Aitareyabrahmana 5.4

5.4

Speech is the deity that bears the fourth day; the twenty-first is the stomā, the vairāja is the sāman, the anuṣṭubh is the metre. He prospers with its deity, with its stomā, with its sāman, with its metre, who knows this. Whatever has 'eti' (goes) and 'pra' (forth), that is the characteristic of the fourth day. For the first day is indeed this fourth day again. Whatever contains 'yoked' (yuktavat), whatever contains 'chariot' (rathavat), whatever contains 'swift' (āśumat), whatever contains 'drink' (pibavat), when the deity is explicitly mentioned in the first quarter-verse, when this world is referred to, whatever contains 'born' (jātavat), whatever contains 'call' (havavat), whatever contains 'bright' (śukravat), whatever has the form of speech, whatever is by Vimada (vaimada), whatever has the r-sound altered (viriphita), whatever has varying metres (vichandas), whatever is deficient or redundant, whatever relates to the virāj (vairāja), whatever relates to the anuṣṭubh (ānuṣṭubha), whatever is in the future tense (kariṣyat), whatever is the characteristic of the first day: these indeed are the characteristics of the fourth day. 'Agniṃ na svavṛktibhiḥ' is the ājya [hymn] of the fourth day, composed by Vimada, having altered sounds, of an ṛṣi with altered sounds, on the fourth day, a characteristic of the fourth day. It consists of eight verses in paṅkti metre. The sacrifice is fivefold (pāṅkta), cattle are fivefold, for the securing of cattle. They are ten jagatī verses; this three-day period has the jagatī at the morning pressing, therefore it is a characteristic of the fourth day. They are fifteen anuṣṭubh verses; for this day belongs to the anuṣṭubh, therefore it is a characteristic of the fourth day. They are twenty gāyatrī verses; for this day is a repeated introductory (prāyaṇīya) day, therefore it is a characteristic of the fourth day. This is an unchanted, unrecited, fresh hymn—the sacrifice itself visibly. When this is the ājya of the fourth day, from sacrifice they extend the sacrifice; they return to speech for continuity. Those who knowing thus proceed, proceed with continuous, uninterrupted three-day periods. 'Vāyo śukro ayāmi te', 'vihi hotrā avītā', 'vāyo śataṃ harīṇām', 'indraś ca vāyav eṣāṃ somānām', 'ā cikitāna sukratū', 'ā no viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ', 'tyam u vo aprahaṇam', 'apa tyaṃ vṛjinaṃ ripum', 'ambitame nadītame' is the praüga [śastra] in anuṣṭubh metre. It contains 'eti' and 'pra' and contains 'śukra' on the fourth day, a characteristic of the fourth day. 'Taṃ tvā yajñebhir īmahe' is the opening verse of the marutvatīya [śastra]. 'We seek' (īmahe): this day is, as it were, to be reached; therefore it is a characteristic of the fourth day. 'Idaṃ vaso sutam andhaḥ', 'indra nedīya ed ihi', 'praitu brahmaṇas patiḥ', 'agnir netā', 'tvaṃ soma kratubhiḥ', 'pinvanty āpaḥ', 'pra va indrāya bṛhate' is the continuous recitation (ātāna) identical to that of the first day, on the fourth day, a characteristic of the fourth day. 'Śrudhī havam indra mā riṣaṇyaḥ' is the hymn containing 'call' (havavat) on the fourth day, a characteristic of the fourth day. 'Marutvān indra vṛṣabho raṇāya' is the hymn; 'ugraṃ sahodām iha taṃ huvema' contains 'call' on the fourth day, a characteristic of the fourth day. It is in triṣṭubh metre; by that verse having a firm foothold he supports the pressing, and by this he does not slip from his proper place. 'Imaṃ nu māyinaṃ huvaḥ' is the concluding verse containing 'call' on the fourth day, a characteristic of the fourth day. They are gāyatrī verses; the gāyatrī verses bear the midday of this three-day period. That metre indeed bears it in which the nivid is placed; therefore he inserts the nivid among the gāyatrī verses. 'Pibā somam indra mandatu tvā', 'śrudhī havaṃ vipipānasyādreḥ' is the vairāja pṛṣṭha; on the day connected with bṛhatī, on the fourth day, it is a characteristic of the fourth day. 'Yad vāvāna' is the immovable insertion verse (dhāyyā). 'Tvām id dhi havāmahe' he repeats after the source (yoni) of the bṛhat, for this day belongs to the bṛhat by its proper abode. 'Tvam indra pratūrtīṣu' is the sāmapragātha; 'aśastihā janitā' contains 'born' (jātavat) on the fourth day, a characteristic of the fourth day. 'Tyam ū ṣu vājinaṃ devajūtam' is the immovable Tārkṣya hymn.