Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ("of a hundred paths") 13.5.4

Now, Indrota Daivâpa Saunaka once performed this sacrifice for Ganamegaya Pârikshita, and by performing it he extinguished all evil-doing, all Brahman-slaughter; and, verily, he who performs the Asvamedha extinguishes (the guilt incurred by) all evil-doing, all Brahman-slaughter.

It is of this, indeed, that the Gâthâ (strophe) sings,--'In Âsandîvat, Ganamegaya bound for the gods a black-spotted, grain-eating horse, adorned with a golden ornament and with yellow garlands.'

[There are] those same first two days, and a Gyotis Atirâtra: therewith (they sacrificed) for Bhîmasena;--those same first two days, and a Go Atirâtra: therewith (they sacrificed) for Ugrasena;--those same first two days, and an Âyus Atirâtra: therewith (they sacrificed) for Srutasena. These are the Pârikshitîyas, and it is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'The righteous Pârikshitas, performing horse-sacrifices, by their righteous work did away with sinful work one after another.'

Those same first two days, and an Abhigit Atirâtra,--therewith Para Âtnâra, the Kausalya king, once sacrificed: it is of this that Gâthâ sings,--'Atnâra's son, the Kausalya Para, Hairanyanâbha, caused a horse, meet for sacrifice, to be bound, and gave away the replete regions.'

Those same first two days, and a Visvagit Atirâtra,--therewith Purukutsa, the Aikshvâka king, once on a time performed a horse (daurgaha)-sacrifice, whence it is of this that the Rishi sings (Rig-v. IV, 42, 8),--'These, the seven Rishis, were then our fathers when Daurgaha was bound.'

Those same first two days, and a Mahâvrata Atirâtra,--therewith Marutta Âvikshita, the Âyogava king, once performed sacrifice; whence the Maruts became his guards-men, Agni his chamberlain, and the Visve Devâh his counsellors: it is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'The Maruts dwelt as guards-men in Marutta Âvikshita's house, Agni as his chamberlain, and the Visve Devâh as his counsellors.' And, verily, the Maruts become the guards-men, Agni the chamberlain, and the Visve Devâh the counsellors of him who performs the horse-sacrifice.

Those same first two days, and an Aptoryâma Atirâtra,--it was therewith that Kraivya, the Pâñkâla king, once performed sacrifice,--for Krivis they formerly called the Pañkâlas: it is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'At Parivakrâ, the Pâñkâla overlord of the Krivis seized a horse, meet for sacrifice, with offering-gifts of a hundred thousand (head of cattle).'

And a second (Gâthâ),--'A thousand myriads there were, and five-and-twenty hundreds, which the Brâhmanas of the Pañkâlas from every quarter divided between them.'

The Agnishtoma in the Trivrit (stoma); the Ukthya in the Pañkadasa; and the third day, with the Uktha (stotras), in the Saptadasa; the Shodasin (stotra) in the Ekavimsa, the night (stotras) in the Pañkadasa, and the Sandhi (stotra) in the Trivrit,--this is the (sacrifice) resulting in the Anushtubh: it is therewith that sacrifice was performed by Dhvasan Dvaitavana, the king of the Matsyas, where there is the lake Dvaitavana; and it is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'Fourteen steeds did king Dvaitavana, victorious in battle, bind for Indra Vritrahan, whence the lake Dvaitavana (took its name).'

The (three) Pavamâna (stotras) in the Katurvimsa (stoma), and (those performed) by repetitions in the Trivrit; the Pavamânas in the Katuskatvârimsa (44-versed stoma), and (those performed) by repetition in the Ekavimsa; the Pavamânas in the Ashtâkatvârimsa (48), and (those performed) by repetition in the Trayastrimsa (33) up to the Agnishtoma-sâman, the Uktha (stotras) in the Dvâtrimsa (32), the Shodasin in the Ekavimsa, the night (stotras) in the Pañkadasa, and the Sandhi (stotra) in the Trivrit

Suchlike is Vishnu's striding,--it was therewith that Bharata Dauhshanti once performed sacrifice, and attained that wide sway which now belongs to the Bharatas: it is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'Seventy-eight steeds did Bharata Dauhshanti bind for the Vritra-slayer on the Yamunâ, and fifty-five near the Gaṅgâ.'

And a second (Gâthâ),--'Having bound a hundred and thirty-three horses, meet for sacrifice, king Saudyumni, more shifty, overcame the other shiftless ones.'

