^ For other versions of this legend about Pra^apati (Brahman)'s illicit passion for his daughter, which, as Dr. Muir suggests, pro- bably refers to some atmospheric phenomenon, see Ait. Br. Ill, 33, and Ta«^ya Br. VIII, 2, 10 ; of. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, IV, p. 45 ; I, p. 107. See also -S'at. Br. II, i, 2, 9, with note.
^ The construction here is irregular. Perhaps this is part of the speech of the gods, being a kind of indirect address to Rudra in order to avoid naming the terrible god. Dr. Muir translates : ' The gods said, " This god, who rules over the beasts, commits a trans- gression in that he acts thus to his own daughter, our sister : pierce him through." ' In the Kawva IMS. some words seem to have been omitted at this particular place. According to the Ait. Br., the gods created a god Bh At a vat, composed of the most fearful forms of theirs. After piercing the incarnation of Pra^apati's sin, he asked, and obtained, the boon that he should henceforth be the ruler of cattle.
^ Viz., Rig-veda X, 61, 7, where verses 5-7 contain the first allusion to this legend.
* The agnimaruta is one of the jastras recited at the evening libation of the Soma-sacrifice ; and made up chiefly of a hymn addressed to Agni Vai.yvanara and one to the Maruts; and [following the stotriya and anurfipa pragatha] a hymn to Gatavedas; [and one to the A pas, followed by various detailed [12] P -
this it is set forth how the gods caused that seed to
spring \ When the anger of the gods subsided,
they cured Pra^apati and cut out that dart of this
(Rudra); for Pra^apati, doubtless, is this sacrifice.
5. They said (to one another), * Think of some
means by which that (part of the sacrifice torn out
with the dart) may not be lost, and how it may be
but a small portion of the offering itself!'
6. They said, ' Take it round to Bhaga (Savitr/,
the Patron), who sits on the south side (of the sacri-
ficial ground) : Bhaga will eat it by way of fore-
portion 2, so that it may be as though it were
offered. They accordingly took it round to Bhaga,
who sat on the south side. Bhaga (Savitr^) looked
at it : it burnt out his eyes ^ And thus it came to
pass. Hence they say, 'Bhaga is blind.'
7. They said, Tt has not yet become appeased here : take it round to Pushan !' They accordingly
verses or couplets]; viz., Rig-veda III, 3, 'vaijvanaraya pr/thupa- ^ase,' &c., and I, 87, 'pratvakshasa^ pratavaso,' &c.; [Rig-veda I, 168, 1-2, stotriya; VII, 16, 11-12, anurupa]; and Rig-veda 1, 143, ' pratavyasim navyasim,' &c. (and X, 9, ' apo hi sh///a mayobhuvas,' &c.) respectively, at the Agnish/oma (and first day of the dvada^aha). See Asv. St. V, 20, 5 ; Ait. Br. Ill, 35 ; IV, 30.
^ According to Ait. Br. Ill, 35, where this legend is also given in connection with the agniniaruta ,rastra, Agni Vaijvanara, aided by the Maruts, stirred (and heated) the seed ; and out of it sprang successively Aditya (the sun), Bhr/gu, and the Adityas ; whilst the coals (ahgara) remaining behind became the Aagiras, and Bn'has- pati, and the coal dust, the burnt earth and ashes were changed into various kinds of animals. According to Harisvamin it would seem that our passage has to be understood to the effect that the compo- sition of the agnimaruta j-astra shows the order of beings which the gods caused to spring forth from the seed. See also IV, 5, i, 8.
2 See note on I, 7, 4, 18.
' ' Nirdadaha.' The Kaushit. Br. VI, 10 (Ind. Stud. II, 306) and Yiska Nir. 12, 14 have nir_^aghana, ' it knocked out his eyes.' The KausWt. Br. also makes them first take thepra^itra to Savitr/, and when it cut his hands, they gave him two golden ones.
I KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 9. 2 11
took it round to Pljshan. Pushan tasted it : it
knocked out his teeth. And thus it came to pass.
Hence they say, ' Pushan is toothless ; ' and there-
fore, when they prepare a mess of boiled rice
(/C'aru)^ for Pushan, they prepare it from ground
rice, as is done for one toothless.
