The Satapatha Brahmana
THE SATAPATHA-BRÂHMANA
ACCORDING TO THE TEXT OF THE MÂDHYANDINA SCHOOL
Translated by
Julius Eggeling
Part 5
THIRTEENTH KÂNDA.
THE ASVAMEDHA, OR HORSE-SACRIFICE.
PRELIMINARY CEREMONIES 1.
FIRST ADHYÂYA. FIRST BRÂHMANA.
13:1:1:11. He (the Adhvaryu) cooks the priests’ mess of rice 2: it is seed he thereby produces. Having greased a rope with the ghee which is left over 3, he takes it; for ghee is (a type of) fiery spirit, and the horse is sacred to Pragâpati 4: he thus endows Pragâpati with fiery spirit. Impure, and unfit for sacrifice, indeed, is that (animal), to wit, the horse.13:1:1:22. The rope consists of darbha grass (poa cynosuroides);--for darbha stalks 5 are a means of purification: he thus purifies that (horse), and immolates it as one purified and meet for sacrifice.
13:1:1:33. Now, when the horse 6 was immolated, its
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seed went from it and became gold 1: thus, when he gives gold (to the priests) he supplies the horse with seed.
13:1:1:44. Pragâpati produced the sacrifice 2. His greatness departed from him, and entered the great sacrificial priests 3. Together with the great priests he went in search of it, and together with the great priests he found it: when the great priests eat the priests’ mess of rice, the Sacrificer thereby secures for himself the greatness of the sacrifice. Along with the priests’ mess of rice he presents gold (to the priests); for the mess of rice is seed, and gold is seed: by means of seed he thus lays seed into that (horse, and Sacrificer). It (the gold 4) weighs a hundred (grains); for man has a life of a hundred (years), and a hundred energies: it is life, and energy, vigour, he lays into his own self. At midday he takes Vasatîvarî 5 water of four kinds; it is brought together from the (four) quarters, for food is in (all) the (four) quarters, and water is food: by means of food he thus secures food for him.
Footnotes
274:1 The ceremonies treated of in the first six chapters (brâhmanas) refer to the setting apart of the horse for its sacred office, a year before the sacrifice, and to the intervening period during which the horse is allowed to roam about, though under careful supervision.274:2 For further particulars regarding this opening ceremony of the sacrifice see XIII, 4, 1, 1 seqq.
274:3 Viz. from the ghee used for greasing the four dishes of cooked rice.
274:4 Or, the horse is of the nature of Pragâpati.
274:5 See above, p. 195, note 1.
274:6 That is, as would seem, Pragâpati in the form of a horse, see part iv, introd., p. xiv seqq.
275:1 Pragâpati is Agni, and gold is Agni's seed, cf. II, 1, 1, 5; III, 3, 1, 3 &c.
275:2 That is, the Asvamedha sacrifice, and thus the immolation (or emptying out) of his own self, so to speak.
275:3 That is, the four principal officiating priests, Brahman, Hotri, Adhvaryu, and Udgâtri. Cf. VIII, 4, 3, 1 seqq., where it is the vital airs that, in their capacity as Rishis, assist Pragâpati in the first sacrifice.
275:4 That is to say, each piece of gold weighs as much. According to Kâty. XX, 1, 6 he is to give to the priests 4000 cows and as many Satamâna coins.
275:5 For this water used for the Soma-sacrifice where, however, it is taken from a cistern, or some course of flowing water, see part ii, p. 222 seqq.
SECOND BRÂHMANA.
13:1:2:11. Now, unsuccessful in the sacrifice, assuredly, is what is performed without a formula. (With Vâg. S. XXII, 2,) 'This rope did they take, at the first age of the truth, [the sages, at the rites: it hath been with us at this Soma-sacrifice, declaring the course in the gaining of the truth],' he takes the halter of the horse in order to supply a formula for the success of the sacrifice. It (the rope) is twelve cubits long,--twelve months make a year: it is the year, the sacrifice 1, he secures.13:1:2:22. Concerning this they say, 'Is the rope to be made twelve cubits long, or thirteen cubits long?' Well, that year is the bull among the seasons, and the thirteenth (or intercalary) month is an excrescence of the year; and this Asvamedha is the bull among sacrifices; and inasmuch as the bull has an excrescence (hump), one may add on a thirteenth cubit to the rope as an excrescence to this (Asvamedha): even as the bull's hump is attached 2 (to his back), suchlike would this be.
13:1:2:33. [He puts the halter on the horse, with Vâg. S. XXII, 3, 4,] 'Encompassing 3 thou art,'--
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therefore the offerer of the Asvamedha conquers all the quarters 1;--'the world thou art,'--the world he thus conquers;--'a ruler thou art, an upholder,'--he thus makes him a ruler and upholder;--'go thou unto Agni Vaisvânara,'--he thus makes him go to Agni Vaisvânara (the friend of all men);--'of wide extent,'--he thus causes him to extend in offspring and cattle;--'consecrated by Svâhâ (hail!),'--this is the Vashat-call 2 for it;--'good speed (to) thee for the gods!'--he thus makes it of good speed for the gods;--'for Pragâpati,'--the horse is sacred to Pragâpati: he thus supplies 3 it with his own deity.
13:1:2:44. But, verily, he who fetters the horse without announcing it to the Brahman and the gods is liable to incur injury. He addresses the Brahman (the superintending priest) by saying, 'O Brahman, I will fetter the horse for the gods, for Pragâpati: may I prosper therewith!' and having made the announcement
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to the Brahman, he ties up the horse, and thus incurs no injury. 'Fetter it for the gods, for Pragâpati: prosper thou therewith!' thus the Brahman urges him, and supplies it (the horse) with its own deity. He then sprinkles it (with water): the (symbolic) meaning of this is the same as before 1.
13:1:2:55. He sprinkles 2 it, with (Vâg. S. XXII, 5), 'I sprinkle thee (so as to be) acceptable to Pragâpati,'--for Pragâpati is the most vigorous of the gods: it is vigour he bestows on it, whence the horse is the most vigorous of animals.
13:1:2:66. 'I sprinkle thee, acceptable to Indra and Agni,'--for Indra and Agni are the most powerful of the gods: it is power he bestows on it, whence the horse is the most powerful of animals.
13:1:2:77. 'I sprinkle thee, acceptable to Vâyu,'--for Vâyu is the swiftest of gods: it is speed he bestows on it, whence the horse is the swiftest of animals.
13:1:2:88. 'I sprinkle thee, acceptable to the All-gods,'--for the All-gods are the most famous of gods: it is fame he bestows on it, whence the horse is the most famous of animals,---'I sprinkle thee, acceptable to all the gods.'
13:1:2:99. Concerning this they say, 'Seeing that the horse is sacred to Pragâpati, wherefore (does he say), "I sprinkle thee" for other deities also?' Well, all the gods are concerned in the horse-sacrifice;
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when he says, 'I sprinkle thee for all the gods,' he makes all the gods take a concern in the horse-sacrifice; whence all the gods are concerned in the horse-sacrifice. But his wicked enemy seeks to lay hold of him who performs the horse-sacrifice, and the horse is a thunderbolt;--having killed the four-eyed dog, he--with 'Undone 1 is the man! undone is the dog!'--plunges 2 it under the horse's feet: it is by means of the thunderbolt
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he thus stamps him down; and the wicked enemy does not lay hold of him.
Footnotes
276:1 Or, possibly, it is for the space of a year that he secures the sacrifice, but see part iv, introduction, p. xxiii.276:2 Lit., spread out.
276:3 Some such meaning as this (or perhaps 'encompassed, encircled') seems to be assigned by the author to 'abhidhâh,' with evident reference to 'abhidhânî,' halter,' from 'abhi-dhâ,' 'to fasten, enclose.' The St. Petersburg Dict., on the other hand, takes it in the sense of 'naming, denoting' (? inasmuch as the horse gives the name to the horse-sacrifice); whilst Mahîdhara explains it by 'that which is named or praised.'
277:1 In epic times the Asvamedha is commonly performed by kings who have been successful in the 'digvigaya,' or conquest in all quarters.
277:2 'Vashat' is the sacrificial call uttered by the Hotri at the end of the 'yâgyâ,' or offering-verse of a regular oblation (âhuti) as distinguished from minor libations, such as homas and âghâras, which require no 'yâgyâ' and for which the sacrificial call--marking the pouring out of the libation into the fire--is 'svâhâ!' The meaning of 'vashat' is doubtful; but it would seem to be connected either with the root 'vaksh,' to grow, to wax, or with 'vah,' to bear; and would thus mean either 'may it prosper!' or 'may he (Agni) bear it (to the gods)!' By the mention of the Svâhâ in our formula the horse is, as it were, marked as dedicated to the gods.
277:3 Or, perhaps, he causes it to succeed by means, or with the help, of its own deity.
278:1 For the sprinkling of (the material for) oblations see I, 1, 3, 6 seq.; and an animal victim in particular, III, 7, 4, 3.
278:2 According to Kâty. XX, 1, 37, he goes with the horse to stagnant water, and there sprinkles it. It would seem that the horse stands in the water during this ceremony.
279:1 Mahîdhara explains 'parah' by 'parâbhûtah, adhaspadam nîtah,' i.e. defeated, laid low. Perhaps it may mean, 'Away is the man, away the dog!' As given in the Vâg. Samh., this is only the last part of the formula, pronounced by the Sacrificer; whilst during the killing of the dog, he is made to say, 'Whosoever seeketh to slay the steed, him Varuna besetteth.'--According to Kâty. XX, 1, 38 seqq., the priest says to an Âyogava (the offspring of a Sûdra father and a Vaisya mother)--or, to a lewd man, according to others--'Kill the four-eyed dog!' whereupon the man kills a dog by means of a club of Sidhraka wood; and (the priest?), by means of a rattan hoop (? or mat, kata, comm. kataka), makes the dead dog float beneath the horse. According to the comment. on Kâty. XX, 1, 38, in case a four-eyed dog--i.e. a (two-faced) one 'yasya dve mukhe' and hence looking in the four (intermediate) directions (vidis), Sây.--is not available (!), a dog with marks about the eyes should be used. The mention of the 'four-footed' dog in the formula is, however, doubtless meant merely symbolically, as representing evil threatening the Sacrificer from every quarter.
279:2 Harisvâmin seems to connect this with the sprinkling of the horse itself--prokshanam suna upaplâvanam ukyate--perhaps in the sense that the water flowing down from the sprinkled horse would soak the dog, in which case the horse would apparently be supposed to stand on the dry ground. See, however, comm. on Kâty. XX, 2, 2, 'Svânam asvasyâdhahpradese galamadhye plâvayati târayati.' The 'offerings of drops' to be performed immediately after this ceremony might seem to be offered with reference to the drops of water flowing from the horse, and as it were falling outside the sacrifice; but see paragraph 5.
THIRD BRÂHMANA.
13:1:3:11. Even as some of the havis (offering-material) may be spilled before it is offered, so also (part) of the victim is here spilled in that they let loose the sprinkled (horse) before it is slain. When he offers the Stokîyâs (oblations of drops), he offers that (horse) as a complete offering 1--so as to make good any spilling 2; for unspilled is any (part) of the offered (material) that is spilled. A thousand (oblations of drops) he offers for the obtainment of the heavenly world, for the heavenly world is equal in extent to a thousand.13:1:3:22. Concerning this they say, 'Were he to offer measured (a specified number of oblations), he would gain for himself something limited:' he offers unspecified (oblations) for the obtainment of the unlimited. And indeed Pragâpati spake, 'Verily, upon the oblations of drops I establish the Asvamedha, and by it, when established, I pass upward from hence.'
13:1:3:33. [He offers, with Vâg. S. XXII, 6,] 'To Agni, hail!'--to Agni he thus offers it (the horse 3);--'to Soma, hail!'--to Soma he thus offers it;--'to the joy of the waters, hail!'--to the waters he thus offers it;--'to Savitri, hail!'--to Savitri
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he thus offers it;--'to Vâyu, hail!'--to Vâyu (the wind) he thus offers it;--'to Vishnu, hail!'--to Vishnu he thus offers it to;--'Indra, hail!'--to Indra he thus offers it;--'to Brihaspati, hail!'--to Brihaspati he thus offers it;--'to Mitra, hail!'--to Mitra he thus offers it;--'to Varuna, hail!'--to Varuna he thus offers it:--so many, doubtless, are all the gods: it is to them he offers it. He offers them straight away 1 for the obtainment of the heavenly world, for straight away, as it were, is the heavenly world.
