^ ' Yatha gaur nodapnuyat.' ' Yavad gaur nodapnuyat tavat,' Kawva text. Sayawa takes go to mean 'earth,' and interprets, 'in such a way that the earth does not obtain it (i. e. that they do not fall to the ground).' Katy. prescribes, V, 10, 18, The Sacrificer, with his joined open hands, throws the Rudra-cakes upwards as high as not to be reachable by a cow (ago/fprapawam); 19, He catches them ; 20, If they cannot be (caught), then touching (of those that have fallen on the ground).
"^ I adopt (not without reluctance) Sayawa's interpretation of vilipsanta^ (= labdhum ajakta/;), which seems to be that of Katyayana also. The St. Petersburg Diet, takes it in the sense of ' (if they are) desirous of distributing them.' Taitt. Br. I, 6, 10, 5 has merely ' utkiranti bhagasya lipsante,' 'they throw (them) up, (whereby) they desire to obtain prosperity.' Apastamba, as quoted by Say. on Taitt. S.I, 8,6, says, — Having thrown up the cakes and caught them again (pratilabhya), and having, with ' We worship Tryam- baka,' put them into the Sacrificer's joined palms ; and having taken them up separately (Papadaya), with (or thinking) ' We desire to obtain you of (Pfrom) Bhaga;' let them put them together (samavapeyu//) thrice in this way.
II KANDA, 6 ADHyAvA, 2 BRAHMAA^A, 1 9. 443
aside towards the north; and if he meets with
a tree or a stake or a bamboo or an ant-hill, he
fastens them thereon, with the text (Va^. S. Ill, 6i),
' These, O Rudra, are thy provisions ; therewith
depart beyond the Mu^avats!' — (supplied) with pro-
visions people indeed set out on a journey : hence
he thereby dismisses him supplied with provisions
whithersoever he is bound. Now in this case his
journey is beyond the Mucravats : hence he sa}s, 'De-
part beyond the Mu^avats!' — 'with thy bow unstrung
and muffled up — ,' whereby he means to say, ' De-
part propitious, not injuring us^;' ' Clad in a skin,' —
whereby he lulls him to sleep ^; for while sleeping he
injures no one : hence he says, ' Clad in a skin.'
18. They then turn to the right about, and return
(to the uttaravedi) without looking back. Having
returned thither, they touch water ; for they have
been performing a ceremony relating to Rudra"',
and water is (a means of) purification : with water,
that (means of) purification, they accordingly purify
themselves.
19. Thereupon he shaves his hair and beard, and
takes up the fire (of the uttaravedi), — for only after
changing his place (to the ordinary sacrificial ground)
he performs the (Full-moon) sacrifice on that fire,
since it is not proper that he should perform the
' In the Yag. Sawhita this forms part of the text, but it is clearly a gloss taken from the Brahmawa. The Ka/^va recension of the Brahmana has ' — pinakavasa ity ahiwsan na-^ siva.A sanio 'lihily evaitad aha,' which has likewise found its way into the Sawhita of that school. On the IMu^avats, see INIuir, Orig. Sanskrit Texts, vol. ii. p. 352.
'^ According to Katy, V, 10, 22, he mutters the word 'skin-clad' while steadying the two baskets.
^ See p. 2, note 2.
444 ^-ATAPATUA-BRAIIMAiVA.
Agnihotra on the uttaravedi : for this reason he
changes his place. Having gone to the house,
and 'churned out' the fires \ he performs the Full-
moon offering. The Seasonal offerings, doubtless,
are detached sacrifices ; whereas the Full-moon
offering is a regular, established sacrifice : hence
he finally establishes himself by means of that
regular sacrifice, and therefore changes his place
(to the ordinary sacrificial ground).
Third BRAiiMAiVA.
1. Verily, imperishable is the righteousness of
him that offers the Seasonal sacrifices ; for such a
one gains the year, and hence there is no cessation
for him. He gains it (the year) in three divisions,
he conquers it in three divisions. The year means
the whole, and the whole is imperishable (without
end) : hence his righteousness is indeed imperish-
able. Moreover, he thereby becomes a Season,
and as such goes to the gods ; but there Is no
perishableness in the gods, and hence there is
imperishable righteousness for him. This, then, is
why he offers the Seasonal sacrifices.
