6. And on this point Bhallabeya remarked, 'If he were to cook that rice-pap, this would assuredly
^ The three verses containing the words samidh and ghr/ta are Va^. S. Ill, I, 3, 4. Taitt. Br. I, 2, i, 9-10 has them in the order i, 4, 3; and does not give the verse Va^. S. Ill, 2 (Rig-veda V, 5, i). As neither version of our Brahma«a makes any mention of this verse, it may be doubted whether originally it formed part of the Saw^hita. According to Katy. IV, 8, 5-6 he Q the Adhvaryu) is to put on (the three kindling-sticks) with Yag. S. Ill, i, &c., one verse with each stick ; whereupon he, (the sacrificer, according to the commentary,) is to mutter III, 4 ; and according to ib. 7 ' the Adhvaryu option- ally mutters the second.' The Paddhati reconciles the different statements thus : he takes the sticks, rises and puts the first on the fire with III, i ; then sitting down he mutters III, 2 ; thereupon he again rises and puts on the second with III, 3, and the third with III, 4. The commentator, however, alludes to differences of prac- tice in different schools as to this point.
^ The sacrificial fire, to be set up at the Adheya, should properly be produced by means of two pieces of ai'vattha wood which has grown out of a sa.mi tree. Saya«a remarks that the ritualists referred to in our passage consider that the cooking of the rice-pap takes place, not with the view of the latter being eaten by the priests, but merely to afford an opportunity for putting the kindling-sticks on the fire, and thereby securing to the sacrificer the benefits that would have accrued to him from the above mode of ignition. This view, however, is not countenanced by our author, who, on the contrary, favours the daily cooking of a mess of rice-pap for the four priests for a twelve-month preceding the Agnyadheya, as a substitute for the production of the fire by friction. See Katy. IV, 8,11 (and Paddhati).
294 S-ATAPATHA-BRAIIMAA'A.
be a mistake, just as if one were to do one thing,
while intending to do another ; or if one were to
say one thing, while intending to say another ; or
if one were to go one way, while intending to go
another,' And, indeed, it is not proper that they
should either carry to the south, or extinguish, that
fire on which a kindling-stick is put, or an oblation
made, with a rik or a saman or a ya^is. Now they
do indeed either take it to the south with the view of
its becoming the Anvaharyapa/C-ana (or Dakshi-
;/agni), or (if there is to be no Dakshi/^agni) they
extincruish it\
7. Thereupon they^ remain awake (during that
night). The gods are awake : so that he thereby
draws nigh to the gods, and sets up his fires as one
more godly, more subdued, more endowed with hoi}'
fervour (tapas). He may, however, sleep, if he
choose, since the observance of the vow is not
necessary for him who has not performed Agnya-
dheya. For so long as he has not set up a
(sacrificial) fire of his own, he is a mere man ; and
he may, therefore, sleep, if he choose.
8. Now some churn (the fire)^ before sunrise and
^ His argument seems to be that, since the cooking of the rice- pap involves the putting on of consecrated sticks with sacrificial formulas, one is not to cook the pap because that same fire will afterwards have to be extinguished or to be taken to the Dakshi- «agni hearth. The passage is, however, far from clear to me.
^ Viz. the ritualists referred to; that is to say, they make the sacrificer and his wife remain awake all night. Savawa takes ^agrati to stand for ^agarti, ' he, the sacrificer, remains awake.' The Ka«va text, however, has, * Here now they say, he should remain awake that night.'
^ The production of the sacred fire by means of two sticks (ara7n) of the ajvattha (Ficus Rcligiosa) is thus described by Steven- son, 'Translation of the SamaVeda,' prcf. p. vii : 'The process by which fire is obtained from wood is called churning, as it resembles
II KAiVDA, I ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 9. 295
take it eastwards (from the Garhapatya to the Aha-
vaniya) after sunrise, arguing that thereby they secure
both the day and the night for the obtainment of
out-breathing and in-breathing, of mind and speech.
But let him not do so ; for when they thus churn
(the fire) before sunrise, and take it eastwards after
sunrise, both his (fires) are in reahty set up before
sunrise. By churning the Ahavaniya after sunrise
he will obtain that (combination of blessings).
