The Satapatha Brahmana - Part 5 -Books -11 to14 - 14th Kanda - 1st and 2nd Adhyaya

The Satapatha Brahmana

 

THE SATAPATHA-BRÂHMANA

ACCORDING TO THE TEXT OF THE MÂDHYANDINA SCHOOL

Translated by

Julius Eggeling

 

Part 5

14^th Kanda

FOURTEENTH KÂNDA.

THE PRAVARGYA.

FIRST ADHYÂYA, FIRST BRÂHMANA.

14:1:1:11. The gods Agni, Indra, Soma, Makha, Vishnu, and the Visve Devâh, except the two Asvins, performed a sacrificial session 1.
14:1:1:22. Their place of divine worship was Kurukshetra.. Therefore people say that Kurukshetra is the gods’ place of divine worship: hence wherever in Kurukshetra one settles there one thinks, 'This is a place for divine worship;' for it was the gods’ place of divine worship.
14:1:1:33. They entered upon the session 2 thinking, 'May we attain excellence! may we become glorious! may we become eaters of food!' And in like manner do these (men) now enter upon the sacrificial session thinking, 'May we attain excellence! may we become glorious! may we become eaters of food!'
14:1:1:44. They spake, 'Whoever of us, through austerity, fervour, faith, sacrifice, and oblations, shall first compass the end of the sacrifice, he shall be the most excellent of us, and shall then be in common to us all.' 'So be it,' they said.
14:1:1:55. Vishnu first attained it, and he became the
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most excellent of the gods; whence people say, 'Vishnu is the most excellent of the gods.'
14:1:1:66. Now he who is this Vishnu is the sacrifice; and he who is this sacrifice is yonder Âditya (the sun). But, indeed, Vishnu was unable to control that (love of) glory of his; and so even now not every one can control that (love of) glory of his.
14:1:1:77. Taking his bow, together with three arrows, he stepped forth. He stood, resting his head on the end of the bow. Not daring to attack him, the gods sat themselves down all around him.
14:1:1:88. Then the ants said--these ants (vamrî), doubtless, were that (kind called) 'upadîkâ 1'--'What would ye give to him who should gnaw the bowstring?'--'We would give him the (constant) enjoyment of food, and he would find water even in the desert: so we would give him every enjoyment of food.'--'So be it,' they said.
14:1:1:99. Having gone nigh unto him, they gnawed his bowstring. When it was cut, the ends of the bow, springing asunder, cut off Vishnu's head.
14:1:1:1010. It fell with (the sound) 'ghriṅ'; and on falling it became yonder sun. And the rest (of the body) lay stretched out (with the top part) towards the east. And inasmuch as it fell with (the sound) 'ghriṅ,' therefrom the Gharma 2 (was called); and inasmuch as he was stretched out (pra-vrig,), therefrom the Pravargya (took its name).
14:1:1:1111. The gods spake, 'Verily, our great hero
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[paragraph continues] (mahân virah) has fallen:' therefrom the Mahâvîra pot (was named). And the vital sap which flowed from him they wiped up (sam-mrig) with their hands, whence the Samrâg 1.
14:1:1:1212. The gods rushed forward to him, even as those eager to secure some gain (will do) 2. Indra reached him first. He applied himself to him limb after limb, and encompassed him 3, and, in encompassing him, he became (possessed of) that glory of his. And, verily, he who knows this becomes (possessed of) that glory which Indra is (possessed of).
14:1:1:1313. And Makha (sacrifice), indeed, is the same as Vishnu: hence Indra became Makhavat (possessed of makha), since Makhavat is he who is mystically called Maghavat 4, for the gods love the mystic.
14:1:1:1414. They gave to those ants the enjoyment of food; but, indeed, all food is water, for it is by moistening (the food) therewith that one eats here whatever one does eat.
14:1:1:1515. This Vishnu, the (Soma-) sacrifice, they then divided amongst themselves into three parts: the Vasus (received) the morning-pressing, the Rudras the midday-pressing, and the Âdityas the third pressing.
14:1:1:1616. Agni (received) the morning-pressing, Indra
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the midday-pressing, and the Visve Devâh the third pressing.
14:1:1:1717. The Gâyatrî (received) the morning-pressing, the Trishtubh the midday-pressing, and the Gagatî the third pressing. The gods went on worshipping and toiling with that headless sacrifice.
14:1:1:1818. Now Dadhyañk Âtharvana knew this pure essence 1, this Sacrifice,--how this head of the Sacrifice is put on again, how this Sacrifice becomes complete.
14:1:1:1919. He then was spoken to by Indra saying, 'If thou teachest this (sacrificial mystery) to any one else, I shall cut off thy head.'
14:1:1:2020. Now this was heard by the Asvins,--'Verily, Dadhyañk Âtharvana knows this pure essence, this Sacrifice,--how this head of the Sacrifice is put on again, how this Sacrifice becomes complete.'
14:1:1:2121. They went up to him and said, 'We two will become thy pupils.'--'What are ye wishing to learn?' he asked.--'This pure essence, this Sacrifice,--how this head of the Sacrifice is put on again, how this Sacrifice becomes complete,' they replied.
14:1:1:2222. He said, 'I was spoken to by Indra saying, ‘If thou teachest this to any one else, I shall cut off thy head;’ therefore I am afraid lest he should indeed cut off my head: I cannot take you as my pupils.'
14:1:1:2323. They said, 'We two shall protect thee from him.'--'How will ye protect me?' he replied.--They said, 'When thou wilt have received us as thy
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pupils, we shall cut off thy head and put it aside elsewhere; then we shall fetch the head of a horse, and put it on thee: therewith thou wilt teach us; and when thou wilt have taught us, then Indra will cut off that head of thine; and we shall fetch thine own head, and put it on thee again.'--'So be it,' he replied.
14:1:1:2424. He then received them (as his pupils); and when he had received them, they cut off his head, and put it aside elsewhere; and having fetched the head of a horse, they put it on him: therewith he taught them; and when he had taught them, Indra cut off that head of his; and having fetched his own head, they put it on him again,
14:1:1:2525. Therefore it is concerning this that the Rishi has said (Rig-v. I, 116, 12), 'That Dadhyañk Âtharvana, with a horse's head, anywise spoke forth unto you two the sweet doctrine:'--'Unrestrainedly he spoke this,' is what is thereby meant.
14:1:1:2626. One must not teach this to any and every one, since that would be sinful, and lest Indra should cut off his head; but one may only teach it to one who is known to him, and who has studied sacred writ, and who may be dear to him, but not to any and every one.
14:1:1:2727. He may teach it to one dwelling with him (as a pupil) for a year; for the year is he that shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thereby gratifies, and therefore he may teach it to one dwelling with him for a year.
14:1:1:2828. For three nights he keeps the rule (of abstinence); for there are three seasons in the year, and the year is he that shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that one: it is him he thereby
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gratifies, and therefore he keeps the rule for three nights.
14:1:1:2929. Hot 1 (water) he sips, thinking, 'I will teach it as one practising austerities.' He teaches it whilst abstaining from flesh-food, thinking, 'I will teach it as one practising austerities;'
14:1:1:3030. And whilst not drinking out of earthen (vessels); for whatever untruth (man) speaks on this (earth) is, as it were, immixed with her: therefore (one should do so) whilst not drinking out of earthen (vessels);
14:1:1:3131. And whilst not coming into contact with Sûdras and remains of food; for this Gharma is he that shines yonder, and he is excellence, truth, and light; but woman, the Sûdra, the dog, and the black bird (the crow), are untruth: he should not look at these, lest he should mingle excellence and sin, light and darkness, truth and untruth.
14:1:1:3232. And, verily, he that shines yonder is glory; and as to that glory, Âditya (the sun), that glory is just the sacrifice; and as to that glory, the sacrifice, that glory is just the Sacrificer; and as to that glory, the Sacrificer, that glory is just the officiating priests; and as to that glory, the officiating priests, that glory is just the sacrificial gifts: hence, if they bring up to him a dakshinâ he must not, at least on the same day, make over these (objects) to any one else lest he should make over to some one else that glory which has come to him; but rather on the morrow, or the day after: he thus gives it away after having made that glory his own, whatever it be--gold, a cow, a garment, or a horse.
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14:1:1:3333. And, verily, he who either teaches or partakes of this (Pravargya), enters that life, and that light. The observance of the rule thereof (is as follows). Let him not cover himself (with a garment) whilst the sun shines, lest he should be concealed from that (sun). Let him not spit whilst the sun shines, lest he should spit upon him. Let him not discharge urine whilst the sun shines, lest he discharge it upon him. For so long as he shines, so great he (the sun) is: thinking, 'Lest I should injure him by these (acts),' let him take food at night, after striking a light, whereby it is made to be a form of him who shines yonder. But on this point Âsuri used to say,--One rule the gods indeed keep, to wit, the truth: let him therefore speak nothing but the truth.

Footnotes

441:1 For this legend, see J. Muir, Orig. Sansk. Texts, vol. iv, p. 124,
441:2 Lit., they were sitting (for the session): 'âs' (like 'sad') is here used in its technical sense, and not in its ordinary sense 'to sit, to be';--'They were [there. They said],' J. M.
442:1 That is, a certain species of ants that are supposed to find water wherever they dig. Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, p. 139.
442:2 That is, the draught of hot milk boiled in the Mahâvîra pot, and hence often used as a synonym for the latter or the Pravargya.
443:1 That is, emperor, or lord paramount, as the Pravargya is named, in the same way as the Soma-plant (and juice) is styled King.
443:2 Cf. IV, 1, 3, 5. The construction is hardly so irregular as it is represented there.
443:3 That is, he enclosed him (in his own self), he took him in (gobbled him up).
443:4 I.e. 'the mighty (lord),' an epithet of Indra.
444:1 Viz. the Madhu ('honey') or sweet doctrine of the Pravargya, or pot of boiled milk and ghee.
446:1 During the performance of the Pravargya ceremony boiling water has to be used whenever water is required.

SECOND BRÂHMANA.

THE MAKING OF THE POT.

