Aitareyabrahmana 1.3

1.3

The sacrificial priests make him into an embryo again whom they consecrate. They sprinkle him with waters. Waters are seed; having thus endowed him with seed, they consecrate him. They anoint him with fresh butter. Melted butter belongs to the gods, fragrant clarified butter to men, melted-and-cooled butter to the ancestors, and fresh butter to embryos. In that they anoint him with fresh butter, they thus provide him with his own share. They apply eye-salve to him. Eye-salve is splendour in the eyes; having thus endowed him with splendour, they consecrate him. They purify him with twenty-one stalks of darbha grass. Thus they consecrate him pure and cleansed. They lead him into the hut for the consecrated. The hut for the consecrated is the womb of the consecrated sacrificer; they thus lead him into his own womb. Therefore, from a fixed womb he sits and moves. Therefore, from a fixed womb embryos are conceived and brought forth. Therefore, the sun should not rise or set over the consecrated sacrificer outside the hut for the consecrated, nor should they cause him to hear [the sacrificial calls there]. They cover him with a garment. The garment is the amnion of the consecrated sacrificer; they thus cover him with the amnion. The black antelope skin is worn above it. The chorion is above the amnion; they thus cover him with the chorion. He clenches his fists. Having clenched its fists, the embryo lies within; having clenched his fists, the child is born. In that he clenches his fists, he thereby holds the sacrifice and all the deities in his fists. Concerning this they say: 'For him who is consecrated first there is no clash of sacrifices; his sacrifice is grasped, his deities are grasped; there is no misfortune for him as there is for one who is consecrated later.' Taking off the black antelope skin, he descends into the purificatory bath; therefore embryos are born freed from the chorion. He descends together with the garment; therefore a child is born together with the amnion.