^ ' Pari/^akshate ' ought rather to mean 'they despise him.'
244 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
firm, remain firm, take strength!' — 'Surely,
it is those two (pressing-)boards that are thereby
meant,' so say some ; — what, then, if one were to
break those two boards^ ? But, forsooth, it is these
two, heaven and earth, that tremble for fear of that
raised thunderbolt (the stone) : hereby now he pro-
pitiates it for those two, heaven and earth ; and thus
propitiated it does not injure them. By ' Take
strength!' he means to say, 'Take sap!' — 'The
evil is slain, not Soma!' he thereby slays every
evil of his.
19. Thrice he presses 2, thrice he gathers together,
^ That is to say, in that case the formula would prove to have been a failure. According to the Taitt. Kalpas., quoted to Taitt. S. I, 4, I (p. 590), he presses the skin down upon the two press-boards while muttering this formula. The Ka«va text argues somewhat differently, — ime evaitat phalake ahur iti haika ahus tad u kim adriyeta yad athaite bhidyeyatam eveme haiva dyavapr/thivyav etasmad va^rad udyatat sa?«re^ete, — ' Some say those two boards are thereby meant ; but who would care if they should get broken ; for it is rather those two, heaven and earth,' &c. ?
^ The pressing of the Upa?«ju-graha — also called the 'small' pressing, distinguished from the 'great pressing' (mahabhishava) for the subsequent cups or libations (graha) — consists of three turns of eight, eleven, and twelve single beatings respectively. Before each turn Nigrabhya water is poured upon the Soma plants by the sacrificer from the Hotrf s cup. After each turn of pressing the Adhvaryu throws the completely-pressed stalks into the cup, and when they have become thoroughly soaked, he presses them out and takes them out again ; this being the ' gathering together ' referred to above. At the same time he mutters the Nigrabha formula (paragraph 21) ; after which the pressed-out juice, absorbed by the water, is poured into the Upa?;?j'u vessel in the following manner. Before the pressing the Pratiprasthatr/ had taken six Soma-stalks, and put two each between the fingers of his left hand. After each turn of pressing he takes the Vpamsu vessel with his right hand and holds one pair of the Soma-stalks over it (or, accord- ing to others, all six at the same time), through which (as through
Ill KAiVDA, 9 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAA'A, 2 1. 245
four times he performs the Nigrabha, — this makes
ten, for of ten syllables consists the vira^, and Soma
is of virac^ nature : therefore he completes (the
ceremony) in ten times.
20. Then as to why he performs the Nigrabha.
Now when he (Soma) first became sacrificial food
for the gods, he set his heart on those (four) regions,
thinking, ' Could I but consort with those regions as
my mate, my loved resort!' By performing the
Nigrabha, the gods then made him consort with the
regions as his mate, his loved resort ; and in like
manner does this (sacrificer) now, by performing the
Nigrabha, make him (Soma) consort Vv^th those
regions as his mate, his loved resort.
21. He performs with (Va^. S. VI, 36), 'From
east, from west, from north, from south — from
every side may the regions resort to thee!'
whereby he makes him consort with the regions as
his mate,his loved resort. 'O mother, satisfy (him)!
may the noble meet together^' A mother
a strainer) the Adhvaryu then pours the Soma-juice from the press- ing-skin into the vessel. After the third turn the pressing-stone itself is put into the Hot;Vs cup, either with or without the mutter- ing of the Nigrabha formula. According to the commentary on Katy. IX, 4, 27, the Soma-juice is transferred from the skin to the Upawm cup, by the straining-cloth being made to imbibe the juice and then being pressed out so as to trickle down through the plants between the Pratiprasthatr/s fingers. The description given by Haug, Ait. Br., Transl. p. 489, is somewhat different.
^ The interpretation of this formula is very doubtful. The author evidently takes 'ari/^' as nom. plur. of 'ari' ( = arya) ; but it does not appear how he takes ' nishpara,' while Mahidhara explains it by ' puraya (give him, Soma, his fill).' The St. Petersburg Diet, sug- gests that ' nishpara ' may mean ' come out !' and that ' arU ' seems to be a nom. sing. here. I take the last part of the formula to mean, 'May he (Soma) win (or, perhaps, join) the longing (waters)!'
