Kauṣītaki (Śāṅkhāyana) Brāhmaṇa 14: ADHYĀYA XIV

Rigveda Brahmanas: The Aitareya and Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇas of the Rigveda (HOS 25) 14

Language: English

ADHYĀYA XIV

xiv. 1. Next as to the Ājya (Çastra). By the Ājya the gods conquered all desires, all immortality; verily thus also the sacrificer by the Ājya conquers all desires, all immortality. The Ājya is sixfold, the silent muttering, the silent praise, the Puroruc, the hymn, the strength of the hymn, and the offering verse. The year is sixfold in having six seasons; by this sixfold Ājya the gods obtained the sixfold year with its six seasons, and by the year all desires, all immortality. Verily thus also the sacrificer by this sixfold Ājya obtains the sixfold year with its six seasons, by the year all desires, all immortality. In that he mutters in front the silent muttering, (it is because) the sacrifice is the world of heaven; thus, in that he mutters the silent muttering in front, verily thus he produces a benediction, for the attainment of the world of heaven. Then he recites inaudibly the silent praise, to obtain all desires. 'Agni, light, light, Agni,' (he says); thus he obtains this world of worlds, the morning pressing of the sacrifice. 'Indra, light, light, Indra,' (he says); thus he obtains the world of the atmosphere of worlds, the midday pressing of the sacrifice. 'Sun, light, light, sun,' (he says); thus he obtains yonder world of worlds, the third pressing of the sacrifice. He who yonder gives heat is the Nivid, for he keeps announcing all this. It is placed in front of the hymn at the morning pressing, for (the sun) then is in front; in the middle of the hymn at the midday pressing, for it is then in the middle; leaving over the last in the third pressing, for then it has gone round to the west. Thus he keeps placing the Nivid according to its appearance. They say 'Coloured (steeds) draw the morning pressing, white-backed the midday pressing, those with a white gloss the third pressing.' Because of the sun also he recites the Puroruc in twelve sentences; the year has twelve months; verily (it serves) to obtain the year.

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xiv. 2. Then he recites the seven-versed Ājya; the metres are seven;

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verily (it serves) to obtain all the metres. It is in Anuṣṭubh verses; the Anuṣṭubh is speech; whatever is described by speech, the Anuṣṭubh, all that he obtains. He separates the two Padas; that is a symbol of generation; a man takes apart as it were (the limbs) of his wife. Further, in that he takes apart, that is a symbol of support. Now that between these two Padas is the face of death; if a man say of one who breathes in at this place, ‘He has entered the face of death, he will not live’, so would it be. Therefore without drawing in breath should he pass over; breath is immortality; thus by immortality he crosses death. He utters the Praṇava at the end of the whole half-verse; verily thus he hurls a thunderbolt at his evil rival. They make up ten Gāyatrī verses, for the tenth Pada has eight syllables. The Anuṣṭubh is the Gāyatrī; the metre of Agni is the Gāyatrī; ten cups the Adhvaryu draws at the morning pressing; to nine (verses) they sing with the Bahiṣpavamāna (Stotra), the tenth is the call *hiṅ*; these ten they taking separately make up the Virāj; the Virāj is all proper food; having procured that they deposit it in the sacrificer. Thrice (he recites) with the first, thrice with the last; they make up eleven; the twelfth is the offering verse; the year has twelve months; verily (they serve) to obtain the year. They, recited together, make up sixteen Gāyatrīs; thus the Ājya becomes converted into Gāyatrī verses. He utters as offering verse one to Agni and Indra; verily thus he makes Indra a half-sharer in the pressing. ‘In the offering verse give the deities a portion,’ Kauṣītaki used to say. The Virāj has thirty-three syllables; the gods are thirty-three; he makes the gods sharers in the syllables. ‘O Agni, with Indra, in the home of the generous one,’ leaving over this Pada, he breathes in at the half-verse of the Virāj; the Virāj is prosperity and proper food; thus on the Virāj as prosperity and proper food he finds support. With the second half of the Virāj he utters the *vaṣaṭ* call; verily thus in the world of heaven he places the sacrificer; he utters the second *vaṣaṭ*, for the healing of the libations, for the support of the libations.

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xiv. 3. ‘Let us two recite’, he calls out at the morning pressing; in that they make the Praṇava pure, it is a symbol of this world; in that they make it end in *m*, it is one of yonder (world). In that they make the Praṇava pure, (it is thinking) ‘Turned away is yonder world; let us not go turning away.’ Moreover, this world is generation; verily (it serves) for generation; this world is a support; verily (it serves) for support. ‘Let us recite, O divine one,’ the Adhvaryu (replies). These are eight syllables. ‘The hymn hath been uttered,’ the Hotṛ should say inaudibly at the

