II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 2 BRAHMAiVA, I 7. 34T
12. And when the flame of the waning (fire) gets
lower and lower, and (burns) as it were sideways,
then, indeed, that (fire) is Mitra. And if any one
desires to consume food here through the kindness
(maitra, of others), — as one of whom they say,
' Truly, this Brahman is everybody's friend, he
harms not any one,' — let him offer (the Agnihotra)
then : and, assuredly, he who, knowing this, offers
then (when the fire gets low), obtains that food.
13. And when the coals are glowing intensely,
then, indeed, that (fire) is the Brahman. And if
anybody wishes to become endowed with holy lustre
(brahmavar/^asin), let him offer then: and, as-
suredly, he who, knowing this, offers then, obtains
that food (object).
14. Let him endeavour to adhere to some one of
these (gods or fires) for a year, whether he (the house-
holder) himself offer (the Agnihotra) or some one
else off'er for him. If, on the other hand, he offers
now in this way, now in another, it is just as if, in
diesfinsf for water or some other food, one were to
leave off in the midst of it. But if he offers
uniformly, it is just as if, in digging for water or
some other food, one lays it open forthwith.
15. Indeed, these offerings are, as it were, the
spades for (the digging up of) food ; and, assuredly,
whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra, pro-
cures food.
16. Now the first libation (ptlrvahuti) represents the
gods, and the second (uttarahuti) represents the men,
and what remains in the ladle represents cattle.
17. Only a little he offers for the first libation,
somewhat more for the second, and still more he
leaves in the ladle.
342 .SATAPATHA-BRAHMAA^A.
1 8. The reason why he offers only a h'ttle for the
first libation, is that the gods are fewer than men ;
and why he offers somewhat more for the second
libation, is that men are more numerous than the
gods ; and why he leaves still more in the ladle, is
that cattle are more numerous than men. And,
verily, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra,
his cattle will be more numerous than those (human
beings) that have to be supported by him : for he,
indeed, is in a prosperous condition whose cattle are
more numerous than those (human beings) dependent
on his support.
Third BRAiiMAiVA.
1. Now when Pra^apati, in creating living beings,
created Agni, the latter, as soon as born, sought to
burn everything here : and so everybody tried to
get out of his way^ The creatures then existing
sought to crush him. Being unable to endure
this, he went to man.
2. He said, ' I cannot endure this : come, let me
enter into thee ! Having reproduced me, maintain
me ; and as thou wilt reproduce and maintain me in
this world, even so will I reproduce and maintain
thee in yonder world!' He (man) replied, 'So be it.'
And having reproduced him, he maintained him.
3. Now when he establishes the two fires, he
reproduces that (Agni) ; and having reproduced him,
he maintains him ; and as he reproduces and main-
tains him in this world, even so does he (Agni)
reproduce and maintain him in yonder world.
4. One must not, therefore, remove it (the sa- crificial fire from the hearth) prematurely, for too
^ Ity abilam asa, i. e. ' there was a (general rush) to a hole,' (or perhaps ' to the outlet.')
II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 343
soon it languishes for him ; and as it languishes for
him too soon in this world, even so does it languish
for him too soon in yonder world : "one must not,
therefore, remove it prematurely.
5. And when he dies, and they place him on the
(funeral) fire, then he is reproduced from out of the
fire; and he (Agni) who heretofore was his sonS
now becomes his father.
6. Hence it has been said by the Rishis (Rig-
veda I, 89, 9), * A hundred autumns (may there be)
before us, O gods, during which ye complete the
life-time of our bodies, during which sons become
fathers! do not cut us off, midway, from reaching
the full term of life!' for he (Agni) who is the son,
now in his turn becomes the father: this, then, is
why one must establish the fires.
7. Now yonder burning (sun) doubtless is no
other than Death ; and because he is Death, there-
fore the creatures that are on this side of him die.
But those that are on the other side of him are the
gods, and they are therefore immortal. It is by the
rays (or reins, thongs, ra^mi) of that (sun) that all
these creatures are attached to the vital airs (breaths
or life), and therefore the rays extend down to the
vital airs.
8. And the breath of whomsoever he (the sun)
wishes he takes and rises, and that one dies. And
whosoever goes to yonder world not having escaped
that Death, him he causes to die again and again in
yonder world, even as, in this world, one regards not
him that is fettered, but puts him to death whenever
one wishes.
1 Viz. inasmuch as the householder, by the Adhana, produces, generates Agni.
344 .SAtAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
9. Now when, in the evening after sunset, he
offers two libations, then he firmly plants himself on
that Death with those fore-feet of his; and when,
in the morning before sunrise, he offers two libations,
then he plants himself on that Death with those
hind-feet of his. And when he (the sun) rises,
then, in rising, he takes him up and thus he (the
sacrificer) escapes that Death. This, then, is the
release from death in the Agnihotra : and, verily,
he who knows that release from death in the Agni-
hotra, is freed from death again and again.
10. What the arrow-head is to the arrow, that
the Agnihotra is to sacrifices. For whither the
head of the arrow f^ies, thither the whole arrow
flies : and so are all his works of sacrifice freed by
this (Agnihotra) from that Death.
11. Now day and night, revolving, destroy (the
fruit of) man's righteousness in yonder world. But
day and night are on this side (of the sun) from him
(after he has gone up to heaven) ; and so day and
night do not destroy (the fruit of) his righteousness.
12. And as, while standing inside a chariot, one
would look down from above on the revolving
chariot-wheels, even so does he look down from on
high upon day and night : and, verily, day and night
destroy not the reward of him who thus knows
that release from day and night.
