Kauṣītaki (Śāṅkhāyana) Brāhmaṇa 19: ADHYĀYA XIX

Rigveda Brahmanas: The Aitareya and Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇas of the Rigveda (HOS 25) 19

Language: English

ADHYĀYA XIX

xix. 1. They being about to consecrate themselves gather together the fires; verily thus they place might and strength in one place in themselves. Then they perform the gathering together sacrifice; they offer a cake on eight potsherds to Agni of the holy power, to Agni of the lordly power one on eleven potsherds, to Agni, supporter of the lordly power, one on twelve potsherds. Verily thus the sacrificers mount on the holy power and the lordly power; verily thus with them in safety they pass over the year. Of many who are about to pile (the fire) this is the gathering together (offering), connected with the bringing together of the firepan; for one who is about to consecrate himself it is the same.

19.p4

xix. 2. Then they sacrifice with a victim for Prajāpati, (thinking) ‘Instigated by Prajāpati, in safety let us attain this year.’ Some make the cake

19.p5

for it for Vāyu (saying), ‘Vāyu is clearly the symbol of Prajāpati.’ Others again make it for Agni as desire; Agni as desire is lord of the gods; verily (it serves) to delight all the gods. Some make the cake for the victim for Vaiçvānara; Vaiçvānara is he yonder that gives heat; verily thus they delight him. They make ready beforehand the Soma pressings for the consecration. ‘They should consecrate themselves on one day after the new moon of Taiṣa or of Māgha,’ they say; both of these views are current, but that as to Taiṣa is the more current as it were. They obtain this thirteenth additional month; the year is as great as this thirteenth month; in it verily the whole year is obtained.

19.p6

xix. 3. On the new moon of Māgha he rests, being about to turn northwards; these also rest, being about to sacrifice with the introductory Atirātra; thus for the first time they obtain him; on him they lay hold with the Caturviñça; that is why the laying hold rite has its name. He goes north for six months; him they follow with six-day periods in forward arrangement. Having gone north for six months he stands still, being about to turn southwards; these also rest, being about to sacrifice with the Viṣuvant day; thus for the second time they obtain him. He goes south for six months; him they follow with six-month periods in reverse order. Having gone south for six months he stands still, being about to turn north; these also rest, being about to sacrifice with the Mahāvrata day; thus for the third time they obtain him. In that they obtain him thrice, and the year is in three ways arranged, verily (it serves) to obtain the year. With regard to this this sacrificial verse is sung,

19.p7

Ordaining the days and nights,
Like a cunning spider,
For six months south constantly,
For six north the sun goeth.

19.p8

For six months he goes north, six south. They should not consecrate themselves at this time; the corn has not arrived, the days are short; shivering they come out from the final bath. Therefore they should not consecrate themselves at this time. They should consecrate themselves one day after the new moon of Caitra; the corn has come, the days are long, not shivering do they come out from the final bath. Therefore that is the rule.

19.p9

xix. 4. Then in the piling of the fire some offer this consecration sacrifice consisting of five oblations; the Paṅkti has five Padas; the sacrifice is fivefold; verily (it serves) to obtain the sacrifice. Then some offer this guest reception sacrifice, consisting of five oblations; the Paṅkti has five Padas; the sacrifice is fivefold; verily (it serves) to obtain the sacrifice. Then he recites these many fire (verses); for they carry forward many fires; they are four; all this (universe) is fourfold; verily (they serve) to obtain all this. (He recites) the first thrice and the last thrice; they make up eight; the Gāyatrī has eight syllables; Agni is connected with the Gāyatrī and has the Gāyatrī as metre; verily thus with their own metre they carry forward the fires. Then they pile for so much of the day as they wish. Then they celebrate it when piled with Sāmans. Then they say to the Hotṛ, ‘Mutter the Agni litany’; (the fire) when piled becomes Rudra, the unappeased one of the gods; him verily thus he appeases. He says the offering verse for Vaiçvānara distinctly, for he becomes distinct when they carry forward the fires.

