^ The ya^yas (oflfering-prayers) are the prayers which the Hoirt pronounces when the offerings are poured into the fire (this being done simultaneously with, or immediately after, the vausha/, 'may he carry it,' with which the ya^ya ends, is pronounced). At the chief oblations the offering-prayer is preceded by an anuvakya or puro'nuvakya (invitatory prayer) by which the gods are invited p come to the offering, and which ends with ' om.'
6 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
20. 'Agreeable to Nara^awsa ^' — man (nara),
namely, is a creature ; hence he says this for all the
creatures ; thereby it is auspicious, and whether or
not he knows (forms of speech that are agreeable),
they are uttered (and received with applause), ' well
he has recited ! well he has recited !' — ' What at the
Hotr/ choice may escape the crooked eye this day,
that may Agni bring back here, he, the knower of
beings (^atavedas), the nimble one (vi/t'arsha;n)!'
— by this he means to say, * even as those (three)
Agnis, whom they first chose for the Hotr/ship,
passed away'^, (but thou, the fourth Agni, Avast then
obtained,) so do thou make good for me whatever
mistake may have been committed at my election!'
and it is accordingly made good for him.
21. He now touches the Adhvaryu and the AgnJ-
dhra ; for the Adhvaryu is the mind, and the Hotri
is speech : thus he thereby brings mind and speech
together.
22. At the same time he mutters^, ' From anguish
may the six spaces protect me, fire, earth, water,
wind, day, and night*!' — 'may these deities protect
* Narajawsa [' the hope or desire (sLsams^) of man (nara)'] is a mystical form of Agni, invoked chiefly in the Apri-hymns at animal sacrifices. ' Yatha sarve'pinara a sarvata// jamsanti tathavidhaya.' SSya/za.
^ See the legend I, 2, 3, i seq.
' This and the succeeding formulas also are entirely different from those given in Aj-v. S. I, 3, 27 seq. The 6"ahkhay. ^S". I, 6 (Hillebrandt, Neu und Vollm. p. 91) seems to coincide, to some extent, with those given by our author.
* The six spaces or wide expanses (urvi) are several times referred to in Vedic texts, but the conception seems to have been very vague. They arc generally supposed to include the space above, the space below, and the four quarters. In Rig- veda VI, 47, 3-5 it is stated that they have been measured ouL
I KAiVDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 2$. 1 37
me from disease!' thus he thereby says; for he
whom these deities protect from disease, will not
stumble (or fail).
23. He steps beside the Hotr/'s seat, takes one
stalk of (reed) grass from the Hotrz's seat and casts
it outside (the sacrificial ground), with the formula,
'Ejected is the wealth-clutcher (paravasu, lit. "off-
wealth") !' Formerly, namely, the Hotrz of the Asuras
was one Paravasu by name : him he thereby ejects
from the Hotr/'s seat.
24. He then sits down on the Hotrz's seat, with
the formula, ' I here sit down on the seat of the
wealth-bestower (arvavasu, lit. "hither-wealth")!'
for one Arvavasu by name was the hiotri of the
gods^, and on his seat he accordingly sits down.
25. At the same time he mutters, 'O All-maker,
thou art the protector of lives ! do not ye two (fires)
scorch me away (from this)-, injure me not! this
by Indra, and that outside of them there is no being (bhu- vanam); and they are then enumerated thus: the expanse of the earth, the height (varshman, ? highest point or sphere) of the sky (div), the sap (piyusha) in the three elevations [? i. e. flowing, animating moisture, as rain, rivers, sap, &c.], the atmo- sphere, the ocean (? ar«as, ? of light, air), and the sky (div). The enumeration of six objects in Atharva-veda II, 12, i seems to refer to the same conception: heaven and earth (dyavapr/thivi), the wide atmospheric region, the genius (fem.) of the field (kshetrasya patni), the far-strider (Sun, Light), the wide atmospheric region (uru-antariksham as before; cf. the double enumeration of div in the J^tk passage) ; and what has the Wind for its guardian (vatagopa). Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, p. 164. -S'ahkh. Gnliya- sutra I, 6, 4 gives heaven and earth, day and night, water and plants (St. Petersburg Dictionary s.v.).
^ According to the Kaushit. Br. VI, 10, Arvavasu was the Brah- man of the gods. Weber, Ind. Stud. II, 306.
