Kauṣītaki (Śāṅkhāyana) Brāhmaṇa 3.7

3.7.1

bārhata rāthantaram vaṣaṭ kuryāt purastād dīrgham upariṣṭādd hrasvam /

He should make the vaṣaṭ-call Bārhata-Rāthantara: long in front, short behind.

3.7.2

yadd hrasvam tad rathantaram / (DpM)

What is short, that is the Rathantara;

3.7.3

yad dīrgham tad bṛhati /

what is long, that is the Bṛhat.

3.7.4

atho iyam vai rathantaram asau bṛhat /

Moreover, this [earth] is the Rathantara, yonder [sky] is the Bṛhat;

3.7.5

anayor eva tat pratitiṣṭhati / (DpM)

he thus firmly establishes [the rite] in these two.

3.7.7

atho etāvān vai vāco vikāraḥ /
sarveṇa eva tad vāco vikāreṇa devebhyo haviḥ prayacchati / (DpM)

Moreover, such is the transformation of speech; by means of the entire transformation of speech he presents the oblation to the gods.

3.7.8

bhūr bhuva iti purastād ye yajāmahasya japati /

He mutters 'bhūr bhuvaḥ' before the 'ye yajāmahe' [formula].

3.7.9

vaṣaṭ kṛtyā anujapaty ojaḥ sahaḥ saha ojaḥ svar iti / (DpM)

Having uttered the vaṣaṭ-call, he mutters after it: 'Power, strength, strength, power, light!'

3.7.10

vajro vai vaṣaṭ kāraḥ /

The vaṣaṭ-call is indeed a thunderbolt;

3.7.11

tam eva etat śamayati purastāc ca upariṣṭāc ca / (DpM)

he thus pacifies it both before and behind.

3.7.12

atho ete eva vaṣaṭ kārasya prīyatame tanū yad ojaś ca sahaś ca /

Moreover, these are the two dearest bodies of the vaṣaṭ-call: power and strength;

3.7.13

tābhyām eva enam śamayati / (DpM)

by means of them he pacifies it.

3.7.14

atha yad agnim prathamam devatānām yajati /

Now, as to why he sacrifices to Agni first of the deities:

iii. 6. In that he offers to Agni first of the deities, and because Agni is the mouth (beginning) of the gods, verily thus at the beginning he delights the gods. Now as to his sacrificing to Agni and Soma at the full moon offering, Agni and Soma were within Vṛtra; with regard to them Indra could not hurl his bolt; for them he arranged the portion at the full moon

3.7.15

agnir vai devānām mukham /

Agni indeed is the mouth of the gods.

iii. 6. In that he offers to Agni first of the deities, and because Agni is the mouth (beginning) of the gods, verily thus at the beginning he delights the gods. Now as to his sacrificing to Agni and Soma at the full moon offering, Agni and Soma were within Vṛtra; with regard to them Indra could not hurl his bolt; for them he arranged the portion at the full moon

3.7.17

mukhata eva tad devān prīṇāti / (DpM)
atha yat paurṇamāsyām agnīṣomau yajati /

From the mouth, therefore, he gratifies the gods. / Now, as to why he sacrifices to Agni and Soma on the full moon day:

iii. 6. In that he offers to Agni first of the deities, and because Agni is the mouth (beginning) of the gods, verily thus at the beginning he delights the gods. Now as to his sacrificing to Agni and Soma at the full moon offering, Agni and Soma were within Vṛtra; with regard to them Indra could not hurl his bolt; for them he arranged the portion at the full moon

3.7.18

agnīṣomau vā antar vṛtra āstām / (DpM)

Agni and Soma indeed were within Vṛtra.

iii. 6. In that he offers to Agni first of the deities, and because Agni is the mouth (beginning) of the gods, verily thus at the beginning he delights the gods. Now as to his sacrificing to Agni and Soma at the full moon offering, Agni and Soma were within Vṛtra; with regard to them Indra could not hurl his bolt; for them he arranged the portion at the full moon

3.7.19

tāv indro na aśaknod abhi vajram prahartum /

At him Indra was not able to hurl the thunderbolt.

iii. 6. In that he offers to Agni first of the deities, and because Agni is the mouth (beginning) of the gods, verily thus at the beginning he delights the gods. Now as to his sacrificing to Agni and Soma at the full moon offering, Agni and Soma were within Vṛtra; with regard to them Indra could not hurl his bolt; for them he arranged the portion at the full moon

3.7.22

yad upāṃśu yajati tena somam prīṇāti /

In that he sacrifices in a whisper, thereby he gratifies Soma;

sacrifice; the two are offered to inaudibly, and in a higher tone, to prevent sameness. In that he sacrifices inaudibly, thereby he delights Soma; in that (he sacrifices) in a higher tone, thereby (he delights) Agni. In that he sacrifices to Indra and Agni at the new moon sacrifice, it is because Indra and Agni are supports; verily (the offering serves) for a support. In that, mingling, he sacrifices to Indra at the new moon sacrifice, that is the light of the new moon sacrifice, for the moon is not then seen. In that, without mingling, he offers the butter of the inaudible (sacrifice) between the two cakes, it is for preventing sameness. In that, mingling, he offers the butter of the inaudible (sacrifice) in the midst of the milk offering (sāmnāyya), the explanation of that has been given. In that he sacrifices at the end to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt, it is because he gives the oblation to the gods; he who divides out food tastes it himself last. Again Sviṣṭakṛt is Rudra and he enjoys at the end. Therefore to him at the end he sacrifices. In that (offering) the invitatory and offering verses are of the same metre, but the Nigada differs; though this sameness is avoided. After saying vaṣaṭ, he touches water; the waters are healing and medicine; verily thus are healing and medicine produced at the end in the sacrifice.

3.7.23

yan niruktam tena agnim / (DpM)

in that [he sacrifices] distinctly, thereby [he gratifies] Agni.