19.p10

xix. 5. Thereafter is as the one-day rite; the moving forward of the oblation holders, the carrying forward of Agni and Soma, the victim for Agni and Soma. The explanation of this has been given. Following on the cake for the victim for Agni and Soma, they offer oblations for the divine instigators; these deities are the lords of the pressings; them herein they delight; they being delighted herein instigate the offerings; therefore are they instigators. They are eight; by them the gods attained all attainments (aṣṭīḥ); verily thus also the sacrificers by them attain all attainments. Here some offer the oblation of (the sacrifice) with all the Pṛṣṭhas, (thinking) ‘The fire piling is all; by all all let us obtain’; there are ten oblations; the Virāj consists of sets of ten; the Virāj is prosperity and proper food; (verily it serves) to obtain the Virāj as prosperity and proper food. Then they press (Soma) for as much of the day as they wish.

19.p11

xix. 6. When (the offering of) the omentum of the Anūbandhyā (cow)

19.p12

has been completed, they proceed with the victim for Tvaṣṭṛ; that for Tvaṣṭṛ is a pouring of seed; in the hut of the wife they proceed; in wives is seed poured. Inaudibly they proceed; (the victim) for Tvaṣṭṛ is a pouring of seed; inaudibly is seed poured. After surrounding it with fire they let it go; they do not dispose of it, (thinking) ‘(The victim) for Tvaṣṭṛ is a pouring of seed; let us not dispose of seed poured before the time.’ They say ‘Seeing that he invites these two deities, Tvaṣṭṛ and the lord of the forest, in what place are these two sacrificed to by him?’ In the fore-offerings he sacrifices to these two deities; then are these two sacrificed to by him.

19.p13

xix. 7. Following on the cake for the victim in the Anūbandhyā rite, they offer the oblations to the minor deities. The metres of him who offers the Soma sacrifice become exhausted; the minor deities are the metres; in that they offer oblations to the minor deities, thus (his metres) become unexhausted and fresh. The metres of him who offers the Soma sacrifice lose their sap; the minor deities are the metres; in that they offer oblations to the minor deities, verily (it serves) to confer sap on the metres. Now these are deities (_devī_) and Prajāpati is Ka; therefore are they minor deities (_devikā_). There are five oblations; the Paṅkti has five Padas; the sacrifice is fivefold; verily (it serves) to obtain the sacrifice. Here some offer oblations to the female deities, (thinking) ‘The fire piling is all; by all all let us obtain.’ There are ten oblations; the Virāj consists of sets of ten; the Virāj is prosperity and proper food; (verily it serves) to obtain the Virāj as prosperity and proper food. Here some perform the offerings to appease the quarters, (thinking) ‘The fire piling is all; by all all let us obtain.’ There are six oblations; the year has six seasons; verily (it serves) to obtain the year. When the concluding rite has been completed, he should sacrifice with a milk mess to Mitra and Varuṇa; the explanation of this has been given. ‘No piler of the fire should indulge in sexual union without having offered this sacrifice,’ (they say).

19.p14

xix. 8. The Caturviṅça is the beginning of the year; therefore it is an Agniṣṭoma, for the Agniṣṭoma is the beginning of the sacrifices; verily thus at the beginning they delight the year. Some make it an Ukthya, for the equipoise of the sacrifice. It has the Caturviṅça Stoma; the half months of the year are twenty-four; verily (it serves) to obtain the year. There are in it three hundred and sixty Stotriyās; three hundred and sixty are the days of the year; verily (they serve) to obtain the year.

19.p15

The Pṛṣṭha (Stotra) in it is the Bṛhat (Sāman); this is the second of the days; the Bṛhat is the second of the Pṛṣṭhas; therefore is its Pṛṣṭha the Bṛhat. Again the Mahāvrata is fixed there where they approach the Caturviṅça; the Bṛhat is in its place the Pṛṣṭha of the Mahāvrata; therefore (they say) ‘Let the Bṛhat be the Pṛṣṭha of this (day).’ It has the word ‘together’; the year is uttered around about. There are in its verses the following symbols. ‘The Hotṛ is born, the wise’ is the Ājya of eight verses in Gāyatrī metre; the Stoma is in Gāyatrī metre; that Çastra is perfect which accords with the Stoma. The Praüga is of Madhuchandas; it is perfect; in its model are other Praügas shaped, (thinking) ‘May I have accomplished a rite successful from the beginning.’ ‘Thee like a car for aid’ is the strophe of the Marutvatīya; ‘This drink, O bright one, is pressed’ is the antistrophe. This is the regular one-day form; the explanation of it has been given.