And a third,--'At Nâdapit, the Apsaras Sakuntalâ conceived Bharata, who, after conquering the whole earth, brought to Indra more than a thousand horses, meet for sacrifice.'

And a fourth,--'The greatness of Bharata neither the men before nor those after him attained, nor did the five (tribes of) men, even as a mortal man (does not touch) the sky with his arms.'

With the Ekavimsa-stoma Rishabha Yâgñatura, king of the Sviknas, performed sacrifice: it is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'When Rishabha Yâgñatura was sacrificing, the Brahman-folk, having received wealth at the Asvamedha, divided the offering-gifts between them.'

With the Trayastrimsa-stoma Sona Sâtrâsâha, the Pâñkâla king, performed sacrifice: it is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'When Sâtrâsâha performs the horse-sacrifice, the Trayastrimsa (stomas) come forth as (Taurvasa) horses, and six thousand mail-clad men.'

And a second (Gâthâ),--'At the sacrifice of thee, Koka's father, the Trayastrimsa (stomas) come forth, each as six times six thousand (horses), and six thousand mail-clad men.'

And a third,--'When Sâtrâsâha, the Pâñkâla king, was sacrificing, wearing beautiful garlands, Indra revelled in Soma, and the Brâhmanas became satiated with wealth.'

Satânîka Sâtrâgita performed the Govinata (form of Asvamedha), after taking away the horse of the Kâsya (king); and since that time the Kâsis do not keep up the (sacrificial) fires, saying, 'The Soma-drink has been taken from us.'

The mode (of chanting) for this (Govinata form) is:--the Pavamâna (stotras) in the Katurvimsa (stoma), and (those chanted) by repetitions in the Trivrit;--the Pavamânas in the Katuskatvârimsa, the Âgya (stotras) in the Ekavimsa, the Ukthas In the Trinava, the Prishthas in the Ekavimsa;--the Pavamânas in the Shattrimsa (36-versed), and (those chanted) by repetitions in the Trayastrimsa (33) up to the Agnishtoma-sâman, the Ukthas in the Ekavimsa, the Shodasin in the Ekavimsa, the night (stotras) in the Pañkadasa, and the Sandhi (stotra) in the Trivrit.

It is of this that the Gâthâ sings,--'Satânîka Sâtrâgita seized a sacrificial horse, in the neighbourhood, the sacrifice of the Kâsis, even as Bharata (seized that) of the Satvats.'

And a second,--'The mighty Satânîka, having seized, in the neighbourhood, Dhritarâshtra's white sacrificial horse, roaming at will in its tenth month, Satânîka performed the Govinata-sacrifice.'

And a fourth,--'The greatness of the Bharatas neither the men before nor those after them attained, nor did the seven (tribes of) men, even as a mortal man (does not touch) the sky with his flanks.'

Now as to the sacrificial gifts. Whatever there is towards the middle of the kingdom other than the land, the men, and the property of the Brâhmana, of that the eastern region belongs to the Hotri, the southern to the Brahman, the western to the Adhvaryu, the northern to the Udgâtri; and the Hotrikas share this along with them.

When the Udayanîyâ (completing offering) is finished, he seizes twenty-one barren cows, sacred to Mitra-Varuna, the Visve Devâh, and Brihaspati, with the view of his gaining those deities. And the reason why those sacred to Brihaspati come last is that Brihaspati is the Brahman (n.), and he thus establishes himself finally in the Brahman.

And as to their being twenty-one of them,--the twenty-one-fold is he who shines yonder: twelve months, five seasons, these three worlds, and yonder sun as the twenty-first--this consummation (he thereby obtains).

When the Udavasânîyâ (closing offering) is completed, they give, for a sacrificial gift, four women, with a maiden as the fifth, and four hundred female attendants according to agreement.

And during the following year he performs the animal sacrifices of the seasons,--six (victims) sacred to Agni in the spring, six to Indra in the summer, six to Parganya, or to the Maruts, in the rainy season, six to Mitra and Varuna in the autumn, six to Indra and Vishnu in the winter, and six to Indra and Brihaspati in the dewy season,--six seasons are a year: in the seasons, in the year, he thus establishes himself. These amount to thirty-six animals,--the Brihatî (metre) consists of thirty-six syllables, and the heavenly world is established upon the Brihatî: and thus he finally establishes himself, by means of the Brihatî metre, in the heavenly world.