ointment, oil, or butter on the p\nda.s, saying, ' (Father), N. N., anoint thyself!' &c. ; see Donner, Pi«</ap., p. 25.
^ See paragraph 19.
2 Nivim udvr/hya=paridhaniyasyavasaso daj-a tarn udvnTiya visra;;zsya, Saya^/a. According to Mahadeva, he (who presents the pi«</as, viz. either the Adhvaryu or the sacrificer) has previously to put on a garment with a tuck (nivimat paridhanam), i. e. with the dzsa, or unwoven edge of the upper garment, tucked up under the waistband. This he is to pull out. Katyayana has the following rules : IV, i, 15, Having made (them) wash themselves as before, and having loosened (visra7«sya) the tuck, he makes obeisance with 'adoration to your vigour, O fathers I' &c. (Va^. S. II, 32 a-f). [According to the Comm., he adds the formula, ' Give us houses, O fathers ! we will give to you of what is (ours).' Va^. S. II, 32, 9.] 16, With 'Put on this your garment, O fathers l'(Vao-, S. II, 32 h), he throws three threads (pieces of
Ii Kanda, 4 Adhyaya, 3 Brahmaata. 369
(stalks of sacrificial grass) cut with one stroke he puts
on the fire ; and he also again throws away the fire-
brand \
Third BRAHMAivA.
IV. THE AGRAYATVESHri or OFFERING OF FIRST-FRUITS.
This sacrifice is performed in spring and autumn — generally at new or full moon — at the commencement of the harvest. The oblations, •which, as a rule, are prepared from new grain (viz. barley in spring, and rice in autumn), consist of — i. a sacrificial cake contained on twelve potsherds for Indra and Agni; 2. a /^aru (mess of boiled grains) for the Vijve 'De\a.k, prepared with water or milk; and 3. a cake on one potsherd for heaven and earth. Katy. IV, 6 and comm. According to the Paddhati, the offering of first-fruits takes place after the new-moon off'ering, and before the full-moon off'er- ing. At the beginning of the harvest of Panicum Frumentaceum (.yylmaka), in the rainy season or in autumn ; and at that of bamboo
yarn), one on each cake. 17, Or, woollen fringe [or, wool or fringe (daja), according to others]. 1 8, Or, hairs of the sacrificer (pulled out from the chest near the heart), if he is advanced in years. 19, He pours [the water, left in the pitcher, on the cakes] with ' Ye (O waters) are a refreshing draught, ye, that bring sap, immortal ghee and milk and foaming mead : gladden my fathers 1 ' (Va^. S. II, 34.) 20, [The Adhvaryu] having laid (the cakes on the dish) the sacrificer smells at them. 21, The firebrand and the once-cut stalks of grass (he throws) into the fire. 22, The wife, if desirous of a son, eats the middle cake with, ' Bestow off"spring on me, O fathers, a boy crowned with lotuses ; that there may be a man here ! ' (Va^. S. II, 33.) [According to the comment, the other two cakes are thrown into the water or fire ; or eaten by a priest.] For other variations, see Donner, 'Pmda.pitriy2Lgna,. The Ka«va recension, on the whole, agrees with our text.
* The Kawva text has as follows : * Therefore he says, Give us houses, O fathers!' He then smells at the pot (ukha) : that is the sacrificer's share. They again put down the cakes together (with the rice in the pot ! samavadadhati). The once-severed (stalks of grass) they put on the fire. The firebrand he again shifts to (ihe fire ; apy-ar^ati).
[12] B b
370 5'ATAPATIIA-BRAHMAJVA.
in summer, offerings of first-fruits are also made to Soma in the form of a potful of boiled jyamaka or bamboo grains respectively.
