Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ("of a hundred paths") 5.2.5
Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 5.2.5
- Language
- Sanskrit
5.2.5.1
āgnāvaiṣṇavamekādaśakapālam puroḍāśaṃ nirvapati | aindrāvaiṣṇavaṃ caruṃ vaiṣṇavaṃ trikapālaṃ vā puroḍāśaṃ caruṃ vā tena triṣaṃyuktena yajate puruṣānetaddevā upāyaṃstatho evaiṣa etatpuruṣānevopaiti
He prepares a cake on eleven potsherds for Agni and Vishnu, a pap for Indra and Vishnu, and either a cake on three potsherds, or a pap, for Vishnu. He performs that Trishamyukta offering. Therewith the gods came by men, and in like manner does this (king) now thereby come by men.
5.2.5.2
sa yadāgnāvaiṣṇavaḥ | ekādaśakapālaḥ puroḍāśo bhavatyagnirvai dātā vaiṣṇavāḥ puruṣāstadasmā agnirdātā puruṣāndadāti
Now as to why there is that cake on eleven potsherds for Agni and Vishnu;--Agni is the giver, and men are Vishnu's: thus Agni, the giver, gives him (the king) men.
5.2.5.3
atha yadaindrāvaiṣṇavaḥ | carurbhavatīndro vai yajamāno vaiṣṇavāḥ puruṣāstadasmā agnirdātā puruṣāndadāti tairevaitatsaṃspṛśate tānātmankurute
And as to why there is a pap for Indra and Vishnu;--Indra is the Sacrificer, and men are Vishnu's: thus Agni, the giver, gives him (the Sacrificer) men; he now puts himself in contact with them, makes them his own.
5.2.5.4
atha yadvaiṣṇavaḥ | trikapālo vā puroḍāśo bhavati carurvā yānevāsmā agnirdātā puruṣāndadāti teṣvevaitadantataḥ pratitiṣṭhati yadvai puruṣavānkarma cikīrṣati śaknoti vai tatkartuṃ tatpuruṣānevaitadupaiti puruṣavāntsūyā iti tasya vāmano gaurdakṣiṇā sa hi vaiṣṇavo yadvāmanaḥ
And as to why there is either a cake on three potsherds, or a pap, for Vishnu;--whatever men Agni, the giver, gives him, among them he thereby finally establishes him (the king); and whatever work he wishes to do with his men, that he is able to do. Thus he thereby approaches the men, thinking, 'May I be consecrated, and possessed of men!' A dwarfish bull is the sacrificial fee for this (offering), for the dwarf belongs to Vishnu.
5.2.5.5
athāpareṇa triṣaṃyuktena yajate | sa āgnāpauṣṇamekādaśakapālam puroḍāśaṃ nirvapatyaindrāpauṣṇaṃ carum pauṣṇaṃ caruṃ tena triṣaṃyuktena yajate paśūneva taddevā upāyaṃstatho evaiṣa etatpaśūnevopaiti
He then performs another Trishamyukta offering. He prepares a cake on eleven potsherds for Agni and Pûshan, a pap for Indra and Pûshan, and a pap for Pûshan: this Trishamyukta he offers. Thereby the gods obtained cattle; and in like manner does this (king) thereby obtain cattle.
5.2.5.6
sa yadāgnāpauṣṇaḥ | ekādaśakapālaḥ puroḍāśo bhavatyagnirvai dātā pauṣṇāḥ paśavastadasmā agnireva dātā paśūndadāti
Now as to why there is that cake on eleven potsherds for Agni and Pûshan; Agni is the giver, and the cattle are Pûshan's: thus Agni, the giver, gives him cattle.
5.2.5.7
atha yadaindrāpauṣṇaḥ | carurbhavatīndro vai yajamānaḥ pauṣṇāḥ paśavaḥ sa yānevāsmā agnirdātā paśūndadāti tairevaitatsaṃspṛśate tānātmankurute
And as to why there is a pap for Indra and Pûshan;--Indra is the Sacrificer, and the cattle are Pûshan's: whatever cattle Agni, the giver, gives him, therewith he now puts himself in contact, those he makes his own.
