Aitareyabrahmana 2.3: ADHYĀYA III

Rigveda Brahmanas: The Aitareya and Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇas of the Rigveda (HOS 25) 2.3

Language: English

ADHYĀYA III

ii. 19 (viii. 1). The seers performed a sacrificial season on the Sarasvatī; they drove away Kavaṣa Ailūṣa from the Soma, ‘The child of a slave woman, a cheat, no Brahman; how has he been consecrated in our midst?’ They sent him out to the desert, (saying) ‘There let thirst slay him; let him drink not the water of the Sarasvatī.’ He sent away to the wilderness, afflicted by thirst, saw the ‘child of the waters’ hymn, ‘Forth among the gods let there be speeding for the Brahman.’ Thereby he went to the dear abode of the waters; him the waters welled out after; all around him Sarasvatī hastened. Therefore they call it here Parisāraka, in that Sarasvatī went all around him. The seers said ‘The gods know him; let us summon him.’ ‘Be it so’ (they replied). They summoned him; having summoned him they performed this ‘child of the waters’ (hymn), ‘Forth among the gods let there be speeding for the Brahman’; therewith they went to the dear home of the waters, of the gods. He goes to the dear home of the waters, of the gods; he conquers the highest world who knows thus, and he who knowing thus performs the ‘child of the waters’ (hymn). It he should recite continuously; Parjanya comes to rain continuously for

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offspring when one knowing thus recites this continuously. If he were to recite with divisions, then Parjanya would rain with clouds for offspring; therefore should it be recited continuously only. Of it he recites the first (verse) thrice continuously; verily thereby the whole is continuously recited.

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ii. 20 (viii. 2). These nine (verses) he recites without omission. ‘Send forth our sacrifice with divine offering’ (he says) as tenth. ‘Winding hitherward those of two streams’ (he says), when the Ekadhanā (waters) are turned hitherward; ‘What time the waters are seen coming forward’ (he says) when they are being seen; ‘May the cows with milk, eager for the end’ (he says), when they are coming up; ‘Some come together, others come up’ (he says) when they come together. The waters were in conflict, ‘we shall first bear the sacrifice; we’; both these Vasatīvarī waters, which are drawn on the previous day and the Ekadhanā (waters which are drawn) in the morning.

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These Bhṛgu saw, ‘These waters are in conflict.’ Them with this verse he brought into harmony, ‘Some come together, others come up.’ They came into harmony; in harmony they support his sacrifice who knows thus. ‘Like the waters divine they come up to the vessel of the offering’ he recites when they are being poured together into the Hotṛ’s goblet, both the Vasatīvarī and the Ekadhanā (waters). ‘Hast thou seen the waters, O Adhvaryu?’ the Hotṛ asks the Adhvaryu; the sacrifice is the waters; verily thus he says ‘Hast thou seen the sacrifice?’ ‘Yea, they have indeed condescended’ the Adhvaryu replies; verily thus he says ‘Look upon them.’ ‘In these, O Adhvaryu, shalt thou press for Indra the Soma rich in honey, full of rain, bitter at the end, thick meanwhile, for him with the Vasus, the Rudras, the Ādityas, the Ṛbhus, the Vibhus, with Vāja, with Bṛhaspati, with the All-gods, of which having drunk, Indra shall slay the foes; he shall overcome their tribes’; (so saying) he rises to meet (them); the waters are to be met; men rise to meet a superior when he comes; therefore is he to rise to meet them. He must turn round behind them; they turn round behind a superior; therefore must he turn round behind them. As he recites he should move after them; for even if another be the sacrificer

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still fame will fall to the Hotṛ; therefore should he move after them as he recites. Reciting this (verse ), ‘The mothers go with the paths,’ should he move after. ‘The sisters of those that sacrifice, mixing the milk with honey’ (he says) who being without taste of the honey drink desires to win fame. ‘Those that are in the sun or with which is the sun’ (he says ) who desires brilliance and splendour. ‘I invite the waters, the goddesses, where our kine drink’ (he says ) who desires cattle. Reciting all these should he move after, to win these desires. These desires he wins who knows thus. ‘They have come rich with living gifts’ he recites as the Vasatīvarī and the Ekadhanā waters are being set down; ‘They have come, the waters, eager to this strew,’ when they have been set down. With this he concludes.

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The Upāṅçu and Antaryāma Cups.

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ii. 21 (viii. 3). The morning litany is the head of the sacrifice; the Upāṅçu and Antaryāma (cups) are expiration and inspiration; speech verily is a thunderbolt. Before the Upāṅçu and Antaryāma (cups) have been offered the Hotṛ should not utter speech; if, before the Upāṅçu and the Antaryāma (cups) have been offered, the Hotṛ should utter speech, with speech as a thunderbolt he would interrupt the breaths of the sacrificer. If one were to say then of him, ‘With speech as a thunderbolt he has interrupted the breaths of the sacrificer, breath will forsake him,’ it would assuredly be so. Therefore the Hotṛ should not utter speech before the Upāṅçu and Antaryāma (cups) have been offered. With ‘Support expiration; hail! thee, O easy to invoke, to the sun!’ he should accompany the Upāṅçu (cup) ; towards it he should breath forth with ‘O expiration, support my expiration.’ With ‘Support inspiration; hail! thee, O easy to invoke, to the sun!’ he should accompany the Antaryāma (cup); towards it he should breath in with ‘O inspiration, support my inspiration’; ‘To cross-breathing thee!’ with this he utters speech, having touched the stone for pressing (the Soma for) the Upāṅçu. Verily thus the Hotṛ, having placed the breaths in the body, utters speech, with the whole of life, for the whole of life; a full life he lives who knows thus.