2. Then as to why he should perform the ^Su na-
si rya offering. The prosperity (^ri) that accrued to
the gods on performing the Sakamedha offerings,
and gaining the victory (over Vmra), is i^una; and
the essence (rasa) that belonged to the year gained
by them is sira-. Now that same prosperity which
' See II, 5, 2, 48.
'^ The author identifies sira (plough) with sara, 'essence, sap;' and takes j-una, ploughshare (?), as identical with i'unam, 'success- fully, prosperously.' See next page, note 3.
II KAiVDA, 6 ADIIYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 5. 445
accrued to the gods on performing the Sakamedha
offerings, and that same essence which belonged to
the year gained by them, — both these he takes
possession of and makes his own : that is why he
performs the 6'unasirya.
3. The mode of its performance (is as follows) :
They prepare no uttaravedi ; they do not use clotted
butter ; nor do they churn the fire\ There are five
fore-offerings, three after-offerings, and one Samish-
/aya^is.
4. Then, in the first place, there are those five
(regular) oblations^. By means of these oblations,
indeed, Pra^apati produced creatures ; with them he
delivered the creatures both ways from Varu;^a's
noose ; with them the gods slew Vr/tra and gained
that victory which was gained by them. And so
does he, by means of them, obtain and make his
own, both that prosperity which accrued to the gods
from performing the Sakamedha offerings, and that
essence of the year which was gained by them. This
is why those five oblations are (offered).
5. Then follows a ^unasirya^ cake on twelve
^ But see XI, 5, 2, 8, 'At all four of these (^aturmasya offerings) they churn the fire.' On account of this contradiction, the com- mentators, on Katy. V,'ii, 3, consider the churning of the fire as optional. But, if the fires were produced by ' churning,' nine fore- offerings and after-offerings would have to be performed, as at the other Seasonal sacrifices, which is expressly forbidden in the above passage. According to Katy. himself, the 6'unasirya is to be treated like an ordinary ish/i, except that the barhis is to be tied together in the way prescribed for the Seasonal offerings; see II, 5, i, 18.
2 See II, 5, I, 8-1 1.
' That is, according to Katy. V, 1 1, 5, to ^'una and Sira, — pro- bably the ploughshare and plough, considered as two tutelary deities of agricultural pursuits (Rig-veda IV, 57, 5-8); but by Yaska identified with Vayu and Aditya;— or, according to Taitt. S. I, 8,
446 .SATAPATHA-BRAIIMAiVA.
potsherds. The import of this 6'unastrya oblation is what we have stated before.
6. After that there is an (oblation of) milk^ to
Vayu. Now it is to milk that living beings readily
take, when they are born : ' May the creatures readily
take to me — now that I have gained the victory (by
means of the Sakamedha offerings) — for my pros-
perity, glory, and support!' so he thinks, and hence
that (oblation of) milk.
7. Then as to why it is (offered) to Vayu. Now
Vayu, indeed, is yonder blowing (wind) ; it is he that
makes swell whatever rain falls here. But it is by
the rain that plants grow ; and on the plants being
eaten and the water drunk, milk is produced out of
that water. Hence it is he (Vayu) that produces it;
and for this reason it is (offered) to Vayu.
8. Then follows a cake on one potsherd for
Surya. Now Surya, indeed, is yonder scorching
(sun) ; it is he that governs all this (world), now
by means of a good, now by a bad (king)-; he
assigns its place to everything here, now under a
good, now under a bad (king) : ' Now that I have
obtained the victory, may he, in his pleasure, govern
me through a good (king), may he assign to me a
place under a good (king) ! ' thus he thinks ; and for
this reason there is a cake on one potsherd for
Siirya.
9. The priests' fee for this (oblation to Surya)
7, I, Taitt. Br. I, 7, i, i, to Indra 6'unasira (i.e. Indra,- accom- panied by ^una and Sir a, Say.).
' According to Katy. V, 1 1, 6-10, the milk, in this case, is to be offered quite fresh (and warm) from the cow, without having been put on the fire. Rice-gruel may, however, be offered instead.
^ Or, ' now by good, now by bad (means).'
II KANDA, 6 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 12. 447
is a white horse ^; whereby it is made of the
characteristic form of yonder scorching (sun). If
he be unable to procure a white horse, it may be
a white bull ; whereby it is likewise made of the
characteristic form of yonder scorching (sun).
10. He may offer the ^'unasirya at the same time
when he performs the Sakamedha offerings. By offer-
ing (Seasonal sacrifices) three times in the year, he
indeed obtains the (whole) year : he may therefore
offer (the ^'unasirya) at any time ^.
