^ Pariharet [?'let him avoid it (the term go in the sense of sacrifice), thinking that it is too holy']. Sayawa merely remarks, that both the cow and the sacrifice are here represented as extremely auspicious (utk;7sh/am pu7/yam). Perhaps we have here a play on the words up an a ma, 'a by-name,' and upanamuka, 'inclining to (him).' 'Go' (for go-sh/oma) is the designation of one of the days of the Abhiplava at the Gavamayana.
Ii Kanda, 3 Adhyaya, I Brahmaa^a, 3. 327
(Vayu) !' And, accordingly, they In the same way
offer this (milk) to them till this day : in the
evening to Agni, and in the morning to Surya ; and
what of the offered (milk) he then is still possessed
of, that, indeed, belongs to that blower.
18. By offering, those gods were produced in
the way in which they were produced, by it they
gained that victory which they did gain : Agni
conquered this world, Vayu the air, and Surya the
sky. And whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agni-
hotra, he, indeed, is produced in the same way in
which they were then produced, he gains that same
victory which they then gained ; — indeed, he shares
the same world with them, whosoever, knowlno^ this,
offers the Agnihotra. Therefore the Agnihotra
should certainly be performed.
Third Adhyaya. First BRAHMAiVA.
1. The Agnihotra, doubtless, is the Sun. It is
because he rose in front (agre) of that offering^ that
the Agnihotra is the Sun.
2. When he offers in the evening after sunset,
he does so thinking, ' I will offer, while he is here,
who is this (offering) ; ' and when he offers in the
morning before sunrise, he does so thinking, T will
offer, while he is here, who is this (offering) :' and
for this reason, they say, the Agnihotra is the Sun.
3. And when he sets, then he, as an embryo,
enters that womb, the fire ; and along with him thus
becoming an embryo, all these creatures become
embryos ; for, being coaxed, they lie down contented 2.
^ Apparently an etymological play on the word agnihotra = agre hotrasya, cf. II, 2, 4, 2.
* I/ita hi j-ere (aerate, Kawva rec.) sawz^anana//.
328 i-ATAPATHA-BRAIIMAiVA.
The reason, then, why the night envelops that (sun), is that embryos also are, as it were, enveloped.
4. Now when he offers in the evening after sunset,
he offers for the good of that (sun) in the embryo
state, he benefits that embryo ; and since he offers
for the good of that (sun) in the embryo state, there-
fore embryos here live without taking food.
5. And when he offers in the morning before sun-
rise, then he produces that (sun-child) and, having
become a light, it rises shining. But, assuredly, it
would not rise, were he not to make that offering :
this is why he performs that offering.
6. Even as a snake frees itself from its skin, so
does it (the sun-child) free itself from the night, from
evil : and, verily, whosoever, knowing this, offers
the Agnihotra, he frees himself from all evil, even
as a snake frees itself from its skin ; and after his
birth all these creatures are born ; for they are set
free according to their inclination.
7. Then, as to his taking out the Ahavaniya
(from the Garhapatya) before the setting of the sun ;
— the rays, doubtless, are all those gods ; and what
highest light there is, that, indeed, is either Pra^a-
pati or Indra. Now all the gods approach the house
of him who performs the Agnihotra : but whoseso-
ever (offering) they approach before the fire has been
taken out, from that the gods turn away, and he
fails in it ; and after the failure of that (offering)
from which the gods turn away, people say, that,
whether one knows it or not, the sun went down
on account of that (fire) not having been taken out.
8. And another reason why he takes out the
Ahavaniya before the setting of the sun, is this.
In like manner as, when one's better comes to visit
II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAi\7A, 12. 329
one, he would honour him by trimming his house,
so here : for whosesoever (offering) they approach,
after the fire has been taken out, his Ahavaniya
(house) they enter, in his Ahavaniya they repose.
9. Now when he offers in the evening after the
sun has set, he thereby offers to them after they have
entered his fire-house ; and when he offers in the
morning before sunrise, he offers to them before
they go away. Therefore Asuri said, ' The Agni-
hotra of those who offer after sunrise we regard as
useless ^ : it is as if one were to take food to an
empty dwelling.'
