Aitareyabrahmana 1.3

1.3

punar vā etam ṛtvijo garbhaṃ kurvanti yaṃ dīkṣayanty
adbhir abhiṣiñcanti
reto vā āpaḥ, saretasam evainaṃ tat kṛtvā dīkṣayanti
navanītenābhyañjanty
ājyaṃ vai devānāṃ, surabhi ghṛtam manuṣyāṇām,
āyutam pitṝṇāṃ, navanītaṃ garbhāṇāṃ.
tad yan navanītenābhyañjanti, svenaivainaṃ tad bhāgadheyena samardhayanty
āñjanty enaṃ
tejo vā etad akṣyor yad āñjanaṃ, satejasam evainaṃ tat kṛtvā dīkṣayanty
ekaviṃśatyā darbhapiñjūlaiḥ pāvayanti
śuddham evainaṃ tat pūtaṃ dīkṣayanti
dīkṣitavimitam prapādayanti
yonir vā eṣā dīkṣitasya yad dīkṣitavimitaṃ,
yonim evainaṃ tat svām prapādayanti
tasmād dhruvād yoner āste ca carati ca
tasmād dhruvād yoner garbhā dhīyante ca pra ca jāyante
tasmād dīkṣitaṃ nānyatra dīkṣitavimitād ādityo 'bhyudiyād
vābhyastamiyād vāpi vābhyāśrāvayeyur
vāsasā prorṇuvanty
ulbaṃ vā etad dīkṣitasya yad vāsa, ulbenaivainaṃ tat prorṇuvanti
kṛṣṇājinam uttaram bhavaty
uttaraṃ vā ulbāj jarāyu, jarāyuṇaivainaṃ tat prorṇuvanti
muṣṭī kurute
muṣṭī vai kṛtvā garbho 'ntaḥ śete, muṣṭī kṛtvā kumāro jāyate.
tad yan muṣṭī kurute, yajñaṃ caiva tat sarvāś ca devatā muṣṭyoḥ kurute
tad āhur:
na pūrvadīkṣiṇaḥ saṃsavo 'sti, parigṛhīto vā etasya yajñaḥ,
parigṛhītā devatā, naitasyārtir asty aparadīkṣiṇa eva yathā tathety
unmucya kṛṣṇājinam avabhṛtham abhyavaiti, tasmān muktā garbhā
jarāyor jāyante
sahaiva vāsasābhyavaiti, tasmāt sahaivolbena kumāro jāyate

i. 3. Him whom they consecrate the priests make into an embryo again. With waters they sprinkle; the waters are seed; verily having made him possessed of seed they consecrate him. With fresh butter they anoint; to the gods appertains melted butter, to men fragrant ghee, slightly melted butter to the fathers, fresh butter to embryos. In that they anoint with fresh butter, verily thus they make him successful with his own portion. They anoint him completely; ointment is the brilliance in the eyes; verily thus having made him possessed of brilliance they consecrate him. With twenty-one handfuls of Darbha they purify him; verily thus purified and pure they consecrate him. They conduct him to the hut of the consecrated; the hut of the consecrated is the womb of the consecrated; verily thus they conduct him to his own womb; therefore (in and) from a firm womb he stands and moves; therefore (in and) from a firm womb embryos are placed and grow forth. Therefore the sun should not rise or set on the consecrated

elsewhere than in the hut of the consecrated, nor should they call out to him. With a garment they cover him; the garment is the caul of the consecrated; verily thus they cover him with a caul. Above that is the black antelope skin; the placenta is above the caul; verily thus they cover him with the placenta. He closes his hands ; verily closing its hands the embryo lies within; with closed hands the child is born. In that he closes his hands, verily thus he clasps in his hands the sacrifice and all the deities. They say, ‘There is no competing pressing for him who is first consecrated; the sacrifice is grasped by him, the deities are grasped; no misfortune is his as there is of him who is not consecrated first.’ Having loosened the black antelope skin, he descends to the final bath; therefore embryos are born freed from the placenta; with the garment he descends; therefore a child is born with a caul.