THE TEXTS OF THE WHITE YAJURVEDA OR VÂJASANEYA-SAMHITÂ. BOOK THE FIRST. THEE for food. Thee for vigour. Ye are breezes. To noblest work God Savitar impel you. Inviolable! swell his share for Indra. No thief, no evil-minded man shall master you rich in offspring, free from pain and sickness. Be constant, numerous to this lord of cattle. Guard thou the cattle of the Sacrificer. Books I. and II. contain the texts and formulas required at the New and Full Moon sacrifices, the regular performance of which is obligatory on the Brahmanical householder during thirty years from his Agnyâdhâna or ceremonial establishment of his own sacrificial fires; or, according to some authorities, during his whole remaining life. Each of these sacrifices usually requires two days for its performance, the work of the first day consisting in introductory ceremonies such as the preparation of the Ahavaniya and Dakshinâgni, or Eastern and Southern fire-places, for the reception of fire from the Western fire-place, the Gârhapatya or Householder's hearth; the solemn taking of the vrata or vow of fasting and abstention during the sacrifice; and the performance by the sacrificer of the evening Agnihotra or burnt oblation of milk. On this day also, the day before the appearance of the New or the Full Moon, the Adhvaryu priest, who performs the practical part of the sacrifice, cuts a branch from a Parna or Palâṣa tree (Butea Frondosa), or from a Șamî tree (Acacia Suma), trims it and uses it as a switch to drive the calves away from the cows whose milk is to form part of the offerings of the next day's special ceremony. 1 Thee: 'I cut' understood. The Palâșa branch is addressed by the Adhvaryu. For food: as instrumental in obtaining the seasonable rain and the good harvest which will result from the sacrifice. Thee for vigour : 'I cut or trim,' in order to obtain the bodily strength which a sufficiency of food may be expected to bring. Ye: the Adhvaryu touches and addresses the calves. Breezes: as the winds purify the ground, so do ye with your droppings which are used for smearing, and so cleansing, the floors of houses; or, perhaps, meaning 'intruders,' preventing the milking of the cows; or, free to wander where you will, and then to return home. The following lines contain a benediction on the cows. Noblest work: the sacrifice, in which their milk is the most important element. Savitar: the Sun-God as the great vivifier and stimulator. No thief, etc: cf. R. V. VI. 28.7. Guard thou: the Adhvaryu addresses the sacred branch which he hides on the eastern side of the Âhavanîya or of the Gârhapatya house. 2 Strainer of Vasu art thou. Thou art heaven. Earth art thou. Thou art Mâtariṣvan's caldron. Thou art the All-container. Stand thou firmly, secure by Law Supreme, and do not totter. Nor be thy Lord of Sacrifice unsteady. 3 Thou art the strainer, hundred-streamed, of Vasu. Thou art the strainer, thousand-streamed, of Vasu. May Savitar the God with Vasu's strainer, thousand-streamed, rightly cleansing, purify thee. 4 Which didst thou milk? This is the cow Visvâyu. This Visvakarman. This is Visvadhâyas. Thee, Indra's share, with Soma do I curdle. Be thou protec tor of the oblation, Vishnu. 5 I will observe the vow, Lord of Vows, Agni! May I have strength therefor. Success attend me. Now into truth from untruth do I enter. 6 Who is it that unites thee? He unites thee. For what doth he yoke thee? For that he yokes thee. You two for work, you two for its completion. 2 Strainer of Vasu: cleanser, purifier, of the sacrifice; vasu meaning originally good, kind, wealthy. This pavitram or strainer, made of two or three blades of Kusa grass or Darbha (Poa Cynosuroides), used at religious ceremonies, is fastened with this formula on the hidden Palâṣa or Samî branch (verse 1). Thou art _heaven: he puts the sthali or cooking-pot on the Garhapatya fire, and addresses it. He calls it heaven because as an implement of sacrifice it aids in producing rain. Earth as being made of clay. Matarisvan's caldron: a fanciful expression for the atmosphere or mid-region of air, Mâtarişvan being here identified with Vâyu the WindGod. Lord of Sacrifice: the yajamâna or householder who institutes and takes part in the sacrifice. The strainer is then put on the cooking-pot, and addressed. 3 Purify thee: the milk which is to be used in the Agnihotra sacrifice. 