14:1:2:11. He equips (the Mahâvîra) with its equipments;--inasmuch as he equips it therewith from this and that quarter, that is the equipping nature of the equipments 1 (sambhâra): wheresoever anything of the sacrifice is inherent, therewith he equips it 2.
14:1:2:22. He gets ready a black antelope-skin,--for the black antelope-skin is the sacrifice 3: it is at the
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sacrifice he thus prepares (the pot);--with its hairy side (upwards),--for the hairs are the metres: on the metres he thus prepares it;--(spread out) on the left (north) side 1,--for the north is the quarter of men;--on (the skin) with its neck-part to the east 2, for that (tends) towards the gods.
14:1:2:33. With a spade (he digs out the clay), for the spade is a thunderbolt, and the thunderbolt is vigour: with vigour he thus supplies and completes it (the Pravargya).
14:1:2:44. It is made of Udumbara (Ficus glomerata) wood, for the Udumbara is strength 3: with strength, with vital sap, he thus supplies and completes it.
14:1:2:55. Or of Vikaṅkata (Flacourtia sapida) wood; for when Pragâpati performed his first offering, a Vikaṅkata tree sprang forth from that place where, after offering, he cleansed (his hands); now an offering is a sacrifice, and (consequently) the Vikaṅkata is
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the sacrifice: with the sacrifice he thus supplies and completes it.
14:1:2:66. It is a cubit long, for a cubit means the (fore-) arm, and with the arm strength is exerted: it (the spade) thus is composed of strength, and with strength he thus supplies and completes it.
14:1:2:77. He takes it up, with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 1), 'At the impulse of the god Savitri, I take thee by the arms of the Asvins, by the hands of Pûshan: thou art a woman;'--the import (of this formula) is the same as before 1.
14:1:2:88. Having placed it in his left hand, he touches it with the right, and mutters (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 2), 'They harness the mind, and they harness the thoughts, the priests of the priest, of the great inspirer of devotion; the knower of the rites alone hath assigned the priestly offices: great is the praise of the god Savitri;'--the import of this is the same as before 2.
14:1:2:99. He then takes the lump of clay with the (right) hand and spade on the right (south) side, and with the (left) hand alone on the left (north) side 3, with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 3), 'O divine Heaven and Earth,'--for when the sacrifice had its head cut off, its sap flowed away, and entered the sky and the earth: what clay (firm matter) there was that is this (earth), and what water there was that is yonder (sky); hence it is of clay and water that the Mahâvîra (vessels) are made: he thus supplies and
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completes it (the Pravargya) with that sap; wherefore he says, 'O divine Heaven and Earth,'--'May I this day compass for you Makha's head,'--Makha being the sacrifice, he thus says, 'May I this day accomplish for you 1 the head of the sacrifice;'--'on the Earth's place of divine worship,'--for on a place of divine worship of the earth he prepares it;--'for Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!'--Makha being the sacrifice, he thus says, 'For the sacrifice (I consecrate) thee, for the head of the sacrifice (I consecrate) thee.'
14:1:2:1010. Then an ant-hill 2 (he takes, and puts on the skin), with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 4), 'Ye divine ants,'--for it was they that produced this: just in accordance with the way in which the head of the sacrifice was there cut off, he now supplies and completes it with those (ants);--'the firstborn of the world,'--the firstborn of the world, doubtless, is this earth 3: it thus is therewith that
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he supplies and completes it;--'may I this day compass for you Makha's head on the Earth's place of divine worship:--for Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!'--the import of this is the same as before.
14:1:2:1111. Then (earth) torn up by a boar (he takes), with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 5), 'Only thus large was she in the beginning,'--for, indeed, only so large was this earth in the beginning, of the size of a span. A boar, called Emûsha, raised her up, and he was her lord Pragâpati: with that mate, his heart's delight, he thus supplies and completes him 1;--'may I this day compass for you Makha's head on the Earth's place of divine worship: for Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before.
14:1:2:1212. Then Âdâra 2 (-plants), with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 6), 'Indra's might ye are,'--for when Indra encompassed him (Vishnu) with might, then the vital sap of him, thus encompassed, flowed away; and he lay there stinking, as it were. He said, 'Verily, after bursting open (â-dar), as it were, this vital sap has sung praises:' thence Âdâra (-plants originated); and because he lay there stinking (pûy), as it were, therefore (they are also called) Pûtîka; and hence, when placed on the fire
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as an offering, they blaze; and hence also they are fragrant, for they originated from the vital sap of the sacrifice. And inasmuch as Indra, on that occasion, encompassed him with might, therefore he says, 'Indra's might ye are;'--'may I this day compass for you Makha's head on the Earth's place of divine worship: for Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before.
14:1:2:1313. Then goat's milk;---for when the sacrifice had its head cut off, its heat went out of it, wherefrom the goat was produced: it is with that heat 1 that he thereby supplies and completes it;--with, 'For Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before.
14:1:2:1414. These, then, are the five equipments with which he equips (the Pravargya),--fivefold is the sacrifice, and fivefold the victims, and five seasons are in the year, and the year is he that shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies. These (objects), thus brought together, he touches with, 'For Makha (I consecrate) thee! for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before.
14:1:2:1515. Now there is an enclosed space 2 on the north
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side: whilst proceeding towards that (shed) they mutter (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 7; Rig-v. I, 40, 3), 'May Brahmanaspati go forward!'--Brahmanaspati (the lord of devotion) doubtless is he that shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that one: it is him he thus gratifies; hence he says, 'May Brahmanaspati go forward;'--'may the goddess Gladness go forward!'--for the goddess Gladness she (Vâk 1) is;--'unto the hero 2, kindly to men and the dispenser of fivefold (offerings),'--he thereby praises and magnifies it (the Pravargya),--'unto the sacrifice may the gods lead us!'--he thereby makes all the gods its guardians.
14:1:2:1616. It is an enclosed space;--for at that time the gods were afraid, thinking, 'We hope that the fiends, the Rakshas, will not injure here this our (Pravargya):' they accordingly enclosed for it this stronghold, and in like manner does this (Sacrificer) now enclose for it this stronghold.
14:1:2:1717. He then deposits (the sambhâras 3) on the mound with, 'For Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before. He then takes a lump of clay and makes the Mahâvîra (pot) with, 'For Makha thee! for Makha's head thee,'--the import of this is
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the same as before;--a span high 1, for the head is, as it were, a span high;--contracted in the middle 2, for the head is, as it were, contracted in the middle. At the top he then draws it out (so as to form) a spout 3 of three thumbs’ breadths (high): he thereby makes a nose to this (Mahâvîra, or Pravargya). When it is complete, he touches it with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 8), 'Makha's head thou art,'--for it indeed is the head of Makha Saumya (the Soma-sacrifice). In the same way (he makes) the other two (Mahâvîra pots 4); silently two milking-bowls (pinvana 5), and silently two Rauhina-plates 6.
14:1:2:1818. Verily this sacrifice is Pragâpati, and Pragâpati
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is both of this, defined and undefined, limited and unlimited 1. Whatever one does with a Yagus formula, by that one makes up that form of him (Pragâpati) which is defined and limited; and whatever one does silently, by that one makes up that form of him which is undefined and unlimited: verily, then, whosoever, knowing this, does it on this wise, makes up that whole and complete Pragâpati. But he also leaves over a lump of spare (clay) for expiations.
14:1:2:1919. He then smooths 2 it by means of Gavedhukâ grass (Coix barbata),--for when the sacrifice had its head cut off, its vital sap flowed away, and therefrom those plants grew up: with that vital sap he thus supplies and completes it;--with, 'For Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before, In the same way the other two (Mahâvîra pots); silently the two milking-bowls, silently the two Rauhina-plates.
14:1:2:2020. He then fumigates these (vessels) with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 9), 'With dung of the stallion, the impregnator, I fumigate thee,'--for the
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stallion is an impregnator, and the impregnator means vigour: with vigour he thus supplies and completes it,--'on the Earth's place of divine worship: for Makha thee, for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before. In the same way (he fumigates) the other two (Mahâvîra pots); silently the two milking-bowls, and silently the two Rauhina-plates.
14:1:2:2121. He then bakes them, for what is baked belongs to the gods. He bakes them by means of bricks, for they it was that did so on that occasion 1: just in accordance with the way in which the head of the sacrifice was there cut off, he now supplies and completes it with those (bricks), But, indeed, let him bake them with anything 2 whereby they may become properly baked. Having laid down the fuel for baking 3, he puts down the Mahâvîra (pot), with, 'For Makha thee, for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before. In the same way the other two Mahâvîra (pots); silently the two milking-bowls, silently the two Rauhina-plates. By day he should bury them (in the hole), and by day he should take them out, for the day belongs to the gods.
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14:1:2:2222. He takes out (the first pot) with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 10), 'For the righteous one (I take) thee,'--the righteous one, doubtless, is yonder world, for the righteous one means truth; and he that shines yonder is the truth, and the first Pravargya is that (god): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'For the righteous one (I take) thee.'
14:1:2:2323. With, 'For the efficient one thee' (he takes out the second pot),--the efficient one (sâdhu), doubtless, is he (Vâyu, the wind) that purifies here by blowing, for as a permanent one (siddha) he blows through these worlds; and the second Pravargya is that (god): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'For the efficient one (I take) thee.'
14:1:2:2424. With, 'For a good abode thee!' (he takes out the third pot),--the good abode, doubtless, is this (terrestrial) world, for it is in this world that all creatures abide; and the good abode also is Agni (fire), for Agni abides with all creatures 1 in this world; and the third Pravargya is that (god): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'For a good abode thee.' Silently (he takes out) the two milking-bowls, and silently the two Rauhina-plates.
14:1:2:2525. He then pours goat's milk upon them 2 (the
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first) with, 'For Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!' the import of this is the same as before. In the same way the other two; silently the two milking-bowls, and silently the two Rauhina-plates.
14:1:2:2626. And, verily, whosoever either teaches, or partakes of, this (Pravargya) enters that life, and that light: the observance of the rule thereof is the same as at the creation 1.

