^ ' Kaniya in nv ato dvishan dvishate 'ratiyati kim v etavan- matram upa^anita yathedam ito 'nyathasad iti.' The Ka«va MS. has, ' tad u vai devanam atathasa kaniya in nu tato dvishan dvishate 'ratiyed atha k\m tavanmatram. Te ho^'uh katham idam ito no 'nyatha syad iti.'
^ A/tyuta, literally ' not fallen,' hence invariable, indispensable is an epithet frequently applied to Agni's sacrificial cake; of. I, 4, 2, 16 ; I, 6, 2, 5.
* See p. 148, note 2.
I KAA^DA, 6 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, II. 1 57
' Tantinapdt, O Agni . . . !' ' The I^s, O Agni . . . !'
' The Barh i s, O Agni ...!'' Svaha Agni ! ' And verily,
whosoever knows that Agni is thus allowed to share
(in the sacrifice) along with the Seasons, he is allowed
to participate in whatever auspicious rite is performed
by one who professes to be equal (in that knowledge)
to him ; — for him, being possessed of Agni, the Sea-
sons, themselves possessed of Agni, ripen the plants
and everything here.
9. Now, as to this point, some raise the ob-
jection, * But since they invite the fore-offerings
last of all (at the two libations of butter) ^ why do
they offer prayer to them first of all?' — Because
they established them last of all in the sacrifice ^ ;
and because they said, 'we will offer prayer to you
first : ' for that reason they invite them last, and offer
prayer to them first.
10. By the fourth fore-offering the gods, assuredly,
obtained the sacrifice, and by the fifth they firmly
established it; and by what part of the sacrifice
after that remained unaccomplished they gained the
world of heaven.
11. In going to heaven they were afraid of an
attack from the Asuras and Rakshas. They placed
Agni at their head, as the Rakshas-killer, the re-
peller of the Rakshas; they placed Agni in their
midst, as the Rakshas-killer, the repeller of the
Rakshas; they placed Agni in their rear, as the
Rakshas-killer, the repeller of the Rakshas.
^ In the devatanam avahanam or invitation of the deities, the last formula, addressed to the butter-drinking deities, is sup- posed to refer to the fore- and after-offerings. Cf. I, 4, 2, 16-17.
2 See I, 5, 3, 23.
158 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMA^•A.
12. And if the Asuras and Rakshas wished to
attack them in front, Agni repelled them, as the
Rakshas-killer, the repeller of the Rakshas ; if they
wished to attack in the centre, Agni repelled them,
as the Rakshas-killer, the repeller of the Rakshas ;
and if they wished to attack in the rear, Agni re-
pelled them, as the Rakshas-killer, the repeller of
the Rakshas : being thus guarded on all sides by
Agnis, they reached the world of heaven.
13. And in the same way this one now obtains
the sacrifice by means of the fourth fore-offering,
and by means of the fifth he establishes it ; and
by what part of the sacrifice after that remains un-
accomplished, he gains the world of heaven.
14. Now when he pronounces the offering-prayer
over Agni's butter-portion, he thereby places Agni
in front, as the Rakshas-killer, the repeller of the
Rakshas ; and when Agni's sacrificial cake is (offered),
he thereby places Agni in the midst, as the Rakshas-
killer, the repeller of the Rakshas ; and when he
pronounces the offering-prayer to Agni Svish/a-
kr^'t (the maker of good offering), he thereby places
Agni in the rear, as the Rakshas-killer, the repeller
of the Rakshas.
15. And if the Asuras and Rakshas try to attack
him (the sacrificer) in front, Agni repels them, as
the Rakshas-killer, the repeller of the Rakshas ; if
they try to attack him in the centre, Agni repels
them, as the Rakshas-killer, the repeller of the Ra-
kshas ; and if they try to attack him from behind,
Agni repels them, as the Rakshas-killer, the repeller
of the Rakshas : being thus guarded on every side
by Agnis, he gains the world of heaven.
