2 This, according to Asv, St. I, 7, 3, and comm., is effected in the following way : the Hotrz' takes the i^a with his joined hands (aTi^ali) and makes it lie in his left hand ; whereupon the Adhvaryu cuts the (fivefold cut) avantare^/a from the i^a into the Hotn's right hand, the fingers of which point northwards ; the five cuttings apparently consist of the 'underlayer' of butter, two pieces cut from the i^a, and drippings of butter on them. Cf. Hillebrandt, op. cit., p. 125.
' During the invocation of the ida. the Hotr/ holds the butter (as well as the avantarea'a), and the other priests (except the Brahman) and the sacrificer touch the i^a (or, according to Karka, the Hotn). Katy. Ill, 4, 11. 12.
222 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
representing the domestic offerings — is certainly the
weakest : the Rakshas must not injure my sacrifice
at this place.' He accordingly called it to him in
a low voice (thinking), ' Before the Rakshas (come) !
before the Rakshas (come)!' And in like manner
this one (the Hot7'2) thereby calls it (thinking),
* Before the Rakshas (come) ! before the Rakshas
(come)!'
19. He calls thus (in a low voice) ^ ' Hither is
called the Rathantara (chant), together with the
earth : may the Rathantara, together with the earth,
call me^! Hither is called the Vamadevya (chant),
together with the atmosphere: may the Vdmadevya,
together with the atmosphere, call me I Hither is
called the Brz'hat (chant), together with the sky :
may the Brzha.t, together with the sky, call me !'
In thus calling her (the Id^) to him, he calls to him
both these (three) worlds and those chants ^
20. 'Hither are called the cows'*, together with the
^ There are considerable differences between the text of the Hotr/'s call to the ida. as here given and that given in Asv. ^. I, 7, 7. The text of the Black Ya^ur-veda (Taitt. Br. Ill, 5,8; Taitt. S. II, 6, 7 ; I, 7, i), on the other hand, only differs from ours in one or two points. According to Ajv. S. I, 5, 28, the calls are to be uttered in the highest pitch (cf. Hillebrandt, Neu- und Vollmonds- opfer, p. 126, note).
^ Viz. the Hotri, as the representative of the officiating priests. Schol.
^ On the rathantara and br/hat samans, see p. 196, note 2. The vamadevya saman is Sama-veda II, 32-34: kaya naj /^itra a bhuvad ftti sadavr/'dha// sakha, ' with what favour will he assist us, the wonderful, ever-gladdening, friend,' &c. Cf. Haug, Ait. Br. II, 246.
* For upahfita gava^, the Taitt. reads upahuta dhenu,^, ' called hither is the cow.' Ajval. St. has upahfita gava/^ sahajira-^ — upahfila dhenu-^ sahar/shabha. Here and after the succeeding calls we have apparently to supply the inverse formulas, ' May
I KANDA, 8 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 24. 223
bull!' — the irt'd, assuredly, means cattle : hence it is
her he thereby calls in an indirect (mystic) way;
(and in saying), 'together with the bull,' he calls her
together with her mate.
21. 'Hither is called (I^a) by that (sacrifice) which
is performed by the seven Hotr/s!' — he thereby
calls her by the Soma-sacrifice performed by the
seven Hotr/s ^.
22. 'Hither is called I^a, the conquering!' — he
thereby calls her directly. ' Conquering ' he says,
because she overcomes evil, and for that reason he
calls her ' the conquering.'
2T,. ' Hither is called the friend, the food-!' — the
friend, the food, doubtless, means breath : hence
he thereby calls hither the breath. ' Hither is called
the Hek^!' — he thereby calls hither the body (of
Ida), he thereby calls hither the entire (ida).
24. He now intones (in a loud voice): 'I^a is
called hither! Hither (thither) is called lda.\ May
Ida. also call us to her!' In saying, ' Id^ is called
the cows together with the bull call us,' &c., as in Taitt. Br,, they being likewise omitted in Taitt. S. II, 6, 7.
