9 I gratify Separation with his navel; Butter with his flavour; the Waters with his broth; Sunbeams with his drops of fat; Hoar-frost with his heat; Ice with his marrow; Hailstones with his tears; Thunderbolts with the rheum of his eyes; Rakshasas with his blood; Bright things with his limbs; Stars with his beauty; Earth with his skin. All-hail to Jumbaka!

10 In the beginning rose Hiranyagarbha, etc., as in XIII. 4; XXIII. 1.

11 Who by his grandeur, etc., as in XXIII. 3.

12 Whose, by his might, are these snow-covered mountains, and men call sea and Rasá his possession:

Whose are these arms, whose are these heavenly regions. What God shall we adore with our oblation?

13 Giver of vital breath, of power and vigour, he whose commandment all the Gods acknowledge :

The Lord of death, whose shade is life immortal. What God shall we adore with our oblation?

11 May powers auspicious come to us from every side, never deceived, unhindered and victorious,

That the Gods ever may be with us for our gain, our guardians day by day, unceasing in their care.

15 May the auspicions favour of the Gods be ours, ou descend the bounty of the righteous Gods.

us

The friendship of the Gods have we devoutly sought: so may the Gods extend our life that we may live.

9 Separation: vidhṛiti; the ritual name of two blades of grass laid crosswise on the altar. See VII. 4; S. B. G. XII. p. 93; XXVI. 89. Jumbuka: a name of Varuņa.

10 Four texts follow constituting the Inviting and Offering Verses of the Sacrifice of the Horse and other victims to Prajapati. Verse 10 is repeated from XIII. 4 and XXIII. 1.

12 Taken from the same hymn as verses 10 and 11. R. V. X. 121. 4. Rust the ancient name of a river in the north of India; sometimes regarded as a stream that flows round the earth and the firmament. See Prof. A. Weber, Vedische Beiträge, VII. pp. 10–12. What God: other than Prajapiti. Or, God Ka let us, etc.

13 Taken from R. V. X. 121. 2. The first division of the second line is difficult. Prof. M. Müller renders it: 'Whose shadow is immortality, whose shadow is death.' The meaning may be that his cold shadow (his displeasure, or ignorance of him, is death, while the shadow, reflection, or knowledge of his bright glory makes his worshipper immortal.

14 Ten stanzas follow constituting the Inviting and Offering Verses of the oblations of marrow or omentum and rice-cakes to the All Gods. They are taken from R. V. I. 89. 1-10.

16 We call them hither with a hymn of olden time, Bhaga, the friendly Daksha, Mitra, Aditi,

Aryaman, Varuņa, Soma, the Aṣvins. May Sarasvati, auspicious, grant felicity.

17 May the Wind waft to us that pleasant medicine, may Earth our Mother give it, and our Father Heaven,

And the joy-giving stones that press the Soma's juice. Așvins, may ye, for whom our spirits long, hear this.

18 Him we invoke for aid who reigns supreme, the Lord of all that stands or moves, inspirer of the soul,

That Pûshan may promote the increase of our wealth, our keeper and our guard infallible for our good.

19 Illustrious far and wide, may Indra prosper us: may Pûshan prosper us, the Master of all wealth.

May Târkshya with uninjured fellies prosper us: Brihaspati vouchsafe to us prosperity.

20 The Maruts, Sons of Prisni, borne by spotted steeds, moving in glory, oft visiting holy rites,

Sages whose tongue is Agni and their eyes the Sun, --hither let all the Gods for our protection come.

21 Gods, may we with our ears listen to what is good, and with our eyes see what is good, ye Holy Ones.

With limbs and bodies firm may we extolling you attain the term of life appointed by the Gods.

22 A hundred autumns stand before us, O ye Gods, within whose space ye bring our bodies to decay;

Within whose space our sons become fathers in turn. Break ye not in the midst our course of fleeting life.

23 Aditi is the heaven, Aditi is mid-air, Aditi is the Mother and the Sire and Son.

16 Daksha: Strength; a creative Power associated with Aditi, and therefore sometimes identified with Prajâpati.

19 Târkshya: see XV. 18.

20 Prisni: see VII. 16.

22 Hundred autumns: a hundred years, counted in earlier times by winters, then by autumns, then, as now, by Rains (varsha having become the Hindi baras, a year), being regarded as the natural duration of human life. Cf. Isaiah, LXV. 20. 'There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old.'

23 Aditi: as the Infinite; Infinite Nature. Five-classed: the four castes and Nishâdas or wild aboriginal tribes, according to Sayana; or 'Fivefold life or being,' that is, Gods, men, Gandharvas and Apsarases, Serpents, and Fathers, according to the same authority.

Aditi is all Gods, Aditi five-classed men, Aditi all that hath been born and shall be born.

24 Slight us not Varuna, Aryaman, or Mitra, Ribhukshan, Indra, Âyu, or the Maruts,

When we declare amid the congregation the virtues of the
Strong Steed, God-descended.

25 What time they bear before the Courser, covered with trappings and with wealth, the grasped oblation,

The dappled goat goeth straightforward, bleating, to the place dear to Indra and to Pûshan.

26 Dear to all Gods, this goat, the share of Pûshan, is first led forward with the vigorous Courser,

While Tvashtar sends him forward with the Charger, acceptable for sacrifice, to glory.

27 When thrice the men lead round the Steed, in order, who goeth to the Gods as meet oblation,

The goat precedeth him, the share of Pûshan, and to the
Gods the sacrifice announceth.

28 Invoker, ministering priest, atoner, fire-kindler, Somapresser, sage, reciter,

With this well ordered sacrifice, well finished, do ye fill full the channels of the rivers.

