Aitareyabrahmana 3.37

3.37

devānām patnīḥ śaṃsaty anūcīr agniṃ gṛhapatiṃ,
tasmād anūcī patnī gārhapatyam āste
tad āhū: Rākām pūrvāṃ śaṃsej, jāmyai vai pūrvapeyam iti
tat-tan nādṛtyaṃ.
devānām eva patnīḥ pūrvāḥ śaṃsed.
eṣa ha vā etat patnīṣu reto dadhāti yad agnir gārhapatyo,
'gninaivāsu tad gārhapatyena patnīṣu pratyakṣād reto dadhāti prajātyai
prajāyate prajayā paśubhir ya evaṃ veda
tasmāt samānodaryā svasānyodāryayai jāyāyā anujīvinī jīvati
Rākāṃ śaṃsati. Rākā ha vā etām puruṣasya sevanīṃ sīvyati yaiṣā śiśne 'dhi
pumāṃso 'sya putrā jāyante ya evaṃ veda
Pāvīravīṃ śaṃsati.
vāg vai Sarasvatī Pāvīravī, vācy eva tad vācam dadhāti
tad āhur: yāmīm pūrvāṃ śaṃse+t \ pitryā+m iti \
yāmīm eva pūrvāṃ śaṃsed: imaṃ yama prastaram ā hi sīdeti.
rājño vai pūrvapeyaṃ, tasmād yāmīm eva pūrvāṃ śaṃsen
mātalī kavyair yamo aṅgirobhir iti kāvyānām anūcīṃ śaṃsaty.
avareṇaiva vai devān kāvyāḥ pareṇaiva pitṝṃs,
tasmāt kāvyānām anūcīṃ śaṃsaty
ud īratām avara ut parāsa iti pitryāḥ śaṃsaty
un madhyamāḥ pitaraḥ somyāsa iti
ye caivāvamā ye ca paramā ye ca madhyamās, tān sarvān anantarāyam pṝṇāty
āham pitṝn suvidatrām̐ avitsīti dvitīyāṃ śaṃsati
barhiṣado ye svadhayā sutasyety.
etad dha vā eṣām priyaṃ dhāma yad barhiṣada iti,
priyeṇaivaināṃs tad dhāmnā samardhayati
priyeṇa dhāmnā samṛdhyate ya evaṃ vede/dam
pitṛbhyo namo astv adyeti namaskāravatīm antataḥ śaṃsati,
tasmād antataḥ pitṛbhyo namaskriyate
tad āhur: vyāhāvam pitryāḥ śaṃse+t \ avyāhāvā+m iti \ vyāhāvam eva śaṃsed,
asaṃsthitaṃ vai pitṛyajñasya sādhv.
asaṃsthitaṃ vā eṣa pitṛyajñaṃ saṃsthāpayati yo 'vyāhāvaṃ śaṃsati,
tasmād vyāhāvam eva śaṃstavyam

iii. 37 (xiii. 13). He celebrates the wives of the gods after Agni, the lord of the house; therefore the wife sits behind the Gārhapatya. They say ‘Let him celebrate Rākā first; a sister has the first drink.’ That is not to

be regarded; the wives of the gods he should celebrate first. Agni Gārhapatya places seed in the wives; verily thus in these wives with Agni Gārhapatya openly he places seed, for propagation. He is propagated with offspring and cattle, who knows thus. Therefore a sister, though of the same womb, lives as inferior to a wife, though of a different womb. He celebrates Rākā; Rākā is it that sews this suture in man which is in the organ. Male sons are born for him who knows thus. He celebrates Pāviravī; Pāviravī is speech, Sarasvatī; verily thus he places speech in speech. They say ‘Should he recite (the verse) to Yama first? Or that for the fathers?’ That to Yama should he recite first. ‘This strew, O Yama, do thou sit upon’; the first drink is the king's; therefore should he recite (the verse ) to Yama first. ‘Mātali with the sages, Yama with the Aṅgirases’, he recites after (it) for the sages. The sages are inferior to the gods, but above the fathers; therefore he recites it after (the verse to Yama). ‘Let them arise, the lower, the higher’, (these verses ) to the fathers he recites. ‘The midmost fathers, loving the Soma’ (he says); the lowest, the highest and the midmost, all these without omission he delights. ‘I have found the kindly fathers’ he recites as the second (verse). ‘Who sitting on the strew (the drink) pressed with the call’ (he says); ‘sitting on the strew’ is a reference to their dear abode (the strew); verily thus with their dear home he makes them prosper. With a dear home he prospers who knows thus. ‘May there be this homage to the fathers to-day’ he recites, containing the making of homage, at the end; therefore at the end is homage paid to the fathers. They say ‘Should he recite (the verses) to the fathers separating (them) with the call? Or without separating (them) with the call.’ He should recite separating (them) with the call; the good of the sacrifice to the fathers is incomplete ; he who recites separating (them) with the call completes the incomplete sacrifice to the fathers; therefore it is to be recited separating (them) with the call.