^ This points forward to the second butter-portion, which is offered to Agni Pavamana or Agni Indumat, instead of Soma; the first being offered to Agni simply. Katy. IV, 11, 12.
® Rig-veda V, 14, i. See, however, the formulas prescribed by Ajvalayana, p. 317, note 4.
■^ The fire laid down at the adheya is removed when the puna- radheya is to be performed.
320 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAA'A.
him. For the offering-prayer he recites, ' May Agni graciously accept of the butter!'
2 2. And, if they determine upon (offering the
second butter-portion to) Agni Pavamana, let him
then say, ' Pronounce the invitatory prayer to Agni
Pavamana ; and he (the Hotrz) recites (Rig-veda IX,
1 6, 19), 'O Agni, thou breathest forth life; pro-
duce thou food and sap for us ! drive far away
misfortune!' For thus, indeed, it becomes of the
nature of Agni. Pavamana (the one that becomes
purified) means the Soma ; but this (Soma-element)
they eliminate from the butter-portion of Soma\
For the offering-prayer he recites, 'May Agni Pava-
mana graciously accept of the butter ! '
23. If, on the other hand, they determine upon
(offering to) Agni Indumat, let him say, ' Pronounce
the invitatory prayer to Agni Indumat!' He (the
Hotr/) recites (Rig-veda VI, 16, 16), ' Come hither, I
will gladly sing to thee yet other songs, O Agni!
mayest thou grow strong by these draughts (indu,
drop).' Thus, indeed, it becomes of the nature of
Agni : the draught doubtless means Soma, but this
(Soma-element) they eliminate from the butter-
portion of Soma. For the offering-prayer he recites,
' May Agni, the drop-abounding, graciously accept
of the butter!' And thus he makes it all of the
nature of Agni.
24. He then says, as to the chief offering (havis),
* Pronounce the invitatory prayer to Agni ! ' * Pro-
nounce the offering-prayer to Agni!' 'Pronounce
the invitatory prayer to Agni Svish/akrz't (the
maker of good offerings)!' ' Pronounce the offering-
^ Viz. that second butter-portion which by right belongs to Soma (see I, 6, i, 20 seq.), but is here offered to Agni.
II KAiVDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 1'] . 32 1
prayer to Agni Svish/akmM' Then where (other-
wise) he would say, ' Pronounce the offering-prayer
to the gods-!' he now says, ' Pronounce the offering-
prayer to the Agnis ! '
25. He recites^, '[The divine Barhis] may accept
(the offering) for Agni's abundant obtainment of
abundant gift! Vau^/^ak!' — '[The divine Nara-
^a;;2sa] may accept (the offering) for abundant ob-
tainment, in Agni, of abundant gift! Vau^/^ak!' —
' The divine Agni Svish/akm . . . . ' this third (after-
offering) is already in itself of the nature of Agni; and
thus he makes the after-offerings relate to Agni.
26. Those same case-forms (of agni) ^ which he
recites in the offering-prayers, are six ; namely, four
at the fore-offerings, and two at the after-offerings.
Now there are six seasons ; and the seasons he
(Agni) entered : out of the seasons he accordingly
thereby produces him.
27. There are either twelve or thirteen syllables
(in these six case-forms) ^ Now there are either
twelve or thirteen months in a year *^ ; and the
^ For the formulas of the chief offering and Svish/akrzt, see p. 317, note 3.
2 That is, at the after-offerings; see I, 8, 2, 14. Cf. also p. 318, note 2.
^ See I, 8, 2, 15. Here a different case-form of the word agni (viz. agne/^ and agnau) is inserted in the offering-formulas of the first two anuya^as, immediately after the word indicating the object of the offering ; the formula of the third and last anuya^a already containing the nominative agni/^ in the same place.
* See p. 317, note 4.
^ The locative case agnau, inserted in the offering-prayer of the second after-offering, is optionally made trisyllabic by being written and pronounced agna-u.
« For other allusions to intercalary months in the Vedic texts, see Weber, Naxatra, II, p. 336.