Footnotes

447:1 See part i, p. 276, note 1. Here, as formerly, it has not been thought desirable to adhere throughout to the technical rendering of 'sam-bhri'
447:2 Pravargya being masculine, the original would, of course, have 'him' here and throughout, the ceremony (just like the sacrifice in general) being indeed looked upon as a person.
447:3 See part i, p. 23, note 2. In making the Gharma, or Mahâvîra, p. 448 pot, on the present occasion, the order of proceeding is to a considerable extent the same as that followed at the Agnikayana, in providing the materials for, and making, the fire-pan, for which, see VI, 3, 3, 1 seqq. Cf. also the Âpastamba Srautas. XV, with Garbe's Translation and Notes, Journal of Germ. Or. Soc., vol. xxxiv.
448:1 That is, immediately north of the lump of clay (previously prepared by a potter) and the other objects to be used for making the Mahâvîra pot, which have been previously deposited near the antahpâtya peg marking the middle of the west or hinder side of the Mahâvedi.
448:2 The locative, instead of the accusative, is rather strange here. As it stands, the locative is evidently parallel to 'yagñe' and 'khandahsu,' and one has therefore to supply--he collects (prepares) the Pravargya, viz. by putting the lump of clay and the other objects thereon.
448:3 See VI, 6, 3, 2 seqq.
449:1 See I, 1, 2, 17; VI, 3, 1, 38 seq.
449:2 See III, 5, 3, 11-12.
449:3 Between the two actions referred to in paragraphs 8 and 9, the digging up of the clay takes place, and hence the spade, or trowel, has changed hands. Cf. VI, 4, 2, 2.
450:1 The pronouns in this and the subsequent corresponding formulas (vâm, vah, te) are taken by Mahîdhara as accusatives ('te' according to him standing for 'tvâm') to which he supplies 'âdâya'--'having taken you, may I this day compass Makha's head.' The pronouns are certainly somewhat awkward, as they can scarcely be taken as genitives of material--of you, of thee.
450:2 See VI, 3, 3, 5, where 'valmîkavapâ' is qualified by 'sushirâ,' hollow. The comm. on Kâty. XXVI, 1, 2 explains 'valmîkavapâ' as the vapâ (omentum)-like inner lump (? surrounded by a kind of net) of an ant-hill: in the present case, this substance is likewise placed on the black antelope-skin to be mixed with the clay.
450:3 Whilst in the text of the formula this word must be taken as being plural 'prathamagâh,' the Brâhmana (making use of the Sandhi-form) treats it as if it were singular 'prathamagâ.' Mahîdhara also, apparently influenced by the Brâhmana, explains, 'the earth is the firstborn of creatures, and, from their connection with it, ants also are called firstborn.'
451:1 That is, he supplies Pragâpati (and hence also his counterpart, the Sacrificer) with the Earth, his mate. See J. Muir, Orig. Sansk. Texts, vol. i, p. 53; vol. iv, p. 27; and cp. Taitt. I, 10, 8, where the earth is said to have been uplifted by a black boar with a thousand arms.
451:2 At IV, 5, 10, 4 we met with this plant--here also called Pûtîka, and explained, by the comm. on Kâty., as = the flowers (!) of the Rohisha plant (? Guilandina, or Caesalpinia, Bonducella)--as a substitute for Soma-plants.
452:1 Thus perhaps 'suk' should also have been rendered at VI, 4, 4, 7, where it is used in connection with the ass.
452:2 Viz. a space five cubits square enclosed with mats on all sides, and with a door on the east side, the ground being raised in the middle so as to form a mound covered with sand (cf. III, 1, 2, 2). The object of this enclosed space is to prevent any unauthorised person (such as the Sacrificer's wife, and people uninstructed in the scriptures) from seeing the manufacturing of the Mahîvîra (during which the door is kept closed), as well as the completed pot. p. 453 The place is to the north of the antahpâtya peg, the black antelope-skin being spread to the south of it (and immediately north of the materials used in making the pot).
453:1 Thus Mahîdhara, on Vâg. S. XXXIII, 89.
453:2 'Vîra,' apparently an allusion to 'Mahâ-vira' (great hero), the name of the pot used at the Pravargya.
453:3 Viz. as placed on the black antelope-skin which is carried northwards to the enclosed place by the Adhvaryu and his assistants taking hold of it on all sides.
454:1 That is, from bottom to top, a belt (mekhalâ) running round it at the distance of three thumbs' breadths from the top (Mahîdhara, and comm. on Katy.). This top part above the belt--here simply called 'mouth,' whilst in the Âpast. Sr. XV, 2, 14 it is called 'back' (sânu)--ends in a hole for pouring the liquid in and out.
454:2 That is, for taking hold of it (mushtigrahanayogyam, comm. on Katy.).
454:3 'Mukha,' for which Katy. XXVI, 1, 16 has 'âsekana' explained by the commentator as a hole (garta; comm. on Âsv. Grihyas. IV, 3 bila), apparently serving as the mouth, or open part of the vessel which seems to be otherwise closed. The edge of the hole would seem to protract sufficiently from the surface to suggest a similarity to the nose. In making the vessel, it seems first to be left solid, the open part which is to hold the milk being then hollowed out by means of a reed from the top hole to the depth of less than the upper half, the remainder remaining solid. Cf. Âsv. Sr. XV, 3, 4.
454:4 Only the first of the three pots is, however, actually used; unless it gets broken by accident.
454:5 According to the comm. on Katy. Sr., these vessels are of the form of the (hand-shaped) bowl of an offering-ladle (sruk, cf. part i, p. 67, note 2).
454:6 The Rauhina-kapâlas are two round, flat dishes for baking the Rauhina cakes on.
455:1 Cf. J. Muir, Orig. Sansk. Texts, vol. v, p. 393, where a passage is quoted from Prof. Cowell's translation of the Maitri-Upanishad (VI, 3), 'There are two forms of Brahma, the embodied (mûrta) and the unembodied (amûrta): the former is unreal (asatya), the latter real (satya).'--Cf. Sat. Br. VI, 5, 3, 7.
455:2 The Sûtras use the verbs 'slakshnayati, slakshnîkurvanti' (to make smooth, or soft), and this, I think, must indeed be the meaning of 'hinv.' It would also suit very well the passage III, 5, 1, 35, where it is said that the Vedi is a woman, and that, by sprinkling the former with water, one 'makes her smooth' for the gods. The polishing of the vessels is done by rubbing them with Gavedhukâ grass, whether with the spike, stem, or leaves is not specified.
456:1 That is, when the Ukhâ was baked, cf. VI, 5, 4, 1; or, perhaps,--they it was that (the gods) made at this juncture. The former translation is more in accordance with what follows, though one would expect 'etad' to mean 'at this time.'
456:2 That is, without using bricks (?).
456:3 Viz. in a square hole dug for the purpose east of the Gârhapatya; the pot being then placed bottom upwards on the burning material, dry herbs, wood, &c. According to Âsv. Sr. XV, 3, 20 such materials are to be used as, whilst being burnt, dye red.
457:1 The accusative with 'kshi' (to inhabit) is rather peculiar here.
457:2 As the pots are, however, standing with their open parts upwards, on sand north of the hole in which they were baked, it would chiefly be inside that they would receive the milk, being thereby cooled (cf. VI, 5, 4, 15). According to Âpastamba, sand is in the first place heaped up around them in the sunwise fashion, i.e. keeping them on the right side whilst strewing it.
458:1 That is to say, as would seem,--even as, in creating the universe, Pragâpati reconstructs his body, or constructs himself a new body, so the Sacrificer, in keeping up the observance of the Pravargya, constructs himself a new body for the future life.

THIRD BRÂHMANA.

