^ That is, by uttering ' Om !' after each verse. The recitation of the first verse is preceded by the mystic words ' Hin bhCir bhuva^ svar om !' Asv. ^. I, 2, 3. Both syllables ' hih ' and ' om ' are essential elements in the recitation of Saman hymns. See II, 2, 4, 1 1 seq.
I Kanda, 4 Adhyaya, I Brahmaa^a, 5. to I
2. And (another reason) why he utters ' Hiii !' is
this. The word 'Hiii' means breath, for the word
'Hin' does indeed mean breath: he cannot there-
fore pronounce the word 'Hin,' when he closes his
nostrils. The ri'/^ (verse) he recites with his voice.
Now, voice and breath are a pair, so that a produc-
tive union of the samidhenis is thereby effected
at the outset : for this reason he recites, after utter-
ing ' H iii ! '
3. He utters the word 'Hiii' in a low voice.
Were he, on the contrary, to pronounce 'Hiri' aloud,
he would make 'voice' of both the one and the other :
for this reason he utters the word 'Hin' in a low
voice.
4. He recites with 'a (hither) ! ' and ' pra (forth or
thither) M' He thereby joins a gayatri verse di-
rected hitherward to one directed away from here :
the one which tends from hence carries the sacri-
fice to the gods, and the one which tends hitherward
pleases the men. For this reason he recites with
'a' and 'pra.'
5. And (another reason) why he recites with 'a'
and 'pra,' is this. 'Pra (forth)' clearly means out-
breathing, and ' a (hither)' means in-breathing: hence
he thereby obtains out-breathing and in-breathing
(for the sacrificer). For this reason he recites with
'a' and 'pra.'
' The particles pra and a were apparently used in phrases wishing one a safe journey and return (cf. Ait. Br. 3, 26, with Haug's note). The first samidheni begins, 'pra vo va^a abhidya- V2l/i' (forth go your viands, heavenward); and the second, ' agna a yahi vitaye ' (come hither, Agni, to the feast!). It is from these verses that the above symbohcal explanation is derived. Cf. Taitt. S. II, 5, 7, 3 [pra-^inaw/ reto dliiyate - prati/(-i/z pra^a ^ayante].
I02 .yATAPATHA-BRAIIMAA'A.
6. Yet (other reasons) why he recites with ' hither
(a)' and 'thither (pra),' are these. 'Thither' the
seed is cast, and ' hither' birth takes place. ' Thither'
the cattle disperse (for grazing), 'hither' they return.
Indeed, everything here (moves) 'hither' and 'thither:'
for this reason he recites with 'a' and 'pra.'
7. He recites \ ' Forth go your viands, hcaven-
^ The following is a connected translation (as literal as possible, if not elegant) of the eleven samidhenis, or kindling verses, in the same octosyllabic metre as the original. The first and eleventh verses are recited three times ; and when at the end of each verse the Hotr/ pronounces the syllable om, the Adhvaryu throws a stick (samidh) into the fire, — up to the eighth verse, at the end of which the tenth stick is thrown in. At the end of the ninth verse five of the remaining six sticks are thrown into the fire. The th -owing of the first stick is accompanied by the sacrificer pronouncing the dedicatory formula (tyaga), 'For Agni this, not for me !'
1. Forth go your viands, heavenward.
In havis rich ; with buttered (spoon)
He nears the gods, wishful of bliss.
2. Come hither, Agni, to the feast; Invoked for the offering-gift,
As Hot;7 on the barhis tit!
3. With samidhs thee, O Ahgiras, With butter we exhilarate :
Shine forth, O youngest, brilliantly !
4. Agni, do thou obtain for us
That region wide and glorious,
That great and mighty one, O God !
5. Praiseworthy he, adorable.
Visible through the veil of gloom,
Agni, the mighty one, is lit.
6. The mighty Agni is lit up.
Yea, as a horse that bears the gods : With offerings him they glorify.
7. O mighty one! we mighty men
Do kindle thee, the mighty one, —
O Agni, thee that brightly shines.
I KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 9. I03
ward !' — hereby, then, the ' thither' is (realised). And
(in the second verse), ' Come hither, Agni, to ex-
pand ^ ! ' — by this, on the other hand, the ' hither '
is (reahsed).
8. Now, in reference to this point, some people
say, 'Both these (texts) surely result in a "thither 2."'
This, however, is beyond the ordinary understand-
ing: the text, ' forth go your viands, heavenward !' is
clearly (directed) away from (the sacrificer); and the
text, ' Come hither, Agni, to expand ! ' is (directed)
towards (him).
9. He recites (the first kindling verse), 'Forth go
your viands, heavenward ! ' this, then, tends in a for-
ward direction. 'Viands' (va^a)^ he says, because
viands mean food : hence food is obtained (for the
sacrificer) by this recitation. ' Heavenward ' he says,
because those that tend heavenward are the half-
8. Agni we choose as messenger,
As Hotrz' the all-knowing, — him,
Performing well this sacrifice.
9. He who is kindled at the cult,
Agni, the bright, the laudable,
The flaming-locked, him we adore.
10, O Agni, worshipped, thou art lit :
Adore, good worshipper, the gods !
Oblation-bearer, sure, art thou.
11. Make offerings! do reverence! —
Him, Agni, while the cult proceeds.
For your oblation-bearer choose !
^ See further on, par. 22 seq.
^ Inasmuch as Agni, whilst coming to the sacrifice, goes away from the gods. Say.
^ In the Taitt. S. II, 5, 7, 3-4 also va^a is in the first place rendered by ' food,' while afterwards it is identified with the months (i.e. the coursers? gamana^ila. Say.); as abhidyava/^ (in the sense of ' shining in both directions,' i. e. in the form of the waxing and waning moon, Say.) is referred to the half-moons.
I04 .DATAPATH A-BRAIIMAJVA.
moons : it is, therefore, the half-moons which he
obtains by this recitation. ' In havis rich ' he
further says, because those that are rich in havis
(milk, butter) are the cattle ; it is cattle, therefore, that
he thereby obtains through the recitation.
10. 'With buttered (spoon) — ' he adds. Now
Mathava, the (king of) Videgha\ carried Agni
Vai^vanara in his mouth. The AVshi Gotama Rahu-
ga.713. was his family priest. When addressed (by
the latter), he made no answer to him, fearing lest
Agni might fall* from his mouth.
1 1. He (the priest) began to invoke the latter with
^ To this important legend attention was first drawn by Professor Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 170 seq. (cf. also Ind. Streifen, I, p. 13; J. IMuir, Sanskrit Texts, II, p. 402). It was pointed out by Weber that this legend distinguishes three successive stages of the east- ward migration of the Brahmanical Hindus. In the first place the settlements of the Aryans had already been extended from the Vdngab (where they were settled in the times of the hymns of the Rig-veda) as far as the Sarasvati. They thence pushed forward, led by the Videgha Mathava and his priest, according to our legend, as far east as the river Sadanira (that is, 'she that is always filled with water '), which, according to Sayawa, is another name for the Kara toy a (the modern Kurattee, on which Bograh lies), which formed the eastern boundary of the Videhas ; or more probably the Ga;/^/aki (the modern Gunduck, a noble river which falls into the Ganges opposite Patna, and) which formed the boun- dary between the Kosalas and the Videhas (cf. par. 17). It would appear from our legend, that for some time the Aryans did not ven- ture to cross this river ; but at the time of the author the country to the east of it had long been occupied by them. Sayawa takes the hero of the legend to be Videgha, the Mddhava or son of Madhu ; but Videgha, an older form of Videha, is more probably intended here (as Weber takes it) for the name of that people and country (corresponding to the modern Tirhut). The Agni Vaij-vanara (or Agni who is common to all men) of our legend Professor Weber considers a personification of Brahmanical worship and civilisation and the destructive effects of their extension.
I KAiVDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 1 6. IO5
verses of the Rig-veda, ' We kindle thee at the
sacrifice, O wise Agni, thee the radiant, the mighty
caller to the sacrificial feast (Rig-veda V, 26, 3)! —
OVidegha!'
