vi. 6. 6.
Indra caused Manu to sacrifice with his wife; after she had been encircled with fire he let her go; therewith Manu prospered; in that he lets go (the victim), (for Tvastr with the wives, the sacrificer prospers with the prosperity with which Manu prospered. From what is unsupported in the sacrifice the sacrifice comes to ruin; as the sacrifice comes to ruin the sacrificer comes to ruin along with it; in that he completes (the offering) (for Tvastr) with the wives with butter, (it serves) to support the sacrifice, and as the sacrifice finds support, the sacrificer finds support along with it. The offering of the caul [1] has been performed, the offering of the cow is not yet over, then he performs (the offering) (for Tvastr) with the wives; verily he performs it at the right moment; then indeed comes the conclusion. It is for Tvastr; Tvastr of the seed that is spilt moulds forms, him he sets loose as a male among wives; he for him moulds forms.
vi. 6. 7.
They kill the Soma in that they press it; in that there is (an oblation) of Soma, that is as when they slay for the dead a barren cow. If he were to offer in the northern half or the middle, he would cause conflict with the gods; he offers on the southern half; this is the quarter of the Pitrs; verily in their own quarter he propitiates the Pitrs. They give to the Udgatrs, (the oblation) of Soma has the Saman for its deity; whatever of the Saman they do amiss, that is the atonement for it. They look at [1] (the victim) for Soma is a purifier; verily they purify themselves. He who cannot see himself would be dead. Having made it full all round, he should look at (it), for in it he sees himself; verily also he purifies himself. He whose mind is gone should look at (it), (saying), ‘That mind of mine which hath gone away, or which hath gone elsewhere, by means of King Soma, we keep within us’; verily he keeps his mind in himself [2], his mind is not gone. At the third pressing the sacrifice departs from him who has sacrificed to him who has not sacrificed; he offers ghee with a verse to Agni and Visnu; all the deities are Agni, the sacrifice is Visnu; verily he supports the deities and the sacrifice. He sacrifices muttering, for pairing. The theologians say, ‘Mitra appropriates the well-performed part of the sacrifice, Varuna the ill-performed; where then is the sacrifice, and where the sacrificer?; In that he offers a cow to Mitra and Varuna, by Mitra [3] he propitiates the well-performed part of the sacrifice, by Varuna the ill-performed; the sacrificer is not ruined. Even as men plough the field with the plough, so do the Rc and the Saman plough the sacrifice; in that he offers a cow to Mitra and Varuna, verily he rolls a roller over the ploughed-up sacrifice, for atonement. The metres of him who has sacrificed are worn out, the cow is the sap of the metres; in that he offers the cow to Mitra and Varuna, he again delights the metres, to drive away weariness; verily also he bestows sap upon the metres.
vi. 6. 8.
The gods divided up power and strength; what there was left over became the Atigrahya cups, and that is why the Atigrahyas have their name. In that the Atigrahyas are drawn, verily thus the sacrificer bestows. upon himself power and strength, brilliance by that for Agni, power by that for Indra, splendour by that for Surya. The Atigrahyas are the support of the sacrifice, the Prsthas are the two wheels, if he were not to. draw them in the Prsthya (rite), the Prsthas would destroy the sacrifice in front; if he were to draw them in the Ukthya [1], the Atigrahyas would destroy the sacrifice behind; but they should be drawn in the Viçvajit with all the Prsthas, so that the sacrifice may have all its strength. Prajapati indicated the sacrifices to the gods, he put away their dear forms, they became the Atigrahya; ‘Bodiless is his sacrifice’, they say, ‘for whom the Atigrahyas are not drawn.’ They should be drawn also in the Agnistoma, so that the sacrifice may have its body. All the deities were alike, and were not discriminated; these gods [2] saw these cups and drew them, Agni that for Agni, Indra that for Indra, Surya that for Surya; then indeed were they discriminated from the other gods; he, for whom knowing thus these cups are drawn, is discriminated from his evil foe. ‘These worlds must be made full of light, with like strength’, they say; verily with that for Agni he bestows light on this world, with that for Indra on the atmosphere, for Indra and Vayu are yoke-fellows; with that for Surya on yonder world [3] he bestows light; full of light these worlds become for him; he makes them of like strength. Bamba and Viçvavayasa found these cups, and to them these worlds, the distant and the near, became revealed; to him, for whom knowing thus these cups are drawn, these worlds, the distant and the near, become revealed.
vi. 6. 9.