14:1:3:11. Now at the time when he there 2 proceeds with the guest-meal, he who intends to perform the Pravargya, prior to the Upasads 3, spreads Kusa grass with its tops directed towards the east, in front of the Gârhapatya, and places the vessels thereon in pairs 4,--the Upayamanî (tray) and the Mahâvîra (pot), the pair of lifting-sticks 5, the
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two milking-bowls, the two Rauhina-plates, the two offering spoons for the Rauhina (cakes), and whatever other (implement) there is,--these make ten, for the Virâg consists of ten syllables, and the sacrifice is Virâg: he thus makes this to be equal to the Virâg, the sacrifice. And as to their being in pairs,--a pair means strength, for when two take hold of each other they exert strength; and a pair (couple) means a productive union: with a productive union he thus supplies and completes it.
14:1:3:22. Then the Adhvaryu takes the (lustral) sprinkling water, and, stepping up, says, 'Brahman, we shall proceed: Hotri, sing praises!' for the Brahman is seated on the right (south) side as the guardian of the sacrifice: to him he thus says, 'Sit thou undistracted: we are about to restore the head of the Sacrifice;' and 'Hotri, sing praises!' he says, because the Hotri is the sacrifice: he thus thereby says to him, 'Restore the head of the sacrifice!' and accordingly the Hotri begins to recite--
14:1:3:33. [Vâg. S. XIII, 3,] ‘The Brahman, firstborn from afore 1,--the Brahman, doubtless, is yonder
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sun, and he is born day by day from afore (in the east); and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'The Brahman (n.), firstborn from afore.' He then sprinkles (the vessels): the import of this is the same as before 1.
14:1:3:44. He sprinkles (the chief Mahâvîra) with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 11), 'For Yama thee!'--Yama, doubtless, is he who shines yonder, for it is he who controls (yam) everything here, and by him everything here is controlled; and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'For Yama (I sprinkle) thee.'
14:1:3:55. 'For Makha thee!'--Makha, doubtless, is he who shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that one: it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'For Makha thee.'
14:1:3:66. 'For Sûrya's heat thee!'--Sûrya, doubtless, is he who shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that one: it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'For Sûrya's heat thee.'
14:1:3:77. Having taken out a post 2 by the front door (of the sâlâ), he drives it into the ground on the south side (of the sâlâ 3), so that the Hotri, whilst singing praises, may look upon it; for the Hotri is the sacrifice, and he thereby restores the sacrifice to this (earth), and she causes the Gharma (milk) to rise.
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14:1:3:88. Having turned round the Emperor's throne-seat 1 in front of the Âhavanîya, he places it south thereof, and north of the King's (Soma's) throne-seat 2, so as to face the east.
14:1:3:99. It is made of Udumbara wood, for the Udumbara means strength: with strength, with vital sap, he thus supplies and completes it (the Pravargya).
14:1:3:1010. It is shoulder-high, for on the shoulders this head is set: he thus sets the head upon the shoulders.
14:1:3:1111. It is wound all over with cords 3 of Balvaga grass (Eleusine indica). When the sacrifice had its head cut off, its vital sap flowed out, and thence these plants grew up: with that life-sap he thus supplies and completes it.
14:1:3:1212 And as to why he places it north (of Soma's seat),--Soma is the sacrifice, and the Pravargya is its head; but the head is higher (uttara): therefore he places it north (uttara) of it. Moreover, Soma is king, and the Pravargya is emperor, and the imperial dignity is higher than the royal: therefore he places it north of it 4.
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14:1:3:1313. And when the Hotri recites this (verse, Rig-v. V, 43, 7), 'Whom the priests anoint, as if spreading him . . .,' he anoints that Mahâvîra which is to be used, all over with ghee 1, with, 'May the god Savitri anoint thee with honey!' for Savitri is the impeller of the gods, and honey means everything whatever there is here: he thus anoints it (or him) all over with everything here, and Savitri, as the impeller, impels it for him,--this is why he says, 'May the god Savitri anoint thee with honey!'
14:1:3:1414. Now sand has been strewed 2 on the north side of it: below that he (previously) throws (a plate of) white gold 3, with, 'Protect it from contact with the earth!' For at that time the gods were afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, might injure that (Pravargya) of theirs from below; and that, to wit, gold, being Agni's seed, it (serves) for repelling the fiends, the Rakshas. But, indeed, the Earth also was afraid of this lest this (Pravargya), when heated and glowing 4, might injure
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her: he thus keeps it separate from her. White it is, for white, as it were 1, is this earth.
14:1:3:1515. And when the Hotri recites this (verse, Rig-v. I, 36, 9), 'Sit thee down: thou art great . . .,' sheaths of reed-grass are kindled on both sides 2, and throwing them (on the mound), he puts (the Mahâvîra pot) thereon. When the sacrifice had its head cut off, its life-sap flowed away, and therefrom these plants grew up: with that life-sap he thus supplies and completes it.
14:1:3:1616. And as to why they are kindled on both sides: he thereby repels the Rakshas, the fiends, from all the quarters. Whilst this (pot) is being heated, the (Sacrificer's) wife covers her head, thinking, 'Lest this one, when heated and glowing, should rob me of my eyesight,' for it indeed becomes heated and glowing.
14:1:3:1717. He puts it on with, 'Flame thou art, glow thou art, heat thou art;'--for the Gharma is he who shines yonder, and he indeed is all that: it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'Flame thou art, glow thou art, heat thou art.'
14:1:3:1818. He (the Sacrificer) then invokes blessings on this (earth) 3, for the sacrifice is this (earth): it is thus (whilst being) on her that he invokes blessings, and she fulfils them all for him.
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14:1:3:1919. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 12,] 'Unmolested thou art in front (in the east),'--for unmolested by the Rakshas, the fiends, indeed, this (earth) is in front;--'in Agni's over-lordship,'--he thus makes Agni her over-lord for the warding off of the fiends, the Rakshas;--'grant thou life unto me!'--he thus secures life for himself, and accordingly he attains the full (term of) life.
14:1:3:2020. 'Possessed of sons towards the south,'--in this there is nothing hidden, so to speak;--'in Indra's over-lordship,'--he thus makes Indra her over-lord for the warding off of the fiends, the Rakshas;--'grant thou offspring unto me!'--he thus secures offspring and cattle for himself, and accordingly he becomes possessed of sons and of cattle.
14:1:3:2121. 'Well to live on behind (towards the western region),'--in this there is nothing hidden, so to speak;--'in god Savitri's over-lordship;'--the god Savitri he thus makes her over-lord for the warding off of the fiends, the Rakshas;--'grant thou eyesight unto me!'--he thus secures eyesight for himself, and accordingly he becomes possessed of eyesight.
14:1:3:2222. 'A sphere of hearing towards the north,'--'causing (sacrificial calls) to be heard 1,' is what he thereby means to say;--'in the creator's over-lordship,'--the creator he thus
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makes her over-lord for the warding off of the fiends, the Rakshas; 'grant thou prosperity (increase) of wealth unto me!'--wealth, prosperity, he thus secures for himself, and accordingly he becomes wealthy and prosperous.
14:1:3:2323. 'Disposition above,'--'disposing 1 above' is what he thereby means to say;--'in Brihaspati's over-lordship,'--Brihaspati he thus makes her over-lord for the warding off of the fiends, the Rakshas;--'grant me vigour!'--vigour he thereby secures to himself, and accordingly he becomes vigorous, strong.
14:1:3:2424. On the right (south) side (of the Mahâvîra) he (the Sacrificer) then makes amends by (laying down) the hand with the palm upwards, with, 'Shield me from all evil spirits!' whereby he means to say, 'Protect me from all troubles!' When the sacrifice had its head cut off, its life-sap flowed away, and went to the Fathers, but the Fathers are three in number 2: it is with these that he thus supplies and completes it (the Pravargya).
14:1:3:2525. Thereupon, whilst touching her (the earth) 3,
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[paragraph continues] 'Thou art Manu's mare,' for, having become a mare, she (the earth) indeed carried Manu, and he is her lord, Pragâpati: with that mate, his heart's delight, he thus supplies and completes him (Pragâpati, the Pravargya, and Sacrificer).
14:1:3:2626. He then lays pieces of (split) Vikaṅkata wood round (the Mahâvîra), two pointing to the east 1, with (Vâg. S. XXXVII, 13), 'Hail! be thou encompassed by the Maruts!'--the call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last 2; for the call of 'hail!' is he who shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies; and hence he places the call of 'hail!' first, and the deity last.
14:1:3:2727. 'Be thou encompassed by the Maruts,' he says; for the Maruts are the (common) people: he thus surrounds the nobility by the people, whence the nobility here is surrounded on both sides by the people. Silently (he lays down) two pointing to the north 3, silently (again) two pointing to the east, silently two pointing to the north, silently two pointing to the east.
14:1:3:2828. He makes them to amount to thirteen, for there are thirteen months in the year, and the
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year is he who shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies, and hence he makes them to amount to thirteen.
14:1:3:2929. He then places a gold plate (weighing a hundred grains) on the top (of the pot), with, 'Protect it from contact with the sky!' For at that time the gods were afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, might injure that (Pravargya) of theirs from above; and that--to wit, gold--being Agni's seed, it (serves) for repelling the fiends, the Rakshas. But, indeed, the Sky also was afraid of this lest this (Pravargya), when heated and glowing, might injure it: he thus keeps it separate therefrom. It is yellow, for yellow, as it were, is the sky.
14:1:3:3030. He (the Adhvaryu) then fans (the fire) thrice by means of (three) fans 1, whilst muttering, 'Honey!' each time; for honey means breath: he thus lays breath into it. Three (fans) there are, for there are three breathings, the out (and in)-breathing, the up-breathing and the through-breathing: it is these he thus lays into it.
14:1:3:3131. They then fan it thrice 2 in the non-sunwise way. When the sacrifice had its head cut off, its life-sap flowed away, and went to the Fathers,--the Fathers being three in number 3: with them he thus supplies it.
14:1:3:3232. But, indeed, the breathings depart from those who perform the fanning at the sacrifice. They
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fan again thrice in the sunwise way,--this makes six; and six in number are these breathings (vital airs) in the head: it is these he thus lays into it. They cook the two Rauhina (cakes). When a blaze is produced, he takes off the gold (plate).
14:1:3:3333. And when the Hotri recites this (verse, Rig-v. I, 112, 24), 'Successful, O Asvins, make ye our voice,' the Adhvaryu steps up, and says, 'The Gharma is aglow 1.' If it be aglow, he may know that the Sacrificer will become more prosperous; and if it be not aglow, he may know that he will become poorer; and if it be neither aglow nor the reverse, he may know that he (the Sacrificer) will become neither more prosperous nor poorer: but indeed (the pot) should be fanned so (long) as to be aglow.
14:1:3:3434. And, verily, whosoever either teaches, or partakes of, this (Pravargya) enters that life, and that light: the observance thereof is the same as at the creation 2.