13:1:3:44. But, verily, he who offers the oblations straight away, would be liable to fall (pass) right away 2: he turns back again 3, and establishes himself in this (terrestrial) world. And this 4 indeed he (Pragâpati) has declared to be the perfection of the sacrifice, so as to prevent falling away (spilling), for unspilled is what is spilled of the offered (material).
13:1:3:55. And even as some of the offering-material may be spilled before it is offered, so also (part) of the
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victim is here spilled in that they let loose the sprinkled (horse) before it is slaughtered. When he offers (the oblations relating to) the Forms 1 (rûpa), he offers that (horse) as one that is wholly offered, so as to make good any spilling; for unspilled is what is spilled of the offered (material). With (Vâg. S. XXII, 7-8 2),'To the Hiṅ-call, hail! to the (horse) consecrated by Hiṅ, hail! . . .'
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[paragraph continues] (he offers them); for these are the forms (qualities) of the horse: it is them he now obtains.
13:1:3:66. Concerning this they say, 'The Forms are no offering: they should not be offered.' But, indeed, they also say, 'Therein assuredly the horse-sacrifice becomes complete that he performs (the oblations relating to) the Forms: they should certainly be offered.' And, indeed, one puts that (Sacrificer) out of his resting-place, and raises a rival for him when one offers for him oblations elsewhere than in the fire 1, where there is no resting-place.
13:1:3:77. Prior to the (first) oblation to Savitri 2, he (the Adhvaryu) offers, once only, (the oblations relating to) the Forms 3 in the Âhavanîya, whilst going rapidly over (the formulas): he thus offers the oblations at his (the Sacrificer's) resting-place, and raises no rival for him. He offers at each opening of sacrifice 4, for the continuity and uninterrupted performance of the sacrifice.
13:1:3:88. Concerning this they say, 'Were he to offer
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at each opening of sacrifice, he would be deprived of his cattle, and would become poorer.' They should be performed once only: thus he is not deprived of his cattle, and does not become poorer. Forty-eight (oblations) he offers;--the Gagatî consists of forty-eight syllables, and cattle are of Gâgata (movable) nature: by means of the Gagatî he (the Adhvaryu) thus wins cattle for him (the Sacrificer). One additional (oblation) he offers, whence one man is apt to thrive amongst (many) creatures (or subjects).
Footnotes
280:1 Cf. I, 2, 4, 3; 3, 3, 16 seqq.; IV, 2, 5, 1 seqq.280:2 Lit., for non-spilling, i.e. to neutralise any spilling that may have taken place.
280:3 Harisvâmin seems rather to lay the stress on the direct object:--agnaye param evâsvam guhoti na kevalam âgyam. The context, however, does not admit of this interpretation.
281:1 According to Kâty. XX, 2, 3-5, he offers either a thousand oblations, or as many as he can offer till the dripping of the water from the horse has ceased. For every ten oblations he uses the formulas here given, after which he begins again from the beginning. The 'straight on' apparently means that he is neither to break the order of the deities, nor to offer more than one oblation at a time to the same deity.
281:2 That is, he would die; 'praitîty arthah,' Comm. The St. Petersburg Dict., on the other hand, takes 'îsvarah pradaghah' in the sense of 'liable to fall down headlong' (abstürzen).
281:3 That is, by commencing the ten oblations again from the beginning.
281:4 Viz. repetition of performance,--etâm eva ka sa pragâpatir âvrittimattâm yagñasya samsthitim (uvâka). On repetitions in the chanting of stotras, see III, 2, 5, 8; cf. also XII, 2, 3, 13.
282:1 These forty-nine oblations performed after the letting loose of the horse, are called Prakramas (i.e. steps, or movements); cf. XIII, 4, 3, 4; Kâty. XX, 3, 3.--Harisvâmin remarks, asvarûpânâm hiṅkârâdînâm nishkramanâtmikâ (!) rûpâkhyâ âhutaya ukyante, tâ evâtra prakramâ iti vakshyante.
282:2 These (rather pedantic) formulas, all of them ending in 'svâhâ,' occupy two Kandikâs of the Samhitâ, consisting of 24 and 25 formulas respectively:--1. To the hiṅkâra, svâhâ! 2. To the one consecrated by 'hiṅ,' hail! 3. To the whinnying one, hail! 4. To the neighing, hail! 5. To the snorting one, hail! 6. To the snort, hail! 7. To smell, hail! 8. To the (thing) smelled, hail! 9. To the stabled one, hail! 10. To the resting one, hail! 11. To the clipped one, hail! 12. To the prancing one, hail! 13. To the seated one, hail! 14. To the lying one, hail! 15. To the sleeping one, hail! 16. To the waking one, hail! 17, To the groaning one, hail! 18, To the awakened one, hail! 19. To the yawning one, hail! 20. To the untethered one, hail! 21. To the upstarting one, hail! 22. To the standing one, hail! 23. To the starting one, hail! 24. To the advancing one, hail!-25. To the trotting one, hail! 26. To the running one, hail! 27. To the bolting one, hail! 28. To the flighty one, hail! 29. To the geeho, hail! 30. To the one urged on by geeho, hail! 31. To the prostrate one, hail! 32. To the risen one, hail! 33. To the swift one, hail! 34. To the strong one, hail! 35. To the turning one, hail! 36. To the turned one, hail! 37. To the shaking one, hail! 38. To the shaken one, hail! 39. To the obedient one, hail! 40. To the listening one, hail! 41. To the looking one, hail! 42. To the one looked at, hail! 43. To the out-looking one, hail! 44. To the winking one, hail! 45. To what it eats; hail! 46. To what it drinks, hail! 47. To the water it makes, hail! 48. To the working one, hail! 49. To the wrought one, hail!
283:1 According to Kâty. XX, 3, 3, the Prakramas are to be offered in the Dakshinâgni; but our Brâhmana, whilst mentioning, at XIII, 4, 3, 4, both that fire, and the horse's footprint as optional places of offering, there as well as here decides in favour of the Âhavanîya; whence Harisvâmin remarks:--anyatrâgner iti anvâhâryapakane vâsvapade vâ parilikhite vakshyamânakalpântaranindâ.
283:2 See XIII, 1, 4, 2.
283:3 That is to say, without repeating them, when he has come to the end, as he did in the case of the 'oblations of drops.' Nor are they to be repeated day after day throughout the year, as some of the other offerings and rites are.
283:4 Viz., according to Harisvâmin, at (the beginning of) the dîkshanîyâ, prâyanîyâ, âtithyâ, pravargya; the upasads, agnîshomîya, sutyâ, avabhritha, udayanîyâ, and udavasânîyâ offerings (ishti). This view is, however, rejected by the author.
FOURTH BRÂHMANA.
13:1:4:11. Pragâpati poured forth the life-sap of the horse (asva-medha) 1. When poured forth, it went straight away from him and spread itself over the regions. The gods went in quest of it. By means of offerings (ishti) they followed it up, by offerings they searched for it, and by offerings they found it. And when he performs ishtis, the Sacrificer thereby searches for the horse (asva) meet for sacrifice 2 (medhya).13:1:4:22. They (the ishtis 3) belong to Savitri; for Savitri is this (earth): if any one hides himself thereon, if any one goes elsewhere 4, it is on this
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[paragraph continues] (earth) that they find him; for no one (creature), whether walking erect or horizontally (like an animal), is able to go beyond it. Their belonging to Savitri thus is in order to find the horse.
13:1:4:33. Concerning this they say, 'Surely the horse disappears when it goes straight away; for they do not turn (drive) it back 1.' Now when he performs the Dhriti offerings 2 in the evening--dhriti (keeping) meaning peaceful dwelling, and the night also meaning peaceful dwelling--it is by means of peaceful dwelling that he keeps it; whence both men and beasts rest peacefully at night. And when he performs offerings in the morning, he seeks that (horse); whence it is in daytime that one goes to seek for what is lost. And again when he offers the Dhritis in the evening, and the (Savitri) ishtis in the morning, it is security of possession the Sacrificer thereby brings about, whence security of possession is brought about for the subjects where this sacrifice is performed.
Footnotes
284:1 Or, as it might also be translated. Pragâpati produced (created) the Asvamedha.284:2 Or, for the horse full of life-sap; or, simply, the sacrificial horse.
284:3 Viz. three oblations of cakes on twelve kapâlas to Savitri Prasavitri, Savitri Âsavitri; and Savitri Satyaprasava respectively. For particulars see XIII, 4, 2, 6 seqq.
284:4 Harisvâmin seems to take this in the sense of 'who moves about elsewhere (in another sphere),' and mentions, as an instance, a bird which flies in (? up into) the air--pakshyâdir antarikshe gakkhati--but is ultimately caught on earth.
285:1 See XIII, 4, 2, 16.
285:2 The four Dhritis are performed on the Âhavanîya after sunset on the first day; cf. XIII, 4, 3, 5. For the four formulas used with these oblations ('here is joy,' &c.), see XIII, 1, 6, 2.
FIFTH BRÂHMANA.
13:1:5:11. But, indeed, distinction, royal sway, departs from him who performs the horse-sacrifice; and when a man attains to distinction, the lute is played to him. Two Brâhmanical lute-players sing (and play) for a year; for that--to wit, the lute--is a form (attribute) of distinction: it is distinction they thus confer upon him.p. 286
13:1:5:22. Concerning this they say, ‘Were both to be Brâhmanas who sing, noble rank (or political power) would depart from him; for he--to wit, a Brâhmana--is a form of the priestly office; and the nobility takes no delight in the priestly office (or priesthood).
13:1:5:33. ‘And were both to be Râganyas (nobles), spiritual lustre would depart from him; for he--to wit, the Râganya--is a form of noble rank, and spiritual lustre takes no delight in noble rank.' One of those who sing is a Brâhmana, and the other a Râganya; for the Brâhmana means priestly office, and the Râganya noble rank: thus his distinction (social position) comes to be guarded on either side by the priesthood and the nobility.
13:1:5:44. Concerning this they say, ‘Were both to sing by day, his distinction would be apt to fall away from him: for that--to wit, the day--is a form of the priestly dignity; and when the king chooses he may oppress (despoil) the Brâhmana, but he will fare the worse (or, become the poorer) for it.
13:1:5:55. 'And if both (were to sing) at night, spiritual lustre would fall away from him; for that--to wit, the night--is a form of the nobility, and spiritual lustre takes no delight in the nobility.' The Brâhmana sings by day 1, and the Râganya at night 2; and thus, indeed, his distinction comes to be guarded on either side by the priesthood and the nobility 3.
13:1:5:66. 'Such sacrifices he offered,--such gifts he gave!' such (are the topics about which) the
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[paragraph continues] Brâhmana sings 1; for to the Brâhmana belongs the fulfilment of wishes 2: it is with the fulfilment of wishes he (the Brâhmana) thus endows him (the Sacrificer). 'Such war he waged,--such battle he won!' such (are the topics about which) the Râganya sings; for the battle is the Râganya's strength: it is with strength he thus endows him. Three stanzas the one sings, and three stanzas the other, they amount to six,--six seasons make up a year: he thus establishes (the Sacrificer) in the seasons, in the year. To both of them he presents a hundred; for man has a life of a hundred (years), and a hundred energies: it is vitality and energy, vital power, he confers upon him.
Footnotes
286:1 Viz. at the fore-offerings of the three cake-offerings (ishtis) to Savitri; whilst staying in the south part of the sacrificial ground.286:2 Viz. during the performance of the Dhritis after sunset.
286:3 The 'iti' at the end belongs to the following paragraph.
SIXTH BRÂHMANA.
