Jaiminīya (Talavakāra) Brāhmaṇa 21
English (machine translation) 21
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21.119
Now the Santani: / Speech is extended, which is the twelve-day rite. / They link it together with the Santani. / The breaths are indeed the links; / speech is linked by the breaths. / That there is the Santani is for the connection of the breaths, [so that they think,] 'Let us link speech together with the breaths.' / These worlds are links; these worlds are the Mahānāmnīs. / That there is the Santani is for the connection of these worlds. / For him who knows thus, these worlds are extended continuously. / 'Towards glory, high renown'—[the word] 'towards' (abhi) is the form of the Rathantara. / This day belongs to the Rathantara. / 'Quickening the thoughts for the quest for cattle'—thus they contain [the word] 'cow' and contain [the word] 'cattle', to secure cattle, / for this day belongs to cattle.
21.120
Upon these [verses is chanted] the Cyāvana [sāman]. Cyavana Bhārgava indeed understood the ritual mystery of the remnant of the dwelling. He said to his sons: 'Indeed, I know the ritual mystery of the remnant of the dwelling. Placing me on the site of the dwelling, drive off, repeatedly driving off thrice.' They said: 'We shall not be able to. We will become subject to reproach. "They have abandoned their father," they will say to us.' 'No,' he said, 'By this, you will become wealthier, and by this too there is hope of my being young again. Having abandoned me, just drive off.' Thus he instructed them. Having placed him in the Śaiśava [pool] of the Sarasvatī, they drove off, repeatedly driving off thrice. Abandoned on the site of the dwelling, he desired: 'May I be young again; may I obtain a young maiden as wife; may I sacrifice with a thousand [cows].' He saw this sāman. With it he praised.
21.121
While he was praising, Śaryāta Mānava camped over [him] with his clan. Boys, cowherds, and shepherds smeared him with mud, balls of dung, and ashes from hearths. He caused discord among the Śāryātas. Then mother did not recognize son, nor son mother. Śaryāta Mānava said: 'Did you see anything around here, from which this has happened in this manner?' They said to him: 'Nothing other than that: an old, worn-out man lies here. Today boys, cowherds, and shepherds have smeared him with mud, balls of dung, and ashes from hearths. From that, this has happened in this manner.'
21.121.p1
He said: 'That was indeed Cyavana Bhārgava.
21.121.p2
He knows the ritual mystery of the remnant of the dwelling.
21.121.p3
His sons have surely driven off, leaving him on the site of the dwelling.'
21.121.p4
Running up to him, he said: 'O seer, homage be to you!
21.122
Be gracious, through fortune, to the Śāryātas.' Now Sukanyā, daughter of Śaryāta, was beautiful. He said: 'Then give me Sukanyā.' 'No,' he said, 'ask for other wealth.' 'No,' he said, 'Indeed I know the ritual mystery of the remnant of the dwelling. Having left her beside me here, move on today with the clan before evening.' [They said:] 'Deliberating together, we will give you an answer.' Having deliberated, they said: 'We might obtain one, two, or at most three pieces of wealth through her, but by means of her we shall obtain everything right here. Come, let us give her to him.' They gave her to him. They said to her: 'O maiden, this is an old, worn-out man, not capable of following. When we harness, then run after [us].' As she was about to follow the harnessed clan, she stood up after [them]. He said: 'O serpent, run around my life-taking companion!' As she went this way or that,
21.123
a black serpent rose up against her. Despairing right there, she sat down. Then the two Aśvins, ladle-offerers, practicing medicine and excluded from Soma, were roaming through this [world]. Coming up to her, they said: 'O maiden, this man is incomplete, not fit to be a husband. Become the wife of us two.' 'No,' she said, 'I shall be the wife of the one to whom my father gave me.' He overheard this. Then those two departed. He said: 'O maiden, what was this sound?' 'Two men approached me, possessing the most beautiful of forms.' 'What did they say to you?' '"O maiden, this man is incomplete, not fit to be a husband. Become the wife of us two."' 'What did you say?' '"No," I said, "I shall be the wife of the one to whom my father gave me."'
21.124
This pleased him. He said: 'Those two are indeed the Aśvins, ladle-offerers, practicing medicine and excluded from Soma, who roam through this [world]. Coming tomorrow, they will surely say this very same thing to you. You should say to them: "You two are indeed incomplete, who, being gods, are non-drinkers of Soma. Complete indeed is my husband, who drinks Soma." They will certainly say to you: "Who has the power to bring it about that we two may share in Soma?" You must say: "This husband of mine." By this too there is hope of my being young again.' On the morrow, having arrived, they said this very thing to her. She said: 'You two are indeed incomplete, who, being gods, are non-drinkers of Soma. Complete indeed is my husband, who drinks Soma.' They said: 'Who has the power to bring it about that we two may share in Soma?' 'This husband of mine,' she said.