322 .SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
year, the seasons, he (Agni) entered : out of the
seasons he accordingly thereby produces him. In
order to avoid sameness, no two (of these forms)
are aHke ; but (the fault of) sameness he would
undoubtedly commit, were any two of them alike.
The characteristic form of the fore-offerings is
(alternately), ' May they accept,' ' May it (or he)
accept^;' and that of the after-offerings is, 'For
the abundant obtainment of abundant gift.'
28. The priests' fee for this (sacrifice) consists of
gold 2. This sacrifice belongs to Agni, and gold is
Agni's seed^: this is w^hy the priests' fee consists
of gold. Or it may be an ox ; for the latter is of the
nature of Agni as far as its shoulder is concerned,
since its shoulder (by carrying the yoke) is as if burnt
by fire. Moreover, Agni is oblation-bearer to the
gods, and that (ox) bears (or draws, loads) for men :
this is why an ox may be given as the priests' fee.
Fourth BRAHMAivA.
II. THE AGNIHOTRA or MORNING AND EVENING
LIBATIONS; and THE AGNY-UPASTHANA or
HOMAGE TO THE FIRES.
I. Pra^apati alone, indeed, existed here in the beginning. He considered, * How may I be repro-
^ See I, 5, 3, 15.
^ See also II, 2, 4, 15. In Taitt. S. I, 5, 12 (referred to Katy. XI, 2, 37) 'white gold' (ra^ataw hira«yam), i.e. silver, is expressly men- tioned as unsuitable for the dakshiwa. The reason adduced is that, when the gods claimed back the goods deposited with Agni^ he w^ept, and the tears he shed became silver ; and hence, if one were to give silver as a dakshiwa, there would be weeping in his house before a year had passed.
^ See II, I, I, 5.
II KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 5. 323
diiced?' He tolled and performed acts of penance.
He generated Agni from his mouth; and because
he generated him from his mouth, therefore Agni
is a consumer of food : and, verily, he who thus
knows Agni to be a consumer of food, becomes him-
self a consumer of food.
2. He thus generated him first (agre) of the gods ;
and therefore (he is called) Agni, for agni (they say)
is the same as agri. He, being generated, went forth
as the first (purva) ; for of him who goes first, they
say that he goes at the head (agre). Such, then, is
the origin and nature of that Agni.
3. Pra^apati then considered, ' In that Agni I
have generated a food-eater for myself; but, indeed,
there is no other food here but myself, whom,
surely, he would not eat.' At that time this earth
had, indeed, been rendered quite bald ; there were
neither plants nor trees. This, then, weighed on his
mind.
4. Thereupon Agni turned towards him with open
mouth ; and he (Pra^apati) beingterrified,his owngreat-
ness departed from him. Now his own greatness is
his speech : that speech of his departed from him.
He desired an offering in his own self, and rubbed
(his hands) ; and because he rubbed (his hands),
therefore both this and this (palm) are hairless.
He then obtained either a butter-offering or a milk-
offering ; — but, indeed, they are both milk.
5. This (offering), however, did not satisfy him,
because it had hairs mixed with it. He poured it
away (into the fire), saying, ' Drink, while burning
(osha;;2 dhaya) !' From it plants sprang: hence
their name 'plants (oshadhaya//).' He rubbed (his
hands) a second time, and thereby obtained another
324 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
offering, either a butter-offering or a milk-offering ; — but, indeed, they are both milk.
6. This (offering) then satisfied him. He hesi-
tated : ' Shall I offer it up ? shall I not offer it up ?'
he thought. His own greatness said to him, 'Offer
it up ! ' Pra^apati was aware that it was his own
(sva) greatness that had spoken (aha) to him ; and
offered it up with 'Svaha!' This is why offerings
are made with 'Svaha!' Thereupon that burning
one (viz. the sun) rose ; and then that blowing
one (viz. the wind) sprang up ; whereupon, indeed,
Agni turned away.