13:1:6:11. [The Adhvaryu and Sacrificer whisper in the right ear of the horse, Vâg. S. XXII, 19 3,] 'Plenteous by the mother, strengthful by the father,'--its mother, doubtless, is this (earth), and its father yonder (sky): it is to these two he commits it;--'a horse thou art, a steed thou art,'--he thereby instructs it, whence clever subjects (or children) are born to him;--'a courser (atya) thou art, a charger thou art,'--he therewith leads it beyond (ati), whence the horse goes beyond (surpasses) other animals, and whence the horse attains to pre-eminence among animals;--'a runner thou art, a racer thou art, a prize-winner thoup. 288
art,'--in accordance with the text is (the meaning of) this;--'a male thou art, well-disposed towards man thou art,'--this is with a view to its (or, his) being supplied with a mate;--'Speedy thou art called, Child thou art called,'--this is the horse's favourite name: by its favourite name he thus addresses it; whence even if two enemies 1, on meeting together, address one another by name, they get on amicably together.
13:1:6:22. 'Go thou along the way of the Âdityas!'--to the Âdityas he thus makes it go.--'Ye divine guardians of the quarters, protect this horse, sprinkled for sacrifice to the gods!'--the guardians of the quarters are a hundred princes born in wedlock: to them he commits it;--'here is joy: here let it rejoice!--here is safe keeping, here is its own safe keeping, hail!' For a year he offers the (four Dhriti) oblations 2--(amounting to) sixteen nineties, for they are the horse's chain 3, and it is therewith alone that he chains it; whence the horse when let loose returns to its chain: (they amount to) sixteen nineties 4; for these (oblations of safe keeping) are the horse's chain, and it is therewith alone that he chains it, whence the horse, when let loose, does not (entirely) abandon its chain.
13:1:6:33. Verily, the Asvamedha means royal sway: it is after royal sway that these strive who guard the horse. Those of them who reach the end become
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[paragraph continues] (sharers in) the royal sway, but those who do not reach the end are cut off from royal sway. Wherefore let him who holds royal sway perform the horse-sacrifice; for, verily, whosoever performs the horse-sacrifice, without possessing power, is poured (swept) away.--Now, were unfriendly, men to get hold of the horse, his sacrifice would be cut in twain, and he would become the poorer for it. A hundred men clad in armour guard it for the continuity and uninterrupted performance of the sacrifice; and he will not become the poorer for it; (but if it be lost) they should fetch another (horse), and sprinkle it: this is the expiation in that case.
Footnotes
287:2 The author apparently takes 'ishtâpûrta' in the sense of either 'sacrifice and fulfilment,' or 'the fulfilment of (the objects of) sacrifice.' Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 319; X, p. 96.287:3 See XIII, 4, 2, 15.
288:1 Harisvâmin, perhaps rightly, takes 'âmitrau' in the sense of 'amitrayoh putrau,' 'the sons of two enemies.'
288:2 See note on XIII, 4, 3, 5.
288:3 Or, place of confinement, stable,--'bandhanasthânam.' Harisv.
288:4 That is, four times 360.
SEVENTH BRÂHMANA.
THE INITIATION OF THE SACRIFICER.
13:1:7:11. Pragâpati desired, 'Might I perform a horse-sacrifice 1?' He toiled and practised fervid devotion. From the body of him, when wearied and heated, the deities departed in a sevenfold way: therefrom the Dîkshâ (initiation) was produced. He perceived those Vaisvadeva 2 (oblations). He offeredp. 290
them, and by means of them he gained the Dîkshâ: and when the Sacrificer offers the Vaisvadeva (oblations) it is the Dîkshâ he thereby gains. Day after day he offers them: day after day he thus gains the Dîkshâ 1. Seven of them he offers; for seven were those deities that departed (from Pragâpati); it is by means of them that he (the priest) gains the Dîkshâ for him.
13:1:7:22. But, indeed, the vital airs depart from those who exceed (the duration of) the Dîkshâ. For
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seven days they observe it; for there are seven (outlets of) vital airs in the head, and the Dîkshâ is the vital airs: it is by means of the vital airs he gains the Dîkshâ, the vital airs, for him. He makes offering by dividing (each) deity into three parts 1; for the gods are of three orders 2, and of three orders are these worlds: he thus establishes himself in these worlds in prosperity and vital power.
13:1:7:33. They amount to one and twenty (single invocations and oblations),--there are twelve months, five seasons, these three worlds, and yonder sun as the twenty-first,--that is the divine ruling-power, that is the glory: that supreme lordship, that summit of the fallow one (the Sun), that realm of light he attains.
13:1:7:44. Thirty Audgrabhanas 3 he offers,--of thirty syllables the Virâg (metre) consists, and the Virâg means all food: thus (he offers) for the obtainment of all food. Four Audgrabhanas he offers (on each day), and three Vaisvadevas;--they amount to seven; for there are seven vital airs of the head, and the Dîkshâ is the vital airs: by means of the vital airs he thus gains the Dîkshâ, the vital airs,
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for him. A full (-spoon)-oblation 1 he offers last for the sake of invigoration and union.
Footnotes
289:1 Or, 'might I make offering with the life-sap of the horse?' the natural, as well as the technical, meaning of the term 'asvamedha' being generally understood in these speculations.289:2 The oblations offered prior to the initiation--here, as at any Soma-sacrifice--are called Audgrabhana (elevatory) oblations. On the present occasion he, in the first place, performs, on each of the first six days of the Dîkshâ, the four oblations of this kind offered at the ordinary Soma-sacrifice (for which see III, 1, 4, 1 seqq.); whilst on the seventh day he offers, instead of these, the six corresponding oblations of the Agnikayana (which forms a necessary element of the Asvamedha), see VI, 6, 1, 15-20; for a further and final oblation offered on all these occasions, see p. 292, note 1. He then performs on each day three additional oblations p. 290 (increased to four on the last day) which are peculiar to the Asvamedha, and vary from day to day in respect of the deities to whom they are offered. But whilst, in the Srautasûtras, these special oblations are likewise called Audgrabhana (Katy. XX, 4, 2-10), the author here applies to them the term Vaisvadeva, owing apparently to the fact of their being offered, not to the Visve Devâh properly speaking, but to different deities. In the dogmatic explanation of the Audgrabhanas of the ordinary sacrifice, reference was also made (at III, 1, 4, 9) to the Visve Devâh, but only incidentally. Harisvâmin, indeed, points out that the designation Vaisvadeva refers in the first place to the invocations (Vâg. S. XXII, 20) used with these special oblations (as is, indeed, evident from paragraph 2; cf. also part ii, p. 20, note 1); and the total of seven applied to them does not therefore refer here (as it does in paragraph 4) to the four ordinary and the three special Audgrabhana oblations, but to the series of dedicatory formulas relating to the latter oblations, as explained p. 291, note 1; and, of course, by implication, to the oblations themselves.
290:1 Though the Initiation only becomes perfect by the Sacrificer being girded with a hempen zone, whilst kneeling on a double black-antelope skin, and by a staff being handed to him (III, 2, 1, 1-32); on the present occasion, the Sacrificer is on each day, after the performance of the Audgrabhana oblations, at least to sit down on the antelope skin; whilst on the seventh and last day of the Dîkshanîyeshti, the remaining ceremonies take place, after which those of the Agnikayana, viz. the placing of the Ukhâ, or fire-pan, on the fire and the putting of thirteen fire-sticks in the pan (VI, 6, 2, 1 seqq.), &c.
291:1 The kandikâ XXII, 20 is made up of seven parts, each of which consists of three distinct invocations addressed to the same deity; the seven deities addressed in the whole formula being Ka, Pragâpati, Aditi, Sarasvatî, Pûshan, Tvashtri, and Vishnu; whilst the three invocations to Ka, for instance, are 'Kâya svâhâ! Kasmai svâhâ! Katamasmai svâhâ!' Cf. XIII, 1, 8, 2 seqq.
291:2 Viz. either the Vasus, Rudras, and Âdityas (cf. IV, 5, 7, 2); or those of the sky, the air, and the earth, headed by Sûrya, Vâyu, and Agni respectively.
291:3 That is, the four Audgrabhanas of the ordinary Soma-sacrifice offered on each of the seven days of the Dîkshâ, and two more added thereto on the seventh day.
292:1 For a full discussion of this final Audgrabhana oblation, the only one, it would seem, offered with the regular offering-spoon (guhû) filled by means of the dipping-spoon (sruva), see III, 1, 4, 2; 16-23; cf. also VI, 6, 1, 21.
EIGHTH BRÂHMANA.
13:1:8:11. Pragâpati poured forth the life-sap of the horse 2. When poured forth, it weighed down the rik (hymn-verse) and the sâman (hymn-tune). The Vaisvadeva (offerings) upheld that (Asvamedha): thus, when he offers the Vaisvadevas, it is for the upholding of the Asvamedha.13:1:8:22. With (Vâg. S. XXII, 20), 'To Ka hail! To the Who hail! To the Whoever hail!' he makes the one relating to Pragâpati the first (or chief one), and thus upholds (the Asvamedha) by means of the deities with Pragâpati as their chief.
13:1:8:33. 'Hail, meditation (we give) unto him meditated upon! Hail, the mind unto the Lord of creatures! Hail, thought unto him, the known 3!' what the mystic sense of the former (utterances 4) was that it is here.
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13:1:8:44. 'To Aditi hail! To Aditi, the mighty, hail! To Aditi, the most merciful, hail!' Aditi, doubtless, is this (earth): it is by her that he upholds it.
13:1:8:55. 'To Sarasvatî hail! To Sarasvatî, the pure, hail! To Sarasvatî, the great, hail!' Sarasvatî, doubtless, is speech: by speech he thus upholds it.
13:1:8:66. 'To Pûshan hail! To Pûshan, the protector of travellers, hail! To Pûshan, the watcher of men, hail!' Pûshan, doubtless, is cattle: by means of cattle he thus upholds it.
13:1:8:77. 'To Tvashtri hail! To Tvashtri, the seminal, hail! To Tvashtri, the multiform hail!' Tvashtri, doubtless, is the fashioner of the couples of animals: by means of forms he thus upholds it.
13:1:8:88. 'To Vishnu hail! To Vishnu, the protector of what grows 1, hail! To Vishnu, the bald 2, hail!' Vishnu, doubtless, is the sacrifice: by sacrifice he thus upholds it. With (Vâg. XXII, 21), 'Let every mortal espouse the friendship of the divine guide, . . . 3,' he offers last of all a full (-spoon)-oblation; for the full-offering is this (earth): he thus finally establishes himself on this (earth).
Footnotes
292:2 See p. 289, note 1. It is here taken to be represented by the Yagus:--asvamedham yagurâtmakavigrahavantam srishtavân, Harisv.--the larger number of sacrificial formulas used at the performances being too heavy for the recited and chanted texts.292:3 Mahîdhara takes 'âdhim âdhîtâya' in the sense of 'âdhânam prâptâya' (who has obtained a consecrated fire); and 'manah pragâtaye' in the sense of 'manasi vartamânâya p.' (to P. who is in our mind); and 'kittam vigñâtâya' in the sense of 'sarveshâm kittasâkshine' (to the witness, or knower, of all men's thoughts).
292:4 Harisvâmin probably is right in supplying 'vyâhritînâm;' though possibly 'devatânâm' (deities) may be understood.
293:1 The meaning of 'nibhûyapa' is doubtful; Mahîdhara explains it by 'nitarâm bhûtvâ matsyâdyavatâram kritvâ pâti.' Perhaps it may mean 'condescending protector,' though one expects a direct object with 'pa.'
293:2 The word 'sipivishta,' as applied to Vishnu, is likewise of doubtful meaning. The native dictionaries assign both the meaning 'bald' and 'leprous' (or, affected with skin-disease) to it; whilst the first part 'sipi' is taken variously by commentators as meaning 'cattle,' or 'ray,' or 'water,' or 'living being.'
293:3 See III, 1, 4, 18; VI, 6, 1, 21; and p. 294, note 1.
NINTH BRÂHMANA.
13:1:9:11. [Vâg. S. XXII, 22 1], 'In the priestly office (brahman) may the Brâhmana be born, endowed with spiritual lustre (brahmavarkasa):' on the Brâhmana he thereby bestows spiritual lustre, whence of old the Brâhmana was born as one endowed with spiritual lustre 2.13:1:9:22. 'In the royal order may the Râganya be born, heroic, skilled in archery, sure of his mark, and a mighty car-fighter:' on the Râganya he thereby bestows the grandeur of heroism 3, whence of old the Râganya was born as one heroic, skilled in archery, certain of his mark, and a mighty car-fighter.
