^ Or, the thought-swift (mano^u).
2 For the different meanings of ' va^a' see Max Miiller, ' India, what can it teach us?' p. 164.
^ Or, in all our invocations (havana).
* The identification of Vijvakarman with Indra was probably suggested by the final pada of the preceding verse of the hymn (Rig-veda X, 81, 6) : ' May there be (or may he, Vijvakarman, be) for us a Suri Maghavan' (a rich patron; terms frequently applied to Indra). But cp. Muir, O. S. T. vol. iv, p. 7.
5 The Ka«va text does not give the verse, but remarks merely,— But if he can get (vindet) an aindri vaijvakarmam (verse), let him draw it therewith.
432 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAA'A.
old, because^ he, the mighty, is worthy of
adoration. — Thou art taken with a support:
thee to Indra Vi-^vakarman ! — This is thy
womb: thee to Indra Vi^vakarman!'
Fifth BRAHMAivA.
1. Now the graha^ forsooth, is he that burns
yonder, since by him all these creatures are held
(swayed). Hence they say, 'We take (grah) the
grahas,' ' They walk, seized by the grahas.'
2. The graha, forsooth, is Va/^ (speech) ; for by
speech everything is swayed (grah) here ^, — what
wonder, then \ that Va/C' is the graha ?
3. The graha, forsooth, is the name, for everything
is held (fixed) by a name here, — what wonder, then,
that the name is the graha ? We know the names of
many, and are they not thereby held by us'^ ?
^ I see no other way of rendering ' yatha-asat ' in this passage.
2 That is, the seizer, holder, swayer. According to the St. Petersb. Diet, the word ' graha ' probably has not already in this passage the later meaning of ' planet ' as the one holding or in- fluencing man; but that of some demoniac being. The whole Brahma/za is a play on the word 'graha' in its active and passive meanings of seizer, holder, influence ; and draught, libation. The corresponding Brahmawa of the Kawva text (V, 7,1) diff"ers widely from our text. Its general drift is as follows : The graha is the breath, — the graha of that breath is food, — the graha of that food is the water, — the graha of that water is fire, — the graha of the fire (Agni) is the breath, — thus the deities are seized by him, and he wins a place in the world of the deities.
^ Perhaps with the double-entendre, ' everything (libation &c.) is drawn with speech here.'
* ? Kimu tad yad vag graha/2. The usual meaning of kim u, ' how much more,' ' still more so,' seems hardly to suit this passage.
^ ? Or, ' are not those of us (that have a name) held (known) thereby?' In either case, however, the interrogative force of 'atha,' without any other particle, is rather unusual.
IV KAiVDA, 6 ADHYAYA, 6 BRAHMAiVA, 5. 433
4. The graha, forsooth, is food ; for by food every-
thing is kept (grah) here : hence as many as eat our
food, all those are kept by us. Such is the natural
order of things.
5. And as to this graha of Soma, that is food ; for
whatever deity one draws this graha, that deity,
being seized by this graha, fulfils that wish of his
for which he draws it. He approaches either the
rising or the setting sun, thinking, ' Thou art the
seizer, seize thou N.N. by such and such a disease !
may N.N. not obtain such and such !' (naming) him
whom he hates ; or with, ' May such and such a wish
not be fulfilled to him !' and, assuredly, that wish is not
fulfilled to him for whom he thus approaches (the sun).
Sixth Brahmaa^a.
1. Now once on a time the gods, while performing
sacrifice, were afraid of an attack from the Asura-
Rakshas. They said, ' Who of us shall sit on the
south side ; we will then enter upon the sacrifice on
the north side in a place free from danger and injury.'
2. They said, ' He who is the strongest of us, let
him sit on the south side ; we will then enter upon
the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from
danger and injury.'
3. They said, * Verily, Indra is the strongest of us :
let Indra sit on the south side ; we will then enter upon
the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from
danger and injury.'
4. They said to Indra, ' Verily, thou art the
strongest of us : sit thou on the south side ; we will
then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side
in a place free from danger and injury.'
