Aitareyabrahmana 2.15

2.15

devebhyaḥ prātaryāvabhyo hotar anubrūhīty āhādhvaryur
ete vāva devāḥ prātaryāvāṇo yad Agnir Uṣā Aśvinau.
ta ete saptabhiḥ-saptabhiś chandobhir āgachanty
āsya devāḥ prātaryāvāṇo havaṃ gachanti ya evaṃ veda
Prajāpatau vai svayaṃ hotari prātaranuvākam anuvakṣyaty
ubhaye devāsurā yajñam upāvasann:
asmabhyam anuvakṣyaty asmabhyam iti.
sa vai devebhya evānvabravīt
tato vai devā abhavan, parāsurā
bhavaty ātmanā, parāsya dviṣan pāpmā bhrātṛvyo bhavati, ya evaṃ veda
prātar vai sa taṃ devebhyo 'nvabravīd. yat prātar anvabravīt,
tat prātaranuvākasya prātaranuvākatvam
mahati rātryā anūcyaḥ sarvasyai vācaḥ sarvasya brahmaṇaḥ parigṛhītyai.
yo vai bhavati yaḥ śreṣṭhatām aśnute, tasya vācam proditām anupravadanti.
tasmān mahati rātryā anūcyaḥ
purā vācaḥ pravaditor anūcyo
yad vāci proditāyām anubrūyād, anyasyaivainam uditānuvādinaṃ kuryāt
tasmān mahati rātryā anūcyaḥ
purā śakunivādād anubruyan
Nirṛter vā etan mukhaṃ yad vayaṃsi yac chakunayas.
tad yat purā śakunivādād anubrūyān:
māyajñiyāṃ vācam proditām anupravadiṣmeti. tasmān mahati rātryā anūcyo
'tho khalu yadaivādhvaryur upākuryād, athānubrūyād
yadā vā adhvaryur upākaroti, vācaivopākaroti, vācā hotānvāha;
vāg ghi brahma. tatra sa kāma upāpto yo vāci ca brahmaṇi ca

ii. 15 (vii. 5). ‘For the gods that move at morn recite, O Hotṛ’ the Adhvaryu says. Agni, Uṣas, and the Açvins are the gods that move at morn; they come with seven metres each; the gods that move at morn come to the call of him who knows thus. When Prajāpati himself as Hotṛ was about to recite the morning litany, both the gods and the Asuras resorted to the sacrifice, (thinking) ‘For us will he recite, for us.’ He recited for the gods alone; then did the gods prosper, the Asuras were defeated. He prospers himself, the evil rival who hates him who knows thus is defeated. In the morning he recited it for the gods; in that he recited in the morning, that is why the morning litany has its name. It should be recited in the deep of the night, to secure the whole of speech, the whole of the holy power. If a man prospers or attains pre-eminence, his speech as uttered others repeat; therefore should it be recited in the deep of the night; before the utterance of speech must it be recited. If he should recite, when speech has been uttered, verily he would make him a repeater of what has been said by another; therefore in the deep of night should it be recited. Before the speaking of the fowls should he recite; the birds, the fowls, are the mouth of Nirṛti;

now as to his reciting before the speaking of the fowls (it is because they think), 'Let us not speak after speech has been uttered unconnected with the sacrifice.' Therefore it should be recited in the deep of the night. Or rather when the Adhvaryu begins, then he should recite; when the Adhvaryu begins, verily with speech he begins, at speech the Hotṛ recites, for speech is the holy power. Herein is the desire obtained which is in speech and in the holy power.