Translator – Arthur Berriedale Keith
KANDA V
THE EXPLANATION OF THE PILING OF THE FIRE ALTAR
PRAPATHAKA I
The Placing of the Fire in the Fire-pan
v. 1. 1.
He offers the Savitr offerings, for instigation. He offers with (an oblation) ladled up four times, cattle have four feet; verily he wins cattle; the quarters are four; verily he finds support in the quarters. The metres departed from the gods (saying), ‘We will not carry your oblation without sharing (in it)’;
for them they kept this (oblation) ladled up four times, for the Puronuvakya the Yajya, the deity, the Vasat call; in that he offers what has been ladled up four times, he delights the metres, and they delighted carry to the gods his oblation. If he desire of a man [1], ‘May he become worse’, he should offer each separately for him; verily he makes him severed from the libations; he becomes worse. If he desire of a man, ‘May he become better’, he should offer all for him continuously; verily he makes him master of the libation; he becomes better. This is the mastering of the sacrifice. He abandons prosperity in the beginning of the sacrifice who departs from Agni as the deity; these offerings to Savitr number eight, the Gayatri has eight syllables, Agni is connected with the Gayatri [2]; verily he does not abandon prosperity at the beginning of the sacrifice, nor Agni as the deity. The offerings to Savitr number eight, the libation (as a whole) is the ninth; verily he extends the threefold (Stoma) at the beginning of the sacrifice. If he desire, ‘May I confer on the metres the glory of the sacrifice’, he should make a Re verse last; verily he confers on the metres the glory of the sacrifice. If he desire, ‘May I confer on the sacrificer the glory of the sacrifice’, he should make a Yajus formula last; verily he confers on the sacrificer the glory of the sacrifice. ‘By the Rc make the Stoma to flourish’, he says [3], for prosperity. With four (verses) he takes up the spade; the metres are four; verily (he takes it up) with the metres. ‘On the instigation of god Savitr’, he says, for instigation. Agni went away from the gods, he entered the reed; he resorted to the hole which is formed by the perforation of the reed; the spade is perforated to make it his birthplace; wherever he lived, that became black; (the spade) is stained, for perfection of form; it is pointed at both ends, for the winning of light both hence and from yonder world; it is a fathom long; so much is the strength in man; (verily it is) commensurate with his strength; it is unlimited in girth, to win what is unlimited; that tree which has fruit is strong among trees, the reed bears fruit, (the spade) is of reed, to win strength.
v. 1. 2.
That part of the sacrifice is unsuccessful which is performed with no Yajus. ‘This bond of order they grasped’, (with these words) he takes up the horse’s halter, to make a Yajus and to make successful the sacrifice. ‘Swiftly run hither, O steed’, (with these words) he halters the horse; verily he proclaims its greatness in this form. ‘Yoke ye the ass’, (with these words) (he halters) the ass; verily he establishes the ass on the non-existent; therefore the ass is less real than the horse. ‘In each need more strong’, he says [1];
verily in each need he yokes him; ‘in each contest we invoke’, he says; the contest is food; verily he wins food. ‘As friends, Indra to aid us’, he says; verily he wins power. Agni went away from the gods, him Prajapati found; the horse is connected with Prajapati, with the horse he collects (it), for the finding (of Agni). Now confusion occurs in that they perform the same thing with a better and worse (instrument), for the ass is worse than the horse [2]; they lead the horse in front to avoid confusion; therefore the worse follows after the better. Many are the foes of the man who waxes great, he waxes great as it were who piles the fire, the steed has a thunderbolt; ‘hastening come hither, trampling the enemy’, he says; verily he tramples with the thunderbolt on the evil foe; ‘from the lordship of Rudra’, he says; cattle are connected with Rudra; verily having begged from Rudra [3] cattle he acts for his own interest. ‘With Pusan as fellow’, he says; Pusan is the leader together of roads; (verily it serves) for attainment. The fire has dust for its abode; the Angirases brought it together before the deities; ‘from the abode of earth do thou approach Agni of the dust in the mode of Angiras’, he says; verily he brings it together in one abode with the deities. ‘We approach Agni of the dust in the manner of Angiras’, he says; verily he appropriates the strength of him whom he meets [4]. ‘The fire should be brought together after announcing it to Prajapati’, they say; Prajapati is this earth, the ant-heap is its ear; ‘we will bear Agni of the dust in the manner of Angiras’, (with these words) he pays reverence to the mound of an ant-heap; verily after announcing it to Prajapati face to face, he brings together the fire. ‘We bear Agni of the dust in the manner of Angiras’, he says; verily he appropriates the strength of him whom he meets. ‘Agni hath gazed along the forefront of the dawns’ [5], he says, to light up (the heaven). ‘The steed coming, from the way’, ‘Coming to earth, O steed’, he says; verily he wishes for it with the first and obtains it with the second; with two (verses) he makes it come, for support; (with two) of the same form, therefore cattle are born of the same form. ‘Thy back is the sky, thy abode earth’, he says; Prajapati quickened him from these worlds; verily he proclaims its greatness in this form. The steed is possessed of the thunderbolt, by its incisors it is more puissant than those with one row of incisors, by its hair than those with two rows; him whom he hates he should conceive as beneath its feet; verily with the thunderbolt he lays him low.
v. 1. 3.
‘The strong steed hath stepped forth’, with these two (verses) he makes it step forth; (with two) of the same form, therefore cattle are born of the same form. He pours water down; where there are waters, there Plants take root, and where plants take root cattle find support through them, the sacrifice (finds support) in cattle, the sacrificer in the sacrifice, offspring in the sacrificer; therefore he pours water down, for support. If the Adhvaryu were to pour the libation on that which is without fire, the Adhvaryu would be [1] blind, the Raksases would destroy the sacrifice; he puts gold down and offers; verily he pours on what has fire, the Adhvaryu does not become blind, the Raksases do not destroy the sacrifice. ‘I touch Agni with mind, with ghee’, he says, for with mind man approaches the sacrifice; ‘who lordeth it over all the worlds’, he says, for he lords it over all; ‘broad, vast, with pervading vital power’, he says, for he born small becomes great [2];
‘most extensive, impetuous, winning food’, he says; verily he makes pleasant food for him; all is pleasant for him who knows thus. ‘I touch thee with speech, with ghee’, he says; therefore what a man conceives with mind he utters with speech; ‘with friendly (mind) he says, to smite away the Raksases; ‘with mortal glory, with engaging colour, Agni’, he says; verily he bestows beauty upon him; he is possessed of beauty who knows thus [3]. By mind must he obtain that libation which the Adhvaryu offers in that which is without fire; he offers with two verses containing the word ‘mind’, to obtain the two libations; with two (he offers), for support. As the beginning of the sacrifice is performed the Raksases are fain to destroy the sacrifice; now then is this (place) the beginning of the sacrifice when the libation comes upon it; he draws a line around, to smite away the Raksases; with three (verses) he draws a line around, Agni is threefold; verily from the whole extent of Agni he smites away the Raksases [4]; with a Gayatri verse he draws a line around, the Gayatri is brilliance; verily with brilliance, he encircles him; with a Tristubh verse he draws a line around, the Tristubh is power; verily he encircles him with power; with an Anustubh verse he draws a line around, the Anustubh, envelops all the metres, (verily it serves) for complete attainment; with the Anustubh in the middle (he draws), the Anustubh is speech, therefore from the middle we speak with speech; with the Gayatri first he draws, then with the Anustubh, then with the Tristubh; the Gayatri is brilliance, the Anustubh the sacrifice, the Tristubh power; verily he encircles the sacrifice, with brilliance and power, on both sides.