1. Now Kaho^a Kaushitaki spake, 'This sap
(of the plants) truly belongs to those two, heaven
and earth : having offered of this sap to the gods,
we will eat it.' ' That is why the offering of first-
fruits is performed,'
2. And Ya^;lavalkya also spake : — The gods
and the Asuras, both of them sprung from Pra^apati,
once contended for superiority. The Asuras then
defiled, partly by magic, partly with poison, both
kinds of plants — those on which men and beasts
subsist — hoping that in this way they might over-
come the gods. In consequence of this neither did
men eat food, nor did beasts graze ; and from want
of food these creatures well-nigh perished \
3. Now the gods heard as to how these creatures
were perishing from want of food. They spake unto
one another, ' Come, let us rid them- of this !' — ' By
what means ? ' — ' By means of the sacrifice.' By means
of the sacrifice the gods then accomplished all that
they wanted to accomplish^ ; and so did the 7?/shis.
4. They then said, ' To which of us shall this
belong?' They did not agree (each of them ex-
claiming), * Mine (it shall be)!' Not having come
to an agreement, they said, ' Let us run a race
for this (sacrifice) : whichever of us beats (the
others), his it shall be!' 'So be it!' they said,
and they ran a race.
^ The Ka;/va text has : Ta eta ubhayya^ prajg'a ana^anena not parababhftvu^.
^ Viz. the plants, according to the reading of the Kaz/va text : Ilantasam oshadhiniv/z kn'tyCxm Ivad vishaw tvad apahanameti.
■ The Kawva text reads kalpyam instead of kalpam.
II KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 371
5. Indra and Agni won, and hence that Indra-
Agni cake on twelve potsherds ^ Indra and Agni
having won a share in it. And where Indra and
Agni were standing when they had won, thither
all the gods followed them.
6. Now, Indra and Agni are the Kshatra
(nobility), and all the gods (or, the All-gods) are
the Vis (common Aryan people) ; and wherever
the Kshatra conquers, there the Vi^ is allowed to
share. Thus they (Indra and Agni) allowed the
Visve Deva/^ (the All-gods) a share (in the offer-
ing) ; and hence that pap of boiled (rice or barley)
grain (offered) to the All-gods.
7. ' Let him prepare it from old (grain) ^' say
some; 'for Indra and Agni are the Kshatra (and
he should therefore use old grain for the Vai^va-
deva pap) lest he (the sacrificer) should exalt (the
Vi^) to the level of the Kshatra.' Nevertheless let
both (the cake and /f^aru) consist of new (grain) ;
for (by the very fact that) the one is a cake and
the other a pap, the nobility is not equalled, (by the
people) : hence they should both consist of new
(grain).
8. The All-gods spake, ' This sap (of the rice and
barley plants) trul)' belongs to those two, heaven
and earth : let us, then, allow those two a share in
it!' They accordingly assigned that share to them,
to wit, the cake on one potsherd offered to heaven
^ The IMS. of the Ka«va recension has : Tasmad esha aindragno dajakapala/z purolajo bhavati. The commentary on Katy. IV, 6, I, on the other hand, makes it a cake on eleven potsherds.
2 Or, he may do so. Katy. IV, 6, 7 leaves the option between new and old grain.
B b 2
372 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
and earths This is why there is a cake on one
potsherd (kap^la) for heaven and earth. Now this
(earth) is, doubtless, the cup (depository, kapala) of
that (sap)^; and she indeed is one only: hence (the
cake) consists of one potsherd.
9. An offence (is thereby committed) by him^;
since, for whatever deity sacrificial food may be
taken out, the Svish/akr/t (Agni, the maker of good
offering) is invariably allowed a share in it after (the
respective deity). But that (cake) he offers entire,
and he does not cut off a portion for the Svish^^akrz't :
this is an offence, and consequently (that cake),
when offered, turns upside down.
