PRAPATHAKA II
The Supplement to the Soma Sacrifice (continued)
iii. 2. 1.
He who sacrifices knowing the ‘ascent’ verses of the Pavamana (Stotras) mounts on the Pavamanas and is not cut off from the Pavamanas. ‘Thou art the hawk, with the Gayatri for thy metre; I grasp thee; bring me over in safety. Thou art the eagle, with the Tristubh for thy metre; I grasp thee; bring me over in safety. Thou art the vulture, with the Jagati for thy metre; I grasp thee; bring me over in safety’, he says. These [1] are the ascents of the Pavamanas; he who knowing thus these sacrifices mounts on the Pavamanas, and is not cut off from the Pavamanas. He who knows the continuity of the Pavamana lives all his days; he does not die before his time; be becomes rich in cattle; he obtains offspring. The Pavamana cups are drawn off, but these are not drawn off by him, the wooden vessel, the stirring-vessel, and the vessel which holds the purified Soma. If he were to begin (the Stotra) without drawing them off, he would split the Pavamana [2], and with its being split the breath of the Adhvaryu would be split. ‘Thou art taken with a support; to Prajapati thee!’, (with these words) he should rub the wooden vessel; ‘to Indra thee!’, (with these words) the stirring-vessel; ‘to the All-gods thee!’, (with these words) the vessel which holds the purified Soma verily he renders continuous the Pavamana, he lives all his days; he does not die before his time; he becomes rich in cattle; he obtains offspring.
iii. 2. 2.
There are three pressings. Now they spoil the third pressing if there are no stalks of the Soma in it. Having offered the silent cup, he puts a shoot in the vessel which holds it, and placing it with the third pressing he should press it out. In that he makes it swell, it has a stalk (of the Soma); in that he presses it out, it has the lees (of the Soma); verily he makes all the pressings have stalks and pure Soma, and be of equal strength.
Two oceans are there extended, unperishing;
They revolve in turns like the waves in the bosom of the sea;
Seeing they pass over one of them,
Seeing not [1] they pass over the other with a bridge.
Two garments continuous one weareth;
With locks, knowing all the worlds;
He goeth in secret clad in the dark;
He putteth on his bright robe abandoning that of the worn-out one.
Whatever the gods did at the sacrifice the Asuras did. The gods saw this great sacrifice, they extended it, they performed the Agnihotra as the vow; therefore one should perform the vow twice, for twice they offer the Agnihotra. They performed the full moon rite, as the animal sacrifice to Agni and Soma [2]. They performed the new moon rite, as the animal sacrifice to Agni. They performed the sacrifice to the All-gods as the morning pressing. They performed the Varunapraghasas, as the midday pressing. They performed the Sakamedhas, the sacrifice to the fathers, and the offering to Tryambaka, as the third pressing. The Asuras sought to follow their sacrifice, but could not get on its tracks. They said, ‘These gods have become inviolable (adhvartavyah). That is why the sacrifice (adhvara) is inviolable. Then the gods prospered, the Asuras were defeated. He who knowing thus offers the Soma, prospers himself, the enemy is defeated.
iii. 2. 3.
a. Surrounding Agni, surrounding Indra, surrounding the All-gods, surrounding me with splendour, be purified for us, with healing for cattle, healing for men, healing for the horses, healing, O king, for the plants; may we possess the abundance of wealth that is thine who art unbroken and of heroic power, O lord of wealth; of that give me, of that may I share, of that that is thine I procure this.
b. For my expiration, be purified, giving splendour, for splendour;
c. For my inspiration;
d. For my cross-breathing;
e. For my speech [1];
f. For my skill and strength;
g. For my two eyes do ye be purified, giving splendour, for splendour;
h. For my ear;
i. For my trunk;
k For my members;
I. For my life;
m. For my strength
n. Of Visnu,
o. Of Indra,
p. Of the All-gods thou art the belly, giving splendour to me, be purified for splendour.
q. Who art thou? (Thou art) who by name. To who (kásmai) thee, to who (káya) thee, thee whom I have delighted with Soma, thee whom I have gladdened with Soma. May I be possessed of fair offspring with offspring, of noble heroes with heroes, of excellent splendour with splendour, of great abundance with abundances.
r. To all my forms giving splendour [2], be purified for splendour; of that give me; of that may I share, of that that is thine I procure this. He who desires to be great should look (on the offerings); Prajapati is here in the vessels, Prajapati is the sacrifice; verily he delights him, and he being delighted is purified for him with prosperity. He who desires splendour should look (on the offerings); Prajapati is here in the vessels, Prajapati is the sacrifice; verily he delights him, and he being delighted is purified for him with splendour. He who is ill [3] should look (on the offerings); Prajapati is here in the vessels, Prajapati is the sacrifice; verily he delights him, and he being delighted is purified for him with life. He who practises witchcraft should look (on the offerings); Prajapati is here in the vessels, Prajapati is the sacrifice; verily he delights him, and he being delighted cuts off him (the enemy) from expiration and inspiration, from speech, from skill and strength, from his eyes, from his ears, from his trunk, from the members, from life; swiftly he comes to ruin.
iii. 2. 4.
a. The wooden sword is safety, the hammer is safety, the knife, the sacrificial enclosure, the axe is safety; sacrificial ye art, makers of the sacrifice; do ye invite me to this sacrifice.
b. May sky and earth invite me; (May) the place of singing, the bowl, Soma, the fire (invite me);
(May) the gods, the sacrifice, The Hotras call upon me in invitation.