29 The hewers of the post and those who carry it, and those who carve the knob to deck the Horse's stake;

Those who prepare the cooking-vessels for the Steed,—may the approving help of these promote our work.

30 Forth, for the regions of the Gods, the Charger with his smooth back is come; my prayer attends him.

In him rejoice the singer and the sages. A good friend have we won for the Gods' banquet.

24 The Asvastuti or Eulogy of the Horse follows, comprised in twentytwo verses which form Hymn 162 of Book I. of the Rigveda. Ribhukshan: a name of Indra as lord of the Ribhus, the three season making deities who perhaps represent the past, the present. and the future. Ayu: said by Sâyana and Mahidhara to be used in this place for Vâyu. It is apparently a name of Agni, the Living, Lively One, as in V. 9. God-descended: sprung from the Gols, or, according to Sayana, born as the type of various deities. See R. V. I. 163. 2-4.

25 Grasped oblation: the offering of clarified butter taken from the remains of a previous burnt-offering. Goat: that is to be tied to the Horse at the sacrificial stake. See XXIV. 13. Pashan said by Sayana to stand for Agni in this and the two following verses.

28 Invoker, etc. these are the designations of eight of the sixteen priests employed. Sage: the Brahman, a priest of profound knowledge (see V. 31; VII. 45) who superintends the ceremony. Fill full the channels: obtain blessings in abundance.

229

31 May the fleet Courser's halter and his heel-ropes, the headstall and the girths and cords about him,

And the grass put within his mouth to bait him,- among the Gods, too, let all these be with thee.

32 What part of the Steed's flesh the fly hath eaten, or is left sticking to the post or hatchet,

Or to the slayer's hands and nails adhereth,-among the
Gods, too, may all this be with thee.

33 Food undigested steaming from his belly, and any odour of raw flesh remaining,

This let the immolators set in order and dress the sacrifice

with perfect cooking.

34 What from thy body which with fire is roasted, when thou art set upon the spit, distilleth,—

Let not that lie on earth or grass neglected, but to the longing Gods let all be offered.

35 They who, observing that the Horse is ready, call out and say, The smell is good; remove it;

And, craving meat, await the distribution,-may their approving help promote our labour.

36 The trial-fork of the flesh-cooking caldron, the vessels out of which the broth is sprinkled,

The warming-pots, the covers of the dishes, hooks, carvingboards, all these attend the Charger.

37 Let not the fire, smoke-scented, make thee crackle, nor glowing caldron smell and break to pieces.

Offered, beloved, approved, and consecrated,—such Charger do the Gods accept with favour.

33 The starting-place, his place of rest and rolling, the ropes wherewith the Charger's feet were fastened,

The water that he drank, the food he tasted,—among the Gods, too, may all these attend thee.

39 The robe they spread upon the Horse to clothe him, the upper covering and the golden trappings,

The halters which restrain the Steed, the heel-ropes, -all these, as grateful to the Gods, they offer.

40 If one, when seated, with excessive urging hath with his heel or with his whip distressed thee,

All these thy woes, as with oblation's ladle at sacrifices, with my prayer I banish.

41 The four-and-thirty ribs of the swift Courser, kin to the Gods, the slayer's hatchet pierces.

41 Four-and-thirty: so many out of the thirty-six. As the Sacrificial Horse represents the heavens, the thirty-four ribs symbolize the Sun, the

Cut ye with skill so that the parts be flawless, and piece by piece declaring them dissect them.

42 Of Tvashtar's Courser there is one dissector: this is the custom two there are who guide him.

Such of his limbs as I divide in order, all these, amid the lumps, in fire I offer.

43 Let not thy dear soul burn thee as thou comest, let not the hatchet linger in thy body.

Let not a greedy clumsy immolator, missing the joints, mangle thy limbs unduly.

44 No, here thon diest not, thou art not injured only by easy paths to Gods thou goest.

Both Bays, both Spotted Mares are now thy fellows, and to the Ass's pole is yoked the Courser.

45 May this Steed bring us all-sustaining riches, wealth in good kine, good horses, manly offspring.

Freedom from sin may Aditi vouchsafe us; the Steed with our oblations gain us lordship!

46 We will, with Indra and all Gods to help us, bring these existing worlds into subjection.

With the Adityas, with the band of Maruts, may Indra give us medicine to heal us.

Our sacrifice, our bodies, and our offspring may Indra regulate with the Adityas.

47 0 Agni, be our nearest Friend, etc., as in III. 25.

To thee then, O Most Bright, etc., as in III. 26.

Moon, the five planets, and the twenty-seven nakshatras or lunar asterisms. See Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III. p. 186. Piece by piece: the dissectors are to name the several parts as they divide them, each part being assigned to a separate deity.

42 One dissector: in chief. The lumps: the portions of meat made up into balls.

43 Burn thee: make thee sad.

44 Both Bays, etc.: thou art now associated in heaven with the two bay horses of Iudra, the two spotted mares of the Maruts, and the ass (representing the grey or dun colour of early morning) that draws the chariot of the Aşvins.

46 Taken, with variations, from R. V. X. 157. 1, 3, 2.

For a description of an Aṣvamedha în later times, see Râmâyaṇa, Book I. 10-15.

The Dakshinâs or honoraria bestowed upon the officiating priests are not mentioned in the text. They consisted chiefly of a large proportion of the booty taken from the ruler and the people of the conquered country. According to a Commentator, the spoil of the east was given to the Hotar, and that of the south to the Brahmau. The Adhvaryu received a maiden (the daughter of the Sacrificer, says a Commentator), and the Sacrificer's fourth wife. See Hillebrandt, Ritual-Litteratur, p. 152.