«agni or Anvaharya-pa^ana, if it is requiredatall, is of the same area, but of semicircular form, and lies south of the space between the altar and the Garhapatya fire. The Garhapatya fire-house is constructed with its laths running either from west to east, or from south to north, and a door on the south side ; and so as to enclose both the Garhapatya and Dakshiwa fires. The Ahavaniya fire-house, on the other hand, with its laths necessarily running from west to east, and an entrance from the east, contains the Ahavaniya fire and the altar (vedi) adjoining it on the west, and partly enclosing it with its ' shoulders' on the north and south sides. The two houses are also open to each other on the inner side ; and sufficient space is left on all sides for freely moving around the fires.
The Adhvaryu then procures a temporary fire, — either producing it by friction, or obtaining it from certain specified sources in the village, — and after the usual fivefold lustration of the Garhapatya fire-place (cf p. 2), he lays down the fire thereon. Towards sunset the sacrificer [while seated east of the Ahavaniya house] invokes the gods and manes with ' Gods, fathers ! fathers, gods ! I sacrifice, being who 1 am ; neither will I exclude him whose I am : mine own shall be the off"ering, mine own the toiling, mine own the sacrifice !' He then enters the Ahavaniya house from the east, passes through it to the Garhapatya, and sits down behind (west of) the fire ; his wife at the same time entering the Garhapatya house from the south and seating herself south of him, — both facing the east. Thereupon the Adhvaryu hands to the sacrificer two pieces of wood (arawi), — if possible, of ajvattha, grown out of a jami tree, — to be used next morning for the production (or 'churning') of the sacred fire by one of them (the upper arawi) being rapidly drilled in a hole in the other (or lower ara;n). [The sacrificer and his wife then lay the upper and lower sticks respectively on their laps ; whereupon certain propitiatory ceremonies are performed by them, and honours are paid to the priests and the sticks ; and the latter are finally deposited on a seat.] In the house of the Garhapatya a he-goat may then be tied up for the night, which, if it belong to the sacrificer, is to be pre- sented by him to the Agnidhra on the completion of the sacrifice.
After sunset the Adhvaryu measures out four vessels of husked rice grains — each containing three handfuls, which quantity is con- sidered sufficient to furnish a meal for one man — on an ox-hide died red [and spread out with the hairy side upwards and the neck- part to the east]. With this rice the (odana) /Jatushprajya, or ' (P^P) ^o be eaten by the four (priests),' is prepared on the provi- sional Garhapatya fire. When it is ready, the Adhvaryu makes a hollow in the pap and pours clarified butter into it. He then takes
276 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
three kindling-sticks (samidh), anoints them with some of that ghee, and puts them on the fire one after another, with texts {cf. note on II, I, 4, 5). Thereupon the sacrificer [having paid due honours to the priests by washing their feet and giving them perfumes and wreaths, &c., and assigned to each his share] bids them eat.
During the night the sacrificer and his wife have to remain awake and keep up the fire. When the night clears up, the Adhvaryu ex- tinguishes the fire, or, if there is to be a Dakshi«agni, he takes it southwards and keeps it in a safe place till that fire is made up. He then draws with the wooden sword three lines across the fire-place and proceeds with the preparation of the hearth-mounds in the way set forth in the first Brahmawa of this Book.
1. Now when he equips (Agni, the fire) from
this and that quarter, that is the equipping (of the
fire) with its equipments \ In whatever (objects)
some of (the nature of) Agni is inherent, therewith
he equips (the fire) ; and in thus equipping it he
supphes it partly with splendour, partly with cattle,
partly with a mate.
2. In the first place he (the Adhvaryu) draws
(three) lines (with the wooden sword on the Garha-
patya fire-place-). Whatever part of this earth
* The verb here translated by ' to equip,' is sam-bhr?', ' to carry, or bring, together, to collect;' and then 'to make the necessary preparations, to prepare;' hence sambhara, ' the preparation, out- fit,' the technical term for the objects employed in the preparation of the fire-place, with the view of symbolically ensuring success to the fire. In paragraphs 3 seq. the primary meaning 'to bring (together) ' has been used, except where it seemed desirable to preserve its technical sense.
- The three lines drawn across the fire-place form a necessary part of its lustration; see p. 2. According to the Paddhati on Katy. IV, 8, the Adhvaryu first makes the fivefold lustration of the hearth, and thereupon again draws the mystic lines (? or draws the outline of the fire-place, cf. Katy. IV, 8, 16) and proceeds with the sambharas; viz. he sprinkles the lines with water, while the sacrificer takes hold of him from behind; then puts down a piece of gold, and on it throws salt soil and the mould of a mole- hill, ^vith which he forms the hearth-mound (khara) — circular in
II KAiVDA, I ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 5. 277
is either trodden or spit upon, that he thereby
removes from it ; and he thus establishes his fire on
earth that is entirely proper for the sacrifice : this
is why he draws lines (across the fire-place).
3. He then sprinkles (the lines) with water.
When he thus sprinkles (the fire-place) with water,
that is the equipment (of the fire) with water. The
reason why he brings water is that water is food ;
for water is indeed food : hence when water comes
to this world, food is produced here. Thus he
thereby supplies it (the fire) with food.
4. Water (ap, fem.), moreover, is female, and
fire (agni, masc.) is male; so that he thereby sup-
plies the latter with a productive mate. And since
all this (universe) is pervaded (or obtained, apta)
by water, he sets up the fire, after he has obtained
it by means of water \ This is why he brings water.
