» See IV, 2, 5, 7-8.
2 (i) O j-rAvava (for a jravaya), the Adhvaryu's call ; (2) astu jrausha/, the Ap^nidhra's response; (3) (samidho) ya^j^-a, the Adhvaryu's summons to the Hotr;'; (4) ye ya^amahe, the begin- ning of the Hot/V's yiVya, or ofTering-prayer (see p. 135 note); (5) vausha/, concluding formula of the ya^ya.
I KAiVDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 20. I43
17. These (five formulas) consist of seventeen
syllables; — seventeenfold, indeed, is Pra^apati, and
Pra^apati is the sacrifice : this is the one measure
of the sacrifice, this its consummation.
18. With 'O i-ravayaM' the gods sent forth the
east wind; with 'Astu i"rausha/M' they caused
the clouds to flow together; with ' Ya^a (pronounce
the ya^ya)!' (they sent forth) the lightning; with ' Ye
ya^amahe (we who pray),' the thunder; with the
vasha/-call they caused it to rain'-.
19. Should he (the sacrificer) be desirous of rain,
or should he perform a special offering^ or even at
the new- and full-moon sacrifice itself, he may say,
'Verily, I am desirous of rain!' — and he may also
say to the Adhvaryu, ' Ponder thou in thy mind
the east wind and the lightning!' — to the Agnidhra,
'Ponder thou the clouds in thy mind!' — to the
Hotrz, ' Ponder thou in thy mind the thunder
and rain!' — to the Brahman, 'Ponder thou all
these in thy mind!' — for where the officiating priests
thus practice sacrifice with a perfect mutual under-
standing between them, there it will indeed rain.
20. With ' O i-ravaya !' the gods called the shining
one (vira^, viz. cow) ; with 'Astu ^rausha/!' they
untied the calf and let it go to her; with 'Ya^^a!'
they raised (its head to the udder of the cow)* ; with
^ For a^ravaya (cf. p. 131, note 2), i.e. 'bid (him, Agni, or them) hear!' but the author here makes i-ravaya the causative of sru (sru), 'to flow ;' hence a jravaya, 'make flow;' and astu jrausha/ [properly 'Yea, may he (or one) hear !'] he makes ' Yea, may it flow ! '
" A fanciful etymology ofvasha/ from root vrz'sh, 'to rain;' for the true derivation of the word, see p. 88, note 2.
^ I. e. an off"ering made with a view to the obtainment of some special wish (kamyesh/i).
* Thus (or 'they led it up to the udder of the cow') Saya«a
144 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
'Ye yaj^dmahe!' they sat down by her (for milk-
ing); with the vasha/-call they milked her. The
shining one, doubtless, is this (earth), and of her this
is the milkinof : and for him who knows this to be
the milking of the shining one, this shining (earth-
cow) thus milks out all his desires.
Third BRAHMAiVA.
1. The fore-offerings (praya^a), assuredly, are
the seasons : hence there are five of them, for there
are five seasons.
2. The gods and the Asuras, both of them sprang
from Pra^apati, were once contending for this sacri-
fice, (which is) their father Pra^apati, the year :
'Ours it (he) shall be!' 'Ours it (he) shall be!'
they said.
3. Then the gods went on praising and toiling.
They saw these fore-offerings and worshipped with
them. By means of them they gained (pra-^i) the
seasons, the year ; they deprived their rivals of the
seasons, of the year : hence (the fore-offerings are)
victories (pra^aya), for, assuredly, pra^aya is the
very same term as praya^a (fore-offering) ^ And
in the same way this one (the sacrificer) wins by
means of them the seasons, the year ; deprives his
rivals of the seasons, of the year. This is the
reason why he performs the fore-offerings.
4. The sacrificial food at these offerings consists of
explains udanayan. In his commentary on Taitt. S. I, 6, 11 he interprets the analogous udanaishit by 'he raises (or brings) the milk-pail;' where the St. Petersburg Dictionary apparently takes it in the sense of ' he led the calf away from the cow.'
^ In reality praya^a (from ya^, 'to sacrifice') has, of course, nothing to do with pra^aya (from ^i, 'to conquer').
I KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 7. 1 45
clarified butter. Now the butter, indeed, is a thunder-
bolt, and with that thunderbolt, the butter, the gods
gained the seasons, the year, and deprived their rivals
of the seasons, of the year. And with that thunder-
bolt, the butter, he now, in the same way, gains the
seasons, the year, and deprives his enemies of the
seasons, of the year. For this reason clarified butter
forms the sacrificial food at these (offerings).
5. Now this butter is the year's own liquor:
hence the gods gained it (the year) by means of its
own liquor ; and in the same way he also now gains
it by means of its own liquor. This is the reason
why clarified butter forms the sacrificial food at
these (fore-offerings).
6. Let him (the Adhvaryu) not move from that
same spot where he may be standing when he calls
for the fore-offerings. A battle, it is true, is wit-
nessed whenever any one performs the fore-offerings,
and whichever of the two combatants is worsted,
that one, no doubt, retreats; and he who obtains
the victory, advances still nearer : he (the Adhvaryu)
might therefore (feel inclined to) step nearer and
nearer (to the fire), and offer the oblations (while
moving) nearer and nearer^
7. This, however, he should not do ; he should
not move from that same spot where he may be
standing when he calls for the fore-offerings. Let
^ Though the author does not state expressly that this change of position in performing the five fore-offerings is advocated by some other ritualists, he apparently argues in this passage against an actually adopted theory and practice, which the Siitras also mention as optional. In the case of the Adhvaryu changing his position, he is at each successive fore-offering to pour the butter on a part of the fire east of the preceding one. Katy. Ill, 2, 18-21.
[I2] L
146 .DATAPATH A-BRAHMAJVA.
him rather offer the (five) oblations in that part (of
the fire) where he thinks there is the fiercest blaze ;
for only by being offered in blazing (fire), oblations
are successful.
8. He (the Adhvaryu), having called (on, and
having been responded to by, the Agnidhra), says
(to the Hotr^), * Pronounce the offering-prayer
(ya^ya) to the Samidhs (kindling-sticks)!' Thereby
he kindles the spring ; the spring, when kindled,
kindles the other seasons ; the seasons, when
kindled, generate the creatures and ripen the
plants. In the same (formula) he also implies the
(four) remaining seasons, and in order to avoid
sameness, he introduces the others by merely saying
each time, ' Pronounce the offering-prayer ! ' For
were he to say, ' Pronounce the offering-prayer to
Tantanapat!' ' Pronounce the offering-prayer to the
IdsV and so on, he would commit (the fault of)
repetition : hence he introduces the remaining (sea-
sons or fore-offerings) by merely saying each time,
' Pronounce the offering-prayer' !'
9. He (the Hotrz) now pronounces the offering-
prayer (ya^ya) to the Samidhs. The samidh
(kindler), doubtless, is the spring. The gods, at
that time, appropriated the spring, and deprived
their rivals of the spring ; and now this one (the
^ On the necessity of avoiding sameness of ritualistic practices cf. note on I, 3, 2, 8. The five fore-offerings (praya^a, here identified with the five seasons) are addressed respectively to the kindling-sticks (samidh), to Tanfinapat (or Narajaz«sa, both mystical forms of Agni), to the L/s (personifications of the forms of devoiional feeling), to the sacrificial grass-covering of the altar (bar his), and to Agni and Soma (or other deities). Since, in in- troducing the first fore-offering, the Adhvaryu has mentioned its recipient, he is not to do so in the case of the remaining four.
I KAiVDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 12. I47
sacrificer) also appropriates the spring, and deprives
his rivals of the spring: this is the reason why he
pronounces the offering-prayer to the Samidhs.
10. After that he pronounces the offering-prayer
to Tanunapat. Tanunapat, doubtless, is the sum-
mer; for the summer burns the bodies (tanun
tapati) of these creatures. The gods, at that time,
appropriated the summer, and deprived their rivals
of the summer; and now this one also appropriates
the summer, and deprives his rivals of the summer:
this is the reason why he pronounces the offering-
prayer to Tantjinapat.
