Kauṣītaki (Śāṅkhāyana) Brāhmaṇa 12

English (machine translation) 12

Language: English

12.1 — 16 parts
12.2 — 24 parts
12.3 — 24 parts
12.4 — 16 parts
12.5 — 19 parts
12.6 — 17 parts
12.7 — 24 parts
12.8 — 16 parts
12.9 — 24 parts
12.10 — 34 parts

12.1.4

Moreover, the waters are nourishment and sap.

12.1.5

Thereby they unite the oblation with nourishing sap.

12.1.7

Thereby he confers immortality upon himself.

12.1.8

Formerly, indeed, the sacrifice-confounding rakṣases guarded the waters at the ford.

12.1.11

Kavaṣa saw this fifteen-verse hymn: 'Forth to the gods let a path go for the holy utterance…'

12.1.13

By it he smote away the sacrifice-confounding rakṣases from the fords.

12.1.14

Thenceforth they return back safely, uninjured.

12.1.15

Now yonder, in the waters over there, the adhvaryu offers an oblation.

12.1.16

Just at that [moment], he should recite this [verse] for it:

12.2.1

'Quicken our sacrifice through worship of the gods…'

12.2.2

This is its offering verse, appropriate [with the words] 'through worship of the gods.'

12.2.3

[He recites] 'Returning now with a double stream…' when they have turned back;

12.2.4

'When the approaching waters were beheld…' when they have been sighted;

12.2.5

'Some go together, others approach…' when they are coming together;

12.2.6

'The divine waters approach the cup of the hotṛ…' when they are being poured into the cup of the hotṛ;

12.2.7

'The milch cows with milk, of swift purpose…'

12.2.9

for the waters gladden all this [world].

12.2.10

Then the adhvaryu turns towards the hotṛ and stands.

12.2.11

The hotṛ asks him: 'Adhvaryu, have you obtained the waters?'

12.2.12

'Have you obtained the sacrifice?'—that is just what he says to him.

12.2.13

'And they have bowed down to this one,' he replies.

12.2.14

'We have found that which we sought of him; they have bowed down to him'—that is just what he says to him.

12.2.15

Having been answered, the hotṛ enters upon this nigada formula.

12.2.17

Through the nigada formula he places vigor and sap right into the offering.

12.2.18

'The mothers go along the paths…' [he recites].

12.2.21

'These wealthy ones have come, rich in life…' [he recites] when they have arrived.

12.2.22

With [the verse] indicating arrival, 'The waters, desiring, have come here to the sacrificial grass,' he concludes.

12.2.24

what in the sacrifice is appropriate is complete, for the completeness of the sacrifice.

12.3.1

The morning recitation had been recited;

12.3.2

the recitations had not yet been reached.

12.3.3

At this junction the asuras approached them.

12.3.4

The gods, becoming aware and being afraid, saw this threefold complete thunderbolt.

12.3.5

'Waters'—that is the first form of the thunderbolt.

12.3.6

'Sarasvatī'—that is the second form of the thunderbolt.

12.3.8

that is the third form of the thunderbolt.

12.3.9

By this threefold complete thunderbolt the gods drove away the asuras from these worlds.

12.3.10

In this very way the sacrificer drives away his hostile rivals from these worlds by this threefold complete thunderbolt.

12.3.11

The middle [seers] sat for a sacrificial session on the Sarasvatī.

12.3.14

'You are the son of a maidservant; we will not consume [the Soma] with you.'

12.3.15

He, enraged, running forth, praised Sarasvatī with this hymn.

12.3.17

Then they considered themselves as if sin-laden.

12.3.19

'O seer, homage be to you! Do not forsake us!

12.3.24

This is the greatness of Kavaṣa, and he is the discoverer of the hymn.

12.4.1

Now, that they go together with the wives:

12.4.2

The gandharvas guard Indra's Soma placed into the waters;

12.4.5

That is just as if one were to carry off the sacrifice of those who are negligent.

12.4.6

And the sacrifice becomes inclined towards him.

12.4.11

Thereby he makes food and food-eating prosper with food.

12.4.12

[Reciting] the first thrice and the last thrice, twenty-four are accomplished.

12.4.14

The gāyatrī carries the morning pressing.

12.4.15

Thus it does not depart from the form of the morning pressing.

12.4.16

So much for the Āponaptrīya [recitation].

12.5.1

Now, the Upāṃśu [draught] is out-breath itself.

12.5.2

As it is being offered, one should breathe out after it: 'Protect my out-breath, invigorate my out-breath; svāhā to thee, of good origin, for Sūrya!'

12.5.3

That is its vaṣaṭ-call, that is its svāhā-call.

12.5.4

For those oblations do not go to the gods which are offered without a vaṣaṭ-call or without a svāhā-call.

12.5.5

The Antaryāma [draught] is in-breath itself.

12.5.6

As it is being offered, one should breathe in after it: 'Protect my in-breath, invigorate my in-breath; svāhā to thee, of good origin, for Sūrya!'

12.5.7

That is its vaṣaṭ-call, that is its svāhā-call.

12.5.8

For those oblations do not go to the gods which are offered without a vaṣaṭ-call or without a svāhā-call.

12.5.9

These two which are the Upāṃśu and Antaryāma [draughts] are out-breath and in-breath themselves.

12.5.10

Of the two, they offer one when [the sun] has risen and the other when it has not risen.

12.5.11

Thereby he separates these two, out-breath and in-breath.