7. And Pra^apati, having performed offering, re-
produced himself, and saved himself from Agni,
Death, as he was about to devour him. And,
verily, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agni-
hotra, reproduces himself by offspring even as
Pra^apati reproduced himself ; and saves himself from
Agni, Death, when he is about to devour him.
8. And when he dies, and when they place him on
the fire, then he is born (again) out of the fire, and
the fire only consumes his body. Even as he is
born from his father and mother, so is he born from
the fire. But he who offers not the Agnihotra, verily,
he does not come into life at all : therefore the A^ni-
hotra should by all means be offered.
9. And as to that same birth from out of doubt, —
when Pra^apati doubted, he, while doubting, remained
steadfast on the better (side), insomuch that he repro-
duced himself and saved himself from Agni, Death,
when he was about to devour him : so he also who
knows that birth from out of doubt, when he doubts
about anything, still remains on the better (side).
10. Having offered, he rubbed (his hands). Thence
II KAiVDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 1 4. 325
aVikaiikata^ tree sprung forth; and therefore that
tree is suitable for the sacrifice, and proper for sacri-
ficial vessels. Thereupon those (three) heroes among
the gods were born, viz. Agni, that blower (Vayu),
and Surya: and, verily, whosoever thus knows those
heroes among the gods, to him a hero is born.
11. They then said, 'We come after our father
Pra^apati : let us then create what shall come after
us !' Having enclosed (a piece of ground), they sang
praises with the gayatri stanza without the 'Hih^:'
and that (with) which they enclosed was the ocean ;
and this earth was the praising-ground (astava).
12. When they had sung praises, they went out
towards the east, saying, 'We (will) go back thither!'
The gods came upon a cow which had sprung into
existence. Looking up at them, she uttered the
sound ' hiii.' The gods perceived that this was the
'Hiii' of the Sam an (melodious sacrificial chant);
for heretofore (their song was) without the ' Hin.'
but after that it was the (real) Saman. And as this
same sound 'Hiii' of the Saman was in the cow,
therefore the latter affords the means of subsistence ;
and so does he afford the means of subsistence whoso-
ever thus knows that ' Hiii' of the Saman in the cow.
13. They said, 'Auspicious, indeed, is what we
have produced here, who have produced the cow :
for, truly, she is the sacrifice, and without her no
sacrifice is performed ; she is also the food, for the
cow, indeed, is all food.'
14. This (word 'go'), then, is a name of those
^ The sruva, or dipping-spoon, and the Agnihotra ladle, for instance, are made of this wood ; see p. 331, note 2.
^ On ' hill ' as an essential element in the recitation of Sama- chants, see I, 4, i, i seq.
326 .SATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
(cows), and so it is of the sacrifice : let him, therefore,
repeat^ it, (as it were) saying, 'Good, excellent!' and,
verily, whosoever, knowing this, repeats it, (as it
were) saying, ' Good, excellent ! ' with him those
(cows) multiply, and the sacrifice will incline to him.
15. Now, Agni coveted her: 'May I pair with
her,' he thought. He united with her, and his seed
became that milk of hers : hence, while the cow is
raw, that milk in her is cooked (warm); for it is Agni's
seed ; and therefore also, whether it be in a black
or in a red (cow), it is ever white, and shining like
fire, it being Agni's seed. Hence it is warm when
first milked ; for it is Agni's seed.
16. They (the men) said, ' Come, let us offer this
up!' — 'To whom of us shall they first offer this?'
(said those gods). — ' To me ! ' said Agni. — ' To me !'
said that blower (Vayu). — 'To me!' said Surya.
They did not come to an agreement ; and not being
agreed, they said, ' Let us go to our father Pra^apati ;
and to whichever of us he says it shall be offered
first, to him they shall first offer this.' They went
to their father Pra^apati, and said, ' To whom of
us shall they offer this first ?'
17. He replied, 'To Agni: Agni will forthwith
cause his own seed to be reproduced, and so you
will be reproduced.' ' Then to thee,' he said to
Surya ; * and what of the offered (milk) he then is
still possessed of, that shall belong to that blower