13:1:9:33. 'The milch cow:' on the cow he thereby bestows milk; whence of old the cow was born as one yielding milk.
13:1:9:44. 'The draught ox:' on the ox he thereby bestows strength, whence of old the ox was born as a draught (animal).
13:1:9:55. 'The swift racer:' on the horse he thereby bestows speed, whence of old the horse was born as a runner.
13:1:9:66. 'The well-favoured woman:' on the woman
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he thereby bestows beautiful form, whence the beautiful maiden is apt to become dear (to men).
13:1:9:77. 'The victorious warrior:' on the Râganya he thereby bestows the grandeur of victoriousness 1, whence of old the Râganya was born as one victorious.
13:1:9:88. 'The blitheful youth:' he, indeed, is a blitheful (or, sociable) youth who is in his prime of life; whence one who is in his prime of life is apt to become dear to women.
13:1:9:99. 'May a hero be born unto this Sacrificer!' on the Sacrificer's family he thereby bestows manly vigour, whence of old a hero was born to him who had performed the (Asvamedha) sacrifice.
13:1:9:1010. 'May Parganya rain for us whensoever we list!'--where they perform this sacrifice, there Parganya, indeed, rains whenever they list;--'may our fruit-bearing plants ripen!'--there the fruit-bearing plants indeed ripen where they perform this sacrifice;--'may security of possession be assured for us!'--where they perform this sacrifice there security of possession indeed is assured; whence wherever they perform this (Asvamedha) sacrifice, security of possession becomes assured to the people.
Footnotes
294:1 These formulas are muttered after the thirteen samidhs have been put in the ukhâ, or fire-pan. See p. 290, note 1.294:2 'Whence formerly a Brâhmana was at once born as Brahmavarkasin (whilst now he must study),' Delbrück, Altindische Syntax, p. 287. Perhaps, however, 'purâ' has here (as it certainly has in the following paragraphs) the force of 'agre'--at the beginning, from the first, from of old.
294:3 I take 'sauryam mahimânam' here (and 'gaitram mahimânam' in paragraph 7) to stand in apposition to one another, with something of the force of a compound word. See above, p. 66, note 4.
295:1 See note 3, p. 294.
SECOND ADHYÂYA. FIRST BRÂHMANA.
THE FIRST SOMA-DAY (AGNISHTOMA) 2.
13:2:1:11. Pragâpati assigned the sacrifices to the gods; the Asvamedha he kept for himself. The godsp. 296
said to him, 'Surely, this--to wit, the Asvamedha--is a sacrifice: let us have a share in that also.' He contrived these Anna-homas (food-oblations) for them: thus when he performs the Annahomas, it is the gods he thereby gratifies.
13:2:1:22. With ghee he makes offering, for ghee is fiery mettle: by means of fiery mettle he thus lays fiery mettle into him (the horse and Sacrificer). With ghee he offers; for that--to wit, ghee--is the gods’ favourite resource: it is thus with their favourite resource he supplies them.
13:2:1:33. With parched groats he makes offering; for that--to wit, parched groats--are a form of the gods 1: it is the gods he thus gratifies.
13:2:1:44. With grain he makes offering; for this--to wit, grain--is a form of the days and nights 2: it is the days and nights he thus gratifies.
13:2:1:55. With parched grain he makes offering; for this--to wit, parched grain--is a form of the Nakshatras 3 (lunar asterisms): it is the Nakshatras
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he thus gratifies. He offers whilst mentioning names, with (Vâg. XXII, 23-33), 'To the in- (and out-) breathing hail! to the off-breathing hail 1!' . . . he thus gratifies them by mentioning their names. [Vâg. S. XXII, 34], 'To one hail! to two hail! . . . to a hundred hail! to a hundred and one hail!' He offers in the proper order: in the proper order he thus gratifies them (the gods). He performs oblations successively increasing by one 2, for single, indeed, is heaven: singly he thus causes him (the Sacrificer) to reach heaven. Straight away 3 he offers in order to the winning of heaven; for straight away, as it were, is heaven.
13:2:1:66. But, verily, he who offers the oblations straight
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away 1, is liable to fall (pass) right away. He does not go beyond a hundred and one: were he to go beyond a hundred and one, he would deprive the Sacrificer of his vital power. He offers a hundred and one, for man has a life of a hundred (years), and his own self is the one hundred and first: he thus establishes himself in a self (or body), in vital power. With 'To the Dawn hail! to Heaven hail!' he offers the two last oblations; for the dawn is the night, and heaven (the realm of light) is the day: it is day and night he thus gratifies.
13:2:1:77. As to this they say, 'Were he to offer both either by day or by night, he would confound day and night with one another 2.' With 'To the Dawn hail!' he offers before the sun has risen, and with 'To Heaven hail' when it has risen, to avoid confusion between day and night.
Footnotes
295:2 There are three Sutyâs, or Soma-days, at the Asvamedha--viz. an Agnishtoma, an Ukthya, and an Atirâtra--the most important p. 296 of which is the central day. The first day offers no special features, as compared with the ordinary Agnishtoma; except that the stotras are chanted on the 'katushtoma' model (see note to XIII, 3, 1, 4); and that the animal sacrifice of this day requires twenty-one sacrificial stakes, with twice eleven victims, two of which are tied to the central stake; see note on XIII, 2, 5, 2. The offerings referred to in the present Brâhmana, are performed, not during the day itself, but during the following night, as a preliminary to the important features of the second Soma-day.296:1 Viz., according to the commentary, because of the (particles of) groats being connected with each other.
296:2 The commentary does not explain this comparison. It would seem to suit better the parched grain.
296:3 Viz. on account of the capability (samarthatvât) of the (raw) grains; but whether this is meant to refer to their power of germinating and growing is not explained.
297:1 These eleven anuvâkas consist of altogether 149 such short dedicatory formulas--addressed to the vital airs, the regions, the waters, wind, fire, &c.--each ending with 'svâhâ (hail).' These are followed, in anuvâka 34, by formulas addressed to the cardinal numbers from 1 to 101; succeeded by two formulas addressed to the dawn and to heaven respectively,--all of these again ending with 'svâhâ.' The Annahomas themselves, offered by the Adhvaryu's assistant, the Pratiprasthâtri, are not, however, limited to any number; but their performance is to be continued throughout the night in such a way that each of the four three-hours’ watches of the night is to be taken up with as many oblations of one of the four kinds of offering materials--in the order in which they are enumerated in the text--as can be got into the space of three hours. The formulas addressed to the cardinal numbers--(which are on no account to extend beyond 101)--are apparently supposed amply to suffice to fill up the time till dawn, when the Adhvaryu makes an oblation of ghee to the Dawn, followed by one to Heaven (or the realm of light) after sunrise.
297:2 That is, in offering with the formulas addressed to the cardinal numbers.
297:3 That is to say, without repeating any formula, or commencing again from the beginning, when the whole series is exhausted.
298:1 That is, without stopping.
298:2 There is no 'iti' here; and the quotation, therefore, may perhaps extend to the end of the paragraph.
SECOND BRÂHMANA.
THE SECOND SOMA-DAY (UKTHYA).
13:2:2:11. Verily, this--to wit, the Asvamedha--is the king of sacrifices. But, indeed, the Asvamedha is the Sacrificer, (for) the sacrifice is the Sacrificer: when he (the priest) binds victims to the horse (or, at the horse-sacrifice), he then, indeed, takes hold 3 of the sacrifice at the sacrifice.13:2:2:22. 'A horse, a hornless he-goat, and a Gomriga 4'
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these they bind to the central stake: thereby, indeed, he (the priest) sharpens the front of his (the Sacrificer's) army 1, whence the front of the king's army is sure to become terrible.
13:2:2:33. A black-necked (he-goat), sacred to Agni, in front (of the horse) to its forehead 2: the original (hall) fire he makes it, whence the king's hall-fire is sure to be (efficient) 3.
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13:2:2:44. An ewe, for Sarasvatî, beneath the (horse's) jaws: he thereby makes women to be dependent, whence women are sure to be attendant upon man.
13:2:2:55. Two (he-goats), black on the lower part of the body 1, for the Asvins, (he ties) to the front legs: he thereby lays strength into the front legs, whence the king is sure to be strong in the arm 2.
13:2:2:66. A dark-grey (he-goat) for Soma and Pûshan at the (horse's) navel: a foothold he makes this one; for Pûshan is this (earth): it is thereon he establishes himself.
13:2:2:77. A white one and a black one, for Sûrya and Yama, on the flanks: a suit of armour he makes those two: whence the king, clad in mail, performs heroic deeds.
13:2:2:88. Two, with shaggy hind thighs, for Tvashtri, to the hind legs: he lays strength into the thighs, whence the king is sure to be strong in his thighs.
13:2:2:99. A white one, for Vâyu, to the tail,--an elevation he makes this one, whence people in danger betake themselves to an elevated place 3;--a cow wont to cast her calf, for Indra, the ever active, in order to associate the sacrifice with Indra;--a dwarfish one for Vishnu; for Vishnu is the sacrifice: it is in the sacrifice he (the Sacrificer) thus finally establishes himself.
13:2:2:1010. These, then, are the fifteen 'paryaṅgya' (body-encircling) 4 animals,--for fifteenfold is the
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thunderbolt, and the thunderbolt means manly vigour: with that thunderbolt, manly vigour, the Sacrificer now repels evil from in front 1 (of the sacrifice).
13:2:2:1111. And fifteen (victims), indeed, are (bound) to each of the other (stakes);--for fifteenfold is the thunderbolt, and the thunderbolt means manly vigour: with that thunderbolt, manly vigour, the Sacrificer now repels evil on both sides 2 (of the sacrifice).
13:2:2:1212. As to this they say, 'Does he really repel evil by these?' And, indeed, he does not make up the complete Pragâpati, and does not here gain everything.
13:2:2:1313. Let him rather bind seventeen animals to the central stake 3; for seventeenfold is Pragâpati, and the Asvamedha is Pragâpati,--thus for the
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obtainment of the Asvamedha. And sixteen (victims he binds) to each of the other (stakes), for of sixteen parts (kalâ) consists all this 1 (universe); all this (universe) he thus gains.
13:2:2:1414. 'How is he to appease 2 these?' they ask. 'Let him appease them with the Bârhaduktha verses 3, "Enkindled, anointing the lap of the faithful(f.) . . .;" for Brihaduktha, the son of Vâmadeva, or Asva, son of Samudra, saw these very (verses) to be the âprî-verses of the horse: it is by means of these we appease it,' so they say. But let him not do so; let him appease it with the Gâmadagna verses; for Gamadagni is Pragâpati, and so is the Asvamedha: he thus supplies it with its own deity; let him therefore appease (the victims) with the Gâmadagna verses 4.
13:2:2:1515. Now some make the invitatory-formulas and the offering-formulas (to be pronounced) separately for the 'paryaṅgyas,' saying, 'For these we find (formulas)--for the others, on account of not finding any, we do not use them 5.' Let him not do so;
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for the horse is the nobility (chieftain), and the other animals are the peasantry (clan); and those who do this really make the peasantry equal and refractory to the nobility; and they also deprive the Sacrificer of his vital power. Therefore the horse alone belongs to Pragâpati 1, and the others are sacred to the gods: he thus, indeed, makes the peasantry obedient and subservient to the nobility; and he also supplies the Sacrificer with vital power.
13:2:2:1616. The slaughtering-knife of the horse is made of gold, those of the 'paryaṅgyas' of copper, and those of the others of iron; for gold is (shining) light, and the Asvamedha is the royal office: he thus bestows light upon the royal office. And by means of the golden light (or, by the light of the gold), the Sacrificer also goes to the heavenly world; and he, moreover, makes it a gleam of light shining after him, for him to reach the heavenly world.
13:2:2:1717. But, indeed, the horse is also the nobility; and this also--to wit, gold--is a form (symbol) of
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the nobility: he thus combines the nobility with the nobility.
13:2:2:1818. And as to why there are copper (knives) for the 'paryaṅgyas,'--even as the non-royal kingmakers, the heralds and headmen, are to the king, so those 'paryaṅgyas' are to the horse; and so, indeed, is this--to wit, copper--to gold: with their own form he thus endows them.
