Aitareyabrahmana 4.4: ADHYĀYA IV

Rigveda Brahmanas: The Aitareya and Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇas of the Rigveda (HOS 25) 4.4

Language: English

ADHYĀYA IV

iv. 23 (xix. 1). Prajāpati felt desire ‘May I be propagated, may I become greater.’ He practised fervour; he, having practised fervour, saw the twelve-day (rite) in the limbs and the breaths of his self; he meted it out from the limbs and the breaths of his self twelvefold; he grasped it, and sacrificed with it. Then indeed he prospered himself, he was propagated with offspring and cattle. He prospers himself, he is propagated with offspring and cattle who knows thus. He felt desire, ‘How can I now, having encircled the twelve-day (rite) with the Gāyatrī on all sides, prosper with all prosperity?’ It he encircled in front with brilliance, in the middle with the metres, at the last with the syllables; having encircled the twelve-day (rite) with the Gāyatrī on all sides he prospers with all prosperity. With all prosperity he prospers, who knows thus. He who knows the Gāyatrī as possessed of wings, of eyes, of light, and of brilliance, goes to the world of heaven with the Gāyatrī as possessed of wings, of eyes, of light, and of brilliance; the twelve-day (rite) is the Gāyatrī as possessed of wings, of eyes, of light, and of brilliance. The two Atirātras on either side are the wings; the two Agniṣṭomas within are the two eyes; the eight Ukthyas in the middle are the body. With the Gāyatrī as possessed of wings, of eyes, of light, and of brilliance, he goes to the world of heaven, who knows thus.

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iv. 24 (xix. 2). The twelve-day (rite) consists of three sets of three days, the tenth day and two Atirātras. For twelve days is he consecrated; verily through them he becomes fit for sacrifice. He performs Upasads for twelve nights; verily with them he shakes clear his body. Having pressed for twelve days continuously, having become born anew, having shaken clear his body, pure and purified, he goes to the gods who

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knows thus. The twelve-day (rite) is one of thirty-six days; the Bṛhatī has thirty-six syllables; the twelve-day (rite) is the way of the Bṛhatī; by means of the Bṛhatī the gods attained these worlds. They attained this world with ten syllables, the atmosphere with ten, the sky with ten, the four quarters with four; with two they found support in this world. He finds support who knows thus. They say ‘Seeing that other metres are greater and have more syllables, then why do they call it the Bṛhatī?’ Since by it the gods attained these worlds. They attained this world with ten syllables, the atmosphere with ten, the sky with ten, the four quarters with four; verily with two they found support in this world; therefore do they call it the Bṛhatī. He attains whatever he desires who knows thus.

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iv. 25 (xix. 3). The twelve-day (rite) is a sacrifice of Prajāpati; Prajāpati at first sacrificed with this twelve-day (rite). He said to the seasons and to the months ‘Make sacrifice for me with the twelve-day (rite).’ Having caused him to consecrate himself, having made him move where he could not depart, they said to him ‘Give to us; then shall we sacrifice for thee.’ To them he gave sap and strength; sap is deposited in the seasons and in the months; they made sacrifice for him when giving; therefore should sacrifice be made for one when giving; they made sacrifice for him when receiving; therefore should sacrifice be made by one receiving. Both prosper, those who knowing thus sacrifice and make sacrifice. These seasons and months thought themselves heavy having received (gifts) at the twelve-day (rite); they said to Prajāpati ‘Make sacrifice for us with the twelve-day rite.’ ‘Be it so’, he replied, ‘Do you consecrate yourselves.’ Those of the first half consecrated themselves first; they smote away evil; therefore they are the daylight as it were, for the daylight as it were are those who have smitten away evil. Those of the second half consecrated themselves next; they did not at all smite away evil; therefore they are darkness as it were, for darkness as it were are those who have not smitten away evil. Therefore one who knows thus should ever seek to be first consecrated when men consecrate themselves. He smites away evil who knows thus. Prajāpati as the year found support in the seasons and the months; these seasons and months found support in Prajāpati as the year; these find support in one another. So he who sacrifices with the twelve-day (rite) finds support in the priest. Therefore they say ‘No evil man should be sacrificed for with the twelve-day (rite), (thinking) “Let not this one find support in me.”’ The twelve-day (rite) is the oldest sacrifice, for the oldest of the gods it was who in the beginning sacrificed with it. The twelve-day (rite) is the best sacrifice, for it was the best of the gods who in the beginning sacrificed with it. The oldest and the best should sacrifice; here there becomes a good season. No evil man should be sacrificed for with the twelve-day (rite), (thinking) 'Let not this one find support in me.' The gods did not admit the seniority and superiority of Indra; he said to Bṛhaspati 'Make sacrifice for me with the twelve-day (rite).' For him he made sacrifice; then indeed did the gods admit his seniority and superiority. His superiority and seniority they admit, and his pre-eminence his own (people) accord, who knows thus. The first set of three days is in ascending order, the middle transverse, the last in descending order. In that the first set of three days is in ascending order, therefore Agni here is kindled upwards, for his quarter is upwards; in that the middle is transverse, therefore Vāyu here blows transversely, the waters flow transversely, for his quarter is the transverse; in that the last is in descending order, therefore yonder sun gives heat downward, it rains downward, and the constellations (shine) downward, for his region is downward. These worlds are in unison; these sets of three days are in unison; in unison for him these worlds shine with prosperity, who knows thus.

