^ Viz. the practice of performing the full-offering only, see par. 5. The Ka«va text reads : Tad va ctat samanam eva sad viparyastara iva.
Ii Kanda, 2 Adhyaya, I Brahmajva, 20. 307
17. All these sacrificial cakes (for Agni) are on
eight potsherds ; for of eight syllables consists the
(pada of the) gayatri, and the g^yatri is Agni's
metre ^: with its own metre he accordingly establishes
that fire. In all, these potsherds amount to twenty-
four ; for of twenty-four syllables consists the gayatri
(stanza), and the gayatri is Agni's metre : with its
own metre he accordingly establishes that fire.
18. He then offers a potful of boiled rice to
Aditi. For he who performs those (preceding)
oblations moves away, as it were, from this world,
since he moves in the ascent of these worlds ^.
19. Now when he offers a potful of boiled rice to
Aditi, — Aditi being this earth, and this earth being
a firm resting-place, — he thereby again takes his
stand on this firm resting-place. This is why he
offers a potful of boiled rice to Aditi.
20. For her, they say, the two sa7;^ya^yas^ should be vira^ verses; for the vira^ is this (earth); or
^ The Kanva text remarks that the anuvakyas (invitatory prayers) and ya^yas (offering prayers) at the three offerings of cake are in the gayatri metre; and such indeed is the case. The anuvakyas of the oblations to Agni Pavamana, Agni Pavaka, and Agni Suki are Rig-veda IX, 66, 19; I, 12, 10; and VIII, 44, 21 respectively: and the ya^yas are IX, 66, 21; V, 26, i; and VIII, 44, 17 respectively; all of which are gayatri stanzas. See Ajv. St. II, I, 20-25. Cf. also I, 7, 2, 15, with note. At the Svish/akr/t of these two ish/is also both formulas are in the gayatri metre: the puro 'nuvakyas being Rig-veda III, 11, 2, and III, 11,6; and the ya^ySs III, 11, i, and I, i, i respectively.
2 Pra>^yavata iva va esho 'smal lokat . . . iman hi lokan sama- rohann eti. The Ka«va text has: 'For he who takes out these oblations makes his self, as it were, depart from this world of men for the world of the gods, since he, as it were, moves rising upwards (urdhva iva hi samarohann eti).' Cf paragraphs 14-16.
^ For these (vira^) samyagye, or invitatory and offering prayers at the Svish/akrzt, see p. 164, note 2. — Ajv. ^'r. II, i, 29.
308 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAA'A.
trish/ubh verses, for the trish/ubh is this (earth) ; or
^agatt verses, for the ^agatt is this (earth). Still,
however, they should be vira^ verses.
21. The priests' fee for (offering to) her consists
of a cow ; for this (earth) is, as it were, a cow : she
milks out for men all their desires. The cow is
a mother, and this (earth) also is a mother, for she
bears the men : for this reason the priests' fee is
a cow. This is one mode (of performing those
offerings).
2 2. Then there is this other. He simply offers
a cake on eight potsherds to Agni, and thereby,
implicitly, to Agni Pavamana, Agni Pavaka, and
Agni ^'u^'i ; and immediately after he visibly sets
him up (as Agni). For this reason he offers (a
cake) to Agni\ and then a potful of boiled rice
to Aditi. The treatment of the potful of rice (in
that case) is the same (as before).
Second BRAHMAiVA.
1. Now, in performing that sacrifice, they slay it ;
and in pressing out the king (Soma), they slay him ;
and in quieting and immolating the victim, they
slay it. The havirya^;7a they slay with the mortar
and pestle, and with the two mill-stones.
2. When slain, that sacrifice was no longer vigorous.
By means of dakshi;^as (gifts to the priests) the
gods again invigorated it : hence the name dakshi;^a,
because thereby they invigorated (dak shay) that
^ According to the Kawva recension, the anuvakya and ya^ya, in that case, should consist of tlie verses containing the word mur- dhan (' head'), viz. \Ag. S. XIII, 14, 15; cf. Sa.i. Br. I, 6, 2, 12.
