32. And if it be an Agnish/oma, and there be left a residue (of ghee poured together) in the pra/C'ara;/i
^ See p. 232, note 2 to paragraph 15.
2 Nigrabhya// is the technical name the Vasativari water in the Hotri's cup henceforth bears. It is handed to the sacrificer to carry to the Havirdhana; and is afterwards used for moistening the Soma plants (or, for being poured thereon) at the time of the pressing. See III, 9, 4, 14 seq.
Ill KANDA, 9 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 34. 237
Spoon sufficient for an oblation, let him offer that.
But if it be not sufficient for an oblation, he takes
another portion of ghee in four ladlings and offers
it, with (Vaf. S. VI, 29 ; Rig-veda I, 27, 7), 'What-
ever mortal thou favourest in battles, whom-
soever thou speedest in the race, he winneth
unfailing strength. Hail!' He offers with (a
prayer) to Agni, because the Agnish/oma (' Agni's
praise') means Agni ; thus he establishes the Agnish-
/oma in Agni. [He offers] with (a verse) containing
the word ' mortal,' because the Agnish/oma is of the
same measure as man. Let him then offer in this
manner, if it be an Agnish/oma.
33. And if it be an Ukthya, let him touch the
middle enclosing-stick, — there are three enclosing-
sticks and three recitations (uktha) ^ ; and by means
of them the sacrifice is there established. And if it
be either an Atiratra or a Short^ann -, let him neither
make an oblation nor touch the middle enclosing-
stick ; having merely muttered (the above verse),
let him silently betake himself (to the Havirdhana)
and enter it^ In this way he duly distinguishes
the forms of sacrifice from one another.
34. The Ekadhana pitchers are always of uneven
number, — either three, or five, or seven, or nine, or
eleven, or thirteen, or fifteen ^ Now two and two
^ See note on IV, 4, 2, 18 ; Haug, Ait. Br., Transl. p. 251.
2 And if it be a Stio^^a^-in, or an Atiratra, or a V%apeya. Kawva rec. See note on IV, 5, 3, i.
^ According to Katy. IX, 3, 20-21 he may, while muttering that verse, touch the front wreath at the Sho^ajin, and the side-mat at the Atiratra.
* The original has, — either three, or five, or five, or seven, or seven, or nine, &c. The Kawva text, on the other hand, has merely, — either three, or five, or seven, or nine, or nineteen.
238 SATAPATHA-BRAHMA/VA.
(an even number) means a productive pair ; and the
one that remains over, remains over for the sacri-
ficer's prosperity. And, moreover, that which remains
over for the sacrificer's prosperity is the common pro-
perty (sa-dhana) of these (others) ; and because it
is the common property of these, therefore they are
called Ekadhana (having one as their common
property).
Fourth Brahmaa^a.
B. The Prata/zsavana, or Morning-Pressing. I. Upa3/<S'u-Graha.
1. Thereupon they sit down round the two press-
boards ^ He (the Adhvaryu) then ties a piece of gold
to that (nameless finger). For twofold, verily, is this ;
there is no third, namely, the truth and the untruth ;
the gods, forsooth, are the truth, and men are the
untruth. And the gold has sprung from Agni's
seed : ' With the truth I will touch the stalks,
with the truth I will take hold of Soma,' thus he
thinks, and therefore he ties a piece of gold to that
(ring-finger).
2. He then takes a press-stone -. Now those
^ The Adhvarju and sacrificer sit north of them, looking towards the south ; and the assistants of the former — viz. the Pratiprasthatrz", Nesh/rz", and Unnetrz' — on the south side, looking northwards. The press-boards were laid down on the ' sound-holes,' under the fore-part of the southern Soma-cart, and the pressing-skin was spread over them ; see III, 5, 4, 22-23. The Udgatr/s, or chanters, are seated behind the carts.
2 Viz. the upa?/^-s'Usavana, or •low-voiced pressing (stone),' (see paragraph 6,) with which the Soma for the Vparusu libation (or cup, graha) is pressed.