Footnotes

458:2 That is, at the Soma-sacrifice, of the preliminary day (upavasatha) of which the guest-meal to, or hospitable reception (âtithya) of, King Soma forms part (see part ii, p. 85 seqq.). The assumption here is, that the performance of the Pravargya takes place on that day before the Pressing-day, whilst in reality it has been performed for at least two days before that.
458:3 See III, 4, 4, 1. The Upasads are performed twice daily, for at least three days, up to the day before the Soma-sacrifice; and if the Pravargya is to be performed likewise, it precedes immediately each performance of the Upasad. Cf. also XIV, 3, 1, 1 with note.
458:4 Prior to this, the doors of the sâlâ are to be closed, to keep the Mahâvîra from being seen; see p. 452, note 2. The entire performance of the Pravargya indeed has to be kept secret from the eyes of unauthorised persons.
458:5 The 'parîsâsau' (also called 'saphau,' XIV, 2, 1, 16) are two p. 459 pieces of wood or laths apparently fastened together by a kind of clasp (or a cord) at one end, so as to serve the purpose of a pair of tongs (parîsâsau samdamsâkârau, comm. on Kâty. XXVI, 2, to) for taking up the Mahâvîra pot, which must not be handled in any other way. According to Haug, Ait. Br., Transl., p. 51, they are placed underneath the pot in lifting it, but this seems very improbable, seeing that, at the end of the sacrifice, the Adhvaryu, by means of them, turns the pot upside down so as to pour the remainder of its contents into the offering spoon (see Kâty. XXIV, 6, 17 with comm.); nor could the blackened pot in that way be cleansed properly and placed on the supporting tray (XIV, 2, 1, 16-17).
459:1 For the complete verse, see VII, 4, 1, 14. For the complete p. 460 series of texts recited by the Hotri, see Ait. Br. I, 19 seqq.; Âsv. Sr. IV, 6.
460:1 Viz. he makes the vessels sacrificially pure (I, 3, 3, 1).
460:2 For tying the cow that is to furnish the milk for the Gharma. Near it a peg is driven into the ground to tie the goat to whose milk is to be used afterwards.
460:3 That would be, south of the southern door (Âpast. XV, 6,-23).
461:1 The Pravargya is styled 'samrâg,' or universal king, emperor; as distinguished from King Soma, for whose seat, reaching only up to the navel, see III, 3, 4, 26 seqq. (Cf. also that of the Ukhya Agni, which is only a span high, VI, 7, I, 1, 22 seqq.)--For a similar attribution of imperial dignity (sâmrâgya)--as well as royal dignity (râgya)--to him who is consecrated by the Sautrâmanî (where the seat used is knee-high), see XII, 8, 3, 4 seqq.
461:2 Âpast. XV, 6, 10 places it in front (east) of the seat for Soma.
461:3 Cf. XII, 8, 3, 6.
461:4 According to Katy. XXVI, 2, 27 (Âpast. XV, 6, II), the black antelope-skin is then spread over the seat, and the two unused Mahâvîra pots (as well as the reserve piece of clay and the spade, Katy.) placed thereon.
462:1 Katy. XXVI, 2, 4 refers to the pot as 'containing ghee (âgyavant),' which the comm. takes to mean 'filled with consecrated ghee;' whilst Âpast. XV, 7, 5 leaves the option between greasing it (añg) and filling it (abhipûr) with ghee. It would doubtless, at all events, be abundantly greased inside.
462:2 North of the Gârhapatya and the Âhavanîya in the sâlâ two mounds (khara) are formed, covered with (or consisting of) sand. The one north of the latter fire is here alluded to.
462:3 That is, a silver plate weighing a hundred grains.
462:4 Though 'taptah' and 'susukânah' are here translated as if they were actually co-ordinate predicates, I am not sure whether we should not rather take the passage to mean,--that this glowing one, when heated; or rather, this one when heated so as to be glowing. Cf. XIV, 2, 1, 18; 3, 1, 14, where I prefer to subordinate one of the participles to the other.
463:1 I read, 'ragateva'; cf. the corresponding 'harinîva hi dyauh,' XIV, 1, 3, 29.
463:2 That is, by dividing the sheaths in the middle lengthwise, and lighting both halves in the Gârhapatya fire.
463:3 According to Katy. XXVI, 3, 5 he makes a span (of thumb and index)--or spreads his hand with the palm downwards--over the pot whilst muttering the respective formulas; apparently changing the position of the hand according to the point of the compass referred to in the formula.
464:1 Or, calling for the 'sraushat'; cf. part i, p. 131, note 2. The masculine form of the participle is somewhat peculiar as the term it is meant to explain refers to the earth. It has probably to be understood in the sense of, 'where he (viz. the Adhvaryu) calls for the sraushat.' Mahîdhara explains the term 'âsruti' by 'where they, the priests, utter the sacrificial calls,' i.e. 'meet for sacrifice.'
465:1 Here the masculine gender can hardly be understood otherwise than in the sense 'where (Brihaspati, or Brahman) disposes on high.' Mahîdhara takes no notice of this interpretation of the Brâhmana, but explains 'vidhriti' as either 'one who upholds (dhârayati) in an especial manner,' or where 'the offering spoon, &c., is held upwards (uparishtâd dhriyate,--? who holds it upwards),'--an explanation which can hardly commend itself.
465:2 This specification of the number seems to have no other object but that of limiting the general term of 'Fathers,' or deceased ancestors, to the specific signification it has at the Srâddha, where offering is made to the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
465:3 According to Katy. XXVI, 3, 8, he does so whilst spanning the earth north of the Mahâvîra pot.
466:1 That is, along the north and the south sides of the pot, on the burning sheaths of reed grass; or rather on hot cinders heaped thereon. Katy. XXVI, 3, 9. They would partly serve the purpose of the ordinary (three) enclosing-sticks; and Âpast., indeed, calls them 'paridhi.'
466:2 Literally, the call of 'hail!' (svâhâ-kâra) he makes to be the nearer, and the deity the farther.
466:3 That is, along the west and the east sides of the pot. According to Âpast. Sr. XV, 8, 1-4, two pieces of wood are laid down alternately by the Adhvaryu and the Pratiprasthâtri, the last pieces being then laid down (on the south side) by the former priest.
467:1 They consist of pieces cut from the black antelope-skin (with black and white hair, according to Âpast. XV, 5,12), fastened to sticks.
467:2 That is, the Adhvaryu, Pratiprasthâtri, and Agnîdh then take each one of the fans, and move round the fire whilst keeping it on their left side (the Agnîdh going in front).
467:3 See p. 465, note 2.
468:1 That is, apparently, red-hot, glowing (sukita), or perhaps, entirely ablaze, enveloped in flames--outside as well as inside, owing to the ghee with which it was greased all over; hence hardly, 'bestrahlt' (illumined shone upon), as the St. Petersb. Dict. takes it; cf. susukâna, XIV, 2, 1, 18; 3, 1, 14. According to Âpast. Sr., the three priests, having completed their circumambulation, sit down on the east, south, and north side respectively, and continue to fan the pot, at the same time oiling it with ghee, until the pot is ablaze, when the Adhvaryu takes off the gold plate. According to Kâty., on the other hand, the Pratiprasthâtri proceeds with the baking of the cakes, whilst the Adhvaryu sprinkles the pot with ghee each time that the Hotri, in his recitation, utters the syllable 'om' at the end of a verse. Before the last verse, the twenty-fifth, of the same hymn concluding the first part of the recitation, a special verse, IX, 83, 3, is inserted. Âsv. Sr. IV, 6, 2-3.
468:2 See p. 458, note 1.

FOURTH BRÂHMANA.

14:1:4:11. Now, when the Adhvaryu here steps up and says, 'The Gharma is aglow,' they step up and revere it (the Mahâvîra) with the Avakâsa 1; but the 'avakâsa' are the vital airs: it is thus the vital airs he lays into it. Six of them 2 step up to it, for six in number are these vital airs in the head: it is these he thus lays into it.
14:1:4:22. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 14,] 'The child of the gods,'--the child (garbha) of the gods, in truth, is he that shines yonder, for he holds (grabh) everything here, and by him everything here is held; and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'The child of the gods.'
14:1:4:33. 'The father of thoughts,'--for he (the sun) is indeed the father of thoughts;--'the lord of creatures,'--for he is indeed the lord of creatures.
14:1:4:44. 'The god hath united with the god Savitri,'--for the god (the Mahâvîra) has indeed united with the god Savitri (the sun);--'with Sûrya he shineth,'--for (equally) with Sûrya (the sun) he has indeed shone.
14:1:4:55. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 15,] 'Agni hath united with Agni,'--for Agni (fire) has indeed united with Agni;--'with the divine Savitri,'--for with the divine Savitri he has indeed united;--'with Sûrya
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he hath shone,'--for with Sûrya he has indeed shone.
14:1:4:66. 'Hail! Agni hath united with his heat,'--for Agni has indeed united with his heat; the call of hail he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before;--'with the divine Savitri,'--for with the divine Savitri he has indeed united;--'with Sûrya he hath shed light,'--for with Sûrya he has indeed shed light.
14:1:4:77. These, then, are three 'avakâsa,'--for there are three vital airs, the in (and out)-breathing, the up-breathing, and the through-breathing: it is thereby that he lays it (the vital air) into him.
14:1:4:88. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 16,] 'The sustainer of the sky, and of heat upon earth, shineth forth,'--for as the sustainer of the sky, and of heat on earth, that (sun, and Mahâvîra) indeed shines forth;--'the divine sustainer of the gods, he, the immortal, born of heat,'--for he is indeed the divine sustainer of the gods, the immortal one, born of heat;--'grant unto us speech, devoted to the gods!'--speech doubtless is worship: he thus means to say thereby, 'bestow upon us worship whereby we shall please the gods!'
14:1:4:99. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 17; Rig-v. I, 164, 31; X, 177, 3,] 'I beheld the guardian, the never-resting 1,'--he who shines yonder is indeed the guardian, for he guards everything here; and he does not lie down to rest: therefore he says, 'I beheld the guardian, the never-resting;'--
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14:1:4:1010, 'Wandering on paths hither and thither,'--for he indeed wanders hither and thither on the divine 1 paths;--'arraying himself in the gathering and the radiating,'--for he indeed arrays himself in the gathering (converging) and the radiating regions, or rays;--'he moveth to and fro within the spheres,'--for again and again he wanders moving within these worlds.
14:1:4:1111. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 18,] 'O lord of all worlds, O lord of all thought, O lord of all speech, O lord of every speech!' that is, 'O lord of all this (universe);'--'Thou art heard by the gods, O god Gharma, as a god, guard thou the gods!' in this there is nothing hidden, so to speak.
14:1:4:1212. 'Give thy countenance hereafter to the divine feast of you two,'--it is with regard to the two Asvins that he says this, for it was the Asvins that then restored the head of the sacrifice: it is them he thus pleases, and therefore he says, 'Give thy countenance hereafter to the divine feast of you two.'
14:1:4:1313. 'Honey to the two lovers of honey! honey to the two longing for honey!'--for Dadhyañk the Âtharvana indeed told them (the Asvins) the Brâhmana called Madhu (honey), and this is their dear resource: it is by means of that (dear resource) of theirs that he approaches them, and therefore he says, 'Honey to the two lovers of honey! honey to the two longing for honey!'
14:1:4:1414. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 19,] 'To the heart
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[paragraph continues] (I consecrate) thee, to the mind thee, to the sky thee, to the sun thee: going upwards take thou the sacrifice to the gods in heaven!' in this there is nothing hidden, so to speak.
14:1:4:1515. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 20,] 'Thou art our father: be thou our father!'--for he who shines yonder is indeed the father, and the Pravargya is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'Thou art our father: be thou our father!'--'Reverence be unto thee: injure me not!'--it is a blessing he thereby invokes.
14:1:4:1616. Thereupon he uncovers the head of the (Sacrificer's) wife, and makes her say whilst she is looking at the Mahâvîra, 'Together with Tvashtri will we serve thee: (bestow thou sons and cattle upon me! bestow thou offspring upon us! may I remain unscathed together with my husband!)'--the Pravargya (m.) is a male, and the wife is a female: a productive pair is thus produced.
14:1:4:1717. And, verily, whosoever either teaches, or partakes of, this (Pravargya) enters that life, and that light: the observance thereof is the same as at the creation 1.

Footnotes

469:1 Avakâsa (looks, or possibly, apertures) is the technical designation of the verses Vâg. S. XXXVII, 14-20 a.
469:2 Viz. the Sacrificer and the priests with the exception of the Prastotri.
470:1 Or, as Mahîdhara and Sâyana take it, the never-falling.
471:1 One might expect 'daívaih pathíbhih' or 'devaíh pathíbhih,' which Mahîdhara explains by 'devamârgaih.'
472:1 See p. 458, note 1.

SECOND ADHYÂYA. FIRST BRÂHMANA.

THE BOILING OF THE GHARMA, AND THE. OFFERINGS.

