^ Or, to the offering of sour and sweet milk at full moon ; see next note. The Ka7/va text has : ' Now as to why the oblation of curds is here made exactly analogous (at the full and new- moon ceremonies).' Perhaps it may also refer to the exact corre- spondence of the offering of curds to Mitra and Varu«a at new moon and at the Soma-sacrifice.
^ At the new-moon offering of the Dakshayawa, the sannayya or payasya offered to Mitra and Varu7/a is prepared in the ordi- nary way (as at the new-moon ceremony), by fresh (boiled or un- boiled) milk being added to the sour milk of the preceding night's milking. At the full-moon offering, on the other hand, the sour and sweet milk remain separate, and constitute two different havis, or sacrificial dishes, dedicated to Indra. The terms san-nt('to bring together') and sannayya are here likewise applied to the offering of the separate substances.
82 5ATAPATHA-BRAriMA.VA.
2 2. He then offers the whey^ to the (divine)
Coursers. Now the Coursers are the seasons, and
the whey is seed : and thus the seed is cast properly,
and the seasons bring forth the seed so cast in the
form of these creatures. This is why he offers the
whey to the Coursers.
23, He offers, as it were, behind the sacrifice :
for it is from behind that the male approaches and
impregnates the female. He first offers in the east.
With ' O Agni, accept . . . ! ' he repeats the Vasha/,
— this is in lieu of the Svish/akm ; and (the latter) '^
he offers in the east.
24. He then sprinkles (the whey) in the several
quarters, with the texts (Va^. S. VI, 19 b-g), ' The
quarters! — The fore-quarters (pra-di^)! — The by-
quarters (a-di^)! — The intermediate quarters (vi-dij) !
The upper quarters (ud-dii-) ! — To the quarters, —
Svaha^!' Five are the quarters, and five the
^ Before the oblations of curds are made, the whey is poured off into a vessel (then optionally sprinkled with butter), and placed on the utkara, or heap of rubbish. After the stalk of grass has been thrown into the fire (see I, 8, 3, 19), or after the dismissal of the spoons (I, 8, 3, 27), the Adhvaryu takes the whey and sprinkles the barhis (the grass covering on the altar) with it. He then pours the remaining whey ipto the ^uhu spoon and calls on the Hotri to recite the invitatory prayer to the Coursers. Thereupon he betakes himself with the spoon to the north of the fire, calls on the Hoiri for the offering-formula, and at the two concluding Vasha/s pours some of the whey into the east part of the fire. He then sits down and sprinkles the whey on the fire according to the several quarters, beginning in the east, and moving around from left to right (pra- dakshiwam), with the respective texts, Va^. S. VI, 19 b-e ; after which he makes two more libations in the centre and east part of the fire, with VI, 1 9 f and g.
^ The Ka«va text has tadu instead of sa vai. On the oblation to Agni as ' the maker of good offering,' see I, 7, 3, i seq.
^ Svaha is uttered after each formula, — 'The quarters, Svaha !' &c.
II KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA. 383
seasons : he thus effects a union between the quar- ters and the seasons ^.
25. Five partake of that (whey remaining in the
spoon), — viz. the Hotri, the Adhvaryu, the Brahman,
the Agnidhra, and the Sacriiicer ; for five are the
seasons, so that the characteristic nature of the
seasons is thereby obtained ; and the seed that is
cast is firmly implanted in the seasons. The sacri-
ficer partakes of it first, thinking, ' May I first obtain
seed!' But also last (he partakes of it)^, thinking,
'May seed remain in me last of all!' By saying,
* Invited, — invite thou^!' they make it (the whey to
resemble) the Soma.
Fifth Adhyaya. First Brahmajva. V. THE ii'ATURMASYANI or SEASONAL SACRIFICES.
A. The Vai^tadeva.
The three seasonal or four-monthly sacrifices are performed at the parvans, or commencement of the three seasons (spring, rainy
^ 7??'tun evaitad digbhir mithunan karoti, Ka/zva recension.
^ The author does not express himself quite clearly. The sacri- ficer is to partake of the whey before the priests and also (or, as an alternative) after them. According to Katy. IV, 4, 26-27, the sacrificer is to eat either last of all, or first and last. The Kawva text has : Prathamo ya^amano bhakshayati prathamo reta/^ pa-vigrih/m- mity athottamo mayy uttamawi reta/z pratitishMad iti, — accordingly he is to eat first and last.