Ii Kanda, 2 Adhyaya, 2 Brahmajva, 6. 309
(sacrifice). Whatever, therefore, fails in this sacri-
fice when slain, that he now again invigorates by
means of gifts to the priests ; whereupon the sacri-
fice becomes successful : for this reason he makes
gifts to the priests.
3. He may give six (cows)^; for six seasons, indeed,
there are in the year, and the sacrifice, Pra^apati,
is the year : thus as great as the sacrifice is, as
large as its extent is, by so many (gifts, dakshi/^as)
does he thereby invigorate it.
4. He may give twelve ; for twelve months there
are in the year, and the sacrifice, Pra^apati, is the
year: thus as great as the sacrifice is, as large as
its extent is, by so many (gifts) does he thereby
invigorate it.
5. He may give twenty-four ; for twenty-four
half-moons there are in the year, and the sacrifice,
Pra^apati, is the year : thus as great as the sacrifice
is, as large as its extent is, by so many (gifts) does
he thereby invigorate it. Such is the measure of the
priests' fees ; but he may give more, according to
(the depth of) his faith. The reason why he gives
fees to the priests is this.
6. Verily, there are two kinds of gods ; for,
indeed, the gods are the gods; and the Brahmans
who have studied and teach sacred lore are the
human eods. The sacrifice of these is divided into
two kinds : oblations constitute the sacrifice to the
gods ; and gifts to the priests that to the human gods.
^ Viz. at the tanfthavir-ish/is together, or at least three cows at each ish/i if there are two ish/is. The greater the gift, the greater the merit. According to the Paddhati on Katy. IV, 10, he is also to entertain a hundred Brahmans at the end of the per- formance. See also Taitt. Br, I, i, 7, 9-1 1.
310 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
the Brahmans who have studied and teach sacred
lore. With oblations one gratifies the gods, and
with gifts to the priests the human gods, the Brah-
mans who have studied and teach sacred lore. Both
these kinds of gods, when gratified, place him in a
state of bliss (sudha)\
7. Even as seed is poured into the womb, so the
officiating priests place the sacrificer in the (hea-
venly) world ^, when he now makes gifts to those
who, he hopes, will make him go thither. Such,
then, (is the manner) of gifts to priests.
8. Now the gods and the Asuras, both of them
sprung from Pra^apati, were contending with each
other. They were both soulless, for they were
mortal, and he who is mortal is soulless. Amone
these two (classes of beings) who were mortal, Agni
alone was immortal ; and it was through him, the
immortal, that they both lived. Now whichsoever
(of the gods) they (the Asuras) slew, he, indeed, was
so (slain).
9. Thereupon the gods were left inferior. They
went on praising and practising austerities, hoping
that they might be able to overcome their enemies,
the mortal Asuras. They beheld this immortal
Agnyadheya (consecrated fire).
10. They said, * Come, let us place that immortal
element in our innermost soul ! When we have placed
that immortal element in our innermost soul, and
become immortal and unconquerable, we shall over-
come our conquerable, mortal enemies.'
^ That is, ' they convey him to the celestial world,' as reads the
otherwise identical passage in IV, 3, 4, 4.
^ The Ka«va text has ' svarge loke.'
11 KAiVDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAA^A, I 5. 3II
1 1 . They said, * With both of us is this fire ( Agni) : let us then treat openly with the Asuras \'
12. They said, 'We shall set up (or, establish
within ourselves, a-dha) the two fires, — what will
ye do then ?'
13. They replied, 'Then we shall lay it down
(ni-dha), saying, Eat grass here! eat wood here! cook
pap here! cook meat here !' Now that fire, which the
Asuras thus laid down, is this same (fire) wherewith
men prepare their food.