13:2:2:1919. And as to why there are iron ones for the others,--the other animals, indeed, are the peasantry, and this--to wit, iron--is a form of the peasantry: he thus combines the peasantry with the peasantry. On a rattan mat (lying) north (of the Âhavanîya) they cut the portions of the horse(-flesh); for the horse is of anushtubh nature, and related to the Anushtubh is that (northern) quarter: he thus places that (horse) in its own quarter. And as to (his doing so) on a rattan mat,--the horse was produced from the womb of the waters 1, and the rattan springs from the water: he thus causes it to be possessed of its own (maternal) womb.
Footnotes
298:3 Ârabhate prâpnoti, comm.; it might also be rendered by 'he enters upon the sacrifice.'298:4 This (and the identical passage XIII, 5, 1, 13) looks like a quotation, as if quoted from Vâg. S. XXIV, 1; where are p. 299 likewise found the references to the other victims and their places, in paragraphs 2-9. Possibly, however, the 'iti' may be used here with a kind of 'deiktic' force (cf. the similar use in XIII, 2, 8, 1); if, indeed, it does not simply refer to 'gomriga,' i.e. 'the animal called Gomriga.' (lit. 'bovine deer'), regarding which see note on XIII, 3, 4, 3.--Though the victims to be immolated on this day are first dealt with in this and the following Brâhmanas, their slaughter only takes place at the usual time at every Soma-sacrifice, viz. after the Sarpanam (XIII, 2, 3, 1 seqq.), the chanting of the Bahishpavamâna Stotra, and the drawing of the Âsvina-graha. On the present occasion these ceremonies are preceded by the drawing of the Mahiman cups of Soma (see XIII, 2, 11, 1 seqq.); whilst the chant is followed by the driving up of the victims, and the putting to of the horse, and the driving to the water, treated of in XIII, 2, 6, 1 seqq.
299:1 Harisvâmin takes this to mean that he makes the (sacrificial) horse, i.e. the king, alone the head of the army,--râgabhûtam apy asvam senâmukham ekam karotîty arthah.
299:2 According to the comments on Vâg. S. XXIV, 1, and Kâty. XX, 6, 4, a rope is wound round the horse's body in the same way as it is done with a bottle-gourd (lagenaria vulgaris), and it is to this rope that these so-called 'paryaṅgyâh (circumcorporal),' or victims surrounding the (horse's) body, would then be tied.
299:3 The commentator explains 'bhâvuka' by 'sâdhur bhavati;' and he adds that this is important inasmuch as numerous magic rites, such as rites for insuring success and averting evil (sântikapaushtika), and incantations (âbhikârika) are performed thereon. It is the name here assigned to this, the Âvasathya, fire, viz. 'pûrvâgni' or, original fire--with its secondary meaning 'front-fire'--which is seized upon by the author for symbolically identifying it with the victim fastened in front (or to the front) of the horse.
300:1 Mahîdhara takes 'adhorâma' to mean 'white-coloured on the lower part of the body.'
300:2 The word 'bâhu' means both 'arm' and 'front leg.'
300:3 That is, a mountain, a palace, high ground, &c., comm. ('vâyur hi skandhasyokkhrita ity abhiprâyah').
300:4 Here the encircled horse itself, and the other two victims p. 301 tied directly to the central stake, are improperly included in the term 'paryaṅgya.'
301:1 Viz. inasmuch as the sacrificial stake to which the horse is tied (and hence the victims fastened thereto) is the so-called 'agnishtha' stake, or the one standing opposite to (directly in front of) the Âhavanîya fire.
301:2 Viz. inasmuch as these other stakes stand in a line to the north (left) and south (right) of the central stake. Whilst, in the case of a simple 'ekâdasinî' (cf. III, 7, 2, 1 seqq.) there would be five stakes on each side of the central one, at the Asvamedha there are to be twenty-one stakes, or ten on either side of the central stake. See XIII, 4, 4, 5 seqq.
301:3 These seventeen victims do not include the twelve paryaṅgyas which are tied to different parts of the horse's body, but only to those which are actually tied to the central stake,--viz. the horse and its two immediate neighbours (paragraph 2), then twelve victims (enumerated Vâg. S. XXIV, 2, beginning with three victims of different shades of red, rohita), and lastly two beasts belonging to two sets of eleven victims finally superadded to the sets of fifteen victims tied in the first place to the stakes. Cf. note on XIII, 2, 5, 2.
302:1 Regarding this division into sixteen parts, as applied to man, the animal, and the universe, see Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 111 with note.
302:2 Or, 'what Âprîs (appeasing verses) is he to pronounce over them?' These verses are pronounced as the offering-formulas (yâgyâ) at the fore-offerings of the animal sacrifice. See part ii, p. 185, note 1.
302:3 Viz. Vâg. S. XXIX, 1-11.
302:4 Viz. Vâg. S. XXIX, 25-36, beginning, 'Enkindled in the house of man this day, a god, thou worshippest the gods, O Gâtavedas.'
302:5 The commentator takes this to mean that, inasmuch as these paryaṅgyas--here improperly including the horse itself and the two other victims of Pragâpati at the central stake--are assigned to commonly invoked deities, formulas relating to these would easily p. 303 be found; whilst in the case of the other twelve victims tied to the central stake (see p. 301, note 3), as well as those of the other stakes--though they, too, are assigned to definite deities--some of their deities (as in the case of three a year and a half old heifers assigned to Gâyatrî, Vâg. S. XXIV, 21), are such as to make it difficult to find suitable formulas for them:--eteshâm asvâdînâm pragâpatvâdikâ yâgyânuvâkyâs tâh kim iti na prithak kurmah; itareshâm rohitâdînâm na vindâmah, tryavayo gâyatryâdayo devatâs taddevatyâs ka durlabhâ lakshanopetâ yâgyânuvâkyâ ity abhiprâyah.
303:1 The invitatory-formula and offering-formula are, however, pronounced once for the 'paryaṅgyas' (including the horse) in common, whilst a second pair of formulas are used for the other victims in common.
THIRD BRÂHMANA.
13:2:3:11. Now, the gods did not know the Pavamâna 2 at the Asvamedha to be the heavenly world, but the horse knew it. When, at the Asvamedha,p. 305
they glide along 1 with the horse for the Pavamâna (-stotra), it is for getting to know (the way to) the heavenly world; and they hold on to the horse's tail, in order to reach the heavenly world; for man does not rightly know (the way to) the heavenly world, but the horse does rightly know it
13:2:3:22. Were the Udgâtri to chant the Udgîtha 2, it would be even as if one who does not know the country were to lead by another (than the right) way. But if, setting aside the Udgâtri, he chooses
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the horse for (performing) the Udgîtha, it is just as when one who knows the country leads on the right way: the horse leads the Sacrificer rightly to the heavenly world. It makes 'Hiṅ 1,' and thereby makes the. Sâman itself to be 'hiṅ': this is the Udgîtha. They pen up mares, (and on seeing the horse) they utter a shrill sound: as when the chanters sing, such like is this. The priests’ fee is gold weighing a hundred (grains): the mystic import of this has been explained 2.
Footnotes
304:2 Pavamâna is the name of the pressed Soma while it is 'clarifying.' Hence the first stotra of each of the three Savanas of a Soma-day--chanted after the pressing of the Soma and the drawing of the principal cups--is called Pavamâna-stotra. Whether by the term 'Pavamâna' here the clarifying Soma is alluded to, as well as the stotra--which alone the commentator takes it to mean, and to which the second mention certainly refers--must remain p. 305 doubtful. The commentator, it would seem, accounts for this identification of the Pavamâna-stotra with heaven by the fact that the second day of the Asvamedha is an ekavimsa day (see XIII, 3, 3, 3; Tândya-Br. XXI, 4, 1), i.e. one on which all the stotras are performed in the twenty-one-versed hymn-form; and that the Sun is commonly called 'ekavimsa,' the twenty-first, or twenty-one-fold. The particular chant intended is that of the morning pressing, viz. the Bahishpavamâna, or outside-Pavamâna-stotra, so-called because at the ordinary one-day's Soma-sacrifice, it is chanted outside the Sadas. But, on the other hand, in the case of Ahîna-sacrifices, or those lasting from two to twelve days, that stotra is chanted outside only on the first day, whilst on the others it is done inside the Sadas. An exception is, however, made in the case of the Asvamedha, which requires the morning Pavamâna, on all three days, to be performed in its usual place on the north-eastern part of Vedi, south of the Kâtvâla.305:1 For the noiseless way of sliding or creeping from the Sadas, and returning thither, and approaching the different Dhishnyas, or fire-hearths, see part ii, p. 299, note 2. As has already been stated, it is only after the chanting of the Bahishpavamâna that the victims are driven up to the offering place.
305:2 It is from this, the principal part of the Sâman, or chanted verse (cf. part ii, p. 310, note), that the Udgâtri takes his name; this particular function of his being, on the present occasion, supposed to he performed by the whinnying of the horse. After this they make the horse step on the chanting-ground, apparently either as a visible recognition of the part it has been made to play, or because the horse thereby is made to go to heaven with which the Bahishpavamâna was identified.
306:1 On the mystic significance of this ejaculation (here compared with the neighing of the horse) in the sacrifice, and especially in the Sâman, see I, 4, 1, 1 seqq.; II, 2, 4, 12.
FOURTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:4:11. Pragâpati desired, 'Would that I might gain both worlds, the world of the gods, and the world of men.' He saw those beasts, the tame and the wild ones; he seized them, and by means of them took possession of these two worlds: by means of the tame beasts he took possession of this (terrestrial) world, and by means of the wild beasts of yonder (world); for this world is the world of men, and yonder world is the world of the gods. Thus when he seizes tame beasts he thereby takes possession of this world, and when wild beasts, he thereby (takes possession) of yonder (world).13:2:4:22. Were he to complete (the sacrifice) with tame ones, the roads would run together 3, the village-boundaries
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of two villages would be contiguous 1, and no ogres 2, man-tigers, thieves, murderers, and robbers would come to be in the forests. By (so doing) with wild (beasts) the roads would run asunder 3, the village-boundaries of two villages would be far asunder 4; and there would come to be ogres, man-tigers, thieves, murderers, and robbers in the forests.
13:2:4:33. As to this they say, 'Surely that--to wit, the forest (beast)--is not a beast (or cattle), and offering should not be made thereof: were he to make offering thereof, they would ere long carry away the Sacrificer dead to the woods, for forest (or wild) beasts have the forest for their share; and were he not to make offering thereof, it would be a violation of the sacrifice.' Well, they dismiss them after fire has been carried around them 5: thus, indeed, it is
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neither an offering nor a non-offering, and they do not carry the Sacrificer dead to the forest, and there is no violation of the sacrifice.
13:2:4:44. He completes (the sacrifice) with tame (beasts),--father and son part company 1, the roads run together, the village-boundaries of two villages become contiguous, and no ogres, man-tigers, thieves, murderers, and robbers come to be in the forests.
Footnotes
306:3 The commentary remarks that by 'roads' here is meant those walking on them--as, in that case, peace and security would reign, men would range all the lands:--adhvabhir atrâdhvasthâ lakshyante; ksheme sati manushyâh sarvân desân samkareyur ity abhiprâyah.307:1 Harisvâmin takes 'samantikam' in the sense of 'near' and construes it with 'grâmayoh' (as he does 'vidûram' in the next paragraph)--'the two village-boundaries would be near (far from) the two villages;' but see I, 4, 1, 22, where samantikam (and IX, 3, 1, 11, where 'samantikataram') is likewise used without a complement; as is 'vidûram' in I, 4, 1, 23.
307:2 Harisvâmin takes 'rikshîkâ' to 'mean 'a bear;'--rikshâ eva rikshîkâh.
307:3 Hardly as the commentary takes it, 'they would become blocked up,' and people would have to stay in their own country:--adhvânah pûrvadesâdayo vikrameyur, viruddham krâmayeyuh (!), svadesa eva manushyâh samkareyur na desântareऽpy antarâlânâm . . bhinnatvâd akshematvâk ka vidûram grâmayor grâmântau syâtâm.
307:4 Viz. because, for want of security and peace, the villages would be few and far between,--aksheme hi sati praviralâ grâmâ bhavanti, comm.