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iv. 26 (xix. 4). Consecration departed from the gods; it they sought to grasp with the two months of spring; it they could not obtain with the two months of spring. It they sought to grasp with the two months of summer, of the rainy season, of autumn, of winter; it they could not obtain with the months of winter. It they sought to grasp with the two months of the cool season; it they obtained with the two months of the cool season. He obtains whom he seeks to obtain, his enemy obtains him not, who knows thus. Therefore he to whom the consecration for the sacrificial season may condescend should consecrate himself when these two months of the cool season have arrived. Obviously thus does he consecrate himself, when consecration has arrived; manifestly he encircles consecration. Therefore in these months of the cool season the cattle of the village and of the wild become thin and shaggy; verily thus they acquire the form of consecration. Before the consecration he offers a victim to Prajāpati; first he should recite seventeen kindling verses; Prajāpati is seventeenfold; (they serve) to obtain Prajāpati. The Āprīs verses for it are by Jamadagni. They say 'Seeing that in the case of the other victims the Āprīs are according to the (ancestral) seer, then why

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in this case are the verses by Jamadagni used by all?' The verses by Jamadagni are of all forms, all perfect; the victim is of all forms, all perfect; in that they are verses by Jamadagni (they serve) to secure the possession of all forms, all perfections. The cake offering for the victim is for Vāyu. They say 'Seeing that the victim is for other deities also, then why is the cake offering for the victim performed for Vāyu.' 'The sacrifice is Prajāpati, to prevent the exhaustion of the sacrifice' he should reply. In that it is for Vāyu, thereby he does not depart from Prajāpati, for Prajāpati is Vāyu. It is declared by the seer 'Prajāpati, the blowing.' If it is a sacrificial session, they should offer after depositing the fires together, all should be consecrated, all should press. With spring he ends; spring is strength; verily thus he ends with sap and strength.

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iv. 27 (xix. 5). The metres desired one another's abode; the Gāyatrī desired the abode of the Triṣṭubh and the Jagatī, the Triṣṭubh that of the Gāyatrī and the Jagatī, and the Jagatī that of the Gāyatrī and the Triṣṭubh. Then indeed did Prajāpati see this twelve-day (rite) with the metres transposed; he grasped it and sacrificed with it. Thereby he made the metres attain all their desires. He attains all desires who knows thus. He transposes the metres to avoid exhaustion. Verily he transposes the metres. Just as in the world men go with relays of fresh horses or oxen, so with relays of fresh metres they go to the world of heaven, in that he transposes the metres. These two worlds were together; they went apart; no rain fell, there was no heat; the five folks were not in harmony. The gods brought them together; they uniting performed the divine marriage. By means of the Rathantara this (earth) quickens yonder (sky); by the Bṛhatī yonder (sky) this (earth); by the Naudhasa this quickens that; by the Çyaita that this. With smoke this quickens that; with rain that this. This placed in that the place of sacrifice to the gods; cattle that in this. In that this placed the place of sacrifice to the gods, in that there is dark as it were in the moon. Therefore on the waxing fortnights they sacrifice as they desire to win that. Yonder (sky) placed salt in the (earth); as to this Tura Kāvaṣeya said 'Salt is nutriment, O my dear Janamejaya.' Therefore here also men considering a place for cattle ask 'Are there salts there?' for salt is nutriment. Yonder

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world turned to this world; then were sky and earth born; neither from the atmosphere (comes) the sky, nor from the atmosphere earth.

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iv. 28 (xix. 6). In the beginning there were here the Bṛhat and the Rathantara; they were speech and mind; the Rathantara speech, the Bṛhat mind; the Bṛhat as first born despised the Rathantara; the Rathantara conceived and produced the Vairūpa; having become two, the Rathantara and the Vairūpa, they despised the Bṛhat. Then the Bṛhat conceived and produced the Vairāja; having become two, the Bṛhat and the Vairāja, they despised the Rathantara and the Vairūpa. Then the Rathantara conceived and produced the Çākvara; these having become three, the Rathantara and the Vairūpa and the Çākvara, despised the Bṛhat and the Vairāja. The Bṛhat conceived and produced the Raivata. These three and those three were the Pṛṣṭhas. The three metres were not enough for six Pṛṣṭhas. The Gāyatrī conceived and produced the Anuṣṭubh; the Triṣṭubh conceived and produced the Paṅkti; the Jagatī conceived and produced the Atichandas. These three and those three others were the six metres; the Pṛṣṭhas were six; thus they came into order. The sacrifice is in order; (all) is in order for that folk where one knowing thus this ordering of the metres and the Pṛṣṭhas consecrates himself.

Linked texts (1)

Aitareyabrāhmaṇa — Mahidāsa Aitareya, Sanskrit