16. And if any one were to imprecate evil on him
I Kanda, 6 Adhyaya, I Brahma^'a, 20. 1 59
previously to (or, in the fore-part of) the (chief) sacri-
fice, let him be thus spoken to, ' Thou shalt suffer
some disease of the face ! thou shalt become either
bHnd or deaf!' for these, in truth, are diseases of
the face : and thus it would indeed fare with him.
17. If any one were to imprecate evil on him
in the middle of the sacrifice, let him be thus spoken
to, 'Thou shalt be without offspring, without cattle! '
for offspring and cattle, indeed, constitute the centre
(i.e. the substantial possession of man): and thus it
would indeed fare with him.
18. If any one were to imprecate evil on him
after the completion of the (chief) sacrifice, let him
be thus spoken to, ' Unstable and poor, thou shalt
swiftly go to yonder world!' for thus it would
indeed fare with him. One should not therefore
utter imprecations : for whosoever thus understands
this has the advantage.
19. He who gains by means of the fore-offerings,
assuredly, gains the year \ But he alone gains it
who knows its doors ; for what were he to do with
a house who cannot find his way inside ? Even as
those (fore-offerings) are (the doors) of this (sacrifice),
so is the spring a door, and so is the winter a door,
of that (year). This same year he enters, as the world
of heaven ; for, assuredly, the year is all, and the All
(universe) is imperishable : his thereby becomes
imperishable merit, the imperishable world.
The Two Butter-portions (AgyabhAga) to Agni and Soma.
20. Here now some say, ' To what deity belong the butter-portions?' Let him reply, 'To Pra^apati;'
' See I, 5, 3, 3.
t60 datapath A-BRAHMAiVA.
for, assuredly, Pra^dpati is undefined^ (mysterious);
and undefined are the butter-portions, because
they have the sacrificer for their deity ; for the
sacrificer is Praj'apati at his own sacrifice, since
it is by his order that the priests spread and
produce it.
21. Having basted the havis with butter and
made two cuttings from it, he pours some of the
butter thereon : thus the oblation is offered combined
with butter, and thereby indeed it is offered combined
with the sacrificer; and for one who knows this, —
whether he has a sacrifice performed for him while
he is far away, or while he is near, — the sacrifice
is performed in the same way as it would be per-
formed if he were near ; and he w^ho knows this,
even though he do much evil, is not shut out from
the sacrifice.
Second BRAHMA^■A.
I. Verily, by means of the sacrifice the gods made
that conquest (of the world of heaven). When they
had conquered, they said, ' How may this (celestial
region) be made unattainable by men ?' They then
sipped the sap of the sacrifice, as bees would suck out
honey; and having drained the sacrifice and effaced
the traces of it with the (sacrificial) post^ they
^ Because he (? as lord of creatures) represents all the deities, and one cannot say ' he is such or such a one,' Sayawa. Cf. also
^ Yfipena yopayitva, literally 'having made it level by means of the yfipa/=yupenaX'/^/mdya, 'having covered it over with the yd pa,' Sayawa (cf. also on Rig-veda I, 104, 4). For other ver- sions of the same myth, cf. Ait. Br. II, i ['they debarred them (ay op ay an, viz. the men and 7?/shis from the sacrificial know- ledge) by means of the yftpa,' Haug]; Taitt. S. VI, 3, 4, 7 ;
I KANDA, 6 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 4. 161
concealed themselves : and because they effaced
(ayopayan, viz. the sacrifice) with it, therefore it is
called yupa (sacrificial post). Now this was heard
by the 7?/shis :
2. ' Verily, by means of the sacrifice the gods
gained this conquest. When they had conquered,
they said, " How may this (celestial region) be
made unattainable by men ?" They then sipped
the sap of the sacrifice, as bees would suck out
honey ; and having drained the sacrifice and effaced
the traces of it with the (sacrificial) post, they con-
cealed themselves.' They (the i?/shis) thereupon
set about searching for it.