5. He then brings (a piece of) gold. Now Agni
at one time cast his eyes on the waters ^ : ' May
I pair with them/ he thought. He came together
with them ; and his seed became gold ^. For this
reason the latter shines like fire, it being Agni's
the case of the Garhapatya, square the Ahavaniya, and semicircular the Dakshi/zagni ; but each equal in area to a square aratni or cubit. Along the edge of the mound he then lays pebbles close to each other [50 on the Garhapatya, 73 on the Ahavaniya, and 22 on the Dakshi- wagni, according to the Schol. on Katy. IV, 8, 16]. According to some authorities, the piece of gold is laid on the top of the mound. He thus prepares successively the Garhapatya, Ahavaniya, and Dak- shi«a hearths; afterwards, if required, those of the Sabhya and Avasathya fires, which are, Uke the Garhapatya, of circular form.
^ An etymological play on the word ap, apa/^, 'water,' and the verb ap, 'to obtain, pervade.'
2 In the version of this myth given Taitt. Br. I, i, 3, 8, the waters courted by Agni are called Varu7ia's wives.
^ Ta/i sambabhuva tasu iQla.k prasir^X-at tad hirawyam abhavat.
^yS 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
seed. Hence it (gold) is found in water, for he
(Agni) poured it into the water. Hence also one
does not cleanse oneself with it\ nor does one
do anything else with it. Now there is splendour
(for the fire) : for he thereby makes it to be
possessed of divine seed, bestows splendour on it ;
and sets up a fire completely endowed with seed.
That is why he brings gold.
6. He then brings salt. Yonder sky assuredly
bestowed that (salt as) cattle on this earth : hence
they say that salt soil is suitable for cattle. That
(salt), therefore, means cattle ; and thus he thereby
visibly supplies it (the fire) with cattle ; and the
latter having come from yonder (sky) is securely
established on this earth. Moreover, that (salt) is
believed to be the savour (rasa) of those two, the
sky and the earth - : so that he thereby supplies it
(the fire) with the savour of those two, the sky and
the earth. That is why he brings salt.
7. He then brings (the earth of) a mole-hill (dkhu-karisha)^ The moles certainly know the
^ Saya«a interprets enena na dhavayati by 'he does not clean (his teeth) with it;' — the St. Petersb. Diet, by 'he does not get himself conveyed (driven) by it.' The Ka;/va text has : Tasmad enad apsv evanuvindanty apsu punanty apsu hy enat prasi^X-an nainena dhavayanti na kiw X'ana kurvanti.
* Cf. Taitt. Br. I, i, 3, 2 : ' The sky and the earth were (ori- ginally) close together. On being separated they said to each other, " Let there be a common sacrificial essence (ya^^^rnyam) for us!" What sacrificial essence there was belonging to yonder sky, that it bestowed on this earth, that became the salt (in the earth) ; and what sacrificial essence there was belonging to this earth, that it bestowed on yonder sky, that became the black (spots) in the moon. When he throws salt (on the fire-place), let him think it to be that (viz. the black in the moon) : it is on the sacrificial essence of the sky and the earth that he sets up his fire.'
" On the mythic connection of (the white, sharp teeth of) the
II KAiVDA, I ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAA^A, 9. 2/9
savour of this earth : hence, by entering deeper and
deeper into this earth, they (grow) very fat, know-
ing, as they do, its savour ; and wherever they know
the savour of this earth to be, there they cast it up.
Hence he thereby supphes it (the fire) with the
savour of this earth : that is why he brings a mole-
hill. Moreover, they say of one who has attained
prosperity (or splendour, j-rt) that he is purishya;
and purisha and karisha^ doubtless mean one and
the same thing : it is, therefore, for his (Agni's or
the sacrificer's) attainment of splendour {sri) that
he brings a mole-hill.
8. He then brings pebbles. Now the gods and
the Asuras, both of them sprung from Pra^apati,
once contended for superiority. This earth was
then trembling like a lotus-leaf; for the wind was
tossing it hither and thither : now it came near the
gods, now it came near the Asuras. When it came
near the gods, —
9. They said, ' Come, let us steady this resting- place ; and when firm and steady, let us set up
akhu (mole, mouse, rat), as of that of the boar, with the thunder- bolt, see Dr. A. Kuhn's ingenious remarks, ' Herabkunft des Feuers und des Gottertranks,' p. 202. According to Taitt. Br. I, i, 3, 3, Agni at one time concealed himself from the gods, and having become a mole, dug himself into the earth ; so that the mole-hills thrown up by him, have some of Agni's nature attaching to them. The Taittiriyas also put on the hearth the earth of an ant-hill, which the Brahmawa (in the same way as our author does of the mole- hill) represents as the savour (or marrow, essence) of the earth.
^ The primary meaning of karisha is 'that which is scattered, or strewn about,' hence 'refuse, rubbish' (and akhu-karisha, 'mole- cast'). Its secondary meaning, as is that of purisha, is ' manure ' (or perhaps also ' soft, rich mould '), an article naturally valued by an agricultural population. See I, 2, 5, 17, where purisha is taken symbolically to represent cattle.
280 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
the two fires on it ; whereupon we will exclude our enemies from any share in it.'
10. Accordingly, in like manner as one would
stretch a skin by means of wooden pins, they
fastened down this resting-place ; and it formed a
firm and steady resting-place. And when it was
firm and steady, they set up the two fires on it ; and
thereupon they excluded their enemies from any
share in it^
11. And in like manner that one (the Adhvaryu)
now fastens down that resting-place by means of
pebbles ; and on it, when firm and steady, he sets
up the two fires ; whereupon he excludes the (sacri-
ficer's) enemies from any share in it. This is the
reason why he brings pebbles.
12. These then are the five equipments ^i for
fivefold is the sacrifice, fivefold the animal victim ;
and five seasons there are in the year.