Aitareyabrahmana 2.2

2.2

The Adhvaryu says: 'We anoint the sacrificial post; recite for it.' He recites: 'They anoint you at the rite, desiring the gods'; for desiring the gods, they anoint it at the rite. 'O lord of the forest, with divine honey'; this melted butter is indeed divine honey. 'Whether you stand erect, bestow wealth here, or whether you lie in the lap of this mother'; whether you stand or whether you lie down, 'bestow wealth on us', is just what he says. 'Erect yourself, O lord of the forest', is congruous for [a post] being erected. What in the sacrifice is congruous is successful. 'Upon the height of the earth'; this is the height of the earth, where they raise the sacrificial post. 'Being well measured in the measuring, bestow lustre on the sacrifice-bearers', he says; he thereby utters a blessing. 'Leaning in front of the kindled [fire]'; for it leans at this moment in front of the kindled [fire]. 'Gaining brahman, undecaying, rich in valiant sons'; he thereby utters a blessing. 'Driving away distress far from us'; hunger is indeed evil distress; he drives it away far from the sacrifice and from the sacrificer. 'Rise upright for great good fortune'; he thereby utters a blessing. 'Stand upright for our aid, like the god Savitṛ'; what is 'na' among the gods is 'om' among them; 'Stand like the god Savitṛ', is what he thereby says. 'Upright, giver of wealth'; he thereby wins it as a giver of wealth, a winner of booty. 'When we call upon you with anointing ministrants'; metres are the anointing ministrants; by them the sacrificers call upon the gods: 'Come to my sacrifice, to my sacrifice!' Even if many are sacrificing, as it were, the gods come only to his sacrifice where one who knows thus recites this [verse]. 'Upright, protect us from distress; burn up completely every devourer with your banner'; evil devourers are the rakṣases; 'burn up evil and rakṣases' is what he thereby says. When he says: 'Make us upright for walking, for living', 'Make us upright for movement, for living' is what he thereby says. Even if the sacrificer is, as it were, led away [by death], he thereby hands him over to the year. 'Know our reverence among the gods'; he thereby utters a blessing. 'Born, he is born on a fair day of days'; for he is born at this moment. 'Growing in the gathering, in the assembly'; they make it grow at this moment. 'Wise, active ones purify [him] through thought'; they purify it at this moment. 'The god-seeking sage sends forth his voice'; he announces him to the gods. With the final [verse] he concludes: 'A youth, well clad, girded around, he has arrived'; breath is the youth, well clad, wrapped around with bodies. 'He becomes better as he is born'; better and better he becomes at this moment as he is born. 'The wise seers lead him up, thoughtful, god-seeking with their mind'; those who have recited [the Veda] are the seers; they lead it up at this moment. These seven [verses] he recites, congruous in form. What is congruous in form is successful in the sacrifice, when the verse expresses the action being performed. Of them, he recites the first thrice and the last thrice; they amount to eleven. The triṣṭubh has eleven syllables; the triṣṭubh is Indra's thunderbolt. He succeeds through these [verses] having Indra's abode, who knows thus. He recites the first thrice and the last thrice; he thereby fastens the two borders of the sacrifice for firmness, for strength, for non-loosening.