9. The gods, assuredly, are the day. The fathers
have not the evil dispelled from them (by the sun) ;
(and accordingly) he (the sacrificer) does not dispel
the evil (if he churns the fire before sunrise). The
fathers are mortal ; and verily he who churns the
fire before the rising of the sun, dies before (he has
attained his full measure of) life. The gods have
the evil dispelled from them (by the sun) : hence he
(the sacrificer) dispels the evil (from himself, if he
churn after sunrise). The gods are immortal ; and —
though there is for him no prospect of immortality
• — he attains (the full measure of) life. The gods are
bliss, and bliss he obtains ; the gods are glorious,
and glorious he will be, whosoever, knowing this,
churns (the fire) after the rising of the sun.
that by which butter in India is separated from milk. The New- Hollanders obtain fire from a similar process. It consists in drill- ing one piece of arawi wood into another by pulling a string tied to it with a jerk with the one hand, while the other is slackened, and so alternately till the wood takes fire. The fire is received on cotton or flax held in the hand of an assistant Brahman.' On the mythological associations of the agni-manthana, especially with the Teutonic need-fire and the myth of Prometheus; and those of the ajvattha tree, grown otit of a rami, with the mountain-ash (roun-tree, rowan-tree, witch-elm, witchen, witch-hazel, witch-wood; eber-esche), see A. Kuhn's epoch-making essay, 'Ueber die Herab- kunft des Feuers und des Gottertranks.'
296 .SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
10. Here now they say,* If the fire is not set up with
either a r/k-verse, or a saman, or a ya^s, wherewith
then is it set up?' Verily, that (fire) is of the brah-
man : with the brahman it is set up. The brah-
man is speech : of that speech it is. The brahman
is the truth, and the truth consists in those same
(three) mystic utterances : hence his (fire) is esta-
bhshed ty means of he truth.
11. Verily, with 'hhii/i (earth)!' Pra^^apati gene-
rated this (earth) ^; with ' bhuva// (ether)!' the ether;
with *sva/^ (heaven)!' the sky. As far as these
(three) worlds extend, so far extends this universe :
with the universe it (the fire) is accordingly esta-
blished.
12. With 'bhu/^!' Praj^dpati generated the Brah-
man (priesthood) ; with ' bhuva/z !' the Kshatra (nobi-
lity) ; with 'sva/i V the Vi^ (the common people). As
much as are the Brahman, the Kshatra, and the Vis,
so much is this universe : with the universe it (the
fire) is accordingly established.
13. With 'hhd/iV Pra^apati generated the Self;
with 'hhuva/iV the (human) race; with 'sva//!' the
animals (pani). As much as are the Self, the (human)
race, and the animals, so much is this universe : with
the universe it (the fire) is accordingly established.
14. 'Bhur bhuva//!' this much he utters while
laying down the Garhapatya fire ; for if he were
to lay it down with all (three words), wherewith
should he lay down the Ahavaniya ? Two syllables ^
^ Compare XI, i, 6, 3.
^ Viz. sva/;, pronounced su-va>^. In laying down the Garha- patya he utters the first two words, consisting of three syllables; and in la\ing down the Ahavaniya he pronounces all three words, consisting of five syllables.
II KANDA, I ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 1 8. 297
he leaves over, and thereby those (five syllables)
become of renewed efficacy ; and with all the five
syllables — 'Bhurbhuva/^ sva/^' — he lays down the
Ahavaniya, Thus result eight syllables ; for of eight
syllables consists the gayatri, and the gayatri is
Agni's metre : he thus establishes that (fire) by
means of its own metre.
15. Now when the gods were about to set up their
fires, the Asuras and Rakshas forbade them, saying,
' The fire shall not be produced ; ye shall not set up
your fires!' and because they thus forbade (raksh)
them, they are called Rakshas.
16. The gods then perceived this thunderbolt, to
wit, the horse. They made it stand before them,
and in its safe and foeless shelter the fire was pro-
duced. For this reason let him (the Adhvaryu)
direct (the Agnidhra) to lead the horse to where he
is about to churn the fire. It stands in front of
him ^ ; he thus raises the thunderbolt, and in its safe
and foeless shelter the fire is produced.