c. ‘Homage to Agni, slayer of Makha; may the glory of Makha impel me’–(with these words) he reverences the Ahavaniya. Makha is the sacrifice [1]; verily he slays the sacrifice; verily paying homage to him he creeps to the Sadas, for his own safety.
d. ‘Homage to Rudra, slayer of Makha; for this homage guard me’ (with these words he reverences) the place of the Agnidh; verily paying homage to him he creeps to the Sadas, for his own safety.
e. ‘Homage to Indra, slayer of Makha; injure not my power and strength’–(with these words he reverences) the place of the Hotr; verily he invokes this blessing, for the preserving of his power and strength [2].
f. He who creeps forward knowing the gods who cause ruin at the Sadas is not ruined at the Sadas. ‘Homage to Agni, slayer of Makha’, he says. These gods cause ruin at the Sadas. He, who knowing them thus creeps forward, is not ruined at the Sadas.
g. Ye two are firm, loose; united guard me from trouble.
h. May the sun, the god, guard me from trouble from the sky, Vayu from the atmosphere [3], Agni from earth, Yama from the fathers, Sarasvati from men.
i. O ye divine doors, oppress me not.
k. Homage to the Sadas, homage to the lord of the Sadas, homage to the eye of the friends who go before, homage to sky, homage to earth.
l. Ho! son of a second marriage, get thee hence; sit on the seat of another more foolish than we are.
m. From the low, from the high may I go.
n. O sky and earth protect me from this day to-day.
o. When he creeps forward to the seat [4], the fathers creep along after him; they have power to injure him; having crept to the seat he should look along the south side (saying), ‘Come, O ye fathers; through you may I possess the fathers; may ye have good offspring in me’; verily paying reverence to them he creeps to the Sadas, for his own safety.
iii. 2. 5.
a. Food come hither, enter me for long life, for health, for increase of wealth, for splendour, for good offspring. Come hither, O Vasu, preceded by wealth; thou art dear to my heart.
b May I grasp thee with the arms of the Açvins.
c. With clear sight may I gaze’ upon thee, O god Soma, who regardest men.
d. Gentle control, banner of the sacrifices, may speech accept and delight in the Soma; I may Aditi, gentle, propitious, with head inviolable, as speech, accept and delight in the Soma.
e. Come hither, O thou who art of all men [1], with healing and favour; with safety come to me, O tawny-coloured, for skill, for strength, for increase of wealth, for good heroes.
f Terrify me not, O king, pierce not my heart with thy radiance, for manly strength, for life, for splendour.
g. Of thee, O god Soma, who hast the Vasus for thy troop, who knowest the mind, who belongest to the first pressing, who hast the Gayatri as thy metre, who art drunk by Indra, who art drunk by Naraçansa, who art drunk by the fathers, who hast sweetness, and who art invited, I invited eat.
h. Of thee, O god Soma, who hast the Rudras for thy troop, who knowest the mind, who belongest to the midday pressing, who hast the Tristubh for thy metre, who art drunk by Indra, who art drunk by Naraçansa [2], who art drunk by the fathers, who hast sweetness, and who art invited, I invited eat.
i. Of thee, O god Soma, who hast the Adityas for thy troop, who knowest the heart, who belongest to the third pressing, who hast the Jagati for thy metre, who art drunk by Indra, who art drunk by Naraçansa, who art drunk by the fathers, who hast sweetness, and who art invited, I invited eat.
k. Swell up, lot thy strength be gathered From all sides, O Soma; Be strong in the gathering of might.
l. Impel my limbs, O thou with tawny steeds, Do not distress my troops; Propitious do thou honour for me the seven sages; Do not go below my navel [3].
m. We have drunk the Soma, we have become immortal, We have seen the light, we have found the gods; What can the enmity, what the treachery, Of mortal man do to us, O immortal?
n. Whatever fault has been mine, Agni hath put that right, all-knower, he who belongeth to all men;
Agni hath given back the eye, Indra and Brhaspati have given it back;
Do ye two, O Açvins, Replace my eye within its sockets.
o. Of thee, O god Soma, over whom the Yajus is spoken, the Stoma sung [4], the Uktha recited, who hast tawny steeds, who art drunk by Indra, who hast sweetness, and who art invited, I invited eat.
p. Ye are to be filled; fill me With offspring and wealth.
q. That is thine, O father, and those that are after thee. That is thine, O grandfather, O great-grandfather, and those that are after thee.
r. Rejoice therein, O fathers, according to your shares.
s. Homage to your taste, O fathers; homage to your birth, O fathers; homage to your life, O fathers; homage to your [5] custom, O fathers; homage to your anger, O fathers; homage to your terrors, O fathers; O fathers, homage to you.
t. Ye that are in that world, may they follow you; ye that are in this world, may they follow me.
u. Ye that are in that world, of them be ye the most fortunate; ye that are in this world, of these may I be the most fortunate.
v. O Prajapati, none other than thou Comprehendeth all these creatures [6]. What we seek when we sacrifice to thee, let that be ours; May we be lords of riches.
w. Thou art the expiation of sin committed by the gods, thou art the expiation of sin committed by men, thou art the expiation of sin committed by the fathers.
x. Of thee, O god Soma, that art purified in the waters, that art pressed by men, over whom the Yajus is spoken, the Stoma sung, the Çastra recited, who art made by the fathers into food to win horses and cows, and who art invited, I invited eat.
