24. He proceeds, ' Invoked for the giver of obla- tions!' 'The giver of oblations^,' of course, is the
in both cases. Instead of^igawsati, however, some MSS., as well as Sayawa, read ^igha/«sati ('he wishes to conquer, or beat, the gods'), probably an old corruption, easily accounted for by the circumstance that ^igishati is the regular desiderative of ^i, 'to conquer,' though it also occurs in some passages as the desiderative of ga, 'to go.' Saya«a, however, though he reads ^igha7«sati, here allows to the root han (with Naigh. 2, 14) the meaning of ' to go.' Cf. Weber, Omina und Portenta, p. 406, note 4.
^ Viz. by stretching the arms upwards. Saya;za.
^ That is, vi-itaye, 'for going asunder,' a fanciful analysis of the word viti ; the correct rendering is ' for the meal or food,' ' for the feast.'
^ Havyadati, the correct meaning of the word is ' the giving of oblations.'
sacrificer : hence ' invoked for the sacrificer' is what
he thereby means to say. — ' As Hotri on the barhis
sit!' Agni, indeed, is the Hotr/, and the barhis
(the covering of sacrificial grass on the akar) is this
world : hence he thereby establishes Agni (the fire)
in this world, as this fire is established (or, beneficial,
hita) in this world. This (verse), then, is recited with
reference to this world (the earth) : through it this
world is conquered by him for whom, knowing this,
they recite this (verse).
25. [He recites the third simidheni]: 'With
samidhs thee, O Ahgiras !' — with samidhs (kindling-
sticks), indeed, the Aiigiras kindled him. ' O Ari-
giras !' he says, for Agni is indeed Aiigiras ^ — 'With
butter we exhilarate!' This (viz. ghr/tena, 'with
butter') is a word which is especially suitable for the
kindling of Agni : by it he kindles him, and bestows
vigour on this (sacrificer).
26. 'Shine forth, O youngest, brilliantly!' he
adds ; for brilliantly he shines, when kindled ; and
' O youngest !' he says, because he is really the
youngest Agni-: therefore he says, 'O youngest!'
This (verse) is recited with reference to yonder
world, to wit, the aerial world ; hence this (verse),
which is addressed to Agni, is undefined, for unde-
fined is yonder world : that world he thereby gains,
for whom, knowing this, they recite this verse.
27. [He recites the fourth samidheni]: 'Agni, do thou obtain for us that (region) wide and
' Rig-veda I, 31, i, he is called the first of the Angiras.
^ The fire which has just been kindled is frcciuemly called the youngest (yavish///a). Saya;/a takes it as 'the ever young.' See also the legend regarding the three Agnis who preceded the present Agni in the office of divine Hotr/, I, 2, 3, i ; 3, 3, 13.
I KAiVDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAA^A, 30. IO9
glorious!' For wide, indeed, is yonder (region)
wherein the gods (dwell), and glorious is that
(region) wherein the gods (dwell). When he says,
' Do thou obtain for us \' he means to say, ' make
us go to it !'
28. 'That great and mighty one, O God!' For
great, indeed, is yonder (region) wherein the gods
(dwell), and mighty^ is that wherein the gods
(dwell). This (verse), then, is recited with reference
to yonder world : that heavenly world he thereby
gains, for whom, knowing this, they recite this
(verse).
29. He recites (the fifth samidheni): 'Praise-
worthy he, adorable,' for worthy of praise he is,
and worthy of adoration ; — ' visible through the veil
of gloom,' for when kindled he is seen right
through the gloom ; — ' Agni, the mighty one (bull),
is lit,' for he is indeed lit up, the mighty one.
[He recites the sixth samidheni]: 'The mighty Agni is lit up,' for he is indeed lit up.
30. 'Yea^ as a horse that bears the gods,' for
having become a horse he does indeed carry the
sacrifice to the gods: the (word) 'na' which occurs
in this verse has the meaning of 'om' (verily); hence
he says, ' Yea, as a horse that bears to the gods.'