307:5 On the 'paryagnikaranam' or circumambulation of an oblation in accordance with the course of the sun, whilst holding a firebrand in one's hand, see part i, p. 45, note; part ii, p, 187, note.
308:1 Or, they exert themselves in different directions,--that is, as the commentator explains, because in peace they would not be forced to keep together, as they would have to do in troublous times. He, however, seems somehow to connect 'vy avasyatah' with the root 'vas':--ksheme hi sati pitâputrâv atra vi prithag vasatah; aksheme tu sambaddhâv apy etâv atra vasatah.--Whilst in this passage the verb would hardly suggest an estrangement between father and son, this is distinctly the case in the parallel passage, Taitt. Br. III, 9, I, 2, where, however, this contingency is connected with the completion of the sacrifice, not, as here, with tame, but with wild beasts.
FIFTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:5:11. Pragâpati poured forth the life-sap of the horse (asva-medha); when poured forth it went from him. Having become fivefold 2 it entered the year, and they (the five parts) became those half-months 3. He followed it up by means of the fifteenfold (sets of victims 4), and found it; and having found it, he took possession of it by means of the fifteenfold ones; for, indeed, they--to wit, the fifteenfold (sets)--are a symbol of the half-months, and when he seizes the fifteenfold ones, it is thep. 309
half-months the Sacrificer thereby takes possession of.
13:2:5:22. Concerning this they say, 'But, surely, the year is not taken possession of by him who spreads out (performs sacrifice for) a year in any other way than by means of the Seasonal sacrifices 1.' The Seasonal sacrifices, doubtless, are manifestly the year; and when he seizes the Seasonal victims 2, he then manifestly takes possession of the year. ‘And, assuredly, he who spreads out the year in any other way than with the (victims) of the set of eleven 3 (stakes) is deprived of his offspring (or
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subjects) and cattle, and fails to reach heaven. This set of eleven (stakes), indeed, is just heaven 1, and the set of eleven (stakes) means offspring (or people) and cattle and when he lays hands on the (victims) of the (two) sets of eleven (stakes) he does not fail to reach heaven, and is not deprived of his offspring and cattle.
13:2:5:33. Pragâpati created the Virâg; when created, it went away from him, and entered the horse meet for sacrifice. He followed it up with sets of ten 2
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[paragraph continues] (beasts). He found it, and, having found it, he took possession of it by means of the sets of ten: when he seizes the sets of eleven (beasts), the Sacrificer thereby takes possession . of the Virâg. He seizes a hundred, for man has a life of a hundred (years) and a hundred energies: vital power and energy, vigour, he thus takes to himself.
13:2:5:44. Eleven decades 1 he seizes, for the Trishtubh consists of eleven syllables, and the Trishtubh means energy, vigour: thus it is for the obtainment of energy, vigour. Eleven decades he seizes, for in an animal there are ten vital airs, and the body: (trunk) is the eleventh: he thus supplies the animals with vital airs. They belong to all the gods for the completeness of the horse (sacrifice), for the horse belongs to all the gods. They are of many forms, whence beasts are of many forms; they are of distinct forms, whence beasts are of distinct forms.
Footnotes
308:2 Or the Paṅkti metre, consisting of five octosyllabic pâdas.308:3 Viz. as consisting of thrice five days.
308:4 See above, XIII, 2, 2, 11.
309:1 On this point, cp. II, 6, 3, 1.--'Verily, imperishable is the righteousness of him who offers the Seasonal sacrifices; for such a one gains the year, and hence there is no cessation for him. He gains it in three divisions, he conquers it in three divisions. The year means the whole, and the whole is imperishable (without end). 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.'
309:2 The Kâturmâsyas are the victims enumerated Vâg. S. XXIV, 14-19. The first six of them are the last (of the set of fifteen) bound to the thirteenth stake; whilst the remaining victims make up all the seven sets of fifteen victims bound to remaining stakes (14-21)--thus amounting to 121 domesticated animals, cf. XIII, 5, 1, 13, seq. In counting the stakes the central one is the first, then follows the one immediately south, and then the one immediately north of it, and thus alternately south and north. The reason why the name 'Kâturmâsya' is applied to the victims here referred to is that the deities for whose benefit they are immolated are the same, and follow the same order, as those to whom (the chief) oblations are made at the Seasonal sacrifices (viz. the constant ones--Agni, Soma, Savitri, Sarasvatî, Pûshan, and special ones, see II, 5, 1, 8-17; 5, 2, 7-16; 5, 3, 2-4; 5. 4, 2-10; 6, 1, 4-6; 6, 2, 9; 6, 3, 4-8).
309:3 That is to say, he who seeks to gain the year by immolating only the Seasonal victims, and the sets of fifteen victims, and does not offer likewise the victims of the set (or rather two sets) of eleven p. 310 stakes. These two sets of eleven victims, tied to the twenty-one stakes (two being tied to the central stake), are to constitute the regular 'savanîyâh pasavah' of the pressing-days of the Asvamedha; and in XIII, 5, 1, 3, and 5, 3, 11, the author argues against those who (on the first, and third days) would immolate only twenty-one such victims, all of them sacred to Agni. As regards the second day, the author does not mention these particular victims, but this an scarcely be interpreted as an approval of twenty-one such victims, even though the number twenty-one certainly plays an important part on that day--seeing that Kâtyâyana, XX, 4, 25, makes the two sets of eleven victims the rule for all three days. For the third day, on the other hand, the author of the Brâhmana (XIII, 5, 3, 11) actually recommends the immolation of twenty-four bovine victims as 'savanîyâh pasavah.' The deities of the first set of eleven victims (as perhaps also of the second set of the first day) are the same as those of the ordinary 'ekâdasinî' (see III, 9, 1, 62 1; and Vâg. S. XXIX, 58), whilst the second set (of the second day, at all events) has different deities (Vâg. S. XXIX, 60). On the central day these victims are added to the sets of fifteen victims bound there to each of the twenty-one stakes; the mode of distribution being the same as on the other two days, viz., so that the first victim of each set--that is the one devoted to Agni--is bound to the central stake, whilst of the remaining twenty victims one is assigned to each stake.
310:1 Viz. inasmuch as the stakes stand right in front (to the east) of the sacrificial fire and ground, and the Sacrificer would thus miss the way to heaven if he were not to pass through the 'ekâdasinî.'
310:2 The Virâg metre consists of (three) decasyllabic pâdas.
311:1 After the (349) domesticated animals have been secured to the stakes, sets of thirteen wild beasts are placed on the (twenty) spaces between the (twenty-one) stakes, making in all 260 wild beasts. From the 150th beast onward (enumerated Vâg. S. XXIV, 30-40) these amount to 111 beasts which here are called eleven decades; the odd beast not being taken into account, whilst in paragraph 3 above the first ten decades are singled out for symbolic reasons. These beasts are spread ever the twelfth (only the last seven Beasts of which belong to the first decade) and following spaces.
SIXTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:6:11. [He puts the horse to the chariot 2 with Vâg. S. XXIII, 5], 'They harness the ruddy bay,p. 312
moving (round the moveless: the lights shine in the heavens);'--the ruddy bay, doubtless, is yonder sun: it is yonder sun he harnesses for him, for the gaining of the heavenly world.
13:2:6:22. Concerning this they say, 'Surely, the sacrifice goes from him whose beast, when brought up, goes elsewhere than the vedi (altar-ground).' [Let him, therefore, mutter Vâg. S. XXIII, 7,] 'Singer of praise, make that horse come back to us by that path!'--the singer of praise, doubtless, is Vâyu (the wind) it is him he thereby places for him (the Sacrificer) on the other side, and so it does not go beyond that.
13:2:6:33. But, indeed, fiery mettle and energy, cattle, and prosperity depart from him who offers the Asvamedha.
13:2:6:44. With (Vâg. S. XXIII, 8), 'May the Vasus anoint thee with the Gâyatra metre!' the queen consort anoints (the forepart of the unharnessed horse);--ghee is fiery mettle, and the Gâyatrî also is fiery mettle: two kinds of fiery mettle he thus bestows together on him (the Sacrificer).
13:2:6:55. With, 'May the Rudras anoint thee with the Traishtubha metre!' the (king's) favourite wife anoints (the middle part):--ghee is fiery mettle, and the Trishtubh is energy: both fiery
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mettle and energy he thus bestows together on him.
13:2:6:66. With, 'May the Âdityas anoint thee with the Gâgata metre!' a discarded wife 1 (of the king) anoints (the hindpart);--ghee is fiery mettle, and the Gagatî is cattle: both fiery mettle and cattle he thus bestows together on him.
13:2:6:77. It is the wives 2 that anoint (the horse), for they to wit, (many) wives--are a form of prosperity (or social eminence): it is thus prosperity he confers on him (the Sacrificer), and neither fiery spirit, nor energy, nor cattle, nor prosperity pass away from him.
13:2:6:88. But even as some of the offering-material may get spilled before it is offered, so (part of) the victim is here spilled in that the hair of it when wetted comes off. When they (the wives) weave pearls (into the mane and tail) they gather up its hair. They are made of gold: the significance of this has been explained. A hundred and one pearls they weave into (the hair of) each part 3; for man has a life of a hundred (years), and his own self (or body) is the one hundred and first: in vital power, in the self, he establishes himself. They weave them in (each) with (one of) the (sacred utterings) relating to Pragâpati, 'Bûh! bhuvah! svar (earth, air,
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heaven)!' for the horse is sacred to Pragâpati: with its own deity he thus supplies it. With, 'Parched grain, or parched groats?--in grain-food and in food from the cow'--he takes down the remaining food 1 (from the cart) for the horse: he thereby makes the (king's) people eaters of food (prosperous);--'eat ye, gods, this food! eat thou, Pragâpati, this food!' he thereby supplies the people with food.
13:2:6:99. Verily, fiery spirit and spiritual lustre pass away from him who performs the Asvamedha. The Hotri and the Brahman engage in a Brahmodya 2 (theological discussion); for the Hotri relates to Agni, and the Brahman (priest) to Brihaspati, Brihaspati being the Brahman (n.): fiery spirit 3 and spiritual lustre he thus bestows together on him. With the (central) sacrificial stake between them, they discourse together; for the stake is the Sacrificer 4: he thus encompasses the Sacrificer on both sides with fiery spirit and spiritual lustre.
13:2:6:1010. [The Brahman asks, Vâg. S. XXIII, 9,] 'Who is it that walketh singly?'--it is yonder sun, doubtless, that walks singly 5, and he is spiritual
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lustre: spiritual lustre the two (priests) thus bestow on him.
13:2:6:1111. 'Who is it that is born again?'--it is the moon, doubtless, that is born again (and -again): vitality they thus bestow on him.
13:2:6:1212. 'What is the remedy for cold?'--the remedy for cold, doubtless, is Agni '(fire): fiery spirit they thus bestow on him.
13:2:6:1313. 'And what is the great vessel?'--the great vessel, doubtless, is this (terrestrial) world: on this earth he thus establishes himself.
13:2:6:1414. [The Hotri asks the Brahman, Vâg. S. XXIII, 11,] 'What was the first conception?'--the first conception, doubtless, was the sky, rain: the sky, rain, he thus secures for himself.
13:2:6:1515. 'Who was the great bird 1?'--the great bird, doubtless, was the horse:. vital power he thus secures for himself.
13:2:6:1616. 'Who was the smooth one?'--the smooth one (pilippilâ), doubtless, was beauty (srî 2): beauty he thus secures for himself.
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13:2:6:1717. 'Who was the tawny one?'--the two tawny ones, doubtless, are the day and the night 1: in the day and night he thus establishes himself.
Footnotes
311:2 Along with the sacrificial horse three other horses are put to the chariot, with the formula Vâg. S. XXIII, 6. Previously to this, however, the Hotri recites eleven verses in praise of the horse (cf. XIII, 5, 1, 16). Both the horses and the chariot are decorated p. 312 with gold ornaments. The Adhvaryu then drives with the Sacrificer to a pond of water to the east of the sacrificial ground (an indispensable feature in choosing the place of sacrifice), and having driven into the water he makes him pronounce the formula XXIII, 7, 'When the wind hath entered the waters, the dear form of Indra, do thou, singer of praise, make that horse come back to us by that path;' whereupon they return to the sacrificial ground.313:1 That is, a former favourite, but now neglected; or, according to others, one who has borne no son.