^ The Hotn's seat stands north of the north-west corner of the altar, the Ahavaniya and the Garhapatya fires being about equi- distant from it towards south-east and south-west respectively.
138 i-ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
is your sphere;' with this he moves shghtly north-
wards : by this (mantra, he indicates that) he sits
midway between the Ahavaniya and the Garhapatya,
and thus he propitiates these two ; and in accordance
with what he sa}'3, ' do not scorch me away from
this ! injure me not !' they do not injure him.
26. He then mutters whilst looking at the (Aha-
vaniya) fire, 'All ye gods, instruct me, how and what
I am to mind while seated here as the chosen Hotrtl
declare my share (of the sacrificial duties), how and
by what road I am to convey the oblation to you !' —
for as one says to those for whom food has been
cooked, ' order me how I am to bring it you, how I
am to serve it up for you !' in like manner he is
desirous of directions recrardinsf the sfods, and for
this reason he mutters thus, ' instruct me how I
may utter the Vasha/-call for you in its proper
order, how I may bring you the oblation in its
proper order ! '
Second BRAHMAiVA.
The Fore-offerings (Prayacas).
I. [The Hotrz continues], ' May Agnl, the priest
(hotrz), know (undertake) Agni's priestly duty (hau-
tram),' — thereby he says 'may Agni, as Hotr?', know
this!' 'Agni's priestly duty' he says, because it is
his duty that he must know ; — ' that means of salva-
tion \' — the means of salvation, assuredl)-, is the
sacrifice: 'may he know the sacrifice' is what he
thereby says. — ' Favourable to thee, O Sacrificer, is
^ Pravitram, literally ' that which promotes, protects '(' unser Hort '). Sayawa on Taitt. S. II, 5, 9, 5 explains it by ' prakr/sh- /am avitram phaladanarupam asmadrakshawam yasmin homanu- shMane tad idam pravitram.' For this and the succeeding formulas, see Asv. I, 4, lo-ii.
I KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 4. 1 39
the deity!' by this he says 'favourable is the deity
to thee, O Sacrificer, whose Hotrz is AgniM' — ■
'Take up'^ the spoon, O Adhvaryu, full of butter!'
thereby he urges on the Adhvaryu. The reason
why he mentions one (spoon) only (is this).
2. The Sacrificer, doubtless, stands behind the
^uhu, and he, who means evil to him, stands
behind the upabhrzt; and if he were to speak of
two (spoons), he would cause the spiteful enemy
to countervail the Sacrificer. Behind the ^uhu
stands the eater, and behind the upabhr^t the
one to be eaten ; and if he were to speak of two
(spoons), he would make the one to be eaten
countervail the eater. For these reasons he speaks
of one (spoon) only.
3. [He continues], ' — (the spoon which is) de-
voted to the gods, possessed of all boons,' he
praises, he magnifies it when he says 'devoted
to the gods, possessed of all boons.' — ' Let us praise
the gods, the praiseworthy ! let us adore the ador-
able! let us worship the worshipful!' that is, 'let
us praise those gods who are praiseworthy ! let us
adore those who are adorable ! let us worship those
who are worthy of worship!' the praisewordiy, to
wit, are the men, the adorable the fathers, and the
worshipful the gods.
4. For, indeed, the creatures that are not allowed to take part in the sacrifice are forlorn ; and therefore
^ Asv. I, 4, 10, and -S'ahkh. I, 6 give as belonging to the text of the mantra : yo agni?« hotaram avr/iha//, ' thou who hast chosen Agni for thy Hotr/;' the same reading is mentioned in Taitt.
S. Ii, 5, 9, 5-
^ Thus Sayawa (asyasva= haste dharaya); ' schopfe ein (ladle in),' St. Petersburg Dictionary; ' pour into the fire,' Hillebrandt, p. 93.
140 i-ATAPATIIA-BRAHMAiVA.
he makes those creatures here on earth that are not
forlorn, take part in the sacrifice : behind the men
are the beasts, and behind the gods are the birds,
the plants, and the trees ; and thus all that here
exists is made to take part in the sacrifice.
5. These same (preceding formulas) are nine
utterances ; for nine, in number, are those breaths
(or vital airs) in man^ and these he thereby puts
into him (the sacrificer) : for this reason there are
nine utterances.