^ Vivasasi, Sayawa explains it by prakasaya, 'illuminate it;' but cf. Saya«a on Rig-veda VI, 16, asman aHV/a abhigamaya, ' make it (dhanam) come to us/
^ Suvirya is taken by our author as an adjective, co-ordinate with the others ; but it is evidently a noun (' abundance of heroes ' or ' manliness, manly power,' St. Petersburg Dictionary) qualified by the adjectives.
' Na is taken by our author as a particle of asseveration ; though in reality it is a particle of comparison. In later Sanskrit na is only used as particle of negation.
no ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
31. 'With offerings him they glorify,' for with
offerings men indeed glorify him ; therefore he says,
'with offerings him they glorify.'
32. [He recites the seventh samidheni]: 'O
mighty one M we mighty men do kindle thee, the
mighty one!' for they indeed kindle him; — 'O Agni.
thee that brightly shines!' for he indeed shone
brightly when he was kindled.
33. He recites this tristich which contains the
word (vrzshan), 'mighty.' All these kindling
verses, it is true, are addressed to Agni; Indra,
however, is the deity of sacrifice, Indra is the
mighty (hero) ; hence these his (the sacrificer's)
kindling verses thereby become possessed of Indra :
this is the reason why he recites the tristich con-
taining the word ' mighty.'
34. He recites [the eighth samidheni]: 'Agni
we choose as messenger!' Now the gods and
the A suras, both of them sprang from Pra^apati,
were contending for superiority. When they were
thus contending, the gayatri stood between them.
That gayatri was the same as this earth, and this
earth indeed lay between them 2. Now both of
them knew that whichever she would side with,
they would be victorious and the others would be
defeated. Both parties then invited her secretly
to come to them. Agni acted as messenger
for the gods ; and an Asura-Rakshas, named Sa-
' V/-/slm.n,'lhe male, ihe vigorous one, the bull;' cf. Max IMiiller, Translation of Rig-veda Sanhila, I, p. 121 seq.
"^ ' On the {o\> of Mount Meru lies the city of Amardvati, wherein the gods dwell ; and beneath Meru lies Iravati, the city of the Asuras : between these two lies the earth.' Saya//a.
I KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 36. Ill
harakshas^ for the Asuras. She then followed
Agni : he therefore recites, ' Agni we choose for
messenger,' because he was the messenger of the
gods. — 'As Hot;/ the all-knowing, him!'
35. Here now some people recite, ' He who is
the Hotr^ of the all-knowing^;' lest (in saying 'for
Hotri, the all-knowing, him') one should say to
oneself 'enough (i.e. have done)!' This, however,
he should not do ; for by (doing) so they do at
the sacrifice what is human ; and what is human,
is inauspicious at a sacrifice. Therefore, lest he
should do what is inauspicious at the sacrifice,
he should recite, just as it is recited by the 7?/k,
'for Hot/7, the all-knowing, him!' [He continues],
'Performing well this sacrifice!' for he, Agni,
is indeed a good performer of the sacrifice : for
this reason he says, ' performing well this sacrifice.'
She (gayatri, or the earth) sided with the gods,
and the gods thereupon were victorious and the
Asuras were defeated : and verily he for whom,
knowing this, they recite this (verse), is himself
victorious and his adversaries are defeated.
36. He therefore recites this, the eighth (sami-
dheni). This, indeed. Is peculiarly a gayatri
verse, since it is of eight syllables that the gayatri
(metre) consists : for this reason he recites the
eighth (samldheni).
^ Cf. the corresponding passage in Taitt. S. II, 5, 11, 8, where Daivya is given as the name of the messenger of the Asuras.
^ That is to say, instead of 'Hotarawz vijvavedasam,' they recite 'Hota yo vijvavedasa// ;' for the reason that Hotaram (accusative of hotn) might be understood to be 'hota aram,' aram, 'enough,' being a particle implying a prohibition. Our author, however, promptly sets his face against this application of human reasoning to an inspired text.
112 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
Tf^. Here now some people place the two (dhayyas)
additional kindling verses before (the eighth sami-
dheni), arguing, 'The two dhayyas^ mean food:
this edible food we place in front (or, in the mouth,
mukhata//).' But let him not do this: for with
him who inserts the additional verses before (the
eighth), the latter (the eighth) is clearly out of its
place-, since in that case it (and the succeeding
verse) become the tenth and eleventh verses. With
him, on the other hand, for whom they recite this
as the eighth (kindling verse), it is indeed in its
proper place : let him therefore insert the two addi-
tional verses after (the ninth).