13. [The sacrificer] having gone round the Aha- vaniya, (after entering) from the east \ passes
^ According to Katy. IV, 13, 12 [and Schol.], the householder [after taking out the fires and performing his regular twilight adoration (sandhya), that is, muttering the Savitri, Rig-veda III, 62, lo (see -Sat. Br. II, 3, 4, 39), when the sun has half disap- peared or until it becomes visible ; cf. Ajval. Gr/hyas. XX, 3, 7] passes between the Garhapatya and Dakshiwa fires, or south of them,
II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 1 6. 345
between (it and) the Garhapatya (to his seat). For
the gods do not know (this) man^; but when he now
passes by them between (the fires), they know him,
and think, ' This is he that now offers to us.'
Moreover, Agni (the fire) is the repeller of evil ;
and these two, the Ahavaniya and Garhapatya, repel
the evil from him who passes between them ; and
the evil being repelled from him, he becomes a very
light in splendour and glory.
14. On the north side is the door of the Agni-
hotra^: thus (he approaches it) as he would enter
(a house) by a door. If, on the other hand, he were
to sit down after approaching from the south, it would
be as if he walked outside.
15. The Agnihotra, truly, is the ship (that sails)
heavenwards. The Ahavaniya and Garhapatya are
the two sides ^ of that same heavenward-bound
ship; and that milk-offerer is its steersman.
16. Now when he walks up towards the east, then he steers that (ship) eastwards towards the
[enters the Ahavaniya house by the east door], circumambulates the fire from right to left (apadakshi^zam), and sits down in his place (south of the Ahavaniya fire and altar). The same circum- ambulation is performed by the wife, who thereupon sits down in her place, south-west of the Garhapatya.
^ Or, ' the gods are not aware of (this) man' (na vai deva manu- shyaw viduy^). The gods are supposed to be assembled around the altar; see I, 3, 3, 8.
2 I do not understand this, there being no door on the north side of the Ahavaniya fire-house. According to the commentator this passage is directed against those who make the sacrificer betake himself to the Ahavaniya from (or along) the south; and he quotes the words ' dakshiwena va' from Katyayana, apparently IV, 13, 12, where it is said that the sacrificer, in going to the Ahavaniya, has to pass between the two western fires, ' or south of them.'
^ 'Naumaw^e' ? according to the commentator = bhitti (the two walls or sides). The Petersb. Diet, proposes ' the two rudders (or oars).'
34^ 5ATAPATIIA-BRAHMAi\rA.
heavenly world, and he gains the heavenly world by
it. When ascended from the north it makes him
reach the heavenly world ; but if one were to sit
down in it after entering from the south, it would
be as if he tried to enter it after it has put off and
he were left behind and remained outside.
17. And again, the stick which he puts on the
fire (corresponds to) a brick, and the formula where-
with he offers is the Ya^us-text wherewith he puts
on that brick ^ ; and when the brick is put on, then
a libation is made : hence those same libations of
the Agnihotra are offered on his pile of bricks ^
18. The fire, assuredly, is Pra^apati, and Pra^a-
pati is the year. Year after year, therefore, is his
Agnihotra consummated with the piled-up fire-altar ;
and year after year does he obtain the piled-up fire-
altar, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra.
19. Seven hundred and twenty eighties of Ri\^-
verses (he should recite at the Agnihotra in the
course of a year). When he offers the Agnihotra
in the morning and evening, then there are two
libations : hence those libations of his, in the course
of a year, amount to —
20. Seven hundred and twenty. Thus, indeed,
his Agnihotra is accomplished, year after year, with
the great chant ^; and year after year does he obtain
^ Viz. at the AgniX'ayana, or piling up of the brick-altars at the Soma-sacrifice. As to the putting on of the stick, see II, 3, i, 17. The Kawva text of theVd^'. S. (but not that of the Brahm.) gives the formula ' Agni^yotishaw (Siirya^yotisha/?/, in the morn- ing) tva vayumatim,' &c. See Katy. IV, 14, 13 ; 15, 9.
^ After the completion of the fifth, and last, layer of the brick- altar, oblations of various materials are made thereon; especially the 6'atarudriyahoma, consisting of 425 single oblations; ^"at. Br IX, I, I, I seq., 2, i, i seq.
* The mahad (or, br^Tiad) uktha or great chant, which marks
II KAiVDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 4. 347
the great chant, whosoever, knowing this, offers the Agnihotra.
Fourth BRAHMAivA.
1. Once on a time the gods deposited with Agni
all their beasts, both domestic and wild ; either be-
cause they were about to engage in battle or from a
desire of free scope, or because they thought that he
(Agni) would protect them as the best protector.
2. Now Agni coveted them, and seizing them he
entered the night with them. ' Let us go back
thither,' said the gods, and betook themselves to
where Agni was concealed. Now they knew that he
had entered there, that he had entered the night ;
and when the night returned in the evening, they
approached him and said, ' Give us our beasts ! give
us back our beasts!' Agni then gave them back
their beasts.
3. For this then let him respectfully approach
the two fires : the fires are givers, and thereby he
supplicates them. Let him approach them in the
evening, for in the evening the gods approached
(Agni). And whosoever, knowing this, approaches
(the two fires), to him, indeed, they grant cattle.
4. Then as to why he should not approach them.
Now in the beginning both the gods and men were
together here. And whatever did not belong to the
men, for that they importuned the gods, saying,
' This is not ours : let it be ours !' Being indignant