Aitareyabrahmana 6.9

6.9

With 'Let the bays bear thee hither' he recites for [the cups] being drawn forward at the morning pressing—[verses] containing the word 'bull' (vṛṣan), containing the word 'drunk' (pīta), containing the word 'pressed' (suta), containing the word 'exhilarating' (mad), congruous in form. He recites [verses] addressed to Indra, for the sacrifice belongs to Indra. He recites gāyatrī [verses], for the morning pressing belongs to the gāyatrī. He recites nine, a deficient [number], at the morning pressing; indeed semen is emitted into what is deficient. He recites ten at midday; semen emitted into what is deficient, having reached the middle of a woman, becomes stoutest. He recites nine, a deficient [number], at the third pressing; from what is deficient offspring are generated. As to his reciting these whole hymns: thereby he generates the sacrificer as an embryo from the sacrifice for a divine womb. Now some recite seven and seven: seven at the morning pressing, seven at the midday [pressing], seven at the third pressing, saying: 'As many as are the introductory verses, so many are the offering verses. Seven indeed sacrifice forwards, seven pronounce the vaṣaṭ call. These are their introductory verses.' One should not do it thus. They steal away the sacrificer's semen and also the sacrificer himself, for the sacrificer is the hymn. With nine [verses] the Maitrāvaruṇa conveys him from this world to the world of the intermediate space; with ten from the world of the intermediate space to that world—for the world of the intermediate space is greatest—with nine from that world to the heavenly world. Those who recite seven and seven are not able to carry the sacrificer to the heavenly world. Therefore he should recite the hymns in their entirety.