14:2:1:11. He now offers (the first of) the two Rauhina (cakes) 2:--(Vâg. S. XXXVII, 21), 'May the day
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be pleased with its brightness, the well-lighted with its light, hail!' with this text both (cakes are offered) in the morning;--'May the night be pleased with its brightness, the well-lighted with its light, hail!' with this text both (cakes are offered) in the evening.
14:2:1:22. And as to why he offers two Rauhina (cakes),--the two Rauhinas doubtless are Agni and Âditya (the sun), for by means of these two deities sacrificers ascend (ruh) to heaven.
14:2:1:33. And, indeed, the Rauhinas are also day and night, and the Pravargya is the sun: he thus encompasses yonder sun by the day and the night, whence he is encompassed by the day and the night.
14:2:1:44. And, indeed, the Rauhinas are also these two
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worlds, and the Pravargya is the sun: he thus encompasses yonder sun by these two worlds, whence he is encompassed by these two worlds.
14:2:1:55. And, indeed, the Rauhinas are also the two eyes, and the Pravargya is the head: he thus places the eye in the head.
14:2:1:66. He now takes a rope, with (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 1), 'At the impulse of the divine Savitri, I take thee, with the arms of the Asvins, with the hands of Pûshan: Aditi's 1 zone thou art;'--the mystic import of this is the same as before 2.
14:2:1:77. He then calls the cow, whilst stepping behind the Gârhapatya (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 2), 'Idâ, come hither! Aditi, come hither! Sarasvatî, come hither!' for the cow is Idâ, and the cow is Aditi, and the cow is Sarasvatî. And he also calls her by her (real) name, with these (formulas), 'N.N. 3, come hither!' thus thrice.
14:2:1:88. When she comes, he lays (the rope) round her (horns), with (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 3), 'Aditi's zone thou art, Indrânî's head-band;'--for Indrânî is Indra's beloved wife, and she has a most variegated head-band: 'that thou art' he thereby means to say, and that he indeed thereby makes it to be.
14:2:1:99. He then lets the calf to it (to suck), with, 'Pûshan thou art,'--Pûshan, doubtless, is he that blows here (the wind), for that one supports 4
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[paragraph continues] (push) all this (universe); and the Pravargya also is that (wind): it is him he thus pleases, and therefore he says, 'Pûshan thou art.'
14:2:1:1010. He then leads it (the calf) away 1 with, 'Afford (milk) for the Gharma!' for the Gharma, doubtless, is that fluid which this (cow) lets flow: he thus means to say thereby, 'Allow her a share!'
14:2:1:1111. He then causes it to flow into the milking-bowl, with (Vâg. S. XX XVIII, 4), 'Flow for the Asvins!'--with regard to the Asvins he thus says this, for it was the Asvins who restored the head of the sacrifice: it is them he thus pleases, and therefore he says, 'Flow for the Asvins!'
14:2:1:1212, 'Flow for Sarasvatî!'--Sarasvatî, doubtless, is Speech, and with speech the Asvins then restored the head of the Sacrifice: it is those (Asvins) he thus pleases, and therefore he says, 'Flow for Sarasvatî!'
14:2:1:1313. 'Flow for Indra!'--for Indra is the deity of the sacrifice, and it was indeed by him who is the deity of the sacrifice that the Asvins then restored the head of the sacrifice: it is them he thus pleases, and therefore he says, 'Flow for Indra!'
14:2:1:1414. The (spilt) drops he then consecrates with, 'Hail, possessed of Indra! hail, possessed of Indra!' for Indra is the deity of the sacrifice: he thus pleases him who is the deity of the sacrifice, and therefore he says, 'Hail, possessed of Indra! hail, possessed of Indra!' Thrice he says it, for threefold is the sacrifice. The call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before.
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14:2:1:1515. He then touches her udder 1, with (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 5; Rig-v. I, 164, 49), 'This ever-flowing, grateful udder of thine,'--that is to say, 'This udder of thine placed in secret 2;'--'treasure-giving, wealth-granting, bountiful,'--that is to say, 'which is a giver of treasures, a granter of wealth, and precious;'--'whereby thou furtherest all desirable things,'--that is to say, 'whereby thou supportest all the gods and all creatures;'--'O Sarasvatî, move that hither for us to suck,'--Sarasvatî, doubtless, is Speech, and so is this (cow) which yields the Gharma milk; and Speech is worship: thus he means to say, 'Grant us worship whereby we may please the gods.' He then steps up to the site of the Gârhapatya with, 'I pass along the wide aerial realm,'--the mystic import of this is the same as before 3.
14:2:1:1616. He then takes the two lifting-sticks 4, with (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 6), 'The Gâyatrî metre thou art,--the Trishtubh metre thou art,'--he thus takes them with both the Gâyatrî and the Trishtubh metres;--'with heaven and earth I encompass thee,'--for the two lifting-sticks are indeed these two, heaven and earth; and the
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[paragraph continues] Pravargya is the sun: he thus encompasses yonder sun within these two, heaven and earth. Thereupon (having lifted up the pot) he sweeps it clean with a branch of reed grass: the mystic import of this is the same as before.
14:2:1:1717. He then puts it on the 'supporting' tray 1 with, 'By the air I support thee,'--for the 'supporting' tray is the air, since everything here is supported by the air; and the 'supporting' tray also is the belly, for all food and drink here is supported (held) by the belly: therefore he says, 'By the air I support thee.'
14:2:1:1818. He then pours in the goat's milk 2; for that (Mahâvîra pot) when heated, becomes glowing: he thus soothes it, and when soothed he pours the cow's milk into it--
14:2:1:1919. With, 'O Indra and ye Asvins!'--for Indra is the deity of the sacrifice, and he thus pleases him who is the deity of the sacrifice; and 'Ye Asvins' he says, because the Asvins at that time restored the head of the sacrifice, and it is them he thus pleases: therefore he says, 'O Indra and ye Asvins!'
14:2:1:2020. 'Of bees’ honey'--this is indeed honey;--'drink ye the Gharma (hot draught),'--that is to say, drink ye the liquor;'--'ye true ones,'--those (deities) are indeed true (vasu), for it is
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they that maintain (vâsaya) all this (universe);--'worship ye, vât!' thus this comes to be for him as if it were offered with the Vashat-call.
14:2:1:2121. 'Hail to Sûrya's ray, the rain-winner 1!'--for one of the sun's rays is called 'rain-winner,' whereby he supports all these creatures: it is that one he thus pleases, and therefore he says, 'Hail to Sûrya's ray, the rain-winner!' The call of hail he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before 2.
14:2:1:2222. And, verily, whosoever either teaches, or partakes of, this (Pravargya) enters that life, and that light: the observance thereof is the same as at the creation 3.

Footnotes

472:2 According to the Sûtras and the Taitt. Âr., the southern cake p. 473 is offered at this juncture of the performance, whilst the northern one is offered later on (see XIV, 2, 2, 41). For both cakes one and the same text is used, viz. the first of the two here mentioned at the morning performance, whilst the second is used at the afternoon performance. The cakes, being one-kapâla ones (the two 'rauhinahavanî' ladles serving as kapâlas), must be offered entire. Cf. Kâty. XXVI, 4, 14; 6, 18; Âpast. XV, 10, 1; 11, 5; 12, 7; Taitt. Âr. IV, 10, 4. Though our Brâhmana expresses itself in a rather peculiar way, its statement, here and at XIV, 2, 2, 41, is perhaps meant to imply the same mode of procedure. If this is the case, the two paragraphs would mean,--at this juncture of the two performances he offers the two southern (northern, at XIV, 2, 2, 41) cakes,--the two cakes (the southern and the northern one) of the morning performance requiring the first, and those of the afternoon performance the second, text. It is not impossible, however, that the author intends a different mode of procedure or wishes to leave it purposely vague. If we were to read 'rauhinam' for 'rauhinau,' the text would be more in accordance with the practice prescribed in the Sûtras. Cf. also Mahîdh. (on Vâg. S. XXXVII, 21)--where read 'rauhinau' instead of 'pravargyau'--who adopts the procedure here explained.
474:1 The edition omits 'adityai,' and reads 'devebhyas' for 'devasya.'
474:2 See I, 2, 4, 4; 3, 1, 15.
474:3 As, for instance, Dhavalî, or Gaṅgâ.
474:4 Or nourishes, makes grow, inasmuch as it brings about rain (Mahîdhara).
475:1 Whilst the calf is sucking, he secures the cow by tying together her hind legs.
476:1 Or, one of the teats (stanam); according to Mahîdhara, the part is used for the whole; and the Kânva recension indeed reads 'stanân' (the teats); cf. Kâty, XXVI, 5, 7, comm.
476:2 The author apparently derives 'sasaya' (? perennial, inexhaustible) from 'sî,' to lie, sleep, as does Mahîdhara.
476:3 Viz. as at I, 1, 2, 4.--According to Kâty. XXVI, 5, 10 seq., the Hotri says, 'Arise, Brahmanaspati!' whereupon the Adhvaryu rises; and the Hotri again calling, 'Hasten up with the milk!' he steps up to the Gârhapatya.
476:4 See p. 458, note 1.
477:1 The 'upayamanî' is apparently a kind of bowl, or hollow tray of hard (udumbara) wood, somewhat larger than the (bowls of the) spoons or ladles used on this occasion, and, indeed, also itself used as such.
477:2 Whilst the Adhvaryu was milking the cow into the earthen bowl (pinvana), his assistant, the Pratiprasthâtri, silently milked a goat tied to the peg.
478:1 According to Taitt. Âr. IV, 8, 4; Âpast. XV, 10, 2, this formula is addressed to the steam rising from the Mahâvîra pot--it being accordingly modified to 'I offer thee to Sûrya's ray, the rain-winner.'
478:2 XIV, 1, 3, 26.
478:3 See p. 458, note 1.

SECOND BRÂHMANA.