^ The seven Hotrz's comprise the Ho tr?" with his assistants, the Maitravaruwa (or Prajastri), and Akk/ia.v3ka. ; and the chief assistants of the Brahman, viz. the Brahma«a/^/^/7a;«sin, Agnidhra, Votri, and Nesh/rz'. The Gravastut, another assistant of the Hotn, is often added as eighth Hotn. Cf. Haug, Ait. Br. II, p. 147. Instead of upahuta saptahotra in our text, the Ka«va text and the Black Ya^ur-veda read upahiltaA saptahotra^, 'called hither are the seven Hotr/ships;' Asvzl. St. upahuta divya sapta hotdra>^, ' called hither are the seven divine Hotr/'s.'
^ Bhaksha, 'the eating, enjoying;' perhaps the author here takes it in the sense of ' feeder,' in that of ' eater, quaffer ;' Sayawa, on Taitt. S. II, 6, 7, 3, takes it as Soma-drink (somapitha).
' Apparently, like hikka (verb hikk), imitative of the internal sound of the hiccough. The Ka«va MS. has harik instead; and the Black Ya^us ho, which it identifies with the self (at man).
2 24 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMA2y^A.
hither,' he, in a direct way, calls her, who is thereby
called hither, as being what she really was : a cow,
assuredly, she was, and a cow is four-footed ; and
therefore he calls her four times ^
25. But in calling her four times, he calls her
in different ways, in order to avoid repetition (of
sacrificial performance); for, if he were to call, 'Ids.
is called hither! Id^ is called hither!' or 'Hither
is called Ida.! hither is called IdsiV he would indeed
commit the (fault of) repetition. By saying, ' Ida. is
called hither!' he calls her hitherwards ; and by
' Hither (or thither, lit. called to somebody) is called
I^ai' he calls her thitherwards. By saying, 'May
Ida. also call us to her,' he does not omit himself,
and, besides, it (the formula) is changed. By (the
second), 'Ida. is called hither!' he again calls her
hitherwards ; so that he thereby (and by the second,
' Hither is called Ida.,' again) calls her hitherwards
and thitherwards.
26. ' Manu's daughter, the butter-pathed (ghr/ta-
padi);' — Manu, indeed, begat her of old: for this
reason he says, ' Manu's daughter.' ' The butter-
pathed' he says, because butter gathered in her foot-
print : therefore he calls her ' butter-pathed.'
27. And further, ' She who belongs to ]\Iitra and
Varu;^za;' — this ' Maitravaru;^a nature' (is hers),
because she met Mitra and Varu;/a -. — ' She, the
god-fashioned one, is called hither as the Brahman^;'
^ After 'May Idz also call us to her,' he repeats 'Ida. is called hither! Called hither (thither) is IdiV
^ See I, 8, I, 7-8, with note 3.
^ Brahma devabv'topahula ; the Black Ya^r-veda and Ajval. Sr. read 'brahma devakmam upahCitam.' Cf. Taitt. S. I^ 7, i, 5, brahma vai devanam br/haspati//.
I KAiVDA, 8 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 29. 225
for she, the god-fashioned one, is indeed called hither
as their Brahman. — ' Hither are called the divine
Adhvaryus, called hither the human!' — he thereby
calls both the divine Adhvaryus and those that
are human: the divine Adhvaryus indeed are the
calves 1 (vatsa//), and what others there are, are
the human ones.
28. * — They who are to prosper this sacrifice,
they who are to prosper the lord of sacrifice.' Those
Brahma/^as, w^ho have studied and teach the Veda,
assuredly prosper the sacrifice, since they spread
(perform) and produce it : these he thereby pro-
pitiates. And the calves also assuredly make the
lord of sacrifice prosper; for the lord of sacrifice
who possesses abundance of them, does indeed pros-
per; for this reason he says, 'They who are to prosper
the lord of sacrifice.'
29. ' Hither are called the primeval, law-abiding,
divine (fern.) heaven and earth, whose sons are
gods.' He thereby calls to him those two, heaven
and earth, within which all this (universe) is em-
braced.— 'Hither is called this sacrificer:' thereby
he calls the sacrificer to him. Why he does not
mention his name on this occasion, is that this is a
mysterious benediction on the i^a. Were he, on
the contrary, to mention the name, he would do
what is human, and the human certainly is inaus-
picious at the sacrifice : hence he does not mention
1 ? The commentator remarks : ' He says, The divine Adhvaryus assuredly are the calves,' because, in his opinion, the sannayya constitutes the sacrificial food which contains the Adhvaryus (havis — adhvaryuvat). In I, i, 2, 17 we met with the A^vins as the two divine Adhvaryus.