38. [He recites the ninth kindling verse]: 'He
who is kindled at the cult' — the cult (adhvara),
doubtless, is the sacrifice : ' he who is kindled at the
sacrifice' he thereby says; — 'Agni, the bright, the
laudable,' for he is both bright and laudable ; — ' the
flamine-locked, him we adore!' for when he is
kindled, his locks, as it were, flame. Previously to
(the beginning of the tenth verse), ' O Agni, wor-
shipped, thou art lit !' let him (the Adhvaryu) put on
^ Whenever thirteen kindling verses are recited instead of eleven (or counting the repetitions of the first and last verses, seventeen instead of fifteen), the two verses Rig-veda III, 27, 5 and 6 are inserted according to our author after the ninth, and according to others before the eighth, samidheni. They are called dhayya, probably derived from dha,'to put, add,' whilst those ritualists whose practice is here rejected apparently connect the word with the root dha (dhe), 'to suck.'
2 According to Saya«a, because it no longer occupies the eighth place for which it is specially appropriate on account of its being, according to our author, 'peculiarly a gayatri (eight-syllabled) verse.' This reasoning is far from satisfactory, since the two dhayyas (Rig-veda III, 27, 5 and 6) are also gayatri verses.
I KAiVDA, 4 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAA^A, 40. I I 3
all the kindling-sticks with the exception of the
one stick (which is to be put on at the after-
offerings i); for it is now that the Hotri completes
(the kindling); and what then is left of the kindling-
sticks, other than the one stick, that is left (un-
used altogether) ; and what is left (unused) of the
sacrifice, that is left for his (the sacrificer's) spiteful
enemy: let him, therefore, previously to this (verse),
put on all the samidhs, save one.
39. [He continues] : ' Adore, good worshipper,
the gods!' worship (adhvara) doubtless means
sacrifice : ' adore the gods, good sacrificer' he thereby
says; — 'Oblation-bearer, sure, art thou!' for he,
Agni, Is indeed the bearer of oblations : for this
reason he says ' oblation-bearer, sure, art thou.'
[He recites the last samidheni]: 'Make offer- ings ! do reverence ! Him, Agni, while the cult pro- ceeds, for your oblation-bearer choose !' by this (verse) he urges them on : ' make offerings and worship ! do this for (the accomplishment) of whatever desire you kindled him ! ' this is what he thereby means to say. ' Him, Agni, while the cult proceeds,' he says, because cult means sacrifice : hence he thereby says, ' him, Agni, whilst the sacrifice proceeds ;'-r— ' for your oblation-bearer choose!' for he, Agni, is indeed the oblation-bearer, and for this reason he says 'for your oblation-bearer choose (him)!'
40. This tristich, containing (the word) 'cult
(adhvara),' he thus recites. For once when the
gods were engaged in sacrificing, their rivals, the
Asuras, wished to injure (dhurv, dhvar) them;
but, though desirous of injuring them, they were
1 See I, 8, 2, 3.
114 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA,
unable to injure them and were foiled : for this rea-
son the sacrifice is called adhvara ('not damaged,
uninterrupted') ; and for whomsoever, that knows
this, they recite this tristich containing (the word)
adhvara ('cult, sacrifice'), his rival, though desirous
of injuring him, is foiled ; and he (the sacrificer),
moreover, gains as much as one gains by offering a
Soma-sacrifice ^
Second BRAHMAiVA.
1. Now in former times the gods appointed Agni
to the chief (office), namely, that of Hot/V; and
having appointed him to the chief (office) saying ' do
thou carry this our oblation!' they cheered him up,
saying, ' Surely, thou art vigorous ; surely, thou art
equal to this!' thereby endowing him with vigour,
even as in our own days, when they appoint any one
from among their kinsmen to the chief (office), they
cheer him up saying ' surely, thou art vigorous ;
surely, thou art equal to this !' thereby endowing him
with vigour. By what, therefore, he recites after this,
he eulogizes him, puts vigour into him^.