5. He said, 'What will be my reward then?' — ' The office of Brahma;2a/C'//a;;2sin shall be thine, the
[26] F f
434 a-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
Brahmasaman ^ shall be thine!' — Hence one elects
the Brahma;2ai'/^a;;/sin with, ' Indra is the Brahman,
by virtue of the Brahmaship ! ' for to Indra belongs
this (office). Indra sat on the south side, and they
entered upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place
free from danger and injury. Therefore let him who
is the strongest sit on the south side, and let them
then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a
place free from danger and injury. Now he, for-
sooth, who is the most learned of Brahmans, is the
strongest of them ; and as now any one is (able to
become) a (superintendent) Brahman^ — nay, does he
not sit still ? — therefore whosoever is the strongfest
^ That is, the Saman which supphes the text for the Stotra chanted in connection with the Brahma«a/^//aOTsin's ^Sastra, and forming the Stotriya verse of the latter. Thus, at the midday savana, the (Pn'sh/M) Stotra of that priest usually consists of the Naudhasa-saman (Sama-veda II, 35-36), if the Rathantara-saman (Sama-veda II, 30-31) is used for the Hotr^'s Stotra; but, if the Br^liat-saman (ib. II, 159-160) is used for the latter, then the -Syaita-saman (II, 16 1-2) is used as the Brahma-saman. See p. 339, note 2. The reason, however, why special mention is made of the Brahma«a/^//awsin in this place, probably is that at the Gavam ayana the Brahma-saman is treated in a peculiar way. For, while on 142 days of the first half of the year, — viz. on the JfLaiurvimsa, on all (6 X 23) Abhiplavika days and on the three Svara-saman days, — one and the same tune, the Abhivarta-saman, is to be used day by day, but each time with a different pragatha stanza (thus the pragatha S. V. II, 35-36, usually chanted to the Naudhasa tune, being on this occasion chanted to the Abhivarta tune); on the corresponding days of the second half of the year, one and the same stanza, ' Indra kratuw na a bhara ' (S. V. II, 806-7), is to be used day by day, but with different tunes (six such being given in the Calc. ed. vol. iv, pp. 529-34). Tandys. Br. IV, 3, i seq.
^ According to XII, 6, i, 40 only priests of the VasishZ/^a family could become Brahmans, or superintendent priests, in olden times ; because they alone knew the Somabhaga mantras ; but now every one learns them, and can therefore become a Brahman.
IV KANDA, 6 ADHYAYA, 6 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 4^-5
of them, let him sit on the south side, and let them
then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a
place free from danger and injury. Hence Brah-
mans sit on the south side (of the vedi), and they
enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place
free from danger and injury.
6. When (the Prastotrz) says, ' Brahman, we will
chant, O Pra^astar!' then the Brahman mutters
(Va^. S. II, 12), 'This thy sacrifice, O divine
Savitar, have they announced unto Brz-
haspati (the lord of prayer), the Brahman^:
therefore speed the sacrifice, speed the lord
of the sacrifice, speed me ^ ! — Praise ye at the
impulse (prasava) of Savitrz!' The significance
is the same (as before) I Wi.ih this (text) most pro-
bably enter upon (the chant).
7. But one may also enter upon it with, 'O divine
Savitar; this, O Br/haspati, forwards ! ' There-
with he hastes to Savitre for his impulsion, for he is
the impeller (prasavitr/) of the gods ; and ' O Br/ha-
spati, forwards ! ' he says, because Brzliaspati is the
Brahman of the gods, — thus he announces it to him
who is the Brahman of the gods : therefore he says,
' O Brzliaspati, forwards ^ ! '
8. The Maitravaru;^a then mutters, 'Impelled
^ Mahidhara interprets, ' This sacrifice, O divine Savitar, they announce to thee and to Brz'haspati, the Brahman.' Perhaps the correct meaning (though not that assumed by the Brahma;/a) is, ' This sacrifice they announce to thee as the Br/haspati, the Brahman !' and similarly the mantra in the next paragraph.