246 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
(amba) is a woman, and the regions (dii-, fern.) are
women: dierefore he says,' O mother, satisfy (him)! — ■
May the noble meet togedier!' The noble doubtless
means people (creatures, offspring) : he thus means
to say, ' May the people live in harmony with each
other!' Even the people that are far away (from
each other) live in harmony with each other : there-
fore he says, ' May the noble meet together.'
22. Now as to why he is called Soma. When he
first became sacrificial food for the gods, he thought
within him, ' I must not become sacrificial food for
the gods with my whole self!' That form of his
which was most pleasing he accordingly put aside.
Thereupon the gods were victorious ; they said,
' Draw that unto thee, for therewith shalt thou
become our food!' He drew it to him even from
afar, saying, verily, that is mine own (sva me) :
hence he was called Soma.
24. Also this speech did he then utter (Va^. S.
some of the Nigrabhya water being poured on the Soma at each turn of pressing ; and small stalks of Soma being, besides, thrown into the Hotrt's cup containing that water. As to the first part of the formula, it may perhaps mean, ' Well, pour out (or, pour forth, intrans.).' Professor Ludwig, Rig-veda IV, p. xvi, thinks that ' nish- para ' is a correction of the Taitt. reading ' nishvara,' which Sayawa interprets, ' O mother (Soma), come out (from the stalks, in the form of juice),' and according to the Sutra quoted by him, the sacrificer is at the same time to think of the wife he loves. ^ That is, when they perform the Soma-sacrifice.
Ill KAiVDA, 9 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 25. 247
VI, T^j ', Rig-veda I, 84, 19), 'Verily thou, a god,
shalt extol the mortal, O most mighty! than
thee there is no other giver of joy\ O lord!
unto thee do I speak this word, O Indrai'
For it was indeed as a mortal that he uttered this,
' Thou alone wilt produce (me) from here, no other
but thee ! '
25. And from the Nigrabhya water they draw the $
several grahas (cups or libations of Soma). For it
was the waters that slew Vr/tra, and in virtue of
this prowess they flow ; and it is from flowing water s>
that he takes the Vasativari water, and from the Vasa-
tivari the Nigrabhya water ; and from the Nigrabhya
water the several grahas are drawn. In virtue of
that prowess, then, the grahas are drawn from the
Hotr^'s cup. Now the Hot;-/ means the Rik. (fem.),
a woman ; and from woman creatures are born here
on earth : hence he makes him (Soma) to be born
from that woman, the Rik, the Wotri ; wherefore
(he takes the grahas) from the HotWs cup.
^ This is the traditional meaning (sukhayitn) assigned to mardfa- y\\.ri (the merciful, comforter) ; but it is not quite clear how the author of the Brahmawa interprets it.
248 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
FOURTH KANBA.
First Adhyaya. First BRAHMAiVA,
1. The Upa.77i-su (graha), forsooth, Is the out-
breathing of the Sacrifice^, the Upa;;25u-savana
(press-stone) the through-breathing, and the Antar-
yama (graha) the in-breathing.
2. Now as to why it is called Upa^nsu. There is
a graha called Amsu -, that is Pra^apati : his out-
breathing is this (graha) ; and because it is his out-
breathing, therefore it is called Upa;;25u.
3. This (graha) he draws without a strainer^:
whereby he puts the out-breathing into him as one
tending away from him, and thus this forward-tending
out-breathing of his streams forth from him. He
purifies it with sprigs of Soma, thinking ' it shall be
pure.' He purifies it with six (sprigs), for there are
six seasons : it is by means of the seasons that he
thus purifies it.
4. As to this they say, ' When he purifies the \]pd.ins\i by means of sprigs, and all (other) Soma-
^ That is, the sacrificial man, or the sacrifice personified in Soma and the sacrificer.
