^ That is to say, the sacrificial cake is a substitute or symbol (pratima) for the animal sacrifice (as this it would seem was ori- ginally a substitute for the human sacrifice) by which the sacrificer redeems himself from the gods. Cf. 6'at. Br. XI, r, 8, 3 ; Taitt. Br. •Ill, 2, 8, 8. The initiation (diksha) of the sacrificer constitutes his consecration as the victim at the animal sacrifice (^at. Br. XI, 7,1,3; Ait. Br. II, 3 ; 9 ; 11; Taitt. Br. II, 2, 82 ; T. S. VI, i, 1 1, 6 ; Kaush. Br. X, 3 ; XI, 8), or as the sacrificial food at the havir- yagnz (6'at. Br. Ill, 3, 4, 21 ; Taitt. Br. Ill, 2, 8, 9), or as the horse at the horse-sacrifice (Taitt. Br. Ill, 9, 17, 4-5), &c. See, also, Taitt. S.VII, 2, 10, 4; KaM. 34, 11, where it is said that one must [12] E
50 -SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA,
6. At first, namely, the gods offered up a man as
the victim ^ When he was offered up, the sacrificial
essence went out of him. It entered into the horse.
They offered up the horse. When it was offered
up, the sacrificial essence went out of it. It entered
into the ox. They offered up the ox. When it was
offered up, the sacrificial essence went out of it. It
entered into the sheep. They offered up the sheep.
When it was offered up, the sacrificial essence went
out of it. It entered into the goat. They offered
up the goat. When it was offered up, the sacrificial
essence went out of it.
7. It entered into this earth. They searched for
it, by digging. They found it (in the shape of) those
two (substances), the rice and barley : therefore even
now they obtain those two by digging ; and as much
not perform the dvada^aha for any one, since in having to eat of the victim, the cake, &c., one would eat the sacrificer's own flesh, &c. Cf. Weber, Ind. Streifen, I, p. 73. In accordance with these notions it would seem that man originally sacrificed his equal, as the best substitute for his own self; and that, as advancing civilisa- tion rendered human sacrifices distasteful, the human victim was supplied by domestic animals, ennobled by constant contact with man ; and finally by various materials of human diet.
^ On this legend and the one in the Ait. Br. II, 8, but slightly differing from ours, see Max Muller's History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 420; A.Weber's Ind. Streifen, I, p. 55; Haug's Transl. of the Ait. Br. p. 90 ; J. Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, IV, p. 289 note. Professor Max INIuller remarks: 'The drift of this story is most likely that in former times all these victims had been off'ered. We know it for certain in the case of horses and oxen, though aftei-wards these sacrifices were discontinued. As to sheep and goats, they were considered proper victims to a still later time. When vegetable offerings took the place of bloody victims, it was clearly the wish of the author of our passage to show that, for certain sacrifices, these rice-cakes were as efficient as the flesh of animals.' Cf. also II, i, 4, 3.
I KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiSTA, 9. 5 1
efficacy as all those sacrificed animal victims would
have for him, so much efficacy has this oblation (of rice
&c.) for him who knows this. And thus there is in this
oblation also that completeness which they call ' the
fivefold animal sacrifice.'
8. When it (the rice-cake) still consists of rice-
meal, it is the hair\ When he pours water on it, it
becomes skin ^ When he mixes it, it becomes flesh :
for then it becomes consistent ; and consistent also
is the flesh. When it is baked, it becomes bone : for
then it becomes somewhat hard ; and hard is the bone.
And when he is about to take it off (the fire) and
sprinkles it with butter, he changes it into marrow.
This is the completeness which they call 'the five-
fold animal sacrifice.'
9. The man (purusha) whom they had offered up
became a mock-man (kim-purusha^). Those two,
the horse and the ox, which they had sacrificed,
' According to Sayawa, because, like the hair of the victim, the particles of the ground rice are minute and numerous. According to Ait. Br. II, 9, on the other hand, the awn or beard of the rice represents the hair ; the husks the skin ; the minute particles of chaff removed by the final winnowings, the blood ; the ground rice the flesh ; and ' whatever other substantial part is in the rice ' are the bones of the victim.
^ ' Because it becomes as flexible as skin,' Saya^m.
' It is doubtful what particular kind of being the term kim pu- rusha (depraved man) is here intended to denote. The authors of the St. Petersburg Dictionary, whom Professor Weber follows (Ind. Stud. IX, 246), take it (probably correctly) to denote ' a monkey.' Professor Haug, on the other hand, in his transla- tion of the corresponding passage in the Ait. Br. II, 8, thinks 'the author very likely meant a dwarf,' whilst Professor Max JMiiller (History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 420) translates it by * a savage.' Perhaps one of the species of apes which particularly resemble man, is intended by it. Cf. Weber, Omina et Portenta, P- 356.
52 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
became a bos gaiirus and a gayal (bos gavaeus)
respectively. The sheep which they had sacrificed,
became a camel. The goat which they had sacri-
ficed, became a ^arabha^ For this reason one should
not eat (the flesh) of these animals, for these animals
are deprived of the sacrificial essence (are impure).
Fourth Brahmajva.
1. When Indra hurled the thunderbolt at Vrz'tra,
that hurled one became fourfold. Of (three parts
of) it the wooden sword (sphya) represents one-third
or thereabouts, the sacrificial post one-third or there-
abouts, and the chariot one-third or thereabouts. That
piece, moreover, with which he struck him, was broken
off (srz) ; and on falling down it became an arrow
(^ara) : hence the designation arrow, because it was
broken off. And in this way the thunderbolt became
fourfold.