^ Each of them, in his respective order, takes the spoon, calls on the others in the same order with ' O sacrificer (Hotr/, Adh- varyu, &c.) invite I' Their permission having been given by * Invited (thou art) ! ' he then takes some of the whey, with one of the texts : ' I eat thee, the courser (or whey, va^inam) of the seasons, the coursers !' ' I, the courser (or, mighty one) eat, invited, of the invited, to the whey.' ' May I be a racer in the race !' Katy. IV, 4, 13-15-
384 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
season, and autumn), viz. the Vaijvadeva generally on the full moon of Phalguna; the Varuwapraghasa/^ on that of Asha^/^a; and the Sakamedha^ on that of Karttika. As a fourth A'atur- masya, ritual authorities add the 6'unasiriya, though they are at variance as to the exact time of its performance ; and neither is its true significance clearly indicated. It apparently marks merely the conclusion of the seasonal offerings (which, as a rule, are only per- formed once, cf. II, 6,3, 12 seq.) ; but while the author of the Suta.- patha allows it to be performed at any time (within four months) after the Sakamedha//, other ritualists hold that its performance should take place on the fifth full moon after the Sakamedha^, or, in other words, exactly a year after the Vaijvadeva. See Weber, Nakshatra, II, p. 334 seq.
1. Verily, in the beginning, Pra^apati alone ex-
isted here^ He thought within himself, 'How
can I be propagated ?' He toiled and practised
austerities. He created livingr beinors ^. The
living beings created by him passed away : they
are those birds. Now man is the nearest to Pra-
^apati ; and man is two-footed : hence birds are
two-footed.
2. Pra^apati thought within himself, * Even as
formerly I was alone, so also am I now alone.' He
created a second (race of beings) ; they also passed
away : they are those small crawling reptiles other
than snakes. He created a third (race), they say ;
they also passed away : they are those snakes.
Ya^;7avalkya, on his part, declared them to be of
two kinds only ; but of three kinds they are accord-
ing to the 7?/k.
3. While praising and practising austerities, Pra^a-
^ Or, Pra^apati alone was this (universe). Cf. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, p. 70.
^ By praga/i, or (living) beings, mammalia — especially man and domestic animals — seem to be understood.
II KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMAiVA, 6. 385
pati thought within himself, ' How comes it that the
living beings created by me pass away?' He then
became aware that his creatures passed away from
want of food. He made the breasts in the fore-part
of (their) body ^ teem with milk. He then created
living beings ; and by resorting to the breasts, the
beings created by him thenceforward continued to
exist: they are these (creatures) which have not
passed away.
4. Hence it has been said by the J^t sh'i^, — ' Three
generations have passed beyond/ — this is said re-
garding those that passed away;— 'Others settled
down around the light (arka, the sun)'— the light
doubtless is the fire : those creatures which did not
pass away, settled down around the fire ; it is with
regard to them that this is said.
5. 'The great one (neut.)^ remained within the
worlds '—it is with regard to Pra^apati that this is
said. — ' The blower (or, purifier) entered the regions '
—the regions doubdess are the quarters, and these
were indeed entered by that blowing wind : it is with
regard to them that this verse was uttered. And in
like manner as Pra^apati created these living beings,
so they are propagated : for whenever the breasts of
woman and the udder of cattle swell, then whatever
is born is born ; and by resorting to the breasts these
(beings) continue to exist.
6. Now that milk is indeed food; for in the beginning Pra^apati produced it for food. But that
' Atmana evagre ; the Ka«va text has atmany evagre. 2 Rig-veda VIII, 90, 14.
' Or perhaps better, as Ludwig takes it, ' On high he took his place within the \yorlds.'
[13] c c
386 ^■ATAPATHA-BRAHMAJVA.
food also means living beings (progeny), since it is
by food that they exist : by resorting to the breasts
of those who have milk, they continue to exist. And
those who have no milk are nursed by the former as
soon as they are born ; and thus they exist by means
of food, and hence food means progeny.
7. He who is desirous of offspring, sacrifices with
that oblation, and thereby makes himself the sacri-
fice, which is Pra^apati\
8. In the first place "^ there is a cake for Agni
on eight potsherds. Agni indeed is the root, the
progenitor of the deities ; he is Pra:f^apati (' lord
of creatures ') : hence there is a cake for Agni.