21.125
They said to him: 'O seer, make us two share in Soma, venerable one!' 'So be it,' he said, 'but make me young again.' They dragged him into the Śaiśava [pool] of the Sarasvatī. He said: 'O maiden, all of us will emerge looking identical. Recognize me by this mark.' They all emerged looking identical, possessing the most beautiful of forms. Having recognized him, she distinguished: 'This is my husband.' They said to him: 'O seer, we have fulfilled that wish of yours which was your wish. You have become young again. Instruct us two in such a way that we two may share in Soma.'
21.125.p1
He said: 'These gods are sitting sacrificing with a headless sacrifice in Kurukṣetra.
21.125.p2
They do not obtain that wish which is in the sacrifice.
21.125.p3
For the head of the sacrifice was cut off.
21.125.p4
Because Dadhyañc Ātharvaṇa perceived it, go to him.
21.126
He will recite it to you two; then you will become drinkers of Soma.' As for the fact that the head of the sacrifice was cut off: that is that Āditya. And that indeed is the Pravargya. They two went to Dadhyañc Ātharvaṇa. They said to him: 'O seer, we two approach you.' 'For what desire?' 'May we two be instructed in this head of the sacrifice.' 'No,' he said, 'Indra indeed also saw that. He said to me: "If you should tell this to anyone else, I will cut off your head." Therefore I am afraid.' 'Then recite it to us two with this horse's head.' 'So be it,' he said, 'Now let me see you two conversing.' Setting aside their own heads and joining on this horse's head, they two sat conversing with it, singing a sāman and uttering a verse and a sacrificial formula. Having had confidence in them two, he recited [it] with that horse's head.
21.127
Indra realized that: 'He has indeed spoken to the two of them!' / Running up to him, he cut off his head—this horse's head. / Then these two wise ones replaced what had been his own head. / The two came to the gods who were sacrificing with a headless sacrifice. / They said to them, 'You are sacrificing with a headless sacrifice! / You do not obtain that desire which is [sought] in the sacrifice.' / 'Who knows that head of the sacrifice?' / 'We two,' [they said]. / 'Then replace it!' / 'Draw a soma cup for the two of us!' / For the two of them they drew this Āśvina cup. / They said, 'You two indeed are the adhvaryus. As you know this, you will replace this head of the sacrifice.' / 'So be it.' / The two became the adhvaryus. / Thereby the two became drinkers of soma.
21.127.p1
Then Cyavana Bhārgava, having become young again, went to Śaryāta Mānava.
21.127.p2
He sacrificed for him on the eastern plain.
21.128
He gave him a thousand [cows] for that. / With that he sacrificed. / It was just that: Cyavana Bhārgava, having praised with this sāman, became young again, gained a maiden as wife, and sacrificed with a thousand. / These indeed are the desires in this sāman; he secures these very desires. / Whatever desire one has when praising with this sāman, that desire succeeds for him. / And by this very sāman, whatever food Cyavana Bhārgava desired, that he drew up from the youthful pond of the Sarasvatī. / That is the sāman for securing food. / One who knows thus secures food and becomes an eater of food, the best of his own [people]. / And because Cyavana Bhārgava saw it, therefore it is called Cyāvana. / 'Life-breath, the infant of the great ones'— / with this they attain the form of cattle. / An infant belongs indeed to cattle. / On these [verses] is the Krośa; it is a sāman that kills rivals and possesses Indra. / One who knows thus slays his hateful rival, and Indra comes to his call. / It is on [verses containing] iḷā. Cattle indeed are iḷā. / Cattle are this day; it is for securing cattle.
21.128.p2
'Flow forth for the winning of prize'— / thus there are Anuṣṭubh verses containing the word vāja ('prize'). Food indeed is prize; [it is] for securing food. / 'Pressed with a stream through the purifier, / for Indra, O Soma, for Viṣṇu, most honeyed for the gods'— / thus there are verses addressed to Viṣṇu. The sacrifice indeed is Viṣṇu; [it is] for the undertaking of the sacrifice itself.
Linked texts (1)
- Jaiminīyabrāhmaṇa — Sanskrit