10. That which affords (the means of) subsistence
is of two kinds ; namely, either rooted or rootless.
On both of these, which belong to the gods, men
subsist. Now cattle are rootless and plants are
rooted. From the rootless cattle eatinor the rooted
plants and drinking water, that juice is produced.
11. Now when he offers in the evening after sun-
set, he does so thinking, ' I will offer to the gods
of this life-giving juice : we subsist on this which
belongs to them.' And when he afterwards takes
his evening meal, he eats what remains of the
offering, and whereof oblative portions (bali) have
been distributed all round ^j for he who performs the
Agnihotra eats only what remains of the offering.
12. And when he offers in the morning before
sunrise, he does so thinking, ' I will offer to the gods
of this life-giving juice : we subsist on this which be-
longs to them.' And when he afterwards takes his
meal in the da)'-time, he eats what remains of the
^ Vii^^^inna, ? lit. ' cut off (from its recipient).'
^ Bali is the technical term of the portions of the daily food
that have to be assiprned to all creatures.
330 DATAPATH A-BrAhMA;VA.
offering, and whereof oblative portions have been
distributed all round ; for he who performs the Agni-
hotra eats only what remains of the offering.
13. Here now they say, — All other sacrifices come
to an end, but the Agnihotra does not come to an
end. Although that which lasts for twelve years
is indeed limited, this (Agnihotra) is nevertheless
unlimited, since, when one has offered in the evening,
he knows that he will offer in the morning; and
when one has offered in the morning, he knows that
he will again offer in the evening. Hence that
Agnihotra is unlimited, and in consequence of this
its unlimitedness, creatures are here born unlimited.
And, verily, he who thus knows the unlimitedness
of the Agnihotra, is himself born unlimited in pros-
perity and offspring.
14. Having milked ^ he puts that (milk) on (the
Garhapatya fire), because it has to be cooked.
Here now they say, ' When it rises to the brim,
then we shall offer it!' He must not however let
it rise to the brim, since he would burn it, if he
were to let it rise to the brim ; and unproductive
indeed is burnt seed : he must not, therefore, let it
rise to the brim.
15. He should not offer it without having put it
on the fire ; for since this is Agni's seed, therefore
it is hot (srzt2i, ' cooked ') ; and by putting it on the
^ For other ceremonies preceding those above, see I, 3, 3, 13 seq. According to Katy. IV, 14, i he has the Agnihotra cow — standing south of the sacrificial ground and facing the east or north — milked by anybody except a -Sudra. The vessel to be used is of earthenware, and must have been made by an Arya. The Adhvaryu then takes the vessel, and having entered the Ahavaniya house by the cast door and passed over to the Garhapatya, puts it there on coals previously shifted northwards from the fire.
11 KAiVDA, 3 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 1 7. 33 1
fire, it is indeed heated : let him, therefore, offer (of the milk) only after he has put it on the fire.
16. He illumines it (with a burning straw) ^ in
order that he may know when it is done. He
then pours some water to it (with the sruva), both
for the sake of appeasement, and in order to supple-
ment the juice. For when it rains here, then plants
spring up ; and in consequence of the plants being
eaten and the water drunk, this juice is produced :
hence it is in order to supplement the juice (that he
pours water to it) ; and therefore, if it should happen
to him to have to drink pure milk, let him have one
drop of water poured into it, both for the sake of
appeasement, and in order to supplement the juice.
17. Thereupon he ladles four times (milk with
the sruva into the Agnihotra ladle-), for in a four-
fold way was that milk supplied ^ He then takes
a kindling-stick (samidh), and hastes up (to the
Ahavaniya, with the ladle) to make the libation on
the burning (stick) ^ He offers the first libation
^ According to Katy. IV, 14, 5 the Adhvaryu illumines the milk with a burning straw ; pours some water to it with the sruva or dipping-spoon ; then illumines it once more ; and lifts up the pot three several times, putting it down each time further north of the fire. Thereupon he warms the two spoons ; and wipes them with his hand; and having warmed them once more, he says to the sacri- ficer, 'I ladle !' The latter, while standing, replies, 'Om, ladle !'