9. Then follows a potful of boiled rice (/C-aru) for
Soma. Soma doubtless is seed, and that in Agni,
the progenitor; he (Agni) casts the seed Soma : thus
there is at the outset a productive union.
10. Then follows a cake on twelve or eight
potsherds ^ for Savitr/. Savitr/ indeed is the im-
peller (pra-savitrz) of the gods ; he is Pra^apati,
the intermediate* progenitor : hence the cake to
Savitri.
11. Then follows a potful of boiled rice for Sara-
svati ; and another for Pushan. Sarasvati doubtless
is a woman, and Pushan is a man : thus there is
again a productive union. Through that twofold pro-
ductive union Pra^apati created the living beings, —
* ?0r, Pra^apati, ihc real, the existent, ' Pra^apatim bhutam.'
^ Instead of the preliminary Anvarambha«iya-ish/i (see p. 7), a special ish/i may be performed on this occasion, with a cake on twelve potsherds to Agni Vaijvanara, and a potful of boiled rice (^aru) to Par^o'anya, for oblations. Katy. V, i, 2-4.
•'' According to Taitt. S. I, 8, 2, it is one on twelve potsherds.
* Madhyata/i, lit. ' from the middle.'
II KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAIIMAA^A, 1 4. ^Sj
through the one (he created) the upright, and through
the other those looking to the ground. This is why
there are these five oblations ^
12. After that (follows), as a foundation for the
curds, a cake on seven potsherds for the Maruts.
The Maruts indeed are the people {visa./i), the people
of the gods. They roamed about here entirely unim-
peded. Having approached Pra^apati, when he was
sacrificing, they said, ' We shall destroy those crea-
tures of thine which thou art about to create by
means of this offering ^'
1 3. Pra^apati reflected, *My former creatures have
passed away; and if those (Maruts) destroy these
(creatures), then nothing will be left.' He accord-
ingly set aside for them that share, the Maruts' cake
on seven potsherds ; and that is this same cake on
seven potsherds for the Maruts. The reason why
it is one of seven potsherds, is that the host of the
Maruts is (distributed in troops) of seven each I
This is why there is a cake on seven potsherds for
the Maruts.
14. Let him offer it to the ' self-strong' (Maruts);
since they gained that share for themselves. [If],
however, they (the priests) do not find an invitatory
and an offering prayer (addressed) to the ' self-
strong' (Maruts) ^ let it be (offered) simply to the
1 While tlie five preceding oblations are common to all the seasonal offerings (Katy. V, i, 15), the succeeding ones are peculiar to the Vaijvadeva.
2 The Kawva text adds, ' if thou wilt not assign a share to us.'
^ In Rig-veda VIII, 96, 8, the Maruts are said to be sixty-three in number, divided into nine troops of seven each.
* The Kawva text has : Tad uta y%yanuvakye svatavatyau na vindanti; yadi ya^yanuvakye svatavatyau na vinded api mdrutyav eva syatam.
C C 2
i'ATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
Maruts. It is offered for the safety of creatures : hence it is offered to the Maruts.
15. Thereupon follows the oblation of curds
(payasya). Now it is on milk that the creatures
subsist, it was by means of milk that they were pre-
served : hence he now offers to them that by which
they were preserved, and whereon they subsist ; and
the beings whom he creates by means of the fore-
going offerings, subsist on that milk, on that oblation
of curds.
16. Therein a union takes place: the curdled
milk (payasya, fem.) is female, and the whey is seed.
From that union the infinite All was gradually
generated ; and since the infinite All was gradually
generated from that union, therefore it (the offering
of curds) belongs to the All-gods.
17. Then follows a cake on one potsherd for
Heaven and Earth. Now when Prac^apati had
created the living beings by those offerings, he en-
closed them within heaven and earth ; and so they
are now enclosed within heaven and earth. And in
like manner he, who by means of those oblations
creates living beings, thereby encloses them within
heaven and earth : this is why there is a cake on
one potsherd for Heaven and Earth.
18. Now as to the course of proceeding. They
do not raise an uttara-vedi^ in order that it (the
sacred work) may be unobstructed, that it may be
entire, that it may be (worthy) of the All-gods. —
The barhis is tied up in three (bunches), and then