2 26 ^-AT AP ATH A-BRAHMAJVA.
the name, lest he should do what is inauspicious at the sacrifice ^
30. ' Hither (he is) called for future worship of
the gods;' he thereby in a mysterious manner
invokes the blessing of life on this (sacrificer) ; for
as he sacrificed heretofore, so, while living, he will
sacrifice hereafter.
3 1 . Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner
invokes the blessing of offspring for him ; for who-
soever has offspring, — while he, on his part, goes to
yonder world, his offspring sacrifice in this world :
hence future worship of the gods means offspring.
32. Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner
invokes the blessing of cattle for him; for whosoever
has cattle, will sacriiice hereafter, as he has sacrificed
heretofore.
2,2,- 'Hither (he is) called for more abundant havis-
offering;' he thereby in a mysterious manner invokes
the blessing of life on him ; for as he has sacrificed
heretofore, so while living will he hereafter again
and aoain make offerinos.
34. Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner
invokes the blessing of offspring for this (sacrificer) ;
for whosoever possesses offspring, — though he, of
his own self, be one only, yet that offering is made
tenfold by his offspring: hence offspring means more
abundant offering.
35. Moreover, he thereby in a mysterious manner
invokes the blessing of cattle for him ; for whoso-
ever possesses cattle, will make offering again and
again, as he has sacrificed heretofore.
36. This then is the benediction (implied in these formulas), ' May I live, may I have offspring, may
^ With this and the following paragraphs cf. I, 9, i, 12 seq.
I KA^I>A, 8 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 39. 227
I obtain prosperity!' Now in praying for the
blessing of cattle, he prays for prosperity ; for cattle
means prosperity ; hence through these two benedic-
tions everything is obtained ; and therefore these
two benedictions are here pronounced.
37. [He continues to call], ' Hither (he is) called
to this (sacrifice, for the prayer^), "May the gods
graciously accept this my offering (havis)!'" he
thereby invokes complete success on the sacrifice ;
for what offering the gods graciously accept, by that
one gains great things: for this reason he says, 'may
they graciously accept -/
38. They (the priests and sacrificer) eat it (the
i^a), and do not offer it up in the fire ; for assuredly
the i^a means cattle : hence they do not offer it
in the fire, lest they should throw the cattle into
the fire.
39. In the vital airs rather it is offered, partly
in the Hotr/, partly in the Sacrificer, partly in the
Adhvaryu. Now, when he has broken off the fore-
part of the (Agni) cake, he places it before the
dhruva-spoon. But the dhruva represents the
sacrificer : hence this will be eaten by the sacrificer.
And if he does not now visibly eat it, lest he should
eat before the sacrifice is completed, it nevertheless
is now (symbolically) eaten by him. All of them
^ See Sayawa's comm. on Taitt. S. II, 6, 7, 6.
^ Before this formula the Black Ya^ur-veda inserts, ' Called (he is) to the heavenly abode ! ' and after it as the final formula, ' All that is dear to him (the sacrificer) is called ! Called (he is) of (?by) everything dear that is called!' Taitt. Br. Ill, 5, 9, 3. For the modifications of the concluding mantras in the case of the i^a being invoked for the mistress of the house (^Sat. Br. I, 9, 2, 5), see Taitt. Br. Ill, 5, 13.
2 28 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAi\^A.
eat (of the i^a): 'May it be offered for me in all!'
thus (he thinks). Five eat of it, — the i^^a indeed
means cattle, and cattle are fivefold : hence five
eat of it.
40. Now when he (the Hotr/) intones (in a loud
voice) \ he (the Adhvaryu) divides the (Agni) cake
into four parts, and lays it on the barhis (the sacri-
ficial grass covering the altar). Here it lies in place
of the fathers ; for there are four intermediate
quarters, and the intermediate quarters represent
the fathers : for this reason he divides the cake into
four parts, and lays it on the barhis -.