1 7. Let it be one used as a leader^; for such a one
possesses unlimited strength. Should he be unable to
obtain a leader, it may be any kind of horse. Should
he be unable to obtain a horse, it may also be an ox,
since that (fire) is related (bandhu) to the ox^
18. And when they carry that (fire) eastward*,
^ The horse is to stand east of the Garhapatya fire-place, with its head to the west, where, behind the khara, the Adhvaryu is about to produce the fire.
^ Purvavah, 'drawing in front,' i. e. a young (newly-harnessed) horse. The term may also mean ' conveying eastwards,' whence it is probably used here ; of. Taitt. Br. I, 1,5, 6.
* See XIII, 8, 4, 6, where the ox is said to be sacred to Agni (agneya). See also p. 292, note i; and I, 2, 3, 6.
* The following particulars, not alluded to by our author, hive
298 S-ATAPATIIA-BRAHMAiVA.
they lead the horse in front of it ; so that, in pro-
ceeding in front of it, it wards off from it the evil
spirits, the Rakshas ; and they carry it (to the Ahava-
niya) safely and unmolested by evil spirits.
19. Let them carry it (the fire) in such wise that
it turns back towards him (the sacrificer); for, as-
suredly, that fire is the (means of) sacrifice, and it is
in the direction of him (the sacrificer) that the sacri-
fice enters him, that the sacrifice readily inclines to
him. And, verily, from whomsoever it (the fire)
turns away, from him the sacrifice also turns away;
and if any one were to curse him, saying, ' May the
sacrifice turn away from him!' then he would indeed
be liable to fare thus.
20. Moreover, that (fire) is the (sacrificer's) breath : let them therefore carry it in such wise that it turns
to be supplied here from Katy. IV, 8, 29 seq., and the commen- taries: As soon as fire has been obtained from the two pieces of wood, [it is placed in a pan and covered with dry, powdered go- maya ; and] the sacrificer blows it with ' Breath I bestow on the immortal;' and the well-kindled flame he inhales with ' The im- mortal I bestow on the breath' (see II, 2, 2, 15). The fire is then set ablaze with fire-wood and laid down on the newly-made Garhapatya hearth-mound with ' [Om !] Bhur bhuva// sva-^!' (V;\;^. S. Ill, 5) ; and with ' I lay thee down, O Lord of Vows (vratapati), with the law (vrata) of N.N.?' — the gotra-name being inserted in the case of the Bhn'gus and Ahgiras ; and those of different 7?/shis or gods and divine beings in that of others. At the sacri- ficer's bidding the Brahman or Adhvaryu then chants the Rathan- tara-saman (cf. p. 196, note 2). Then follows the uddharawa or taking out fire from the Garhapatya for the Ahavaniya. A bundle of wood is lighted at the lower ends on the Garhapatya and placed in a pan on an underlayer of clay. It is then carried eastwards in such a way that the smoke is directed towards the sacrificer follow- ing it ; the horse being led in front of the fire. At the starting of the procession the Brahman, at the Adhvaryu's call, chants the Vamadevya-saman.
II KANDA, I ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 23. 299
back towards him ; for it is in the direction of him
that the breath enters into him. And, verily, from
whomsoever it (the fire) turns away, from him the
breath also turns away ; and if in that case any one
were to curse him, saying, ' May the breath turn
away from him!' then he would indeed be liable to
fare thus.
21. And, verily, the sacrifice is yonder blowing
(wind). Let them, therefore, carry it in such wise
that it^ turns towards him; for it is in the direc-
tion of him that the sacrifice enters him, that the
sacrifice readily inclines to him. And from whom-
soever it turns away, from him the sacrifice also
turns away ; and if any one were to curse him, say-
ing, ' May the sacrifice turn away from him ! ' then
he would indeed be liable to fare thus.
22. And, verily, that (fire) is the (sacrificer's)
breath. Let them, therefore, carry it in such wise
that it turns towards him ; for it is in the direction
of him that the breath enters into him. And from
whomsoeY^er it (the fire) turns away; from him the
breath also turns away ; and if any one were to curse
him, saying, 'May the breath turn away from him!'
he would indeed be liable to fare thus.
23. He (the Adhvaryu) then makes the horse step
on (the Ahavaniya fire-place) ^. When he has made
it step on it, he leads it out towards the east, makes
it turn round again (from left to right) and lets it