-
^ See p. 156, note 3.
^ When the priests and sacrificer have eaten their portions of the Ida, the Agnidh fetches hot coals from the -Samitra (or, at the animal offering connected with the Soma-sacrifice), optionally from the Agnidhra, and puts them on the Hotri's hearth (p. 148, note 4), — or at the ordinary animal offering (niruflyia paju), on the north hip (north-west corner) of the altar after removing the sacrificial grass. On these coals the Pratiprasthatrz' performs the by-offerings (upa- ya^), while the Adhvar}!! performs the after-offerings (anuy%a) on the Ahavaniya. For the by-offerings the Pratiprasthatr/ cuts the respective part and the hind-quarter (III, 8, 3, 18) into eleven parts, and at each Vasha/ throws one piece thereof with his hand into the fire. The recipients of the first eight and the last after-offerings, on the other hand, are the same as those of the nine after-offerings at the Seasonal sacrifices (part i, p. 404). The Hotr/'s formulas for the additional two offerings, inserted before the last, are : 9. The divine lord of the forest [10. The divine barhis of water-plants] may graciously accept (the offering) for abundant obtainment of abundant gift! Vausha/!' (cf. part i, p. 235; Asv.Sr. Ill, 6, 13.)
Ill KANDA, 8 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, I 7. 213
offerings) and for him (the Pratiprasthatrz) who per-
forms the by-offerings. And because he offers them
by (in addition to) the offering (Adhvaryu), therefore
they are called by-offerings. And in performing the
by-offerings, he produces (offspring) ^ since he per-
forms the by-offerings behind (the altar), and from
behind offspring is produced from woman.
11. He offers the by-offerings with (Va^. S. VI, 2 1),
'Go thou to the sea, Hail!' The sea is water,
and seed is water : he thereby casts seed.
12. 'Go thou to the air, Hail!' It is into
(along) the air that offspring is born : into the air he
produces (offspring).
13. * Go thou to the divine Savitre, Hail!'
Savitr/ is the impeller of the gods : impelled by
Savitre he thus produces creatures.
14. 'Go thou to Mitra and Varu/za, Hail!'
Mitra and Varu;^a are the out-breathing and in-
breathing : he thus bestows out-breathing and in-
breathing on the creatures.
15. ' Go thou to the day and the night. Hail !'
It is through (along) day and night that offspring is
born : through day and night he causes creatures to
be born.
16. 'Go thou to the metres, Hail!' There
are seven metres ; and there are seven domestic and
seven wild animals : both kinds he thus causes to be
produced.
17. 'Go thou to heaven and earth. Hail!' For, Pra^apati, having created the living beings,
* Praivaina;;? ta^ ^anayati, ' he causes it (the victim) to be born (again),' Ka«va rec. The above passage has apparently to be understood in a general sense, ' he causes birth to take place among living creatures.'
2 1 4 6'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
enclosed them between heaven and earth, and so
these beings are enclosed between heaven and earth.
And in like manner does this (offerer), having created
living beings, enclose them between heaven and earth.
1 8. He then makes additional by-offerings (ati-
upaya^). Were he not to make additional by-offer-
ings, there would only be as many living beings as
were created in the beginning ; they would not be
propagated; but by making additional by-offerings
he indeed propagates them ; whence creatures are
again born here repeatedly ^
Fifth BRAHMAivA.
1. He makes the additional by-offerings: — with
' Go thou to the sacrifice", Hail !' The sacrifice
is water, and seed is water : he thus casts seed.
2. 'Go thou to Soma, Hail!' Soma is seed: he thus casts seed.
3. 'Go thou to the heavenly ether, Hail!'
The heavenly ether is water, and seed is water : he
thus casts seed.
4. 'Go thou to Agni Vai^vanara, Hail!'
Agni Vaii-vanara (' belonging to all men ') is this
earth, and she is a safe resting-place : upon that
safe resting-place he thus produces (creatures).
5. He then touches his mouth, with, 'Give me
mind and heart!' thus indeed the by-offerer does
not throw himself after (the oblations into the fire).
6. Thereupon^ they perform the Patnisa/^/ya^as
^ Or, ' by making additional by-offerings he reproduces them : whence creatures are born here returning again and again' (metem- psychosis).
"^ The Kawva text (as the Taitt. S.) reverses the order of this and the following formula. Nor does it beQ:in a new Brahma;za here.
^ Having completed the last after-offering, the Adhvaryu, in the
Ill KANDAy 8 ADHYAYA, 5 BRAHMAiVA, 9. 2 I 5
with the tail (of the victim), for the tail is the hind-
part, and from the hind-part of woman offspring
is produced : hence offspring is produced by the
Patnisa;;2ya^as being performed with the tail.
7. For the wives of the gods he cuts portions
from the inside, since it is from the inside of woman
that offspring is produced ; for Agni the householder
from above, since it is from above that the male
approaches the female.
8. Thereupon they betake themselves, with the
heart-spit, to the purificatory bath ^ N ow, the anguish
of the victim, in being slaughtered, concentrates
itself into the heart, and from the heart into the
heart-spit; and whatever part of cooked (food) is
pierced that becomes palatable^ : therefore let him
roast it on the spit after piercing it. Uppermost on
the thrice-moved (portions of the) victim he places
that heart after pulling it off (the spit).
9. He (the slaughterer) then hands the heart-spit (to the Adhvaryu). Let him not throw it on the
first place, throws the first chip of the sacrificial stake into the fire, in accordance with III, 7, i, 32. For the four Patnisawya^as, the deities of which are Soma, Tvash/rz', the wives of the gods, and Agni the householder, see part i, p. 256. The first two offerings may consist only of ghee, or, as the last two, of a piece of the tail.
^ The technical term for this purificatory ceremony is julava- bhr/tha, or 'spit-bath.' On the present occasion it is not per- formed (see paragraph 11), but it is inserted here because it forms the conclusion of the ordinary animal off"ering, not connected with the Soma-sacrifice {nhudh^-pasu), as well as of the offering of a sterile cow (termed anObandhya) to Mitra and Varuwa, which con- cludes the Soma-sacrifice. See part i, p. 379, note i, and IV, 5, 2, I seq.
2 ? Alaw^usha, ' sufficient for eating,' Sayawa ; ' sufficient in itself,' St. Petersburg Diet. The Ka;/va text has the probably preferable reading, — atha alaw^usha/// ir/tam eva paritr/ndanti, — 'they then pierce (with the spit) what is already sufficiendy cooked.'
2 1 6 ^ATAPATilA-BRAHMAiVA.
ground, nor into the water ; for were he to throw it
on the ground, that anguish would enter into the
plants and trees ; and were he to throw it into the
water, that anguish would enter into the water :
hence neither on the ground, nor into the water.
TO. But on going down to the water, let him bury
it at the place where the dry and the moist meet.
But if he feel disinclined to going down (to the
water), he pours out a vessel of water in front of the
sacrificial stake and buries (the spit) at the place
where the dry and the moist meet, with (Va^. S.
VI, 22), 'Injure thou not the waters nor the
plants!' thus it injures neither the waters nor the
plants; 'From every fetter^ — therefrom de-
liver us, O king Varu;^a! That they say, we
swear by the "Inviolable (cows)," by "Varu;^a^"