5.2.5.8
atha yatpauṣṇaḥ | carurbhavati yānevāsmā agnirdātā paśūndadāti teṣvevaitadantataḥ pratitiṣṭhati yadvai paśumānkarma cikīrṣati śaknoti vai tatkartuṃ tatpaśūnevaitadupaiti paśumāntsūyā iti tasya śyāmo gaurdakṣiṇā sa hi pauṣṇo yacyāmo dve vai śyāmasya rūpe śuklaṃ caiva loma kṛṣṇaṃ ca dvandvaṃ vai mithunam prajananaṃ vai pūṣā paśavo hi pūṣā paśavo hi prajananam mithunamevaitatprajananaṃ kriyate tasmācyāmo gaurdakṣiṇā
And why there is a pap for Pûshan;--whatever cattle Agni, the giver, gives him, therewith he thereby finally establishes him, and whatever work he wishes to do with his cattle, that he is able to do: thus he comes by cattle, thinking, 'May I be consecrated, possessed of cattle!' A dark-grey bull is the fee for this (offering), for such a dark-grey one is of Pûshan's nature: there are two forms of the dark-grey, the white hair and the black; and 'two and two' means a productive pair, and Pûshan represents productiveness, for Pûshan is cattle, and cattle means productiveness: thus a productive pair is obtained,--hence a dark-grey bull is the sacrificial fee.
5.2.5.9
athāpareṇa triṣaṃyuktena yajate | so 'gnīṣomīyamekādaśakapālam puroḍāśaṃ nirvapatyaindrāsaumyaṃ caruṃ saumyaṃ caruṃ tena triṣaṃyuktena yajate varca eva taddevā upāyaṃstatho evaiṣa etadvarca evopaiti
He then performs another Trishamyukta offering. He prepares a cake on eleven potsherds for Agni and Soma, a pap for Indra and Soma, and a pap for Soma: this Trishamyukta (triply connected) he offers:--Thereby the gods attained glory; and in like manner does this (king) thereby attain glory.
5.2.5.10
sa yadagnīṣomīyaḥ | ekādaśakapālaḥ puroḍāśo bhavatyagnirvai dātā varcaḥ somastadasmā agnireva dātā varco dadāti
Now as to why there is that cake on eleven potsherds for Agni and Soma;--Agni is the giver, and Soma is glory: thus Agni, the giver, gives him glory.
5.2.5.11
atha yadaindrāsaumyaḥ | carurbhavatīndro vai yajamāno varcaḥ somaḥ sa yadevāsmā agnirdātā varco dadāti tenaivaitatsaṃspṛśate tadānmankurute
And as to why there is a pap for Indra and Soma;--Indra is the Sacrificer, and Soma is glory: whatever glory Agni, the giver, gives him, therewith he now puts himself in contact, that he makes his own.
5.2.5.12
atha yatsaumyaḥ | carurbhavati yadevāsmā agnirdātā varco dadāti tasminnevaitadantataḥ pratitiṣṭhati yadvai varcasvī karma cikīrṣati śaknoti vai tatkartuṃ tadvarca evaitadupaiti varcasvī sūyā iti no hyavarcaso vyāptyā canārtho 'sti tasya babhrurgaurdakṣiṇā sa hi saumyo yadbabhruḥ
And why there is a pap for Soma;--whatever glory, Agni, the giver, gives him, therein he now finally establishes him; and whatever work he, the glorious, wishes to do, that he is able to do. Thus he thereby attains glory,--thinking, 'May I be consecrated, endowed with glory!' for the inglorious one has no concern with success. A brown bull is the fee for this (offering); for such a brown one is of Soma's nature.
