Kauṣītaki (Śāṅkhāyana) Brāhmaṇa 11: ADHYĀYA XI

Rigveda Brahmanas: The Aitareya and Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇas of the Rigveda (HOS 25) 11

Language: English

ADHYĀYA XI

xi. 1. Next comes the morning litany. In that he recites it in the morning, that is why the morning litany has its name. In that he mutters the formulae of recourse, in that he offers the libations, verily thus he produces a benediction. After uttering the sound _hiṅ_ he recites the morning litany; the sound _hiṅ_ is a thunderbolt; verily thus with a thunderbolt he smites the evil of the sacrificer. He should recite aloud in a clear tone. The clear is the one part of speech which is not infested by evil; therefore in a clear tone should he recite, to smite away the evil of the sacrificer. By half verses should he recite; these worlds are com-

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mensurate with the Ṛc; the first half verse is this world, the second yonder world; what is between the two half verses is the atmosphere here. In that he recites by half verses, verily thus he makes the sacrificer to prosper with these worlds; verily thus he places the sacrificer in these worlds.

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xi. 2. ‘Now the Paṅkti has five feet; how is it recited by half verses?’ (they ask). The syllable *om* is the third with the last two; so is it recited by half verses. He recites the service to Agni; thus he obtains this world; he recites that to Uṣas; verily thus he obtains the world of the atmosphere; he recites that to the Açvins; verily thus he obtains yonder world. He recites a Gāyatrī; the Gāyatrī is the mouth; he recites an Anuṣṭubh; the Anuṣṭubh is speech; thus he places speech in the mouth; by the mouth he utters speech. He recites a Triṣṭubh; the Triṣṭubh is might and strength; verily thus he places might and strength in the sacrificer. He recites a Bṛhatī; the Bṛhatī is cows and horses; he recites a Uṣṇih; the Uṣṇih is sheep and goats; he recites a Jagatī; the Jagatī is might and strength; the Triṣṭubh is might and strength in the front; the Jagatī is might and strength behind;

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xi. 3. in the middle are cattle connected with the Bṛhatī and the Uṣṇih; verily thus with might and strength he encircles the cattle on both sides and confers them upon the sacrificer. So from the sacrificer cattle are not likely to depart. Just as in this world men eat cattle, just as they enjoy them, so in yonder world cattle eat men, so they enjoy them. He wins them here with the morning litany; won here they eat him not in yonder world, they enjoy him not in requital. Just as he eats them in this world, just as he enjoys them, so in yonder world he eats them, so he enjoys them. He recites a Paṅkti verse; the Paṅkti is a support; verily thus in all creatures he makes the sacrificer find support.

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xi. 4. Now all the gods resort to the Hotṛ as he is about to recite the morning litany, expecting ‘With me will he commence, with me will he commence.’ If he were to commence indicating one deity, he would fall a victim to the other deities. He commences with (a verse) not addressed (to one deity); thereby he does not fall a victim to any deity. (With the verse), ‘O waters, the rich ones’ he commences; all the deities are the waters; verily thus with all the deities he commences. ‘Advancing

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forward up to the sacrifice’, (with this) he continues. ‘Up’ is the symbol of this world, ‘advancing’ is that of yonder (world); ‘up’ is the symbol of Agni, ‘advancing’ is that of yonder sun; so in all the formulae of recourse, in all the services to Agni, to Uṣas, and to the Açvins the first utterance is the symbol of Agni, the second that of yonder sun. There are varied metres and between them pits as it were; these two are the strongest, the uninjured, the untroubled, deities; with these two he commences. With the one hymn should he mount; that is the symbol of mounting without falling into a pit and is heavenly. When there occurs in the one hymn a difference of authorship, then without taking breath should he step over. Breath is immortality; thus by immortality he passes by death; just as one steps over a pit by means of a beam or a roller, so with the Praṇava he steps over; the Praṇava is holy power; verily thus with the holy power he continues the holy power.