10. Hence they say, 'That (cake) contained on
one potsherd has turned upside down : it will throw
the kingdom into disorder.' No offence (is, how-
ever, committed) by him, for the Ahavaniya is
the support of oblations ; and if, after reaching the
Ahavaniya, (the cake) were to turn upside down
ten times, he need not heed it. And if others ask
as to who would care to incur (the result of) such a
combination (of errors), let him offer nothing but
butter ; for clarified butter is manifestly the sap of
' This is a ' low-voiced ' oblation, the invitatory ovid oti'ering prayers thereat (with the exception of the concluding ' Vausha/' and 'Om') being pronounced in a low tone. See p. 171, note i; p. 192, note I.
^ The Ka/A'a text has : * The reason why it consists of one kapala is that this earth is a kapala, and that she is one only.'
' The Kawva recension has as follows : — As to this they say, * It should not be a one-cup cake, (because) therein a neglect is (involved).' Even so (idaw nu) : for whatever deity they take out sacrificial food, the Svish/akr/t is invariably made to share in it after (the respective deity). That (cake) they offer whole : this is consequently a neglect. INIoreover, it turns round (paryabhavati). As to this they say, ' That (cake) has turned upside down,' &c.
II KANDA, 4 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 1 3. 373
those two, heaven and earth, so that he thereby
manifestly gladdens those two with their own sap or
essence : hence he need offer nothing but butter.
11. By performing that same sacrifice, the gods
removed the magic spell as well as the poison from
both kinds of plants, — those on which men and
beasts subsist ; and henceforward the men ate food
and the cattle grazed.
12. Now when he performs that sacrifice, he does
so either for the reason that no one will then defile
(the plants) either by magic or poison ; or because
the gods did so. And whatever share the gods
assigned (to themselves), that share he thereby
makes over to them. Moreover, he thereby ren-
ders wholesome and faultless both kinds of plants, —
those on which men and beasts subsist ; and these
creatures subsist on those wholesome and faultless
(plants) of his : this is why he performs that sacrifice.
13. The priests' fee for this (sacrifice) consists of
the first-born calf (of the season) ; for that is, as
it were, the first-fruits (of the cattle). If he has
already performed the new and full-moon offerings,
let him first perform those offerings \ and there-
upon the present (offering of first-fruits). If, on the
other hand, he has not yet performed (the new and
full-moon offerings), let them cook a Mtushpra^ya-
pap on the southern fire, and let the priests eat it.
^ I do not know how to account for the va. Saya«a seems to take the passage thus : — 'If he be a Soma-sacrificer, or if he be performing the Darjapur;^amasa, [let him first perform that sacrifice, and] let him then perform the present one.' The Oxford IMS. of the Ka«va text has : — Etat tasya karma ya ig-ano va syad darja- pur«amasabhyaOT va ya^etatha yo 'ni^ano 'nvaharyapa/^ana evau- danam X'atushprai-yam pa/^et tam brahma«ebhya upanidadhyat.
2 See II, I, 4, 4 seq.
374 5'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
14. Verily, there are two kinds of gods : for the
gods themselves, assuredly, are gods ; and those
priests who have studied, and teach Vedic lore, are
the human orods. And in like manner as that is
offered whereon the Vasha/ has been pronounced,
so is that (offering of first-fruits consecrated by
the feeding of the priests). Let him also, at this
(sacrifice), give as much as is in his power, for no
offering, they say, should be without a dakshiwa.
At the Agnihotra (performed at the time of the
Agraya;^esh/i) let him not offer (milk obtained from
the eating of new corn) ^ ; for were he to offer such
at the Agnihotra, he would cause a conflict (between
the deities of the two offerings). The Agraya;/a is
one thing, and the Agnihotra is another ; let him,
therefore, not offer (new material) at the Agnihotra.
Fourth BRAHMAiVA. The Dakshayaa^a Sacrifice.
This peculiar modification of the new and full-moon sacrifice seems to have been originated and generally to have been practised among the Dakshaya^zas, a royal family which was evidently still flourishing at the time of our author-.
Here also two days were, as a rule, required for the performance, both at full and new moon ; but while, at the ordinary sacrifice,