313:2 The fourth and lowest wife of the King the Pâlâgalî (cf. XIII, 4, 1, 8; 5, 2, 8), though present at the sacrifice, does not take part in this ceremony, probably on account of her low-caste origin, as the daughter of a messenger, or courier.
313:3 Viz. either the mane on both sides, and the tail, or the hair of the head, the neck (mane) and the tail; each of the ladies apparently taking one of these parts.
314:1 Viz. the material left over after what was taken for the Annahomas, XIII, 2, 1, 1 seqq.
314:2 For a similar discussion between the four priests, prior to the offering of the omenta, see XIII, 5, 2, 11 seq.
314:3 'Tegas' is pre-eminently the quality assigned to Agni.
314:4 It must be remembered that the sacrificial horse here represented by the stake is identified with both Pragâpati and the Sacrificer.
314:5 The actual replies to the questions in Vâg. S. XXIII, 9 and 11, are contained in the corresponding verses ten and twelve; being given here in an expository way, with certain variations and p. 315 occasional explanatory words (such as 'vrishti,' rain, in paragraph 14). The answers to the first four questions are supposed to be given by the Hotri, and the last four by the Brahman.
315:1 This is the meaning assigned here to 'vayas' by Mahîdhara; but the other meaning of 'vayas,' viz. 'youthful vigour, or age, (generally),' would seem to suit much better, or at least to be implied. And Harisvâmin accordingly takes it in the sense of 'vârdhakam' (old age, or long life). Mahîdhara, moreover, identifies the horse with the horse-sacrifice, which, in the shape of a bird, carries the Sacrificer up to heaven. On this notion cp. part iv, introduction, pp. xxi-xxii.
315:2 Instead of 'srîh,' the answer given to this question in Vâg. S. XXIII, 12 was 'avih' which would either mean 'the gentle, kindly one,' or 'the sheep (f.),' but which Mahîdhara (in the former sense) p. 316 takes as (an epithet of) the earth which he also takes 'srî' to mean in the above passage of the Brâhmana; whilst to the ἅπαξ λεγόμενον 'pilippilâ' he assigns the meaning 'slippery' (kikkana) as applying to the earth after rain (? deriving it from the root 'lip,' to smear, anoint). Harisvâmin, on the other hand, takes 'pilippilâ' to be an onomatopoetic word, in the sense of '(glossy), beautiful, shining':--rûpânukaranasabdoऽyam bahurûpâvilâ (? bahurûpânvitâ) uddyotavatî; and he adds:--srîmîmtratuh (? srîr mantre tu) avih pippaloktau (?) sâ tu srîr eveti brâhmane vivritam, katham, iyam vâ avih prithivî, sâ ka srîh, srîr vâ iyam iti vakanât. Cf. VI, 1, 2, 33.
SEVENTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:7:11. When the victims have been bound (to the stakes), the Adhvaryu takes the sprinkling-water in order to sprinkle the horse. Whilst the Sacrificer holds on to him behind, he (in sprinkling the horse) runs rapidly through the formula used at the Soma-sacrifice 2, and then commences the one for the Asvamedha.13:2:7:22. [Vâg. S. XXIII, 13,] 'May Vâyu favour thee with cooked kinds of food 3,'--Vâyu (the wind) indeed cooks it 4;--'the dark-necked one with he-goats,'--the dark-necked one, doubtless,
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is Agni (the fire); and the fire indeed cooks it (the horse) together with the he-goats.
13:2:7:33. 'The Nyagrodha with cups,'--for when the gods were performing sacrifice, they tilted over those Soma-cups, and, turned downwards, they took root, whence the Nyagrodhas (ficus indica), when turned downwards (nyak), take root (roha 1).
13:2:7:44. 'The cotton-tree with growth,'--he confers growth on the cotton-tree (salmalia malabarica), whence the cotton-tree grows largest amongst trees 2.
13:2:7:55. 'This male, fit for the chariot,'--he supplies the chariot with a horse, whence the horse draws nothing else than a chariot.
13:2:7:66. 'Hath come hither on his four feet,'--therefore the horse, when standing, stands on three feet, but, when harnessed, it pulls with all its feet at one and the same time.
13:2:7:77. 'May the spotless Brahman protect us!'--the spotless 3 Brahman (m.), doubtless, is the moon:
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to the moon he thus commits it;--'Reverence to Agni!'--to Agni he thus makes reverence.
13:2:7:88. [Vâg. S. XXIII, 14,] 'Trimmed up is the car with the cord,'--with cord one indeed completes the car 1, whence a car, when enveloped (with cords 2), is very handsome.
13:2:7:99. 'Trimmed up is the steed with the rein,'--with the rein one indeed completes the horse, whence the horse, when curbed by the rein, looks most beautiful.
13:2:7:1010. 'Trimmed up in the waters was the water-born,'--the horse, indeed, has sprung from the womb of the waters 3: with its own (mother's) womb he thus supplies it;--'Brahman (m.), with Soma for his leader,'--he thus makes it go to heaven with Soma for its leader.
13:2:7:1111. [Vâg. S. XXIII, 15,1 'Thyself, fit out thy body, O racer,'--'Take thyself the form which thou wishest,' he thereby says to him;--'make offering thyself,'--sovereign rule (independence) he thereby confers on it;--'rejoice thou thyself,'--'enjoy (rule) thou thyself the world as far as thou wishest,' he thereby says to him;--'thy glory is not to be equalled by any one!'--with glory he thereby endows the horse.
13:2:7:1212. [Vâg: S. XXIII, 16 4,] 'Thou shalt not die
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here, neither suffer harm,'--he thereby cheers it;--'on easy paths thou goest to the gods,'--he thereby shows him the paths leading to the gods;--'where dwell the pious, whither they have gone,'--he thereby makes it one who shares the same world with the pious;--'thither the god Savitri shall lead thee,'--it is, indeed, Savitri that leads him to the heavenly world.--Whilst whispering 1 'I sprinkle thee, acceptable unto Pragâpati,' he then holds (the sprinkling water) under (its mouth).
13:2:7:1313. [Vâg. S. XXIII, 17,] 'Agni was an animal; they sacrificed him, and he gained that world wherein Agni (ruleth): that shall be thy world, that thou shalt gain,--drink thou this water!'--'As great as Agni's conquest was, as great as is his world, as great as is his lordship, so great shall be thy conquest, so great thy world, so great thy lordship,' this is what he thereby says to him.
13:2:7:1414. 'Vâyu was an animal; they sacrificed him, and he gained that world wherein. Vâyu (ruleth): that shall be thy world, that thou shalt gain,--drink thou this water!'--'As great as Vâyu's conquest was, as great as is his world, as great as is his lordship, so great shall be thy conquest, so great thy world, so great thy lordship,' this is what he thereby says to him.
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13:2:7:1515. 'Sûrya was an animal; they sacrificed him, and he gained that world wherein Sûrya (ruleth): that shall be thy world, that thou shalt gain,--drink thou this water!'--'As great as Sûrya's conquest was, as great as is his world, as great as is his lordship, so great shall be thy conquest, so great thy world, so great thy lordship,' this is what he thereby says to him. Having satisfied the horse, and consecrated again the sprinkling water, he sprinkles the other victims: thereof hereafter.
Footnotes
316:1 Here the original text in Vâg. S. XXIII, 12, has simply 'the pisaṅgilâ was the night.' Mahîdhara explains 'pisaṅgilâ' by 'pisamgila,' 'beauty-devouring,' inasmuch as the night swallows, or conceals, all beauty (or form). Neither this nor the other explanation (= pisaṅga, ruddy-brown) suits the day; but Harisvâmin, who does not explain the name, remarks that the night here is taken to include the day. Cf. XIII, 5, 2, 18.316:2 Viz. Vâg. S. VI, 9; see III, 7, 4, 4-5.
316:3 The author seems to take 'pakataih' in the sense of 'cooking.'
316:4 Viz. inasmuch as it causes the fire to blaze up, comm.
317:1 Or, whence the Nyagrodhas grow downwards. This refers to the habit of the Indian fig-tree, of sending down from the branches numerous slender roots which afterwards become fresh stems. Cp. the corresponding legend in Ait. Br. VII, 30, told there by way of explaining why Kshatriyas, being forbidden to drink Soma, should drink the juice extracted from the descending roots of the Indian fig-tree. Another reason why the Indian fig-tree (also called 'vata') is here connected with the priests’ Soma-cups (kamasa), is that this is one of the kinds of wood used in making those cups (cf. Katy, I, 3, 36 comm.).
317:2 According to Stewart and Brandis, Forest Flora, p. 31, the cotton-tree (or silk-cotton tree) is a very large tree of rapid growth, attaining a height of 150 ft., and a girth of 40 ft.
317:3 Lit. 'the non-black Brahman,' explained as one who has no black spots; though it is difficult to see why the moon should be favoured with this epithet.
318:1 In Indian vehicles the different parts are held together by cords. For a drawing see Sir H. M. Elliot, The Races of the N.W. Provinces. of India, II, p. 342. The word for 'cord' and 'rein' is the same in Sanskrit.
318:2 Paryutah = pariveshtito raggubhih, comm.; hardly 'hung all round (with ornaments),' as the St. Petersb. Dict. takes it.
318:3 See V, 1, 4, 5; VI, 1, 1, 11.
318:4 The first two pâdas of this verse form the first half-verse of Rig-veda S. I, 162, 21.
319:1 Cp. I, 4, 5, 12: 'Hence whatever at the sacrifice is performed for Pragâpati, that is performed in a low voice (under the breath); for speech would not act as oblation-bearer for Pragâpati.' Pragâpati, as representing generation, is often spoken of as 'undefined' or 'unexpressed (secret)'; and so is what is muttered in a low voice.
EIGHTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:8:11. Now the gods, when going upwards, did not know (the way to) the heavenly world, but the horse knew it: when they go upwards with the horse, it is in order to know (the way to) the heavenly world. 'A cloth, an upper cloth, and gold,' this 1 is what they spread out for the horse 2:p. 321
thereon they quiet (slay) it, as (is done) for no other victim; and thus they separate it from the other victims.
13:2:8:22. When they quiet a victim they kill it. Whilst it is being quieted, he (the Adhvaryu) offers (three) oblations 1, with (Vâg. S. XXIII, 18), 'To the breath hail! to the off-breathing hail! to the through-breathing hail!' he thereby lays the vital airs into it, and thus offering is made by him with this victim as a living one 2.
13:2:8:33. With, 'Ambâ! Ambikâ! Ambâlikâ 3! there is no one to lead me,'--he leads up the (four)
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wives 1: he thereby has called upon them (to come), and, indeed, also renders them sacrificially pure.
13:2:8:44. With (Vâg. S. XXIII, 19), 'We call upon thee, the host-leader of (divine) hosts, O my true lord!' the wives walk round (the horse), and thus make amends to it for that (slaughtering 2): even thereby they (already) make amends to it; but,
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indeed, they also fan 1 it. Thrice they walk round 2; for three (in number) are these worlds: by means of these worlds they fan it. Thrice again they walk round 3,--that amounts to six, for there are six seasons: by means of the seasons they fan it.
13:2:8:55. But, indeed, the vital airs depart from those who perform the fanning at the sacrifice. Nine times they walk round 4; for there are nine vital airs: vital airs they thus put into their own selves, and the vital airs do not depart from them. 'I will urge the seed-layer, urge thou the seed-layer!' (the Mahishî says 5);--seed, doubtless, means offspring and cattle: offspring and cattle she thus secures for herself. [Vâg. S. XXIII, 20,] 'Let us stretch our feet,' thus in order to secure union. 'In heaven ye envelop yourselves' (the Adhvaryu says),--for that is, indeed, heaven where they immolate the victim: therefore he
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speaks thus.--'May the vigorous male, the layer of seed, lay seed!' she says in order to secure union.