12. He (the king) did not answer. (The priest
went on), ' Upwards, O Agni, dart thy brilliant,
shining rays, thy flames, thy beams (Rig-veda VIII,
44, 16) ! — O Videgha-a-a !'
1 3. Still he did not answer. (The priest continued),
' Thee, O butter-sprinkled one, we invoke! (Rig-veda
V, 26, 2);' so much he uttered, when at the very
mentioning of butter, Agni Vaii'vanara flashed forth
from the (king's) mouth : he was unable to hold him
back ; he issued from his mouth, and fell down on
this earth.
14. Mathava, the Videgha, was at that time on
the (river) Sarasvati^ He (Agni) thence went burn-
inof alongf this earth towards the east ; and Gotama
Rahugra/^a and the Videorha Mathava followed after
him as he was burning along. He burnt over (dried
up) all these rivers. Now that (river), which is called
' Sadanira,' flows from the northern (Himalaya) moun-
tain : that one he did not burn over. That one the
Brahmans did not cross in former times, thinking, ' it
has not been burnt over by Agni Vai^vanara.'
15. Now-a-days, however, there are many Brah-
mans to the east of it. At that time it (the land
east of the Sadanira) was very uncultivated, very
marshy, because it had not been tasted by Agni
Vai^vanara.
16. Now-a-days, however, it is very cultivated, for the Brahmans have caused (Agni) to taste it through
^ Or, according to Sayawa, he was then in the Sarasvail, plunged into the river in order to quench the heat produced by Agni.
I06 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
sacrifices. Even in late summer that (river), as it
were, rages along- ^ : so cold is it, not having been
burnt over by Agni Vai^vanara.
17. Mathava, the Videgha, then said (to Agni),
'Where am I to abide ?' 'To the east of this (river)
be thy abode ! ' said he. Even now this (river) forms
the boundary of the Kosalas and Yidehas ; for these
are the Mathavas (or descendants of Mathava).
18. Gotama Rahuga//a then said (to Mathava),
'Why didst thou not answer when addressed by us?'
He replied, 'Agni Vaii-vanara was in my mouth;
I did not reply, lest he should escape from my
mouth.'
19. ' How then did this happen ?' — 'At the moment
when thou didst utter the words, " (Thee), O butter-
sprinkled one, we invoke!" just then, at the mention
of butter, Agni Vaii"vanara flashed forth from my
mouth ; I was unable to hold him back, he issued
from my mouth.'
20. That (word) in the samidhenis, therefore,
which contains butter (ghr/ta) is especially suitable
for kindling (sam-indh); and by it he accordingly
kindles him (Agni, the fire) and bestows vigour on
this (sacrificer).
21. Now that (word) is ghrita/cya, 'with the
buttered (spoon).' — ' He nears- the gods, wishful
of bliss.' Wishful of bliss, truly, is the sacrificer,
since he wishes to approach the gods, to go to^
^ That is to say, it is not affected by the heat of the summer, as the other rivers, but rushes along as rapidly and as well-filled as ever.
^ Gigati is taken by Saya;/a in the sense of ' he sings, praises.' Our author, on the other hand, seems to interpret it by ' he conquers (g'i);' see, however, next note.
^ The text has, ' Sa hi devan ^^Mgishati sa hi devan ^i,^iga;//sati.' The Ka«va recension has the same reading, except that it omits 'hi'
I KAiVDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAA^A, 24. 107
the gods : therefore he says, ' he nears the gods,
wishful of bhss.' This (verse), which is addressed
to Agni, is undefined (vague) ; and undefined, doubt-
less, is the 'All:' he thus commences (this holy
work) with the All,
22. [He recites the second samidheni] : ' Come
hither, Agni, to expand!' — 'To expand' he says,
because at the beginning these worlds were well-
nigh contiguous to one another : at that time one
could touch the sky thus^
23. The gods desired, ' How could these worlds
of ours become farther apart from one another ?
How could there be more space for us ?' They
breathed through them (the worlds) with these
three syllables (forming the word) 'vitaye-,' and
these worlds became far apart from one another ;
and there was then ampler space for the gods :
ample space, therefore, he will have for whom,
knowing this, they recite this (verse) containing (the
word) ' vitaye.'