19.p16

xix. 9. ‘With what array, of one age, of one home?’ is the Marutvatīya. The ninth (verse) is ‘Thou canst not be overthrown, O generous one, no one’; with it he concludes, having recited in front of it the later verses, for they are verses to the Maruts, and this is connected (with Indra) only. There is in this (Çastra) ‘The Maruts are joined together’ containing (the word) ‘together’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘That was the highest in the worlds’ is the Niṣkevalya, of Bṛhaddiva; here the Hotṛ pours seed with the Bṛhaddiva, (thinking) ‘That he propagates yonder with the Mahāvrata day.’ After each year the pouring of seed is fruitful. In this there is ‘Together they sing to thee, brought forward at the carouses,’ containing (the word) ‘together’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘That of Savitṛ we choose’ and ‘To-day for us, O god Savitṛ’ are the normal strophe and antistrophe of the Vaiçvadeva; the explanation of these two has been given. ‘That desirable greatness of Savitṛ, the god’ is the Savitṛ (hymn) ; it contains (the word) ‘together’ in ‘Wealth with offspring for us together

19.p17

may he instigate’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘They two, sky and earth, all weal producing’ is (the hymn) to sky and earth; it contains (the word) ‘together’ in ‘Force to be glorified may ye together instigate for us’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘Why hath the best, why hath the youngest come to us?’ is (the hymn) to the Ṛbhus; ‘Thus in the year to-day did ye discern’ (it contains); thus openly he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘The charioteer of the sacrifice, the lord of the folk’ is the Vaiçvadeva hymn of Çaryāta; it contains (the word) ‘together’ in ‘Together have Indra, Mitra, and Varuṇa pondered’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘To Vaiçvānara the praise, increasing holy order’ is (the hymn) to Vaiçvānara; it contains (the word) ‘together’ in ‘With skill, as (a carpenter’s) axe a car, he brings together’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘To the strong host, majestic, pious’ is (the hymn) to the Maruts; it contains (the word) ‘together’ in ‘Together I adorn the words, powerful in the assemblies’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of this day. ‘With the sacrifice make to increase the All-knower’ is (the hymn) for Jātavedas; it contains (the word) ‘together’ in ‘Together giving riches shine among us’; thus he refers to the year; this is the symbol of the day. These are the Āgnimāruta hymns; these are the hymns of this day. So the day is either an Agniṣṭoma or an Ukthya; ‘an Agniṣṭoma is it’ is the view of Pāiṅgya, ‘an Ukthya is it’ is the view of Kauṣītaki.

19.p18

xix. 10. Some Sāman chanters make this day have all the Stomas, (saying) ‘By this day they obtained the six-day period, by the six-day period the year and the desires in the year; the whole year is the six-day period.’ If they do this he should make the Çastra composed of the six-day period. The Ājya should be the Ājya of the first day; the Praüga the Praüga of the second day; the Marutvatīya the Marutvatīya of the third day; the Niṣkevalya the Niṣkevalya of the fourth day; the Vaiçvadeva the Vaiçvadeva of the fifth day; the Āgnimāruta the Āgnimāruta of the sixth day. Then collecting all the verses of the Pṛṣṭha Stotras and making them into Pragāthas he should recite them after the Pragātha, to obtain the six-day period. Just as by this day the Sāman chanters obtain the six-day period

19.p19

and by the six-day period the year and the desires in the year, so by this day the Hotṛ obtains the six-day period, and by the six-day period the year and the desires in the year. Indicating that he used to say, 'This is confusion.' 'Whatever Stoma the Sāman chanters resort to, that he should not regard; the Çastra which we have here already considered, from that he should not depart; the two hymns "With what array" and "That was" are Stoma subduing; verily he should not fall away from these two' (he used to say).

Linked texts (1)

Kauṣītakibrāhmaṇa — Kauṣītaki, Sanskrit