Footnotes
320:1 The 'iti' seems superfluous; Harisvâmin explains it by 'etat trayam.' For a similar use of the particle, see XIII, 2, 2, 1.320:2 That is, they spread them on the ground for the horse to lie upon. Differently St. Petersb. Dict., 'they spread over the horse;' but see Kâty. XX, 6, 10 comm.; and Harisvâmin:--vâso yad antardhânâyâlam, adhivâso yad âkkhâdanâyâlam, tak ka vâsasa upari staranîyam, tayor upari hiranyam nidheyam, tasmims traye enam adhi upari samgñapayanti;--and he then remarks that these three objects here do not take the place of the stalk of grass which, in the ordinary animal sacrifice, is thrown on the place where the victim is to be killed and cut up (III, 8, 1, 14; Kâty. VI, 5, 15-16), but that the stalk is likewise put down on this occasion. Similarly the comm. on Kâtyâyana, where it is stated that the stalk of grass (or straw) is first laid down, and then the others thereon. Indeed, as was the case in regard to the stalk of grass--representing the barhis, or layer of sacrificial grass on the vedi--so here the fourfold underlayer is intended to prevent any part of the sacrificial material (havis)--the victim in this case--from being spilt. The p. 321 upper garment (or cloth) must be sufficiently large to allow its being afterwards turned up so as to cover the horse and the queen consort.
321:1 Prior to these, however, he offers the two 'Paripasavya,' i.e. 'oblations relating to the victim,'--or, perhaps, 'oblations performed in connection with the carrying of fire round the victim,' for this last ceremony is performed for all the victims (whereupon the wild beasts placed between the stakes are let loose) before the killing of the horse. See III, 8, 1, 6-16.
321:2 For the symbolic import of this, see III, 8, 2, 4.
321:3 These are just three variants used in addressing a mother (Mutter, Mütterchen, Mütterlein), or, indeed, as here, any woman (good lady! good woman!. Acc. to Kâty. XX, 6, 12, this is the formula which the assistant priest (the Neshtri, or, according to others, the Pratiprasthâtri, cf. Kâty. VI, 5, 27-28) makes the king's wives say whilst leading them up to the slain horse to cleanse it. It is, moreover, to be preceded by the formula used, at this juncture, at the ordinary animal sacrifice, viz. 'Homage be to thee, O wide-stretched one, advance unresisted unto the rivers of ghee, along the paths of sacred truth! Ye divine, pure waters, carry ye (the sacrifice) to the gods, well-prepared! may ye be well-prepared preparers!' (III, 8, 2, 2-3). The words 'Ambâ!' &c. are, according to Mahîdhara, addressed by the women to one another. The latter part of the formula as given in the Vâg . Samh. (viz. 'the horse sleeps near Subhadrikâ, dwelling in Kâmpîla') is apparently p. 322 rejected (? as antiquated, or inauspicious) by the author of the Brâhmana. The ceremony of lying near the dead horse being looked upon as assuring fertility to a woman, the formula used here is also doubtless meant to express an eagerness on the part of the women to be led to the slaughtered horse, representing the lord of creatures, Pragâpati. On this passage compare the remarks of Professor Weber (Ind. Stud. I, p. 183), who takes the formula to be spoken by the queen consort to her three fellow-wives; and who also translates the words 'na mâ nayati kas kana' (nobody leads me) by 'nobody shall lead me (by force to the horse; but if I do not go) the (wicked) horse will lie near (another woman such as) the (wicked) Subadhrâ living in Kâmpîla.'--Harisvâmin's commentary on this passage is rather corrupt, but he seems at all events to assume that each of the four wives apostrophizes the others with the above formula (probably substituting their real names for the words 'ambâ,' &c.):--lepsam (? lipsâm) tâvad esha patnîvaktrakah (? patnîvakiratah) prâpnoti, katham, ekaikâ hi patnî itarâs tisra âmantrya seshâh paridevayamânâ drisyate, he ambe he ambike he ambâlike yûyam apunyâ nîshpâdotv asya (?) samîpam, sa ka pakshapâtî kutsitoऽsvako mayi yushmâkam sasasti meva (!) subhadrikâm kâmpîlavâsinîm ida (? iha) surûpâm na tu mâm kaskit tatra nayatîti; sasastîty eva vartamânasâmîpye vartamânavad (Pân. III, 3, 131) ity âsannasevane drashtavyah.--This barbarous ceremony was evidently an old indigenous custom too firmly established in popular practice to be easily excluded from the sacrificial ritual. That it had nothing to do with Vedic religion and was distasteful to the author of the Brâhmana is evident from the brief way in which he refers to it, and from the far-fetched symbolic explanations attached to the formulas and discourses.
322:1 Viz. from their ordinary place near the Gârhapatya he leads them whilst holding jars of water in their hands.
322:2 Apahnuvate vismaranty evâsmai etat pradakshinâvartanena samgñapanam unnayanti, comm.
323:1 Thus Harisvâmin:--dhuvate dhûnane(na) upavâgayanti, evam asvam râgânam iva vyaganair etat,--'they shake themselves,' St. Petersb. Dict.; and, indeed, it is doubtless by the flutter of the garments produced in walking round first one way and then another, that the fanning is supposed to be produced.
323:2 Viz. in sunwise fashion (pradakshinâ), that is so as to keep the object circumambulated on one's right side.
323:3 Viz. in the opposite, the 'apradakshinam' way, as is done in the sacrifice to the departed ancestors. They do so with the text, 'We call upon thee, the dear Lord of the dear ones, O my true lord!'
323:4 Viz. another three times in the sunwise way. Having completed their circumambulation, the king's wives cleanse the horse's apertures of the vital airs (mouth, nostrils, eyes, &c.), as the Sacrificer's wife did at the ordinary animal sacrifice (III, 8, 2, 4), which they do with the text, 'We call upon thee, the treasure-lord of treasures, O my true lord!'
323:5 Cf. III, 5, 2, 1 seqq.
NINTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:9:11. But, indeed, that glory, royal power, passes away from him who performs the Asvamedha.13:2:9:22. [The Udgâtri 1 says concerning the king's favourite wife, Vâg. S. XXIII, 26,] 'Raise her upwards 2,'--the Asvamedha, doubtless, is that glory, royal power: that glory, royal power, he thus raises for him (the Sacrificer) upward.
13:2:9:33. 'Even as one taking a burden up a mountain,'--glory (pomp), doubtless, is the burden of royal power: that glory, royal power, he thus fastens on him (as a burden); but he also endows him with that glory, royal power.
13:2:9:44. 'And may the centre of her body prosper,'--the centre of royal power, doubtless, is glory: glory (prosperity), food, he thus lays into the very centre of royal power (or, the kingdom).
13:2:9:55. 'As one winnowing in the cool breeze,'--the cool of royal power, doubtless, is security of
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possession: security of possession he procures for him.
13:2:9:66. [The Adhvaryu addresses one of the attendant maids, Vâg. S. XXIII, 22,] 'That little bird,'--the little bird, doubtless, is the people (or clan),--'which bustles with (the sound) "ahalak,"'--for the people, indeed, bustle for (the behoof of) royal power,--'thrusts the "pasas" into the cleft, and the "dhârakâ" devours it,'--the cleft, doubtless, is the people, and the 'pasas' is royal power; and royal power, indeed, presses hard on the people; whence the wielder of royal power is apt to strike down people.
13:2:9:77. [The Brahman addresses the queen consort, Vâg. S. XXIII, 24,] 'Thy mother and father,'--the mother, doubtless, is this (earth), and the father yonder (sky): by means of these two he causes him to go to heaven;--'mount to the top of the tree,'--the top of royal power, doubtless, is glory: the top of royal power, glory, he thus causes him to attain;--'saying, "I pass along," thy father passed his fist to and fro in the cleft,'--the cleft, doubtless, is the people; and the fist is royal power; and royal power, indeed, presses hard on the people; whence he who wields royal power is apt to strike down people 1.
13:2:9:88. [The chamberlain addresses the king's fourth wife, Vâg. S. XXIII, 30,] 'When the deer eats the corn,'--the grain (growing in the field), doubtless, is the people, and the deer is royal power: he
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thus makes the people to be food for the royal power, whence the wielder of royal power feeds on the people;--'it thinks not of the fat cattle,'--whence the king does not rear cattle;--'when the Sûdra woman is the Arya's mistress, he seeks not riches that he may thrive 1,'--hence he does not anoint the son of a Vaisya woman.
13:2:9:99. But, indeed, the vital airs pass from those who speak impure speech at the sacrifice. [The queen consort having been made to rise by her attendants, the priests and chamberlain say, Vâg. S. XXIII, 32, Rig-v. S. IV, 39, 6,] 'The praises of Dadhikrâvan have I sung, (the victorious, powerful horse: may he make fragrant our mouths, and prolong our lives!),'--thus they finally utter a verse containing the word 'fragrant': it is (their own) speech they purify 2, and the vital airs do not pass from them.
Footnotes
324:1 The colloquy between the men and women, referred to in paragraphs 1-8, would seem to go on simultaneously. The verse addressed by the Hotri to the king's discarded wife, Vâg. S. XXIII, 28, is omitted by the Brâhmana, as are also the verses spoken in reply by the women (with their attendants), and closely resembling those of the men in tone and wording. According to some authorities it is the attendant women alone who reply, not the king's wives. Katy. XX, 6, 20.324:2 Mahîdhara takes the objective pronoun to refer to the Vâvâtâ, whilst Harisvâmin, on the other hand, supplies some such word as 'sâtikam.'
325:1 The Mahishî: Thy mother and father are playing on the top of the tree like thy mouth when thou wilt talk: do not talk so much, Brahman!
326:1 Mahîdhara interprets,--then he (her husband), the Sûdra, does not wish for wealth, but is unhappy.
326:2 That is to say, they make amends for any breaches of decorum committed in the preceding colloquy.
TENTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:10:11. When they prepare the knife-paths, the Sacrificer makes for himself that passage across, a bridge, for the attainment of the heavenly world.13:2:10:22. They prepare them by means of needles; the needles, doubtless, are the people 3 (clans), and the Asvamedha is the royal power: they thus supply him with people and royal power combined. They are made of gold: the meaning of this has been explained.
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13:2:10:33. Three kinds of needles are (used), copper ones, silver ones, and gold ones;--those of copper, doubtless, are the (principal) regions (of the compass), those of silver the intermediate ones, and those of gold the upper ones: it is by means of these (regions) they render it fit and proper. By way of horizontal and vertical (stitches 1) they are many-formed, whence the regions are many-formed; and they are of distinct form, whence the regions are of distinct form.
Footnotes
326:3 Viz. because of the large number and the small size (insignificance) of the needles, or wires, (and the common people), comm.327:1 It is doubtful what word, if any, has to be supplied here,--perhaps it means, by way of their being (in sewing) horizontal and vertical. The commentary is silent on this passage.
ELEVENTH BRÂHMANA.
13:2:11:11. Pragâpati desired, 'Would that I were great, and more numerous!' He perceived those two Mahiman (greatness) cups of Soma at the Asvamedha; he offered them; and thereby, indeed, became great and more numerous: hence whosoever should desire to become great, and more numerous, let him offer up those two Mahiman cups of Soma at the Asvamedha; and he indeed becomes great and more numerous.13:2:11:22. He offers them on both sides (before and after) the omentum;--the Asvamedha, doubtless, is the Sacrificer, and that Mahiman (cup) is the king: it is with royal dignity he thus encompasses him on both sides. Some gods have the svâhâ-call ('hail') in front, and the other gods have the svâhâ-call behind 2: it is them he thus gratifies. With 'Hail
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to the gods!' and 'To the gods hail!' he makes offering by means of the king (Soma) on both sides of the omentum: he thereby gratifies those gods who are in this world, and those who are in the other, and thus gratified, both these kinds of gods lead him to the heavenly world.
Footnotes
327:2 The formula uttered whilst the first Mahiman cup is offered runs thus (Vâg. S. XXIII, 2): 'What greatness of thine there hath p. 328 been in the day and the year; what greatness of thine there hath been in the wind and the air; what greatness of thine there hath been in the heavens and the sun, to that greatness of thine, to Pragâpati, hail, to the gods!' whilst that of the second Mahiman cup runs thus (XXIII, 4): 'What greatness of thine there hath been in the night and the year; what greatness of thine there hath been in the earth and the fire; what greatness of thine there hath been in the Nakshatras (lunar asterisms) and the moon, to that greatness of thine, to Pragâpati, to the gods, hail!' cf. XIII, 5, 2, 23; 3, 7.(My humble salutations to the translator Sreeman Julius Eggeling for the collection)
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