Ill KANDA, 9 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAA^A, 5. 239
press-Stones are of rock, and Soma is a god — for
Soma was in the sky, Soma was Vmra ; those
mountains, those rocks are his body — he thus per-
fects him by means of his body, makes him whole ;
therefore they are of rock. Moreover, in pressing
him they slay him, they slay him by means of that
(stone, Soma's own body) ; thus he rises from
thence, thus he lives ; therefore the press-stones
are of rock.
3. He takes it with (Vaf. S. VI, 30), 'At the
impulse of the divine Savitr/ I take thee with
the arms of the As-vins, with the hands of
Pushan; thou art a giver!' For Savit?^^ is the
impeller of the gods ; thus he takes it, impelled by
Savitr?. ' With the arms of the A^vins,' he says, —
the A^vins are the Adhvaryus (of the gods) : with
their arms he thus takes it, not with his own. 'With
the hands of Pushan,' he says, — Pushan is the dis-
tributor of portions: with his hands he thus takes
it, not with his own. Moreover, that (stone) is a
thunderbolt, and no man can hold it : by means of
those deities he takes it.
4. ' I take thee : thou art a giver,' he says ; for
when they press him by means of that (stone), then
there is an oblation ; and when he offers an oblation,
then he gives sacrificial gifts, — thus, then, that (stone)
gives twofold, oblations and sacrificial gifts ; where-
fore he says, ' Thou art a giver.'
5. ' Perform thou this deep cult !' Cult means
sacrifice ; he thereby means to say, ' Perform thou
this great sacrifice!' — 'well-gotten for Indra;'
by 'well-gotten' he means to say, 'well-produced;'
and Indra is the deity of the sacrifice, wherefore he
says, 'for Indra;' — 'by the most excellent bolt,'
240 5ATAP AT MA-BRA HMAiVA.
for he, Soma, is indeed the most excellent bolt^,
therefore he says, 'by the most excellent bolt;' —
'the (cult) rich in food and sweetness and
drink,' whereby he means to say, 'the (cult) rich
in sap.'
6. Thereupon he restrains speech. For once on
a time, the gods, while performing sacrifice, were
afraid of an attack from the Asura - Rakshas.
They said, ' Let us sacrifice in a low voice, let us
restrain speech ! ' They sacrificed (with formulas
muttered) in a low voice and restrained speech.
7. He then fetches the N igrabhyas (waters), and
makes him (the sacrificer) mutter over them-, 'Ye
are the Nigrabhyas, heard by the gods; satisfy
me, satisfy my mind, satisfy my speech, satisfy
my breath, satisfy mine eye, satisfy mine ear,
satisfy my soul, satisfy mine offspring, satisfy
my flocks, satisfy my followers, let not my fol-
lowers thirst!' For water is sap, and over it he
invokes this blessing, 'Satisfy ye my whole self,
satisfy my offspring, satisfy my followers, let not my
followers thirst!' Now that Upawz^usavana (stone),
forsooth, is in reality Aditya Vivasvant (the sun), it
is the pervading vital air (vyana) of this (sacrifice).
8. Thereon he metes out (the Soma). For in
pressing him they slay him, they slay him by means
of that (stone) ; thus=^ he rises from hence, thus he
1 It is doubtful what ' pavi ' may mean here. It seems to mean originally a metallic mounting, especially of a shaft. The com- mentators explain it by ' thunderbolt.'
2 The sacrificer holds the Hotri"s cup with the Nigrabhya/z to
his breast.
^ Viz. by being placed upon the stone, which is identical with the sun (?); but cf. Ill, 8, 2, 27.
Ill KANDA, 9 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAA^A, II. 24I
lives. And because he metes him out, therefore
there is a measure, — both the measure among men\
and what other measure there is.
9. He metes out with (Va^-. S. VI, 32), 'Thee
for Indra, with the Vasus, with the Rudras !'
For Indra is the deity of the sacrifice : therefore he
says, 'Thee for Indra;' and by saying 'with the
Vasus, with the Rudras,' he assigns a share, along
with (or after) Indra, to the Vasus and the Rudras.
— ' Thee for Indra, with the Adityas !' whereby
he assigns a share to the Adityas along with Indra.
— ' Thee for Indra, the slayer of foes !' a foe is
an enemy: 'Thee for Indra, the slayer of enemies,'
he means to say. This is his (Indra's) special share :
as there is a special share for a chief, so is this his
special share apart from the (other) gods.