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morning pressing; ‘Reciter of hymns’, the Adhvaryu (replies). These are eight. Having begun the pressing with the Gāyatrī they have found support in the Gāyatrī. ‘O Adhvaryu, let us two recite,’ he calls out at the midday pressing. ‘Let us recite, O divine one,’ the Adhvaryu (replies). These are eleven syllables. ‘The hymn hath been uttered to Indra’, the Hotṛ should say inaudibly at the midday pressing. ‘Reciter of hymns’, the Adhvaryu (replies). These are eleven. Having begun the pressing with the Triṣṭubh they have found support on the Triṣṭubh. ‘O Adhvaryu, let, let us two recite,’ he calls out towards (him) at the third pressing. ‘Let, let us recite, O divine one,’ the Adhvaryu (replies). There are twelve syllables roughly, thirteen. ‘The hymn hath been uttered to Indra, to the gods,’ the Hotṛ should say inaudibly at the third pressing. ‘Reciter of hymns’, the Adhvaryu (replies). These are twelve exactly. Having begun the pressing with the Jagatī they have found support on the Jagatī. This is what is placed in the middle. If he uses here a transposed metre, still the metres are in order and carry the sacrifice of him who knows thus. ‘Moreover the following verse has been declared’, he used to say, ‘That the Gāyatrī is deposited on the Gāyatrī, or that they fashioned the Triṣṭubh from the Triṣṭubh, or that the Jagatī Pada is placed on the Jagatī, they who know this obtain immortality.’ In that these deities are fixed on these worlds, Agni as connected with the Gāyatrī here is fixed in this world of the Gāyatrī, Vāyu as connected with the Triṣṭubh is fixed in the world of the atmosphere connected with the Triṣṭubh; yonder sun as connected with the Jagatī is fixed in yonder world connected with the Jagatī.

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The Praüga Çastra.

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xiv. 4. Having recited the Ājya, he recites the Praüga. The Ājya is the body of the sacrificer, the Praüga the breaths; in that having recited the Ājya he recites the Praüga, verily thus he places breaths in the sacrificer, to secure fullness of life in this world and immortality in yonder world. So the sacrificer lives a full life in this world, and obtains immortality and imperishableness in the world of heaven. When the Pavamāna has been sung, he recites the Ājya. When the Ājya (Stotra) has been sung, (he

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recites) the Praüga. The Praüga is the hymn of the Pavamāna; the Ājya is the hymn of the Ājya. Thus he transposes the two; it is as if one were to intertwine the outer reins of a chariot. 'Thus he accompanies the cups', Kauṣītaki used to say; yonder cup for Vāyu and Indra and Vāyu (he accompanies) by that (recitation) for Vāyu and for Indra and Vāyu; that for Mitra and Varuṇa with that for Mitra and Varuṇa; that for the Açvins with that for the Açvins; in that he utters the offering verses for the Prasthitas, that (he accompanies) with that for Indra; in that the Hotrakas sacrifice together, that with that for the All-gods. Sarasvatī is speech in all the pressings. He yonder who makes heat is the Puroruc, for he shines in front; again breath is the Puroruc, while the hymn is the body; the body is the Puroruc and the hymn is cattle and offspring; therefore he should not utter any call between the Puroruc and the hymn. Reciting the hymn with the Puroruc, he calls aloud for each Puroruc; 'Vāyu, proceeding in front' is the symbol of expiration; 'O Vāyu' is the symbol of inspiration. He recites the Praüga as Gāyatrī; thereby the morning pressing is obtained; (he recites it) as addressed to Indra; thereby the midday pressing is obtained; (he recites it) as addressed to the All-gods; thereby the third pressing is obtained.

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xiv. 5. Then he recites a Puroruc addressed to the All-gods. It is of six feet; the seasons some call it. The seasons are six; he recites each two feet of it separately; therefore the seasons are united in pairs and called 'Summer, the rains, and winter.' Some recite the Puroruc for Sarasvatī; he should not do so; it is superfluous; speech has of itself radiance; speech is the Puroruc. 'O Vāyu, come hither, O lovely one' and 'O Açvins, sacrificial food', these two (hymns) are the Praüga; (they are) of nine verses and of twelve verses; these make twenty-one; the four (verse) Stoma, the highest of Stomas, is twenty-onefold; thus he obtains the highest Stoma; in that, further, there are twenty-one, and the months are twelve, the seasons five, these worlds three, and yonder sun the twenty-first, verily thereby he places the sacrificer in identity of world with (the sun). There are seven triplets; the metres are seven; verily (they serve) to obtain all the metres. Moreover with these the gods appropriated the seven heptads of the Asuras; verily thus also the sacrificer appropriates the seven heptads of the rival who hates him. In the beginning the morning pressing was Agni's, the midday pressing Indra's, the third pressing the All-gods'. Agni desired 'Let me have a share in the midday pressing, also in the third pressing.'

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Indra desired ‘Let me have a share in the morning pressing, also in the third pressing.’ The All-gods desired, ‘Let us have a share in the midday pressing, also in the morning pressing.’ These deities thenceforward extended the morning pressing from the third pressing; in that they extended (_abhiprāyuñjata_), that is why the Praüga has its name. Therefore many deities are praised at the Praüga; therefore all the pressings have all the deities. Having recited the hymn , ‘With all the sweet Soma drink’, he utters the offering verse for the All-gods, for the hymn is for the All-gods; in Gāyatrī, the morning pressing is connected with the Gāyatrī. He should recite the second _vaṣaṭ_.

Linked texts (1)

Kauṣītakibrāhmaṇa — Kauṣītaki, Sanskrit