4 Which didst thou milk? this is properly part of verse 3. In reply to this question, thrice repeated, of the Adhvaryu, the milker (who may be any one above the rank of a Sûdra) mentions the ordinary name of each of the three cows, and the Adhvaryu gives her a sacrificial name, thereby imparting to her the virtues and powers which the name signifies. Visvâyu: All-life-containing. Visvakarman: All-effecting. Visvadhayas: All-supporting. Thee: the milk which is now removed from the fire. The mixture is then covered over with a vessel not made of earth, and entrusted to the guardianship of Vishnu or the sacrifice. 5 Spoken by the sacrificer who with his wife is about to take the prescribed vrata or vow of abstinence from certain food and enjoyment during the performance of the ceremonies. Lord of Vows: Agni is said to be the Gods' Vratapati, Lord or Keeper of vows. Truth: reality, godhead. Untruth: unreality, perishable humanity; that is, I attain to a divine body and am no longer a mere man.' He is thus bound to speak nothing but the truth. 6 Unites thee?: places the vessel containing the water, which has been formally brought forward, by the side of the Ãhavanîya fire? The question 7 Scorched are the fiends, scorched the malignant beings. Burnt out are fiends, burnt out malignant beings. Throughout the spacious middle air I travel. 8 Thou art the yoke. Injure thou him who injures. Harm him who harm us. Harm the man we injure. Thou art the Gods' best carrier, bound most firmly, filled fullest, welcomest, Gods' best invoker. 9 Thou art unbent, receiver of oblations. Stand firmly in thy place and do not totter. Nor be thy Lord of sacrifice unsteady. Let Vishnu mount thee. To the wind lie open. The demons are expelled. Let the five grasp it. 10 By impulse of God Savitar I take thee with arms of Aṣvins, with the hands of Pûshan, Thee dear to Agni, dear to Agni-Soma. 11 Thee for abundance, not for evil spirit. May mine eye look upon the light of heaven. is asked by the Adhvaryu. For what? or For whom? For that: or For him: kasmai, like Latin cui, being either masculine or neuter. The meaning of the questions is ambiguous, the interrogative pronoun ka, Who?, in all its cases being also regarded as a name of Prajapati, Lord of Creatures. See The Hymns of the Rigveda, X. 121. You two: the ladle used in offering the Agnihotras, and the winnowing-basket with which chaff and grain are separated. Work: the sacrifice. The words 'I take' are understood. 7 Scorched: the ladle and winnowing-basket are heated, to symbolize the expulsion of malignant spirits who infest the air, after which the Adhvaryu is free to move in all directions. 8 The Adhvaryu addresses the yoke (dhur) of the cart which contains the grain and other elements of sacrifice. Injure: dharva. The play on the word is lost in translation. Bound most firmly: sasnitamam; or, in accordance with the etymology of the word, best provider, most liberal giver. 9 He addresses the cart. Vishnu: the sacrifice. Lie open: he addresses the rice. The five: his fingers, with which, when he has mounted the cart, he touches the rice. 10 By impulse: prasave. Savitar: the Impeller and Vivifier. Aşvins: twin Light-Gods, heralds of Dawn, who are the Adhvaryus of the Gods. Pushan: a solar Deity who destributes their respective portions to the Gods. Thee: the rice. Agni and the dual Deity Agni-Soma are mentioned because an unaddressed oblation would cause doubt and contention among the Gods. The offering to Agni at a Full Moon sacrifice is a rice-cake presented on eight potsherds, and that to Agni-Soma one on eleven. 11 Thee: the remainder of the rice; 'I leave' being understood. For abundance: or, according to Mahidhara, for future oblation. For evil spirit: arataye; or, with Mahidhara, for non-oblation. Light: comprehending, according to Mahidhara, sacrifice, day, Gods, and Sun. Those with doors: houses, especially the house of the Sacrificer. Throughout, etc. see I. 7. Navel or centre. Aditi's lap the bosom of infinite Earth. May those with doors stand on the earth securely. Throughout the spacious middle air I travel. Upon the navel of the earth I place thee, on Aditi's lap. 12 Ye two are strainers that belong to Vishnu. By Savitar's impulse, with this flawless strainer I purify you with the rays of Sûrya. Bright Waters, flowing forward, foremost drinkers, lead forward now this sacrifice, lead forward the Sacrifice's Lord, the God-devoted Lord of the Sacrifice, the liberal giver. 