14:2:2:11. And when the Hotri recites this (verse), 'Let Brahmanaspati go forward, let the goddess Sûnritâ go forward,'--the Adhvaryu, stepping forward, makes offering (by muttering) the wind-names. For at this time the gods were afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, might injure that (Pravargya) of theirs in the middle (of the sacrifice): they offered it with the Svâhâ-call before (its being taken to) the Âhavanîya, being thus offered they offered it (again) in the fire; and in like manner does this one now offer it with the Svâhâ-call before
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[paragraph continues] (its being taken to) the Âhavanîya, and being thus offered he offers it (again) in the fire.
14:2:2:22. [Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 7,] 'To the wind Ocean (I offer) thee, hail!'--the (aerial) ocean (samudra) indeed is he who blows here, for from out of that ocean all the gods and all the beings issue forth (samud-dru): it is to him (Vâyu, the wind) he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To the wind Ocean (I consecrate) thee, hail!'
14:2:2:33. 'To the wind Flood--thee, hail!'--the flood (sarira) indeed is he who blows here, for from out of that flood all the gods and all the creatures come forth together (saha irate): it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To the wind Flood--thee, hail!'
14:2:2:44. 'To the wind Unassailable--thee, hail! To the wind Irresistible--thee, hail!'--unassailable and irresistible indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To the wind Unassailable--thee, hail! To the wind Irresistible--thee, hail!'
14:2:2:55. 'To the wind Favourable--thee, hail! To the wind Ogress-ridder--thee, hail!'--favourable and an ogress-ridder indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To the wind Favourable--thee, hail! To the wind Ogress-ridder--thee, hail!'
14:2:2:66. [Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 8,] 'To Indra, accompanied by the Vasus and Rudras, (I offer) thee, hail!'--Indra indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To Indra--thee;' and when he says, 'accompanied by the Vasus and Rudras,' thereby he allows a share to the Vasus and Rudras along with Indra; and,
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moreover, it is thereby made to be like the morning Soma-pressing, and the midday-pressing 1.
14:2:2:77. 'To Indra, accompanied by the Âdityas,--thee, hail!'--Indra indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To Indra--thee;' and when he says, 'accompanied by the Âdityas,' thereby he allows a share to the Âdityas along with Indra; and, moreover, it is made like the evening-pressing 1.
14:2:2:88. 'To Indra, the slayer of the evil-minded,--thee, hail!'--Indra indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To Indra--thee;' and as to his saying, 'to the slayer of the evil-minded,' the evil-minded one being an enemy, he thereby means to say, 'To Indra, the slayer of enemies,--thee!' This is his (Indra's) special share: even as there is a share for a chief 2, so is this his (share) apart from the (other) gods.
14:2:2:99. 'To Savitri, accompanied by the Ribhus, the Vibhus (lords), and the Vâgas (powers),--thee, hail!'--Savitri (the sun) indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To Savitri, accompanied by the Ribhus, the Vibhus, and the Vâgas,--thee!' He thus allows a share therein to all the gods along (with Savitri).
14:2:2:1010. 'To Brihaspati, accompanied by the All-gods,--thee, hail!'--Brihaspati indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers
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it, and therefore he says, 'To Brihaspati--thee;' and when he says, 'accompanied by the All-gods,' he thereby allows a share therein to all the gods along (with Brihaspati).
14:2:2:1111. [Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 9,] 'To Yama, accompanied by the Aṅgiras and the Fathers,--thee, hail!'--Yama indeed is he who blows here: it is to him he thus offers it, and therefore he says, 'To Yama--thee;' and as to his saying, 'accompanied by the Aṅgiras and the Fathers,'--when the sacrifice had its head cut off, its life-sap flowed away, and went to the Fathers,--the Fathers being three in number 1: thus it is to these he thereby allows a share along (with Yama).
14:2:2:1212. These are twelve names,--twelve months are in a year, and the year is he that shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that (sun): thus it is him he thereby pleases, and therefore there are twelve (names).
14:2:2:1313. He then pours (the spilt milk and ghee) from the tray into the Mahâvîra (pot) with, 'Hail to the Gharma!'--the Gharma (hot draught) is he who shines yonder, and the Pravargya also is that (sun): thus it is him he thereby pleases, and therefore he says, 'Hail to the Gharma!'--the call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before 2.
14:2:2:1414. When it has been poured in, he mutters, 'Hail, the Gharma to the Fathers!' When the sacrifice had its head cut off, its life-sap flowed
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away, and went to the Fathers--the Fathers being three in number: it is these he thus pleases. The call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before.
14:2:2:1515. He recites no anuvâkyâ (invitatory) formula, for once for all the Fathers have passed away: therefore he recites no anuvâkyâ. Having stepped across 1, and called (on the Âgnîdhra) for the Sraushat 2, he (the Adhvaryu) says (to the Hotri), 'Pronounce the offering-formula (yâgyâ) of the Gharma;' and on the Vashat-call being uttered he offers--
14:2:2:1616. With (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 10), 'All regions (hath he worshipped), seated in the south,'--that is to say, 'every region (has he worshipped), seated on the south;'--'all gods hath he worshipped here,'--that is, 'every god has he worshipped here;'--'of the sweet Gharma, consecrated by Svâhâ (hail!), drink ye, O Asvins!'--with regard to the Asvins he says this; for the Asvins restored the head of the sacrifice: it is them he thus pleases. The call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before.
14:2:2:1717. And, having offered, he (thrice) shakes (the Mahâvîra) upwards, with (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 11), 'In heaven place thou this sacrifice! this sacrifice place thou in heaven!'--for the Gharma (hot milk-draught), the sacrifice, is yonder sun, and he indeed is 'placed' in the heavens, is
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established in the heavens: it is thus him he thereby pleases, and therefore he says, 'In heaven place thou this sacrifice! this sacrifice place thou in heaven!' On the repetition of the Vashat, he offers--
14:2:2:1818. With, 'Hail to Agni, worthy of sacrifice!'--this is in lieu of the Svishtakrit (offering), for Agni is the maker of good offering;--'may blessing result from the sacrificial texts!' for by the sacrificial texts that (sun) is established (as the Mahâvîra) in this world: thus it is them he thereby pleases. The call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before.
14:2:2:1919. The Brahman (priest) pronounces the anumantrana (formula of consecration); for the Brahman is the best physician among the officiating priests: thus he heals this sacrifice by means of him who is the best physician among the priests.
14:2:2:2020. [He does so, with Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 12.] 'O Asvins, drink ye the Gharma!'--with regard to the Asvins he says this, for the Asvins restored the head of the sacrifice: it is them he thus pleases.
14:2:2:2121. 'The hearty 1 one with daily 2 favours,'--
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this is indistinct, for Pragâpati is indistinct (undefined), and the sacrifice is Pragâpati: Pragâpati, the sacrifice, he thus heals;--
14:2:2:2222. 'To the web-weaver,'--the web-weaver, doubtless, is he that shines yonder, for he moves along these worlds as if along a web; and the Pravargya also is that (sun): thus it is him he thereby pleases, and therefore he says, 'To the web-weaver'--
14:2:2:2323. 'To Heaven and Earth be reverence!' he thus propitiates heaven and earth, within which everything here is contained.
14:2:2:2424. Thereupon the Sacrificer (mutters),--the Sacrificer being the sacrifice, he thus heals the sacrifice by means of the sacrifice;--
14:2:2:2525. [Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 13,] 'The Asvins drank the Gharma,'--he says this with regard to the Asvins, for the Asvins restored the head of the sacrifice: it is them he thus pleases.
14:2:2:2626. 'Heaven and Earth have approved of it 1'--he says this with regard to heaven and earth, within which everything here is contained;--'may gifts accrue here!'--whereby he means to say, 'may there be riches for us here.'
14:2:2:2727. The rising (milk) he then consecrates by the anumantrana 2, 'For freshness swell thou!'
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[paragraph continues] --whereby he means to say, 'For rain . . .;'--'for vigour swell thou!'--he thereby means the vigour, the life-sap, which results from the rain;--'for the Brahman swell thou!'---he thereby means the priesthood;--'for the Kshatra swell thou!'--he thereby means the nobility;--'for Heaven and Earth swell thou!'--he thereby means these two, the heaven and the earth, within which everything here is contained.
14:2:2:2828. When it rises upwards; it rises for (the benefit of) the Sacrificer; when on the front side, it does so for the gods; when on the right (south) side, it does so for the Fathers; when at the back (west side), it does so for the cattle; when on the left (north) side, it does so for (the Sacrificer's) offspring: in any case no fault is incurred by the Sacrificer, for it always rises upwards; and in whatever direction it rises in that it rises. When the drops cease,--
14:2:2:2929. He steps out towards the north-east with, 'A well-supporting support thou art,'--he who shines yonder is indeed a support, for he supports everything here, and by him everything here is supported; and the Pravargya also is that (sun): thus it is him he thereby, pleases, and therefore he says, 'A well-supporting support thou art.'
14:2:2:3030. He then places (the Mahâvîra) on the mound with, 'Incapable of injuring, preserve thou our powers!'--'Not angry 1, preserve our wealth,'
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is what he thereby means to say;--'preserve the priesthood, preserve the nobility, preserve the people!'--'preserve all that,' is what he thereby means to say.
14:2:2:3131. He then offers by means of the pieces of (split) wood 1,--the pieces of wood being the vital airs, it is the vital airs he thus bestows upon him;--
14:2:2:3232. With (Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 15), 'Hail to Pûshan, to the cream!'--Pûshan, doubtless, is he who blows here, for he (the wind) supports (push) everything here; and the breath also is that (wind): it is breath he thus bestows upon him, whence he says, 'Hail to Pûshan, to the cream!' The call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before. Having offered (by means of the first piece) he leans it against the middle enclosing-stick 2 (paridhi).
14:2:2:3333. 'Hail to the pressing-stones!'--the pressing-stones being the vital airs, it is the vital airs he thus bestows upon him. Having offered (with the second stick) he leans it against the middle enclosing-stick.
14:2:2:3434. 'Hail to the sounding-holes 3!'--the
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sounding-holes (pratirava), doubtless, are the vital airs, for everything here is pleased (pratirata) with the vital airs: it is the vital airs he thus bestows upon him. Having offered (with the third stick) he leans it against the middle enclosing-stick.
14:2:2:3535. 'Hail to the Fathers, (seated) upon the Barhis 1, and drinking the Gharma!'--even without offering he secretes (this, the fourth stick) under the barhis of the south part (of the vedi 2) whilst looking towards the north 3. When the sacrifice had its head cut off, its life-sap flowed away, and went to the Fathers--the Fathers being three in number: it is them he thus pleases. And
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as to why he does not look at it,--once for all the Fathers have passed away.
14:2:2:3636. 'Hail to Heaven and Earth!'--heaven and earth being the out (and in)-breathing and the up-breathing, it is the out and up-breathing he thus bestows upon him. Having offered (with the fifth stick) he leans it against the middle enclosing-stick.
14:2:2:3737. 'Hail to the All-gods!'--the Visve Devâh being the vital airs, it is the vital airs he thus bestows upon him. Having offered (with the sixth stick) he leans it against the middle enclosing-stick.
14:2:2:3838. [Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 16,] 'Hail to Rudra, praised by the Rudras 1!'--even without offering (with this, the seventh stick), he, looking southwards, hands it to the Pratiprasthâtri, and the latter throws it outside (the offering-ground) northwards to the north of the hall, for this is the region of that god: he thus gratifies him in his own region. And as to why he does not look at it, he does so thinking, 'Lest Rudra should do me harm.'
14:2:2:3939. There are seven of these oblations, for seven in number are these (channels of the) vital airs in the head: it is these he thus bestows upon him.
14:2:2:4040. He then pours (the remaining milk and ghee) from the Mahâvîra into the supporting-tray with, 'Hail, light with light!'--for light indeed the milk was in the one (vessel), and light it is in the other, and these two lights thus unite with each other. The call of 'hail!' he places first, and the deity last: the mystic import of this is the same as before.
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14:2:2:4141. He then offers (the second of) the two Rauhina 1 (cakes) with, 'May the day be pleased with its brightness, the well-lighted with its light, hail!'--the mystic import of this is the same as before;--'may the night be pleased with its brightness, the well-lighted with its light, hail!'--the mystic import of this is the same as before.
14:2:2:4242. He then hands to the Sacrificer the remainder of the Gharma. He, having solicited an invitation 2 (to the meal), drinks it with, 'Offered is the honey unto Agni, the greatest of Indras,'--'Offered is the honey unto Agni, the most powerful,' he thereby means to say; 'let us eat of thee, god Gharma: reverence be unto thee, injure us not!'--a blessing he thereby invokes.
14:2:2:4343. Now, on the south side sand has been strewn; there they cleanse themselves 3: in this there is the
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same significance as in the Mârgâlîya. The pieces of wood he throws into the fire. They then proceed with the Upasad. And thus the head of the sacrifice has been set right in the very same manner in which the Asvins then restored it.
14:2:2:4444. One must not perform the Pravargya at one's first Soma-sacrifice, since that would be sinful, and lest Indra should cut off his head; but at the second or the third (Soma-sacrifice); for at first the gods went on worshipping and toiling with the headless sacrifice, therefore (he should do so) at the second or the third (sacrifice). Moreover, it will become heated and ablaze;--
14:2:2:4545. And were he to perform the Pravargya at the first Soma-sacrifice, that (Mahâvîra) of his, when heated and ablaze, would burn up his family and cattle, and also his life, and the Sacrificer would be liable to perish: therefore (let him perform it) at the second or third (sacrifice).
14:2:2:4646. Let him not perform the Pravargya for any and every one, lest he should do everything for every one, for the Pravargya is everything; but let him only perform it for him who is known, or to whoever may be dear to him, or who has studied sacred writ: by means of the study of sacred writ he would thus gain it.
14:2:2:4747. One may perform the Pravargya for a thousand (head of cattle) 1, for a thousand means everything, and that (Pravargya) is everything. One may
p. 491
perform it for all (the Sacrificer's) property; for all one's property means everything, and this (Pravargya) is everything. One may perform it at a Visvagit with all the Prishthas 1; for the Visvagit (all-conquering day) with all the Prishthas means everything, and this (Pravargya) is everything One may perform it at the Vâgapeya (and) Râgasûya, for such (a ceremony) means everything. One may perform it at a sacrificial session, for the session means everything, and this (Pravargya) is everything. These are (the occasions for) his performances of the Pravargya, and (let him perform it) nowhere else but at these.
14:2:2:4848. Here now they say, 'Seeing that the Pravargya is headless, whereby, then, does the Agnihotra become possessed of a head for him?' Let him say, 'By the Âhavanîya.'--'How the New and Full-moon sacrifices?' Let him say, 'By the ghee and the cake.'--'How the Seasonal sacrifices?' Let him say, 'By the oblation of clotted curds 2.'--'How the animal sacrifice?' Let him say, 'By the victim and the cake.'--'How the Soma-sacrifice?' Let him say, 'By the Havirdhâna 3.'
14:2:2:4949. And they also say,--when the sacrifice had its head cut off, the gods on that occasion restored it as the hospitable reception 4 (of King Soma), and verily for him who so knows this offering is not made with any headless sacrifice whatever.
p. 492
14:2:2:5050. And, again, they say, 'Seeing that at the sacrifice they lead forward the Pranîtâ 1 (water), wherefore do they not lead it forward on this occasion?' Well, this--to wit, the Pranîtâ (water)--being the head of the sacrifice, and the Pravargya also being its head, (he does so) thinking, 'Lest I cause the head to be overtopped by a head.'
14:2:2:5151. And, again, they say, 'Seeing that elsewhere there are fore-offerings and after-offerings, wherefore are there not any on this occasion?' Well, the fore-offerings and after-offerings being the vital airs, and so also the Avakâsas 2, and the pieces of wood, (it is so) lest he should cause the vital airs to be overtopped by vital airs.
14:2:2:5252. And, again, they say, 'Seeing that elsewhere they offer two butter-portions, wherefore does he not offer them on this occasion?' Well, those two--to wit, the butter-portions--being the eyes of the sacrifice, and so also the two Rauhina (cakes)--(it is so) lest he should overtop eye by eye.
14:2:2:5353. And, again, they say, 'Seeing that they make offering to the gods by means of wooden (vessels), wherefore does he offer this (Gharma) by means of one made of clay?' When the Sacrifice had its head cut off, its life-sap flowed away and entered the heaven and the earth. Now this (earth) is clay, and yonder (sky) is water; and the Mahâvîra (vessels) are made of clay and water: thus he supplies and completes it (the Pravargya) with that life-sap.
14:2:2:5454. But if it were made of wood, it would be
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burnt; and if of gold, it would dissolve; and if of copper, it would melt; and if of stone, it would burn the two handling-sticks; and that (Gharma) itself submitted to that (earthen vessel): therefore it is by means of an earthen one that he offers it.
14:2:2:5555. And, verily, whosoever either, teaches, or partakes of, this (Pravargya) enters that life, and that light: the observance thereof is the same as at the creation 1.