11. Here now some wish to take possession of
the nights ; and should he wish to take possession
of the nights, let him offer the 6'unasirya (on the
day) when, previously to the full-moon of Phalguna,
(the new moon) becomes visible in yonder sky.
12. Let him then get consecrated (for the Soma-
sacrifice), lest the Phalguna full-moon again pass by
without his offering (Soma). For were the Phalguna
full-moon again to pass by without his having
^ According to Taitt. S. I, 8, 7, Taitt. Br. I, 7, i, 2, the Dakshi«a consists of a plough yoked with twelve oxen.
^ That is to say, he may perform the -Sunasirya, either immedi- ately after the Sakamedha/^, or at any time within four months after that sacrifice (comm. on Katy. V, 11, 3). Our author, however, evi- dently favours the views set forth in the succeeding paragraphs. According to these, the householder who wishes to discontinue the Seasonal offerings after the first round, and to become a Soma- sacrificer, is to perform the »S'unasirya on the first day of the waxing moon of Phalguna, and then to undergo the diksh^, or rite of consecration for the Soma-sacrifice (see III, i, 2, i seq.), either immediately or before the approaching full-moon, when he is to perform the Agnish/oma (or an animal off'ering to Agni and Soma or an Agneyi ish/i, Katy. V, 11, 15). If, on the other hand, he in- tends to continue the ^dturmasyas for another year (or more), he is to perform the ^unasirya on the upavasatha, or day preceding the full-moon.
448 ^ATAPATHA-BRAHMAATA.
offered (Soma), he would certainly have to begin
anew (to perform the Seasonal offerings) : hence
the Phalguna full-moon should not again pass by
without his offering Soma. Such (is the rule) for
him who discontinues (the Seasonal offerings).
13. And in the case of one who recommences
(the Seasonal offerings), — let him perform the ^'una-
sirya on the day preceding the Phalguna full-moon,
and on the following day the Vaii'vadeva, and after
that the Full-moon offering. This, then, (is the rule)
for him who recommences (the Seasonal offerings).
14. Then as to (the Sacrificer) shaving his head
all rounds Now yonder sun, indeed, faces every
quarter ; it drinks up whatever (moisture) it dries
up here : hence this (Sacrificer) thereby faces every
quarter and becomes a consumer of food.
15. This fire also faces every quarter, since it
burns all they put into it from whatsoever quarter :
hence this (Sacrificer) thereby faces every quarter
and becomes a consumer of food.
16. This man, on the other hand, faces but one
quarter ; but by shaving his head all round he
comes to face every quarter ; and whosoever, knowing
this, has his head shaved all round, becomes just
such a consumer of food as those two : let him
therefore have his head shaved all round.
17. And on this point Asuri said, 'What in the
world has it to do with his face, even if he were to
shave off all the hair of his head! It is by offering
^ ' Parivartayate ' (' nivartayate,' Ka«va), lit. ' he causes himself to be turned round,' is the technical expression for having one's head shaved all round (the j-ikha, or lock of hair on the crown of the head).
. II KAA^JDA, 6 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 4. 449
thrice in the year that he comes to face all the quar-
ters and becomes a consumer of food : let him there-
fore not trouble himself about shaving his head.'
Fourth BRAHMAiVA.
1. Now when it is said, that the gods, by means
of the Sakamedha offerings, slew Vr/tra and gained
that supreme authority which they now wield, — it
is rather by means of all the Seasonal sacrifices
that the gods slew Vr/tra ; it is by all of them
that they gained that supreme authority which
they now wield.
2. They spake, ' With what king, with what
leader^ shall we fight?' Agni spake, ' With me for
your king, with me for your leader!' With Agni
for their king, with Agni for their leader, they
gained four months ; and with the Brahman (sacer-
dotium) and the threefold science they encompassed
them.
3. They spake, 'With what king, with what leader
shall we fight?' Varu;2a spake, 'With me for your
king, with me for your leader!' With Varu;m for
their king, with Varu;^a for their leader, they gained
other four months ; and with the Brahman and the
threefold science they encompassed them,
4. They spake, 'With what king, with what leader
shall we fight?' Indra spake, 'With me for )our
king, with me for your leader!' With Indra for their
king, with Indra for their leader, they gained other
four months ; and with the Brahman and the three-
fold science they encompassed them.