6. The sacrifice fled away from the gods. The
gods called out after it, 'Listen (a-^ru) to us^ !
come back to us!' It replied, 'So be it!' and
returned to the gods ; and with what had thus
returned to them, the gods w^orshipped ; and by
worshipping with it they became the gods they
now are.
7. Now when he (the Adhvaryu) calls (on the
Agnidhra), he thereby calls after the sacrifice, ' Listen
to us ! come back to us ! ' and when he (the Agni-
dhra) responds, then the sacrifice comes back, saying
'so be it!' and with it, thus passing over to them,
as with seed^ the priests carry on the tradition, im-
perceptibly to the sacrificer ; for even as people
hand on from one to the other a full vessel ^ in
' See p. 20, note i.
^ The legend is intended to explain the origin and symbolical meaning of the call (ajravawa) of the Adhvaryu (viz. O jravaya! 'make listen !') and the response (pratyajrava;/a) of the Agnidhra (viz. astu jrausha/!).
' The sacrifice is the seed (vi^^1) that produces heaven as its fruit. Saya«a.
* I. e. ' even as they pass on from hand to hand a pail (gha/a) filled with water when a tub is to be filled inside the house.' Saya«a.
I Kanda, 5 Adhyaya, 2 Brahma^-a, 12. I4i
the same way they (the priests) hand down that
(sacrifice) from one to the other. They hand it
down by means of speech, for the sacrifice is speech
(prayer), and speech is seed : therefore they keep up
the tradition by means of it.
8. After he has said (to the Hotri), ' Recite!' the
Adhvaryu must utter nothing improper (worldly) ;
neither must the Hotri utter anything improper.
The Adhvaryu^ utters his call: thereby the sacri-
fice passes on to the Agnidhra.
9. The Agnidhra must utter nothing improper
until his response. The Agnidhra responds : thereby
the sacrifice passes back to the Adhvaryu.
10. The Adhvaryu must utter nothing improper
until he pronounces (the word) ' ya^a (recite the
offering-prayer):' in saying 'ya^a' the Adhvaryu
hands the sacrifice on to the Hotri.
11. The Hotri must utter nothing improper
until his vasha/-call. By the vasha/-call he pours
it (the sacrifice) into the fire, as seed into the womb;
for the fire is indeed the womb of the sacrifice, from
thence it is brouijht forth. So now at the havis-
sacrifice. And at the Soma-cult, —
1 2. When he has drawn (the Soma), the Adhvaryu must not utter anything improper until his summons
^ As soon as the Hotn'has pronounced the formula 'O Adhvaryu, take up the spoon full of butter ! ' (par. 2 above), the Adhvaryu takes the two offering-spoons (^uhu and upabhra) and steps back (from the west side along the north side of the altar and the west side of the fire) to the south side of the altar and the fire (the ya^ati-sthana), and (with his face to north-east) utters his call, and (having been responded to by the Agnidhra) calls on the Hoiri : * samidho ya^a (pronounce the offering-prayer to the kindling- sticks)!' Katy. Ill, 2, 16.
142 DATAPATH A-BR A HMAA^A.
(for the chanting of the stotra^) : with the call 'draw
near!' the Adhvaryu hands the sacrifice on to the
Udgatr/s (chanters).
13. The Udgat7^/s must not utter anything im-
proper until the last (stotra-verse) : ' this is the last
one,' thus thinking, the Udgatrzs hand on the sacri-
fice to the Hotr/.
14. The Hotrz must utter nothing improper until
the vasha/-call. With the vasha/-call he pours it
(the sacrifice) into the fire, as seed into the womb;
for the fire is indeed the womb of the sacrifice, since
from thence it is brought forth.
15. If he whom the sacrifice approaches were to
utter anything improper, he would waste the sacri-
fice, even as he might waste (water by spilling from)
a full vessel. And where the officiating priests thus
practice sacrifice with a perfect mutual understanding
between them, there everything works regularly and
no hitch occurs : therefore it is in this way that the
sacrifice must be nursed,
16. Now there are here five utterances, viz. (i)
' Bid (him, Agni, or them) hear!' (2) 'Yea, may he
(or, one) hear!' (3) ' Pronounce the prayer to the
kindling-sticks!' (4) 'We who pronounce the prayer
. . .' (5) ' May he bear (the sacrifice to the gods)-!'
fivefold is the sacrifice, fivefold the animal victim,
five are the seasons of the year : this is the one
measure of the sacrifice, this its consummation.