12.5.12

Therefore these two, out-breath and in-breath, being together, are distinct, as it were.

12.5.13

And when they offer one when [the sun] has risen and the other when it has not risen,

12.5.14

they thereby separate the asuras by means of day and night.

12.5.15

'For on both sides of that sun are day and night, or evil [is kept off] the sacrificer,' so he used to say.

12.5.16

Now, he for whom they offer both when [the sun] has risen, or both when it has not risen,

12.5.17

he is a sacrifice-offerer with water, not a Soma-sacrificer.

12.5.18

He alone is a Soma-sacrificer for whom these two are offered according to their proper order.

12.5.19

So much for the Upāṃśu and Antaryāma [draughts].

12.6.1

[The question is raised:] 'Should one rise up after the pavamāna [laud], or not?'

12.6.2

'One should not rise up after it,' they say.

12.6.3

This is the resting place of the ṛc, where the hotṛ sits.

12.6.4

Now, that [place] yonder is of the sāman, where those [chanters] sing the sāman.

12.6.6

he displaces the ṛc from its own resting place.

12.6.7

He makes the ṛc a follower of the sāman.

12.6.8

Therefore he should not rise up after it,

12.6.9

[thinking:] 'Lest I displace the ṛc from its own resting place;'

12.6.10

'Lest I make the ṛc a follower of the sāman.'

12.6.11

If, however, he should be [acting as] the hotṛ himself,

12.6.13

for he has the duty of joining in the singing.

12.6.14

The heavenly world is the tone, the sāman.

12.6.15

[He rises thinking:] 'May I project myself into the heavenly world, into the tone, the sāman.'

12.6.16

Now indeed, in the pavamāna [laud] in the morning all the deities are satiated.

12.6.17

[The question is:] 'How does he not remain excluded from consuming [the Soma] there?'

12.7.1

When the pavamāna [laud] is chanted, he should murmur this murmur:

'Invited are the gods to the consumption of this purifying, clear-seeing Soma; may the gods invite me to the consumption of this purifying, clear-seeing Soma; with mind I consume thee, with speech I consume thee, with breath I consume thee, with sight I consume thee, with hearing I consume thee.'

12.7.3

That is the shared invitation with the gods.

12.7.4

Thus king Soma, the clear-seeing moon, becomes consumed as a portion for him,

12.7.5

which portion yonder the gods consume.

12.7.6

Now, the animal [sacrifice].

12.7.7

This animal is manifestly Soma itself.

12.7.8

For it would be like a drinking of water if this [animal] were not seized.

12.7.9

By means of this he makes the pressings strong.

12.7.10

When they perform [the offering] with the omentum,

12.7.11

by that the morning pressing is made strong.

12.7.12

In that they cook [the animal's meat] and in that they proceed with the animal cake,

12.7.13

thereby the midday pressing is intensified.

12.7.14

Then, in that they proceed with it at the third pressing,

12.7.15

thereby the third pressing is intensified.

12.7.16

This indeed is the intensification of the pressings.

12.7.17

And whatever deities are Soma-drinkers,

12.7.18

and whatever deities share in the animal victims,

12.7.19

thirty-three, indeed, are the Soma-drinking deities,

12.7.20

who are attached to the Soma libations:

12.7.21

eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Ādityas, Indra the thirty-second,

12.7.22

Prajāpati the thirty-third.

12.7.23

Thirty-three share in the animal victims.

12.7.24

Both these [groups] become pleased when this [victim] is seized.

12.8.1

Some indeed say: "It should be dedicated to Indra and Agni,"

12.8.2

"for Indra and Agni are all the gods,"

12.8.3

saying, "thereby one pleases all the gods through it."

12.8.4

Regarding that, however, they say: "In doing so, they give Indra an excessive share;

12.8.8

the morning pressing belongs to Agni;

12.8.9

it is seized at the morning pressing.

12.8.10

Those who make it dedicated to another deity take away what belongs to Agni and give it to another.

12.8.11

It is just as if one were to take what belongs to one person and give it to another.

12.8.12

Even for a full year, for those who sit for a year-long session, it should remain dedicated to Agni only and should not deviate."

12.8.13

Some [teachers] speak differently on this matter:

12.8.14

In the instruction itself, it is settled as dedicated to Agni.

12.8.15

"You became the leader of the sacrifice and the atmosphere" is the offering verse for the omentum.

12.8.16

"Bring forward to the bright light" containing [the word] "bright" is [the offering verse] for the sacrificial cake.

12.8.17

"The singers speaking their thoughtful hymns" containing [the word] "oblation" is [the offering verse] for the oblation.

12.8.18

The established rule, however, is that they should bring the sets of eleven [victims] in regular succession,

12.8.19

if it is performed by the Pṛṣṭha approach.

12.9.1

Now at the invocation:

12.9.2

"Bring the gods for the sacrificer!

12.9.3

O Agni, bring Agni! Bring Vanaspati! Bring Indra accompanied by the Vasus!"

12.9.4

thereby he invokes [the deities of] the morning pressing.

12.9.5

"Bring Indra accompanied by the Rudras!"

12.9.6

thereby he invokes [the deities of] the midday pressing.

12.9.7

"Bring Indra accompanied by the Ādityas, accompanied by the Ṛbhus, accompanied by the Vibhus, accompanied by the Vājas, accompanied by Bṛhaspati, accompanied by all the gods!"