Aitareyabrahmana 1.1: adhyāya 1, khaṇḍaḥ 1-6

1.1

Agnir vai devānām avamo Viṣṇuḥ paramas, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā
āgnāvaiṣṇavam puroḷāśaṃ nirvapanti dīkṣaṇīyam ekādaśakapālaṃ
sarvābhya evainaṃ tad devatābhyo 'nantarāyaṃ nirvapanty
Agnir vai sarvā devatā, Viṣṇuḥ sarvā devatā
ete vai yajñasyāntye tanvau yad Agniś ca Viṣṇuś ca.
tad yad āgnāvaiṣṇavam puroḷāśaṃ nirvapanty,
antata eva tad devān ṛdhnuvanti
tad āhur:
yad ekādaśakapālaḥ.
puroḷāśo dvāv Agnāviṣṇū, kainayos tatra kḷptiḥ kā vibhaktir ity
aṣṭākapāla āgneyo, 'ṣṭākṣarā vai gāyatrī, gāyatram Agneś chandas;
trikapālo vaiṣṇavas, trir hīdaṃ Viṣṇur vyakramata:
sainayos tatra kḷptiḥ sā vibhaktir
ghṛte caruṃ nirvapeta yo 'pratiṣṭhito manyetā/syāṃ
vāva sa na pratitiṣṭhati yo na pratitiṣṭhati
tad yad ghṛtaṃ tat striyai payo, ye taṇḍulās te puṃsas, tan mithunam:
mithunenaivainaṃ tat prajayā paśubhiḥ prajanayati prajātyai
prajāyate prajayā paśubhir ya evaṃ vedā/rabdhayajño
vā eṣa ārabdhadevato yo darśapūrṇamāsābhyāṃ yajata.
āmāvāsyena vā haviṣeṣṭvā paurṇamāsena vā tasminn eva haviṣi tasmin
barhiṣi dīkṣetaiṣo ekā dīkṣā
saptadaśa sāmidhenīr anubrūyāt
saptadaśo vai Prajāpatir:
dvādaśa māsāḥ pañcartavo hemantaśiśirayoḥ samāsena.
tāvān saṃvatsaraḥ, saṃvatsaraḥ Prajāpatiḥ
prajāpatyāyatanābhir evābhī rādhnoti ya evaṃ veda

i. 1. Agni is the lowest of the gods, Viṣṇu the highest; between them are all the other deities. A cake to Agni and Viṣṇu on eleven potsherds they offer in connexion with the consecration; verily thus they offer it without omission to all the deities. All the deities are Agni; all the deities are Viṣṇu; Agni and Viṣṇu are the two terminal forms of the sacrifice. In that they offer the cake to Agni and Viṣṇu, verily thus at the ends they prosper as regards the gods. They say 'In that the cake is on eleven potsherds, and Agni and Viṣṇu are two, what is the arrangement here for the two, what the division?' That for Agni is on eight potsherds; the Gāyatrī has eight syllables; the metre of Agni is the Gāyatrī. That for Viṣṇu is on three potsherds, for thrice did Viṣṇu stride across this. This is the arrangement here for the two, this the division. A pap in ghee should he offer, who considers himself unsupported; in this (earth) does he not find support who does not find support. Ghee is the milk of the woman, the rice grains that of the man; that is a pairing; with a pairing verily thus does he propagate him with offspring and cattle, for generation; he is propagated with offspring and with cattle who knows thus. He has grasped the sacrifice, he has grasped the deities, who offers the new and full moon sacrifices. Having sacrificed with the new moon or full moon oblation he should consecrate

himself in the same oblation, the same strew; this is one consecration. Seventeen kindling verses should he recite; Prajāpati is seventeenfold; the months are twelve, the seasons five through the union of winter and the cool season; so great is the year; Prajāpati is the year. With these (verses) which abide in Prajāpati does he prosper who knows thus.