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xi. 5. The Praṇava should be uttered pure for those who desire offspring, with *m* at the end for those who desire support. ‘The Praṇava should have *m* at the end’, some say, but the rule is that it should be used pure. The Praṇava is investigated as to the fact that ‘Here it is pure, here it is in full form’. ‘The Praṇava should be pure in the middle of Çastras and of recitations’, Kauṣītaki used to say. This is continuity. It should have *m* at the end for the sake of a pause; the pause is a support; verily (it serves) for a support. Verily (the two serve) to obtain both desires. These are the carryings of the metres; they carry the subsequent over the preceding metre. No harm befalls him, who by the metre is carried over the metre. ‘When he is passing over, he should pierce with his mind as it were him whom he hates; in the fractures of the metre he either goes to ruin or is crushed,’ so he used to say. The Paṅktis at the end of the offerings he recites with the same endings; the end is sap, the metres are cattle; verily thus the metres end in sap; cattle ending as it were rejoice in the good grass. This is a Virāj with one syllable short; with one twice repeated it is exactly a Virāj; with one thrice repeated there is one over the Virāj.

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xi. 6. Three desires are there in the sacrifice, that in its completion, that in its deficiency, that in its superabundance. The complete part of the sacrifice is heavenly, the defective food, the superabundant serves for generation. Verily thus here the sacrificer obtains all desires. He concludes with (a verse) containing a benediction , 'Uṣas with her ruddy kine hath appeared'; verily thus he utters a benediction for cattle. So cattle are not likely to stray from the sacrificer. At this verse he lets out his voice ; thus he announces him to the gods, 'He has been born,' for in it is he born. He repeats (the verse ) of two Padas, 'With this let us win the prize set by the gods'; the metres increasing by four (syllables) are cattle; (the verses) with two Padas are the sacrificer's metre; verily thus he places the sacrificer in command of cattle; man stands over cattle, as it were. He recites the thrice seven metres of the services; that makes up twenty-one; the fourfold Stoma, the highest of the Stomas, is the twenty-onefold; thus he obtains the highest of the Stomas. In that there are twenty-one, the months are twelve, the seasons five, these worlds three, and the sun yonder the twenty-first, verily thus he fixes the sacrificer in unity of world with him.

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xi. 7. They say 'Seeing that there are these kindling verses of the Haviryajña or the animal sacrifice, then what are those of the Soma sacrifice?' 'The morning litany', he should reply, for by the syllables of the others he seeks to obtain the year, by the Ṛcs here. A hundred only should he recite; man has a hundred (years of) life; verily thus he confers life upon him. He should recite a hundred and twenty; the days of a season are one hundred and twenty; thus he obtains the season; by the season the year, and the desires that are in the year. He should recite three hundred and sixty; the days of the year are three hundred and sixty; verily (they serve) to obtain the year. He should recite seven hundred and twenty; seven hundred and twenty are there of the days and nights of the year; thus he obtains the days and nights of the year. A thousand should he recite; a thousand is all, the morning litany is all; thus all he obtains with all, who knows thus. But Kauṣītaki used to say 'The morning litany is Prajāpati; Prajāpati is incommensurable; who ought to measure it?' This is the rule.

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xi. 8. They say 'Since the hymns are recited in the Sadas, then why does he recite the morning litany at the two oblation holders?' The two

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oblation holders are the head of the sacrifice; the metres are the breaths; thus he places breath in the head. In the Sadas the hymns are recited; the Sadas is the stomach; the hymns are food; proper food is suited for the stomach. As is a cart, so is the sacrifice in counterfeit; as the corn, so the morning litany; as the vessels, so the hymns. If a man recites a little just as vessels come together (in a cart) with a little corn only, so his hymns come together, and on account of the coming together of the hymns tottering is liable to befall the sacrificer; therefore should he repeat many; thus he makes strong the hymns. (He says) 'Let the benediction of the sacrifice as successful be obtained for me'; the benediction of the sacrifice as successful is the sacrificer's. Three are these sets of a thousand in the sacrifice, the morning litany, the Açvins' litany, and the great litany. He should begin when night is far advanced, before the emission of speech, before the time when cattle, men, and birds take up speech; speech these creatures make to swell, in that they lie silent (thinking) 'Let us first prosper on speech, swollen, not dissipated.' Between the morning litany and the Upāñçu and Antaryāma cups he should not set free his speech (thinking) 'The Upāñçu and Antaryāma cups are expiration and inspiration; the morning litany is speech; let me not separate expiration and inspiration and speech by any other thing.' Some begin with 'O waters, ye wealthy ones', after muttering (thinking) 'This is a yoking of the metres'; but the rule is 'He should not insert anything before the words 'O waters, ye wealthy ones', to prevent him being laid low.

Linked texts (1)

Kauṣītakibrāhmaṇa — Kauṣītaki, Sanskrit