^ For the Agnihotra-havawi, or offering-spoon (sru/^), used at the morning and evening libation, and made of Vikankata wood (Flacourtia Sapida), see p. 67, note 2. In the case of those who make five cuttings from the havis (pa?«Hvattin, cf p. 192 note) he takes five sruva- fuls. Katy. IV, 14, 10, Comm.
' Viz. by the four teats of the udder. Comm.
* While holding a billet or kindling-stick (samidh) over the (handle of) the milk-ladle, he [first holds the latter close over the Garhapatya fire, and thereupon] takes it to the Ahavaniya, keeping
332 5ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
(purvahuti) without putting down (the spoon) be-
side (the fire, on the grass-bunch). For, were he to
put it down beside (the fire), it would be as if, in
taking food to somebody, one were to put it down
on one's way thither. But when (he makes the hba-
tion) without previously putting it down, it is as
if, in taking food to somebody, one puts it down
only after taking it to him. The second (libation
he then makes) after putting it down : he thereby
makes these two (libations) of various vigour. Now
these two libations are mind and speech : hence he
thereby separates mind and speech from each other ;
and thus mind and speech, even while one and the
same (samana), are still distinct (nana).
1 8. Twice he offers in the fire, twice he wipes
(the spout of the spoon), twice he eats (of the milk),
and four times he ladles ^ ; — these are ten (acts), for
it on a level with his mouth, except in the middle between the two fires, where he lowers it for a moment to the level of his navel. He then crouches down [bending his right knee, and looking east- wards, by the north-west corner of the Ahavaniya], puts the billet on [the centre of] the fire, and makes the first Hbation (purva- huti) on the burning stick (see the formula, par. 30. The sacri- ficer, as usual, pronounces the dedicatory formula, viz. ' This to Agni!' and, ' This to Surya!' respectively). Thereupon he lays down the ladle on the kur/^a [a grass-bunch, placed behind the Ahavaniya fire-place, to serve as a seat, and to wipe the hands on ; according to others, a flat piece of Vara;/a wood], then takes it up again and silently makes the second libation (uttarahuti) on the north part of the fire. Katy. IV, 14, 12-17 with Schol.
^ He ladles four sruva-fuls of milk into the Agnihotra ladle, and makes in the Ahavaniya fire two libations from this milk (so as to leave the larger quantity in the ladle to be eaten). He then wipes twice the spout of the ladle. [In each of the two other fires he thereupon makes likewise two libations with the sruva, of one spoonful each.] The milk left in the ladle he eats, on the completion of the six libations, by twice taking it out with his ring-finger.
II KAiVDA, 3 ADIIYAYA, I BRAHMAJVA, 2 1. 333
of ten syllables consists the vira^ stanza, and the
sacrifice is vira^ (shining): he thereby converts the
sacrifice into the vira^.
19. Now what he offers up in the fire, that he
offers to the gods ; and thereby the gods are (ad-
mitted to the sacrifice) ^ And what he wipes off
(the spoons), that he offers to the fathers and plants;
and thereby the fathers and plants are (admitted).
And what he eats after offering, that he offers to
men ; and thereby men are (admitted).
20. Verily, the creatures that are not allowed to
take part in the sacrifice are forlorn : to those crea-
tures that are not forlorn he thus offers a share at
the opening of the sacrifice ; and thus beasts (cattle)
are made to share in it along with (men), since
beasts are behind men ^.
21. On this point Yaf;1avalkya said, 'It (the
Agnihotra) must not be looked upon as a (havis-)
sacrifice, but as a domestic sacrifice (pakaya^;za) ;
for while in any other (havis-)sacrifice he pours into
the fire all that he cuts off (from the sacrificial dish
and puts) into the offering spoon, — here, after offer-
ing and stepping outside^, he sips water and licks
out (the milk); and this indeed (is a characteristic)
of the domestic offering.' This then is the animal