3. They went on praising and toiling ; for by
(religious) toil, the gods indeed gained what they
wished to gain, and (so did) the ^/shis. Now
whether it be that the gods caused it (the sacrifice)
to attract (or, peep forth to) them, or whether they
took to it of their own accord, they said, ' Come,
let us go to the place whence the gods obtained
possession of the world of heaven !' They went about
saying (to one another), 'What attracts? What at-
tracts^?' and came upon the sacrificial cake which had
become a tortoise and was creeping about. Then
they all thought, ' This surely must be the sacrifice ! '
4. They said, ' Stand still for the A.cvins ! stand still for Sarasvati ! stand still for Indra!' still it
5, 3, I. The legend is intended to supply, by means of a fanciful etymology, a symbolical meaning for the yupa or sacrificial post to which the victim is tied.
^ Kim praro/C'ate = *\vhatthinkest thou?' Sayawa. The primary meaning of pra-ru/?' is 'to shine forth.' Here it has apparently to be taken in the double sense of ' to peep forth, to appear,' and ' to please.' The German ' einleuchten ' (St. Petersburg Dictionary) approaches more nearly to the original. [12] M
1 6 2 5ATapatha-brAhmajva.
crept on ; — ' Stand still for Agni !' at this it stopped.
Having then enveloped it in fire (Agni), knowing,
as they did, that it had stopped for Agni, they offered
it up entirely, for it was an oblation to the gods.
Then the sacrifice pleased them ^ ; they produced
it, they spread it. And this same sacrifice is taught
by the former to the later ; the father (teaches it)
to his son w^hen he is a student (brahma/C'arin).
5. Now that (cake), which caused the sacrifice to
attract (or, appear to) them, first (puras) bestowed
(dai") it upon them: hence it is (called) puroda^a,
for puro</a>ra, doubtless, is the same as purodai^a^.
This same cake on eight potsherds for Agni is in-
dispensable on both occasions (at the new and full-
moon ceremonies).
6. That (cake for Agni) does not constitute the
(special) sacrificial food (havis) either at the full-
moon, or at the new-moon, sacrifice ; since the one
for Agni and Soma constitutes the havis at the
full-moon, and the Sinnayya^ at the new-moon
sacrifice. That one (for Agni) constitutes rather the
regular (or, corresponding) sacrifice on both occa-
sions, and because of its fearino- lest it should become
detached from the sacrifice, it is offered up at the
beginning of both the full-moon and the new-moon
sacrifice : this is the reason why it is offered at this
particular time.
^ Or 'appeared to them, shone forth to them,' praro>('ata; see preceding note.
^ In the compound purort'asa or puro^/aj the original dental d has been changed to the lingual d, apparently through the influence of the preceding r.
* See I, 6, 4, 9. One would expect the Sannayya (to Indra) or the cake to Indra-Agni. The full-moon offering is sacred to Agni- Soma; and the ne\v-moon offering to Indra-Agni; see I, 8, 3, i seq.
I KANDA, 6 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, 12. 1 63
7. And if any one (householder) were to resort
to him (the Adhvaryu) and say, ' Perform an ish/i for
me!' let him perform it. Whatever desire the i^z'shis
entertained when they performed that sacrifice, that
desire of theirs was accomplished ; and accordingly
whatever desire he (the sacrificer) entertains in
having this sacrifice performed, that desire of his is
accomplished. For whatever deity sacrificial food
is taken, to that deity they offer it up in the fire
(Agni) ; — and if he is about to offer it up in the
fire, why should he announce it to another deity ?
To Agni alone therefore (it is announced).
8. Agni (the fire), assuredly, represents all the
deities, since it is in the fire that they make offering
to all deities : to Agni alone therefore (he should
announce it), since he thereby has recourse to all the
deities.
9. Agni, assuredly, is the safest ^ among the gods :
let him then have recourse to him whom he con-
siders the safest among the gods, and therefore
(announce the sacrifice) to Agni,
10. Agni, assuredly, is the most tender-hearted
of gods : let him then have recourse to him whom
he considers the most tender-hearted of gods, and
therefore (announce the sacrifice) to Agni.
1 1. Agni, assuredly, is the nearest of the gods : let
him then have recourse to him whom he considers
as the nearest of those to be approached, and there-
fore (let him announce the sacrifice) to Agni.