13 Indra elected you in fight with Vritra: in fight with Vritra you elected Indra. By over-sprinkling are ye consecrated. I sprinkle thee agreeable to Agni. I sprinkle thee welcome to Agni-Soma. Pure for the work divine be ye, and holy, pure for the sacrifice to Gods. Whatever of yours the impure have by their touch polluted, hereby I cleanse for you from all defile ment. 14 Giver art thou of happiness. Rejected are fiends, rejected are malignant beings. Aditi's skin art thou. May Aditi receive thee. A wooden stone art thou. Thou art a broad-based stone. May the skin of Aditi receive thee. 15 Body of Agni art thou, the releaser of speech. I seize thee for the Gods' enjoyment. A mighty stone art thou, formed out of timber. 12 Strainers: he makes two (see I. 2), and addresses them. Vishnu : the sacrifice. Flawless strainer: the wind. You: the sacrificial waters. Foremost drinkers: of the Soma with which they are mingled. 13 Elected: mixed with Soma, to inspirit him. Vritra: the cloud-demon who obstructs and withholds the rain. The root of the word is vri, to encompass, also, to choose; hence the play on the words avrinita, he elected, avrinidhvam, ye elected, and Vritra. Cf. R. V. III. 34. 3, vritram avrinot, he (Indra) encompassed Vritra the Encompasser. Thee: the oblation. Be ye: the sacrificial vessels which he purifies by sprinkling. : 14 Giver, etc. he addresses the black-antelope's skin-'one of the symbols of Brahmanical worship and civilization. See Sacred Books of the East, XII. p. 23 note. It is spread under the wooden mortar in which the rice is husked and pounded, to prevent any loss of the sacred offerings. Rejected more literally, shaken off,' by shaking the skin as it falls to the ground. Aditi: Earth. Wooden stone: the mortar is addressed, made of wood but representing the pressing-stones with which Soma juice is extracted. 15 Thou: the rice-oblations poured into the mortar. Releaser of speech: of the voice of the priest which hitherto has been restrained. Great wooden stone: the pestle is addressed. Havishkrit: oblation-preparer; the Sacrificer, his wife, or another. Make ready for the Deities this oblation: with careful preparation make it ready. Havishkrit, come! Havishkṛit, come! Havishkṛit, come! 16 Thou art a cock whose tongue is sweet with honey. Call to us hither sap and manly vigour. May we with thee in every fight be victors. Rain-grown art thou. May the rain-grown receive thee. Cleared off are fiends, cleared off are evil beings. Expelled are fiends. May Vâyu separate you. May Savitar the God, the golden-handed, with flawless hand unto himself receive you. 17 Bold art thou. Cast away the Corpse-consumer. Drive off the fire that eats raw flesh, O Agni. That which makes offerings to the Gods bring hither. Firm art thou. Make earth firm. For the foe's slaughter I set thee on, devoted to the priesthood, devoted to the nobles and the kinsmen. 18 Agni, do thou accept our holy service. Keeper art thou: make firm the Air's mid-region. For the foe's death I set thee on, devoted to priesthood and nobility and kinsmen. Thou art a stay uphold the sky securely. For the foe's death, etc. I set thee on for sake of all the regions. Formers of layers are ye, and heap-formers. With Bhrigus' and Angirases' heat be heated. 16 Thou: the sacrificial implement, a peg or wedge, with which the pressing-stones are beaten, is addressed. Cock: on account of the noise it makes. Sweet: to the Gods, as announcing the preparation of sacrifice. Rain-grown : the winnowing-basket, made of reeds and strong grass that grow rapidly in the rainy season, is addressed. Thee: the husked rice, grown also in the Rains, which is poured into the winnowing-basket. Cleared off: together with the fallen husks. Vayu: the wind. You: the husked and unhusked grain. Flawless: letting no grains fall through separated fingers. Receive you: the husked grain. 17 Thou: the poker or fire-shovel of Palâṣa wood is addressed. Corpseconsumer: the fire of the funeral pile. That eats raw flesh: domestic fire for cooking meat. These two forms of fire are excluded, and the sacrificial fire is to remain. Firm art thou: the potsherd on which the oblation is to be cooked is addressed. The kinsmen: of the Sacrificer. 18 Keeper: a second potsherd is addressed. Stay: a third potsherd is addressed. I set thee on: he addresses a fourth potsherd which he puts on the fire. Ye: the remaining potsherds, which he covers with live coals. Bhrigus and Angirases: ancient priestly families, most intimately connected with the worship of Agni. |