^ The Ka«va text adds here the verse Va^. S. II, 13 ; see 6'at. Br. I, 7, 4, 22, with the same various reading '^yotir.'
' See I, 7, 4, 21. Asau nvaivaitasya ya^usho bandhur ya evasau darjapurwamasayo// ; Kawva text.
* On 'pra' see part i, p. loi note.
F f 2
436 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
by the divine Savitr?, acceptable to Mitra
and Varu;/a!' Therewith he hastes to Savitr/ for
his impulsion, for he is the impeller of the gods ; and
' acceptable to Mitra and Varu;^a ' he says, because
Mitra and Varu/za are the deities of the Maitra-
varu;^a (Pra^astr^'), — thus he announces it to those
who are the deities of the Maitravaru7^a : therefore
he says, ' acceptable to Mitra and Varu;^a.'
Seventh BRAHMAiVA.
1. Threefold, forsooth, is science; the Riks, the
Ya^us, and the Samans. The Riks are this (earth),
since it is thereon that he who sings them, does sing
them ; the Riks are speech, since it is by speech that
he who sings them, does sing them. And the Ya^is,
forsooth, are the air, and the Samans the sky. That
same threefold science is used in the Soma-sacrifice.
2. By the Rik he conquers this world, by the
Ya^s the air, and by the Saman the sky. There-
fore whosoever has learnt one of these sciences, let
him endeavour to learn also what is contained in the
two others : by the Rik, forsooth, he conquers this
world, by the Ya^us the air, and by the Saman the sky.
3. This, then, is the thousandfold progeny of Va/^
(speech) ^ Indra (obtained for his share) two-thirds,
and Vish;ai one-third ^r the Riks and Samans are
Indra, and the Ya^us are Vish/m. Therefore in the
Sadas they perform (the ^'astras and Stotras) with
the Rik and Saman, for the Sadas is Indra's own.
4. And by means of these Ya^s they, as it were,
bring forward (puras) that Vish;m, the sacrifice : hence
the name ' pura-5•/&ara7^a ' (preparatory ceremony).
1 See IV, 5, 8, 4.
^ Thus according to the YLinvs. text, — dvau bhagav indro
'bha§-ataika;« vish/m/z.
IV KAiVDA, 6 ADHYAYA, 7 BRAHMAiVA, 9. 437
5. Both the Rik^ and the Samans are Speech, and
the Ya^us are the Mind. Now wherever this Speech
was, there everything was done, everything was
known ; but wherever Mind was, there nothing what-
ever was done, nothing was known, for no one knows
(understands) those who think in their mind.
6. The gods said to Speech, ' Go thou forward
and make this known ! ' She said, ' What will be
my reward then ? ' — ' Whatever in the sacrifice is
offered with Svaha, and without Vasha/, that shall
be thine!' Hence whatever in the sacrifice is
offered with Svaha, and without Vasha^*, that belongs
to Speech. She then went forward and made that
known, saying, * Do this so ! do this so !'
7. Therefore they also perform with the Rik in
the Havirdhana : he (the Wotri) recites the morning
prayer, he recites the kindling-verses; he (the Gra-
vastut) praises the pressing-stones, — for thus, in-
deed, they (Speech and Mind) became yoke-fellows.
8. And hence they also perform with the Ya^s
in the Sadas : they raise up the Udumbara post,
they erect the Sadas, they throw up the dhish;2ya
hearths, — for thus they became yoke-fellows.
9. That same Sadas they enclose on all sides with
a view to that generation, thinking, ' Quite secretly
shall be carried on that generation ! ' for improper,
indeed, is the generation which another sees : hence
even when a husband and wife are seen, while carry-
ing on intercourse, they run away from each other,
for they give offence. Therefore to any one looking
into the Sadas, except through the door, let him say,
' Look not ! ' for it is as if he were seeing intercourse
being carried on. Freely (one may look) through the
door, for the door is made by the gods.
