Aitareyabrahmana 3.33

3.33

Prajāpatir vai svāṃ duhitaram abhyadhyāyad,
divam ity anya āhur Uṣasam ity anye.
tām ṛśyo bhūtvā rohitam bhūtām abhyait.
taṃ devā apaśyann: ākṛtaṃ vai Prajāpatiḥ karotīti.
te tam aichan ya enam āriṣyaty, etam anyonyasmin nāvindaṃs.
teṣāṃ yā eva ghoratamās tanva āsaṃs, tā ekadhā samabharaṃs.
tāḥ sambhṛtā eṣa devo 'bhavat, tad asyaitad bhūtavan nāma
bhavati vai sa yo 'syaitad evaṃ nāma veda
taṃ devā abrūvann:
ayaṃ vai Prajāpatir akṛtam akar, imaṃ vidhyeti.
sa tathety abravīt, sa vai vo varaṃ vṛṇā iti. vṛṇīṣveti.
sa etam eva varam avṛṇīta: paśūnām ādhipatyaṃ.
tad asyaitat paśuman nāma
paśumān bhavati yo 'syaitad evaṃ nāma veda
tam abhyāyatyāvidhyat, sa viddha ūrdhva udapravata,
tam etam Mṛga ity ācakṣate.
ya u eva mṛgavyādhaḥ sa u eva sa, yā rohit sā Rohiṇī,
yo eveṣus trikāṇḍā so eveṣus trikāṇḍā
tad vā idam Prajāpate retaḥ siktam adhāvat, tat saro 'bhavat.
te devā abruvan: medam Prajāpate reto duṣad iti.
yad abruvan: medam Prajāpate reto duṣad iti, tan māduṣam abhavat,
tan māduṣasya māduṣatvam.
māduṣaṃ ha vai nāmaitad yan mānuṣaṃ,
tan māduṣaṃ san mānuṣam ity ācakṣate parokṣeṇa,
parokṣapriyā iva hi devāḥ

iii. 33 (xiii. 9). Prajāpati felt love towards his own daughter, the sky some say, Uṣas others. Having become a stag he approached her in the form of a deer. The gods saw him, ‘A deed unknown Prajāpati now does.’ They sought one to punish him; they found him not among one another. These most dread forms they brought together in one place. Brought together they became this deity here; therefore is his name containing (the word) Bhūta; he prospers who knows thus his name. To him the gods said ‘Prajāpati here hath done a deed unknown; pierce him.’ ‘Be it so,’ he replied, ‘Let me choose a boon from you.’ ‘Choose’ (they said). He chose this boon, the overlordship of cattle; therefore does his name contain the word ‘cattle’. Rich in cattle he becomes who knows thus this name of his. Having aimed at him he pierced him; being pierced he flew upwards; him they call ‘the deer’. The piercer of the deer is he of that name. The female deer is Rohiṇī; the three-pointed arrow is the

three-pointed arrow. The seed of Prajāpati outpoured ran; it became a pond. The gods said ‘Let not this seed of Prajāpati be spoiled.’ It became ‘not to be spoilt;’ that is why ‘not to be spoilt’ (māduṣa) has its name; connected with man is called ‘not to be spoilt’; that being ‘not to be spoilt’ they call mystically ‘connected with man (mānuṣa)’, for the gods are lovers of mystery as it were.