11. He then pronounces the offering-prayer to the
I^s. The I^s (praises), doubtless, are the rains;
they are the rains, inasmuch as the vile, crawling
(vermin)^ which shrink during the summer and
winter, then (in the rainy season) move about in
quest of food, as it were, praising (i^) the rains :
therefore the Ids are the rains. The gods, at that
time, appropriated the rains, and deprived their
rivals of the rains ; and now this one also appro-
priates the rains, and deprives his rivals of the
rains : this is the reason why he pronounces the
offering-prayer to the I^s.
12. He then pronounces the offering-prayer to the
Barhis (covering of sacrificial grass on the altar).
The barhis, doubtless, is the autumn; the barhis
is the autumn, inasmuch as these plants which
shrink during the summer and winter grow by
the rains, and in autumn lie spread open after the
fashion of barhis : for this reason the barhis is the
autumn. The gods, at that time, appropriated the
autumn, and deprived their rivals of the autumn ;
^ Such as lizards, alligators. Sayawa. L 2
148 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
and now this one also appropriates the autumn, and
deprives his rivals of the autumn : this is why he
pronounces the prayer to the bar his.
13. He then pronounces the offering-prayer with
* Svahi ! Svaha\'' The Svaha-call, namely, marks
the end of the sacrifice, and the end of the year is
the winter, since the winter is on the other (remoter)
side of the spring. By the end (of the sacrifice)
the gods, at that time, appropriated the end (of the
year); by the end they deprived their rivals of the end;
and by the end this one also now appropriates the
end ; by the end he deprives his rivals of the end :
this is why he pronounces the offering-prayers with
' Svaha! Svaha!'
14. Now the spring, assuredly, comes into life
again out of the winter, for out of the one the other
is born again : therefore he who knows this, is
indeed born again in this world.
15. In order to avoid sameness he prays (alter-
nately) with ' may they accept ! ' and ' may he (or it)
accept^!' for he w^ould commit (the fault) of repe-
^ See further on, par. 22. As to Svaha! marking the conclu- sion of the sacrifice, see the Samish/aya^us I, 9, 2, 25-28.
"^ The first offering-prayer (to the logs) is 'y§ yag'amahe sami- dha>%, samidho agna a^i^yasya vyantu vausha/!' i.e. 'we who pro- nounce the offering-prayer to the Samidhs, — the Samidhs, O Agni, may accept the butter ! vausha/ !' Similarly at the other fore-offerings; but at the second and fourth, where the object of worship is a single one (viz. TanQnapat and the Barhis respectively), * may he (or it) ac- cept (vetu) !' has to be substituted for ' may they accept (vyantu) !' The difference of number in these verbal forms is symbolically explained as implying a distinction of se.K, for the reason that there may be more wives to one man, but only one husband to a woman. The elliptic expression ye ya^i?-amahe is thus explained by Sayawa on Taitt. S. I, 6, 1 1 : ' All we Hot// priests that are urged on by the Adhvaryu calling "Recite (thou)!" we do recite, we do pronounce
I KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 3 BRKuMANA, 1 8. 1 49
tition, if he were to pray with 'may they accept!*
each time, or with ' may he accept !' each time. By
'may they accept!' doubtless, females (are implied);
and by 'may he accept!' a male (is implied): thereby
a productive union is effected, and for this reason he
prays (alternately) with 'may they accept!' and 'may
he (or it) accept V
16. Now at the fourth fore-offering, to the
barhis, he pours (butter) together (into the ^uhtl^).
The barhis, namely, represents descendants, and
the butter seed : hence seed is thereby infused into
the descendants, and by that infused seed descend-
ants are generated again and again. For this reason
he pours together (butter) at the fourth fore-offering,
that to the barhis.
17. Now, a battle, as it were, is going on here
when any one performs the fore-offerings; and which-
ever of the two combatants a friend (an ally) joins,
he obtains the victory : hence a friend thereby joins
the^uhu from out of the upabhret, and by him
it (or he) obtains the victory. This is why he pours
together (butter) at the fourth fore-offering, that to
the barhis.