Whatever the gods did at the sacrifice the Asuras did. The gods caused the metres and the pressings to find support in the Adabhya; then the gods prospered, the Asuras were defeated; he, for whom knowing thus the Adabhya is drawn, prospers himself, his foe is defeated. Because the gods deceived the Asuras with the Adabhya (undeceivable), that is why the Adabhya has its name. He who knows thus deceives his foe; his foe deceives him not [1]. The Adabhya is the form of Prajapati, called the freer; he draws from (the Soma) which is tied up, for freedom; he who knows thus is set free from his evil foe. They kill the Soma in that they press it; in the slaying of the Soma the sacrifice is slain, with the sacrifice the sacrificer. The theologians say, ‘What is it that the sacrificer does in the sacrifice whereby he goes alive to the world of heaven?’ The Adabhya is the taking alive; he draws from (the Soma) before pressing; verily he makes him go alive to the world of heaven. Now they break the sacrifice asunder when they make it find support in the Adabhya; he lets go the shoots, for the continuance of the sacrifice.
vi. 6. 10.
The gods drew the cups in a line; Prajapati saw this Ançu, drew it, and therewith prospered. Verily he, for whom knowing thus the Ançu is drawn, prospers. He draws from (the Soma) when it has been once pressed, for once he prospered thereby. He draws with the mind, for Prajapati is mind as it were; (verily it serves) to obtain Prajapati. He draws with (a vessel) of Udumbara; the Udumbara is strength; verily he wins strength; it has four corners; verily he finds support in the quarters [1]. He who knows the foundation of the Ançu becomes possessed of a foundation. The Saman is that called the Vamadevya; singing in his mind that foundation he draws; verily he becomes possessed of a foundation. If the Adhvaryu were not to make a success of drawing the Ançu, for both the Adhvaryu and the sacrificer would it go ill; if he were to make a success, for both would it go well; he draws without breathing; this is its success. He breathes over gold; gold is immortality, breath is life; verily with life he quickens immortality; it is of a hundred (Krsnalas) in weight, man has a hundred (years of) life, a hundred powers; verily in life, in power he finds support.
vi. 6. 11.
Prajapati assigned the sacrifices to the gods; he thought himself emptied; he pressed over himself the power and strength of the sacrifice in sixteen ways; that became the Sodaçin; there is no sacrifice called Sodaçin; in that there is a sixteenth Stotra and a sixteenth Çastra, therefore is it the Sodaçin, and that is why the Sodaçin has its name. In that the Sodaçin is drawn, so the sacrificer bestows power and strength upon himself. To the gods the world of heaven [1] did not become manifest; they saw this Sodaçin, and drew it; then did the world of heaven become manifest to them; in that the Sodaçin is drawn, (it serves) for the conquest of the world of heaven. Indra was the youngest of the gods, he had recourse to Prajapati, he bestowed on him the Sodaçin, he drew it; then indeed did he attain the summit of the gods; he for whom knowing thus the Sodaçin [2] is drawn attains the summit of his equals. He draws at the morning pressing; the Sodaçin is the thunderbolt, the morning pressing is the thunderbolt; verily he draws it from its own birthplace. At each pressing he draws; verily from each pressing he produces it. At the third pressing he should draw (it) for one who desires cattle; the Sodaçin is the thunderbolt, the third pressing is cattle; verily by means of the thunderbolt he wins for him cattle from the third pressing. He should not draw (it) in the Ukthya; the Ukthas are offspring and cattle; if he were to draw (it) in the Ukthya [3], he would consume his offspring and cattle. He should draw (it) for one who desires cattle in the Atiratra; the Sodaçin is the thunderbolt; verily having won cattle for him by the thunderbolt, he calms them later with (the Çastras of) the night. He should also draw (it) in the Agnistoma for a Rajanya, for a Rajanya sacrifices desiring distinction; verily in the day rite he grasps a bolt for him, and the bolt kindles him to prosperity, or it burns him; the twenty-onefold is the Stotra used, for support; what is recited has the word ‘bay’ in it; he obtains the dear abode of Indra [4]. The smaller metres were among the gods, the larger among the Asuras; the gods recited the larger metre with the smaller on either side; then indeed did they appropriate the world of the Asuras. In that he recites the larger metre with a smaller metre on either side, verily thus he appropriates the world of his foe. They make six syllables redundant; the seasons are six; verily he delights the seasons. They place four in front [5]; verily he wins four-footed cattle; two last; verily he wins two-footed (cattle); they make up an Anustubh; the Anustubh is speech, therefore speech is the highest of the breaths. When the sun is half-set, he sets about the Stotra of the Sodaçin; in this world Indra slew Vrtra; verily straightway be hurls the bolt against his foe. The sacrificial fee is a reddish-brown horse; that is the form of the bolt; (verily it serves) for success.
