Aitareyabrahmana 2.22

2.22

On this they say: 'Should he creep, or should he not creep?' Some indeed say: 'He should creep,' saying: 'This bahiṣpavamāna is the drink of both gods and men; therefore they gather around it.' / That should not be regarded. / If he were to creep, he would make the verse follow the trail of the saman. If anyone were to say of him there: 'This hotṛ priest has indeed become a follower of the chanter of the saman; he has placed his glory in the udgātṛ priest; he has fallen from his proper seat, he will fall from his seat,' it would surely be so. / Therefore, sitting right there, he should recite the formula: / 'Whatever drinking of Soma belongs here to the gods in the sacrifice, upon the sacrificial grass, upon the altar, of that too we partake.' / Thus indeed his self does not become separated from the drinking of Soma. / Then he should say: 'You are the mouth; may I become the mouth.' / The bahiṣpavamāna is indeed the mouth of the sacrifice. / He becomes the mouth among his own people, he becomes the foremost among his own people, who knows thus. / The Asura woman Dīrghajihvī licked down the morning pressing of the gods; it became muddled. / Those gods sought to understand [how to remedy it]. They said to Mitra and Varuṇa: / 'Do you two set this right.' They two said: 'So be it; let us choose a boon from you.' [The gods said:] 'Choose!' They two chose this very boon: / the curd-mixture at the morning pressing. It is their unalterable [portion], for it was chosen as a boon by them. / What appears slightly muddled in it is its full completeness, / for with it they two set right what was muddled, as it were.