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The Sarpaṇa.

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ii. 22 (viii. 4). They say 'Should he creep? Should he not creep?' 'He should creep' hold some, saying 'The Bahiṣpavamāna is the food of both gods and men; therefore they go together towards it.' That is not to be regarded. If he were to creep, he would make the Ṛc a follower of the Sāman. If one here were to say of him, 'This Hotṛ has become a follower of the Sāman singer; he has conferred glory on the Udgātṛ; he has fallen from his place; she will fall from her place,' it would certainly be so. Therefore seated here he should recite,

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'The Soma drink of the gods here,
At the sacrifice, on the strew, on the altar,
Of this, we are eating.'

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So his self is not excluded from the Soma drinking. Moreover he should say, 'Thou art the mouth; may I become the mouth'; the Bahiṣpavamāna is the mouth of the sacrifice; the head among his own he becomes, the chief of his own he becomes, who knows thus. An Asura woman, named Long Tongue, licked the morning pressing of the gods; it became drunk. The gods sought to remedy it; they said to Mitra and Varuṇa, 'Do ye remove this (intoxication).' They replied, 'Be it so; let us choose a boon from you.' 'Choose' (they said). They chose this boon, the milk mess of the morning pressing. This is their fixed portion, for it is chosen as a boon by the two. Thus what by her was made intoxicated, as it were, is made perfect by this (milk mess), for by it the two removed what was intoxicated as it were.

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The Cakes.

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ii. 23 (viii. 5). The pressings of the gods were not firm. They saw these cakes; they offered them at each pressing, to support the pressings; then indeed were their pressings made firm. In that the cakes are offered at each pressing, (they serve) to support the pressings, for so are those of them made firm. The cakes the gods made citadels, that is why the Puroḍāśas

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have their name. They say 'He should offer the cakes at each pressing, one on eight potsherds at the morning pressing, one on eleven potsherds at the midday pressing, one on twelve potsherds at the third pressing, for such is the characteristic of the pressings, such of the metres.' That is not to be regarded. The cakes at each pressing are all offered to Indra; therefore he should offer them on eleven potsherds. They say 'From that part of the cake should he eat where it is not anointed with ghee, to protect the Soma drink; for by ghee as a thunderbolt Indra slew Vṛtra.' That is not to be regarded. That which is purified is the oblation; what is purified is the Soma drink; therefore should he eat from any part whatever of it. From all sides these oblations, butter, fried grains, mush, the pap, the cake, and the milk mess flow up to the sacrificer as delights; on all sides delights flow up to him who knows thus.

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The Sacrifice of Five Oblations.

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ii. 24 (viii. 6). He who knows the sacrifice with five oblations prospers with the sacrifice of five oblations; the sacrifice of five oblations is made up of fried grains, mush, the pap, the cake, and the milk mess; this is the sacrifice of five oblations; he who knows thus prospers with the sacrifice of five oblations. He who knows the sacrifice of five syllables prospers with the sacrifice of five syllables; the sacrifice of five syllables is *su mat pad vag de*; he prospers with the sacrifice of five syllables who knows thus. He who knows the sacrifice of five Narāçaṅsas prospers with the sacrifice of the five Narāçaṅsas; the morning pressing has two Narāçaṅsa (cups); the midday pressing two Narāçaṅsas; the third pressing one Narāçaṅsas; this is the sacrifice of five Narāçaṅsas; he prospers with the sacrifice of five Narāçaṅsas who knows thus. He who knows the sacrifice of five pressings prospers with the sacrifice of five pressings; the sacrifice of five pressings is the victim on the fast day, three pressings, the concluding victim; he prospers with the sacrifice of five pressings who knows thus. 'With the bay steeds let Indra eat the fried grains; with Pūṣan the mush; with Sarasvatī, with Bhāratī, the pap (is for Indra); for Indra the cake' is the offer-

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ing verse for the five oblation (sacrifice); the two bays are the Ṛc and the Sāman; Pūṣan is cattle; mush is food; ‘With Sarasvatī, with Bhāratī’ (he says); Sarasvatī is speech, Bharata is the breath; ‘the pap, for Indra the cake’ (he says); the pap is food, the cake is power; verily thus he makes the sacrificer attain union and identity of form and world with these deities he is united with a stronger, he obtains pre-eminence who knows thus. ‘Enjoy, O Agni, the oblation’ he says as offering verse for the Sviṣṭakṛt of the cake at each pressing. Thereby did Avatsāra go to the dear home of Agni; he conquered the highest world. He goes to the dear home of Agni; he conquers the highest world, who knows thus and who knowing thus sacrifices with this (sacrifice of) five oblations and who says the offering verse.

Linked texts (1)

Aitareyabrāhmaṇa — Mahidāsa Aitareya, Sanskrit