8. They said, ' It has not yet become appeased
here: take it round to Brehaspati^!' They accord-
ingly took it round to Br/haspati. Br/haspati hasted
to Savitrz for his impulsion (influence, prasava^),
for assuredly Savltrz is the impeller (prasavitrz)
of the gods. ' Impel (influence) this for me ! ' he said.
Savitr/, as the impeller, accordingly impelled it for
him, and being thus impelled by Savit?^z', it did not
injure him : and thus it \vas henceforth appeased.
This, then, is essentially the same as the fore-portion.
9. Now when he cuts off the fore-portion, he cuts
out what is injured in the sacrifice, — what belongs
to Rudra. Thereupon he touches water : water is
(a means) of lustration, hence he lustrates by means
of water *. He now cuts off piece by piece the i^a ^,
(which represents) cattle,
^ ^aru, in the ordinary sense of the word, is a potful of rice (bar- ley, &c.) grains boiled, or rather steamed (antariashmapakva), so as to remain whole, as in Indian curry. Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 216.
^ According to Kaushit. Br. VI, 10, they took it from Pushan to Indra, as the mightiest and strongest of the gods; and he appeased it with prayer (brahman); whence the Brahman (in taking the pra- jitra) says, ' Indra is Brahman.' Weber, Ind. Stud. II, p. 307.
* The consistent use of derivations from one and the same root (pra-su) in this and similar passages is, of course, quite as artificial in Sanskrit as must be any imitation of it in English.
* He thereby averts the evil effects of the act which is connected with Rudra, 'the terrible god;' see p. 2, note 2. Besides, the Ida. with which he now proceeds representing the cattle, he thereby guards the cattle from the rudriya, cf. above I, 7, 3, 21.
* See I, 8, I, 12, 13.
212 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
10. Let him cut off (for the fore-portion) ever so
small a piece ^ : thus the dart comes out ; let him
therefore cut off ever so small a piece. He should
(according to some) put clarified butter on one side
only, either below or above : thus that which is hard
becomes soft and flows forth ; and for this reason he
should put butter on one side only, either below or
above.
11. Having (nevertheless^) made an underlayer
of butter 3 and a double cutting from the oblation
(ha vis), he pours butter on the upper side of it ; for
it is only in this way that this becomes part of the
sacrifice.
12. Let him not carry it (to the Brahman) along
the front (east) side (of the Ahavaniya fire) ; (though)
some, it is true, do carry it along the front side.
For on the front side stand the cattle facing the
sacrificer : hence he would impose the power of
Rudra on the cattle, if he were to carry it along the
front side, and his (the sacrificer's) household and
cattle would be overwhelmed. Let him therefore
cross over in this way (behind the paridhis) ; for thus
he does not impose Rudra's power on the cattle and
he removes that (dart) sideways*.
^ According to Katy. Ill, 4, 7, the prajitra, or (Brahman's) fore- portion, is to be of the size of a barley-corn or a pippala (Ficus Religiosa) berry.
^ There is no indication in the text of two different practices being here referred to. The Kawva recension, however, puts in here, ' but let him not do so,' which is evidently understood in our text also.
' Viz. in the pra^itraharawa, or pan which is to receive the Brahman's portion. The hollow part of the vessel is to be either of the shape of a (hand-)mirror, i. e. with a round bowl, or of that of a ^'amasa or jug, i. e. with a square bowl (p. 7, note i). Katy. I, 3, 40, 41. On the 'underlayer' of butter, see I, 7, 2, 8.
* 'Tiryag evaina/w nirmimiie.' I am in doubt as to whether
I KAiVDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, I 7. 2 I 3
13. He (the Brahman) receives^ it, with the text
(Va^. S. II, II b, c), 'At the impulse (prasava) of
the divine Savitrz I receive thee with the arms of
the A^vins, with the hands of Pushan !'
14. And in Hke manner as Br/haspati then hasted
to Savitr? for his impulsion, — for, assuredly, Savitr^*
is the impeller of the gods, — and said, ' Impel this for
me!' and Savitrz, the impeller, impelled it for him ;
and, impelled by Savhri, it did not injure him ; so
now also this one (the Brahman) hastes to Savitr/
for his impulsion, — for, assuredly, Savitr/ is the
impeller of the gods, — and says ' impel this for me ! '
and Savitr/, the impeller, impels it for him ; and, im-
pelled by Savit?^, it does not injure him.