14. The gods then established that (fire) in their
innermost soul; and having established that immortal
element in their innermost soul, and become im-
mortal and unconquerable, they overcame their
mortal, conquerable enemies. And so this one now
establishes that immortal element in his innermost
soul ; and — though there is for him no hope of im-
mortality— he obtains the full measure of life ; for,
indeed, he becomes unconquerable, and his enemy,
though striving to conquer, conquers him not. And,
accordingly, when one who has established his fires
and one who has not established his fires, vie with
each other, he who has established his fires over-
comes the other, for, verily, he thereby becomes
unconquerable, he thereby becomes immortal.
15. Now, when, on that occasion, they produce
that (fire) by churning, then he (the sacrificer)
breathes (blows) upon it, when produced ; for fire
indeed is breath : he thereby produces the one thus
produced. He again draws in his breath: thereby he
establishes that (fire) in his innermost soul ; and that
fire thus becomes established in his innermost soul-.
^ ' Pra tv evasurebhyo bravameti.' — ' Hantasurebhya// pralipra- bravameti,' Ka«va text. ? ' Let us talk them out of it !' 2 See p. 297, note 4.
312 S-ATAPATIIA-BRAHMAiVA.
1 6. Having kindled it, he makes it blaze, thinking,
' Herein I will worship, herein I will perform the
sacred work ! ' Thereby he makes blaze that fire
which has been established in his innermost soul.
17. 'It (or some one) might come between, — it
might go away ! ' so (fear some) ^ ; but, surely, as
long as he lives no one comes between him and that
fire which has been established in his innermost soul:
let him, therefore, not heed this. And as to its
becoming extinguished : — surely, as long as he lives,
that fire which has been established in his innermost
soul, does not become extinct in him.
18. The (sacrificial) fires, assuredly, are those
breaths : the Ahavaniya and Garhapatya are the
out-breathing and the in-breathing ; and the Anva-
harya-pa/v'ana is the through-breathing.
19. Now, attendance on (or, the worship of) that
consecrated fire (agnyadheya) means (speaking)
the truth. Whosoever speaks the truth, acts as if
he sprinkled that lighted fire with ghee ; for even so
does he enkindle it : and ever the more increases his
own vital energy, and day by day does he become
better. And whosoever speaks the untruth, acts as
' This paragraph is somewhat obscure. The Ka«va recension has the following more explicit paragraphs instead : — As to this, there is a source of anxiety (agas) to some, fearing that 'it (that fire) might go out (anvagan).' But let him not heed this, for, assuredly, that fire of his, which has been established in his inner- most soul, docs not go out. ' The carriage might pass through (vyayasit), the cart might pass through ; — it (or some one) may come between (me and the fire) !' such is another source of anxiety to some ; but let him not heed this either ; for, assuredly, the car- riage does not pass through, the cart does not pass through that fire of his which has been established in his innermost soul. Cf. XII, 4, I, 2-3.
II KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, I. 313
if he sprinkled that lighted fire with water ; for even
so does he enfeeble it : and ever the less becomes his
own vital energy, and day by day does he become
more wicked. Let him, therefore, speak nothing
but the truth.
20. Now the kinsmen spake unto Aru;^a Au-
pave^i, 'Thou art advanced in years: establish
thou the two fires!' He replied, 'Speak ye not
thus ! be thou a restrainer of speech ^ ; for he who
has established the fires must not speak an untruth :
let him rather not speak at all, but let him not speak
an untruth. Worship, above all, is truthfulness.'
Third BRAHMAiVA. The Punaradheya or Re-establishment of the Sacred Fires ^
r. Now Varu;^a established this (fire), being de-
sirous of sovereignty. He obtained sovereignty ;
and, accordingly, whether one (who has established
the fires) knows (this) or not, they call him ' king
Varu;^a.' Soma (established the fire), being desirous
of glory. He became glorious, and, accordingly,
whether one obtains a hold on Soma, or whether