2. In consequence of this, the priests make use of
two (of these pieces) at the sacrifice, and men of the
military caste (ra^anyabandhu) also make use of
two of them in battle : viz. the priests make use of the
sacrificial post and the wooden sword, and the men of
the military caste of the chariot and the arrow.
3. Now when he takes up the wooden sword-, he
raises that thunderbolt against the wicked, spiteful
enemy, even as Indra at that time raised the thunder-
bolt against Vrztra : that is the reason why he takes
the wooden sword.
4. He takes it, with the text (Va^. S. I, 24) : * At the impulse of the divine Savitr/, I take thee with
^ A fabulous kind of deer with eight legs, w hich was supposed
to kill elephants and lions.
^ See note on I, i, 2, 8.
I Kanda, 2 Adhyaya, 4 Brahmaa7a, 7. 53
the arms of the A^vins, with the hands of Piishan ;
thee that performs sacred rites to the gods ! ' S a v i t ?' /,
namely, is the impeller of the gods : thus he thereby
takes that (wooden sword) as one impelled by Savitrz.
' With the arms of the A^vins,' he says, because the
A^vins are the two Adhvaryu priests (of the gods) :
with their arms he therefore takes it, not with his own.
Pushan is distributer of portions (to the gods) : with
his hands he therefore takes it, not with his own; for
it is the thunderbolt, and no man can hold that : he
thus takes it with (the assistance of) the gods.
5. 'I take (thee) that performs sacred rites to the gods,' he says, because a sacred rite means a sacrifice : ' that performs sacrifices to the gods,' he thereby says. After taking it in his left hand and touching it with his right, he murmurs — by what he murmurs he makes it sharp, —
6. He murmurs (Va^. S. I, 24) : ' Thou art Indra's
right arm !' for Indra's right arm no doubt is the most
powerful one, and for that reason he says : ' Thou art
Indra's right arm!' ' The thousand-spiked, hundred-
edged ! ' he adds, for a thousand spikes and a hundred
edo-es had that thunderbolt which he hurled at Vmra :
he thereby makes it to be that (thunderbolt).
7. 'The sharp-edged Vayu (wind) art thou!' he
adds; for that indeed is the sharpest edge, to wit,
that (wind) which here blows : for that one sweeps
right across these worlds. He thereby makes it sharp.
When he (further) says : ' The killer of the enemy ! *
let him, whether he wishes to exorcise or not, say :
' The killer of so and so !' When it has been sharp-
ened, he must not touch either himself or the earth
with it: 'Lest I should hurt either myself or the earth
with that sharp thunderbolt,' thus he thinks, and for
54 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
that reason he does not touch either himself or the earth with it.
8. The gods and the Asuras, both of them sprung
from Pra^apati\were contending for superiority. The
gods vanquished the Asuras ; and yet these after-
wards harassed them again,
9. The gods then said : ' We do, no doubt, van-
quish the Asuras, but nevertheless they afterwards
again harass us. How then can we vanquish them
so that we need not fight them again ?'
10. Agni then said : ' By fleeing northwards they
escape from us.' By fleeing northwards they had
indeed escaped from them.
11. Agni said: ' I will go round to the northern
side, and you will then shut them in from here- ; and
whilst shutting them in, we will put them down by
these (three) worlds ; and from what fourth world
there is beyond these (three) they will not be able
to rise again.'
12. Agni thereupon went round to the northern
side ; and they (the other gods) shut them in from
here; and whilst shutting them in, they put them down
with these (three) worlds ; and from what fourth world
^ Pra^apati is called the father of the gods and Asuras, I, 5, 3, 2 ; and they are represented as entering on his inheritance, I, 7, 2, 22 ; IX, 5, 1, 12. Not only the gods and Asuras, but also the men derive their origin from Pra^apati, XIV, 8, 2, i. He has created all beings, I, 6, 3, 35; Ait. Br. Ill, 36.
^ I. e. ' from the sacrificial ground,' Sayawa. It seems doubtful to me whether it does not rather mean ' you will then shut them in, or block them up, within that place,' that is to say, north of the altar, where the utkara, or heap of rubbish, lies. The four worlds by which he puts down the enemies are represented by the loose soil which is dug up by the sphya being flung four separate times at the grass-bush lying on the altar (vedi), and which is then thrown on the utkara.
I KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAJ\rA, 1 5. 55
there is beyond these (three) they did not rise again.
Now this same (expulsion of the Asuras) is virtually
the same act as the flinging away of the grass-bush \
13. The Agnidhra goes round to the north, for he
is virtually the same person as Agni himself The
Adhvaryu then shuts them in from here ; and whilst
shutting them in, he puts them down by means of
these (three) worlds; and from what fourth world
there is beyond these (three) they do not rise again.
Thus now also they do not rise again, for by the
same means by which the gods kept them off, the
priests now also keep them off during the sacrifice.
14. And whoever has evil designs upon the sacri-
ficer and hates him, him he thereby puts down by
means of these (three) worlds, and what fourth world
there is beyond these. And in putting him down
with these (three) worlds, and what fourth world
there is beyond these, he flings everything away
from this (earth), for on it all these worlds rest : for
what would he fling away, if he were to fling (the
grass-bush) away with the words, ' The air I throw
away, the heaven I throw away!' therefore he flings
everything away from this (earth) 2.
15. Thereupon, after putting the grass-bush be- tween^, he flings (the wooden sword at it). ' Lest I