15. He eats ^ the fore-portion, with the text (Va^.
S. II, II d), 'With Agni's mouth I eat thee!' for
Agni, assuredly, it does not injure in any way; and
so neither does it injure him (the Brahman).
16. He must not chew it with his teeth: 'lest
this power of Rudra should injure my teeth!' so
(he thinks), and therefore he must not chew it with
his teeth.
17. He then rinses his mouth with water; — water
is (a means of) purification : hence he purifies himself
with water, (that is, a means of) purification. After
he has rinsed the vessel ^, —
enam (which is omitted in the Ka«va text) really refers to Rudra's dart. Cf. par. 9.
^ According to Katy. II, 2, 15, he first looks at it, with the text (Vag. S. p. 58) : ' With Mitra's eye I look on thee !'
^ According to Katy. II, 2, 17, he previously puts it down on the shoulder of the altar, with the text (Va^. S. p. 58), 'I put you down on the navel of the earth, in the lap of Aditi!' According to 19, however, this is optional (except when the Brahman does not eat the pra^itra immediately).
' According to Katy. II, 2, 20, the Brahman, having rioted the
214 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
1 8. They bring him the Brahman's portion \ The
Brahman, in truth, sits south of the sacrifice, as its
guardian. He sits facing that portion. As regards
the fore-portion, that they have already brought to
him and he has eaten it. In the Brahman's portion
which they now bring to him, he obtains his own
share ; and henceforth he watches what remains in-
complete of the sacrifice : for this reason they bring
him the Brahman's portion.
19. He (the Brahman) must maintain silence (from
the time he takes his seat on being elected)^ up to
that speech (of the Adhvaryu), ' Brahman, shall I
step forward?' Those (priests) who, in the midst of
the sacrifice, perform the i^a, which represents the
domestic offerings (pakaya^;'^a)^ tear the sacrifice
to pieces, injure it. Now the Brahman, assuredly,
is the best physician: hence the Brahman thereby
restores the sacrifice ; but, if he were to sit there
talking, he would not restore it : he must therefore
maintain silence.
20. If he should utter any human sound before
that time, let him there and then mutter some Rik
or Ya^s-text addressed to Vish;m ; for Vish;ai is
vessel [or, according to the comment, the two prajitrahara/m, one of which is used as lid to the other], touches his navel, with the text (Va^. S. p. 58), 'May the deities there are in the waters purify this ! Enter the stomach of Indra, being offered with " Hail ! " Mix not with my food 1 Settle down above my navel ! In Indra's stomach I make thee settle!'
^ The Brahman's regular portion (brahmabhaga)of the sacrifi- cial food is cut, like the prai-itra or fore-portion (which apparently he receives as the representative of Br/haspati), from Agni's cake.
"^ See I, I, 4, 9.
^ According to the scholiast, it represents the pakaya^»a or domestic (cooked) offerings, because at the latter, as in the i</a, the remains of the olTerinffs are eaten.
I KANDA, 7 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 2 2. 215
the sacrifice, so that he thereby again obtains a hold
on the sacrifice : and this is the expiation of that
(breach of silence).
21. When he (the Adhvaryu) says, ' Brahman, shall
I step forward?' the Brahman mutters thus (Vd^.
S. II, 12), 'This thy sacrifice, O divine Savitn',
they have announced . . . ,' — thereby he has re-
course to Savitrz for his impulsion (prasava), for
he is the impeller (prasavitrz) of the gods; —
'to Br/haspati, the Brahman,' — for Br^haspati,
assuredly, is the Brahman of the gods : hence
he announces that (sacrifice) to him who is the
Brahman of the gods ; and accordingly he says, ' to
Br/haspati, the Brahman.'—' Therefore prosper the
sacrifice, prosper the lord of sacrifice, prosper me!'
In this there is nothing that requires explanation.
22. [He continues, Va^.S. II, 13]: ' May his mind
delight in the gushing (of the) butter^ !' By the
mind, assuredly, all this (universe) is obtained (or
pervaded, aptam): hence he thereby obtains this
All by the mind.— ' May Br/haspati spread (carry
through) this sacrifice ! May he restore the sacrifice
uninjured!' — he thereby restores what was torn
asunder.—' May all the gods rejoice here !'— ' all the
gods,' doubtless, means the All : hence he thereby
restores (the sacrifice) by means of the All. He
may add, 'Step forward!' if he choose; or, if he
choose, he may omit it.