Footnotes

480:1 See III, 4, 5, 1, where it is stated that the morning-pressing belongs to the Vasus, the midday-pressing to the Rudras, and the third pressing to the Âdityas.
480:2 Or, for the best (or eldest brother). Cf. III, 9, 4, 9.
481:1 See p. 465, note 2.
481:2 See XIV, 1, 3, 26.
482:1 Viz. past the Âhavanîya, along its back (or western) side, to the south side of the fire.
482:2 See part i, p. 132, note; III, 4, 4, 11 seqq.
483:1 The exact meaning of 'hârdvânam' is doubtful. Mahîdhara analyses it by 'hârd' = 'hrid', + 'vâna,' blowing, going, hence 'heart-wafting, going to the heart = dear to the heart.' The St. Petersb. Dict. takes the word to be 'hârd-van,' in the sense of 'herzstärkend' (heart-sustaining, invigorating--? literally, 'possessed of heartiness'). The Taitt. Âr. has 'hârdivânam' instead. The author of the Brâhmana apparently considers the term as obscure, and uses this circumstance for his own symbolic purposes.
483:2 Perhaps the author means to characterise also the epithet p. 484 'ahar-diva' (lit. 'day-daily,' cf. Germ. tagtäglich; Aberdonian 'daily-day') as obscure. Mahîdhara takes it to mean 'relating to morning and evening,' as applying to the two performances of the Pravargya,
484:1 They approved of it by saying 'Well done'; Mahîdh.
484:2 That is, as would seem, he speaks the anumantrana in order to consecrate whatever milk might have been spilled in bubbling over. Possibly, however, he is to do so at the time when the pot bubbles over (though the 'atha' would rather be out of place in that case). The Taittirîyas differ somewhat on this point of the performance. p. 485 After the Gharma-milk has been offered, the Pratiprasthâtri fills the Mahâvîra pot, whilst it is held over the fire, with boiled sour curds and whey (dadhi), whilst muttering the text, 'The Asvins drank the Gharma . . .,' and with the texts; 'For freshness swell thou,' &c.
485:1 The author apparently takes 'ameni' in the sense of 'amanyu.' p. 486 The St. Petersb. Dict. assigns to it the meaning 'not shooting, incapable of shooting.'
486:1 For these pieces of wood, or large chips, of Vikaṅkata wood (Flacourtia sapida) which were laid round the pot, see XIV, 1, 3, 26. They are dipped into the remains of the hot milk and ghee, the liquid adhering to them being then offered.
486:2 That is, that one of the three fresh sticks enclosing the fire which is laid down first, along the back, or west side, and forms the base of a triangle the apex of which points eastwards. Cf. I, 3, 4, 1 seqq.
486:3 This meaning is, by the St. Petersb. Dict., assigned to 'prati-rava' p. 487 (otherwise 'echo'), the proper term for the sounding-holes being 'upa-rava,' cf. III, 5, 4, 1, where they are likened to the eyes and ears, as channels of the vital airs.
487:1 If this rendering (St. Petersb. Dict.) of ûrdhvabarhis' is correct--the term being apparently based on the Fathers’ epithet 'barhishadah,' 'seated on the barhis' (sacrificial grass-covering of the altar-ground)--the force of 'ûrdhva' in the compound is very peculiar. Mahîdhara takes it in the sense of 'having their barhis pointed upwards,' i.e. towards the east (!), the peculiar feature of the barhis in the present case--as far as the participation of the Fathers in the drinking of the Gharma is concerned--being its having the tops of the grass-stalks turned to the east instead of to the south, as is the case in all ceremonies relating to the Fathers. The term 'ûrdhvabarhis' might possibly mean 'having their (special) barhis above,' i.e. in the world of the Fathers, where they would be supposed to partake of the libations of hot milk; whilst yet another (suggested by the next paragraph) would be that of 'having the barhis above them;' which would, however, be more appropriate if the secreting of the stick under the barhis applied to the present, instead of the next one.
487:2 The comm. on Kâty. XXVI, 6, 14 calls this part of the barhis 'âtithyâbarhis' (?).
487:3 And accordingly, without looking at it.
488:1 Or, 'having his praises sung by the chanters,' as Mahîdhara takes 'rudrahûti.'
489:1 Viz. XIV, 2, 1, 1.
489:2 Viz. at the hands of the officiating priests, by saying to each, Invite me, N.N. whereupon each of them replies, "Thou art invited.' Cf. XII, 8, 3, 30. According to Âpast. Sr. XV, 11, 12, the priests and the Sacrificer partake of the residue in the order--Hotri, Adhvaryu, Brahman, Pratiprasthâtri, Agnîdh, and Sacrificer; or, optionally (ib. 14), only the Sacrificer drinks of it, whilst the priests merely smell it. Cf. the eating of the whey (of clotted curds), II, 4, 4, 25, to which the present eating of the remains is stated, by Kâty. XXVI, 6, 20, to be analogous; whilst the offering is said to be on the model of the Agnihotra.
489:3 The usual place to do so is over the pit (kâtrâla), cf. III, 8, 2, 30; XII, 8, 1, 22; whilst the utensils are cleaned in the Mârgâlîya. On the present occasion a mound of sand (or covered with sand)--the so-called 'ukkhishta-khara' (mound of remains)--is raised in the south part of the sâlâ, close to the mat or hurdle forming its wall, just east of the southern door. According to Kâty. XXVI, 6, 21 seqq., Âpast. XV, 12, 1 seqq., the Mahâvîra and the remaining p. 490 apparatus are then in solemn fashion (carried round in front of the Âhavanîya, and) placed on the throne-seat, and consecrated (or appeased) by being sprinkled with water.
490:1 That is, at a sacrifice for which this constitutes the sacrificial fee.
491:1 See p. 139, note 1; and XII, 3, 3, 6.
491:2 For the 'payasyâ' see part i, p. 178, note 4; p. 381, note 2.
491:3 That is, the cart or carts on which the offering-material (including the Soma-plants) is contained, as also the shed in which they are placed.

(My humble salutations to the translator Sreeman Julius Eggeling for the collection)