5.2.5.13
atha śvo bhūte | vaiśvānaraṃ dvādaśakapālam puroḍāśaṃ nirvapati vāruṇa yavamayaṃ caruṃ tābhyāmanūcīnāhaṃ veṣṭibhyāṃ yajate samānabarhirbhyāṃ vā
And on the following day he prepares a cake-on twelve potsherds for (Agni) Vaisvânara, and a barley pap for Varuna. These two offerings he performs either on days following one another, or so as to use the same barhis.
5.2.5.14
sa yadvaiśvānaro bhavati | saṃvatsaro vai vaiśvānaraḥ saṃvatsaraḥ prajāpatiḥ prajāpatireva tadbhūmānam prajāḥ sasṛje bhūmānam prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā sūyā iti tatho evaiṣa etadbhūmānam prajāḥ sṛjate bhūmānam prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā sūyā iti
And as to why there is that (cake) for Vaisvânara;--Vaisvânara ('belonging to all men') truly is the year, and Pragâpati is the year; and Pragâpati indeed thereby created abundance and creatures, thinking, 'May I be consecrated, having created abundance and creatures!' And in like manner does that (king) thereby create abundance and creatures, thinking, 'May I be consecrated, having created abundance and creatures!'
5.2.5.15
atha yaddvādaśakapālo bhavati | dvādaśa vai māsāḥ saṃvatsarasya saṃvatsaro vaiśvānarastasmāddvādaśakapālo bhavati
And why it is one on twelve potsherds;--twelve months there are in the year, and Vaisvânara is the year: this is why it is one on twelve potsherds.
5.2.5.16
atha yadvāruṇo yavamayaścarurbhavati | tatsarvasmādevaitadvaruṇapāśātsarvasmādvaruṇyātprajāḥ pramuñcati tā asyānamīvā akilviṣāḥ prajāḥ prajāyante 'namīvā akilviṣāḥ prajā abhi sūyā iti
And as to why there is a barley pap for Varuna; he thereby frees the creatures from every snare of Varuna, from all that comes from Varuna; and those creatures of his are produced sound and faultless: 'May I be consecrated for sound and faultless creatures (or subjects)!' he thinks.
5.2.5.17
ṛṣabho vaiśvānarasya dakṣiṇā | saṃvatsaro vai vaiśvānaraḥ saṃvatsaraḥ prajāpatirṛṣabho vai paśūnām prajāpatistasmādṛṣabho vaiśvānarasya dakṣiṇā kṛṣṇaṃ vāso vāruṇasya taddhi vāruṇaṃ yatkṛṣṇaṃ yadi kṛṣṇaṃ na vindedapi yadeva kiṃ ca vāsaḥ syādgranthibhirhi vāso vāruṇaṃ varuṇyo hi granthiḥ
A bull is the fee for the Vaisvânara (oblation); for Vaisvânara is the year, and Pragâpati is the year; and the bull is the Pragâpati (lord of creatures or generation) among cows: therefore a bull is the fee for the Vaisvânara. A black cloth for the Vâruna (oblation), for what is black belongs to Varuna. If he cannot obtain a black one, any kind of cloth will do: it is by its knots that the cloth belongs to Vanilla, for the knot is sacred to Varuna.
Translations (1)
- The Satapatha-Brahmana according to the Text of the Mâdhyandina School (SBE 12, 26, 41, 43, 44) — Julius Eggeling 1882, English
Commentaries (1)
- Śatapathabrāhmaṇabhāṣya (Sāyaṇa) — Sāyaṇa, Sanskrit
Linked texts (8)
- Baudhāyanaśrautasūtra — Baudhāyana, Sanskrit
- Śatapatha — Sanskrit
- Kāṇvīya Śatapathabrāhmaṇa — Sanskrit
- Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power in the Indian Theory of Government — Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, English
- Altindische Grammatik — Jacob Wackernagel & Albert Debrunner, German
- The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times — Beni Prasad, English
- The Religions of India — Edward Washburn Hopkins, English
- A History of Hindu Political Theories from the Earliest Times to the End of the First Quarter of the Seventeenth Century A.D. — U. N. Ghoshal, English