^ Lit. 'the Soma-plant,' hence the (Soma)-sacrifice itself, or Pra^apati. See IV, 6, i, i seq.
^ Bahishpavitrat, lit. from (a vessel, or Soma) having the strainer outside (away from) it. While no proper strainer is used for the Upaw/xu-graha, the Soma-juice being poured through Soma-plants (see p. 244, note 2); at the great pressing it is passed through a fringed straining-cloth (da^apavitra) spread over the Drowakala^a (the largest of the three Soma-troughs, the others being the Adhavaniya and Putabhr/t). See IV, i, 2, 3.
IV KANDA, I ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 8. 249
draughts are purified by means of a strainer, whereby, then, do its sprigs become pure ? '
5. He throws them down again (on the unpressed
plants) with (Va^. S. VII, 2), 'What inviolable,
quickening name is thine, to that Soma of
thine, O Soma, be Hail!' Thus his sprigs become
purified by means of the Svaha (' Hail ! '). But this
graha means everything, for it is the type of all the
pressings ^
6. Now, once on a time, the gods, while performing-
sacrifice, were afraid of an attack from the Asura-
Rakshas. They said, ' Let us completely establish
the sacrifice : if the Asura-Rakshas should then
attack us, our sacrifice will at least be completely
established.'
7. Even at the morning Soma-feast they then
completely established the entire sacrifice -, — at this
same {up3.7nsu) graha by means of the Ya^us ; at the
first chant (stotra) by means of the Saman ; and at
the first recitation (i-astra) by means of the Rik :
with that sacrifice thus completely established they
subsequently worshipped. And in like manner does
this sacrifice now become completely established, —
by means of the Ya^us at this same graha ; by means
of the Saman at the first chant ; and by means of the
Rik at the first recitation ; and with this sacrifice thus
completely established he subsequently worships.
8. He presses (the Soma) eight times ; for of eight
^ Viz. inasmuch as the Upawi'U-graha is obtained by three turns of pressing, and each of the three Savanas (pressings, Soma-feasts) consists of three rounds of pressing of three turns each. See p. 256, note I.
^ Cf. Taitt. S. VI, 4, 5, where this theory (divested of its legendary form) is ascribed to Aru«a Aupaveji.
250 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
syllables consists the Gayatri, and the morning Soma-
feast belongs to the Gayatri ; thus this (first turn of
pressing) is made to be the morning Soma-feast.
9. He draws (the juice of the first turn of pressing
into the cup) with (Va^. S. VII, i), 'Grow thou
pure for Va/^aspati !' for Va/6aspati (lord of speech)
is the out-breathing, and this (Upa;;25u) graha is the
out-breathing : hence he says, ' Grow thou pure for
Va/'aspati ! ' — 'purified by the hands with the
sprigs of the bull ;' for he purifies it with sprigs of
Soma: hence he says, 'with the sprigs of the bull;'
and ' purified by the hands (gabhasti-puta^),' he says ;
for — 'gabhasti' being the same as 'pani' (hand) — he
indeed purifies it with his hands.
10. He then presses eleven times ; for of eleven
syllables consists the Trish/ubh, and the midday
Soma-feast belongs to the Trish/ubh : thus this
(second turn of pressing) is made to be the midday
Soma-feast.
1 1. He draws (the juice into the cup) with, ' Grow
thou pure, a god, for the gods — ;' for he (Soma)
is indeed a god, and for the gods he becomes pure ;
— 'whose portion thou art;' for he indeed is their
portion.
12. He then presses twelve times; for of twelve
syllables consists the G3.ga.ti, and the evening Soma-
feast belongs to the Ga.ga.ti : thus this (third turn of
pressing) is made to be the evening Soma-feast.
^ Sayawa, on Taitt. S. I, 4, 2, interprets it, ' Having been purified by the ray of the sun (while growing in the forest), do thou now become pure for the gods through the sprigs of the bull !' Cf, however, Taitt. S. VI, 4,5,' gabhastina hy enam pavayati,' where ' gabhasti ' would seem to be taken in the sense of ' hand ' (? the forked one). See p. 244, note 2.