10. 'Thee for the Soma-bearinsf falcon!'
this he metes out for Gayatri. — 'Thee for Agni,
the bestower of growth of wealth!' Now
Agni is Gayatri : he metes this out for Gayatri.
And since Gayatri, as a falcon, fetched Soma from
heaven, therefore she is (called) the Soma-bearing
falcon : for that prowess of hers he metes out (for
her) a second portion,
1 1. Now as to why he metes out five times ^, — the
sacrifice is of the same measure as the year, and
there are five seasons in the year : he takes posses-
sion of it in five (divisions) ; hence he metes out five
times.
^ Tasmad v iya/w manushyeshu matrS yat kaush/-^o yat kumbhi yeya.m ka ^a, manushyeshu matra. Ka«va text.
^ According to Taitt. S. VI, 4, 4 he metes out five times with the above texts, and five times silently.
242 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
12. He touches it with (Vaf. S. VI, 33), 'What
light of thine there is in the heavens, O Soma,
what on earth, and what in the wide air, there-
with make wide room for this sacrificer, for
his prosperity: speak thou for the giver!'
Now when he (Soma) first became sacrificial food
for the gods, he thought within himself, ' I must not
become sacrificial food for the gods with my whole
self!' Accordingly he deposited those three bodies
of his in these worlds.
13. The gods then were victorious. They ob-
tained those bodies by means of this same (formula),
and he became entirely the sacrificial food of the
gods. And in like manner does this (priest) now
thereby obtain those bodies of his, and he (Soma)
becomes entirely the food of the gods : this is why
he thus touches it.
14. He then pours Nigrabhya water on it. Now ^^ the waters, forsooth, slew Vr/tra and by virtue of
that prowess of theirs they now flow. Wherefore
nothing whatsoever can check them when they flow ;
for they followed their own free will, thinking, ' To
whom, forsooth, should we submit (or stop), we by
whom Vr/tra was slain!' Now all this (universe),
<j^ whatsoever there is, had submitted^ to Indra, even
he that blows yonder.
15. Indra spake, * Verily, all this (universe), what-
soever there is, has submitted unto me : submit ye
also to me!' — They said, 'What shall be our (re-
ward) then ?' — ' The first draught of king Soma
shall be yours !' — ' So be it !' thus they submitted to
* The Ka«va MS. has twice 'tatsthana,' as Ait. Br. VI, 5, and twice 'tasthana;' cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 295.
Ill KAiVDA, 9 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 1 8. 243
him ; and they having submitted, he drew (ni-grabh)
them to his breast ; and because he thus drew them
to his breast, therefore they are called Nigrabhyas.
And in like manner does this sacrificer now draw
them to his breast : and this is their first draught of
king Soma, in that he pours Nigrabhya water thereon.
16. He pours it with (Va^. S. VI, 34), 'Ye are
grateful, the subduers of Vr/tra;' — the waters
indeed are propitious : therefore he says, ' Ye are
grateful;' and 'the subduers of Vmra ' he says
because they did slay Vrz'tra ; — 'the beneficent
wives of the immortal (Soma) ;' for the waters are
immortal; — 'Ye goddesses, lead this sacrifice
to the gods!' there is nothing obscure in this; —
' Invited, drink ye of Soma !' Thus invited they
drink the first draught of king Soma.
17. Being about to beat (the Soma with the
pressing-stone), let him think in his mind of him he
hates: 'Herewith I strike N. N., not thee!' Now
whosoever kills a human Brahman here, he, forsooth,
is deemed guilty^ — how much more so he who
strikes him (Soma), for Soma is a god. But they
do kill him when they press him ; — they kill him
with that (stone) : thus he rises from thence, thus he
lives ; and thus no guilt is incurred. But if he hate
no one, he may even think of a straw, and thus no
guilt is incurred.
18. He beats with (Va^. S. VI, 35), 'Fear not,
tremble not!' whereby he means to say, 'Be not
afraid, do not tremble, it is N.N. I strike, not thee !'
— 'Take thou strength!' whereby he means to
say, 'Take sap!' — 'Both ye bowls, that are
