OUR sacrifice, God Savitar! speed onward: speed to his share the sacrifice's patron. May the Celestial Gaudharva, cleanser of hought and will, make clean our thoughts and wishes. The Lord of Speech sweeten the words we utter! 2 May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God: So may he stimulate our prayers. 3 Savitar, God, send far away all troubles and calamities, And send us only what is good. 4 We call on him distributer of wondrous bounty and of wealth, On Savitar who looks on men. 5 For Brahman (Priesthood) he binds a Brâhman to the stake; for Kshatra (Royalty) a Râj:nya; for the Maruts a Vaisya; for Penance a Sûdra; for Darkness a robber; for Hell a homicide or a man who has lost his consecrated fire; for Misfortune a eunuch; for Venality an Ayogû; for Kâma a harlot ; for Excessive Noise a Mâgadha; Books XXX, and XXXI. treat of the Purushanedha or Human Sacrifice, an old-established custom among almost all nations of antiquity. The ceremony was to be performed by a Brahman or a Lâjanya, and was expected to obtain for the Sacrificer universal preëminence and every blessing which the Horse-sacrifice might have failed to secure. The ritual resembles in many respects that of the Aṣvamedha; man, the noblest victim, being actually or symbolically sacrificed instead of the Horse, and men and women of various tribes, figures, complexions, characters, and professions being attached to the sacrificial stakes in place of the tame and wild animals enumerated in Book XXIV. These nominal victims were afterwards released uninjured, and, so far as the text of the White Yajurveda goes, the whole ceremony was merely emblematical, a type of the allegorical self-immolation of Purusha, Embodied Spirit or the Cosmic Man. See Colebrooke, Miscellaneous Essays, II.; Weber, Indische Streifen, I. 54 seq.; Wilson, Selected Works, II. 247 seq; Muir, Origiral Sanskrit Texts, IV. 289, note; Oldenberg, Religion des Veda, p. 365; Romesh Chunder Dutt, Civilization in Ancient India, I. 274, 275 (first edition); Max Müller, Ancient Sanskrit Literature, 419 seq.; Vedic India (Story of the Nations Series), pp. 406413; A. Hillebrandt, Ritual-Litteratur, p. 153. 1 The verse is repeated from XI. 7. 2 Repeated from III. 35 and XXII. 9. 3 Taken from R. V. V. 82. 5. 4 Taken from R. V. I. 22. 7. 5 Lost: that is, allowed to go out. Ayogu: the meaning is uncertain; perhaps a gambler,' or 'an uuchaste woman,' as Prof. Weber translates in Indische Streifen, I. 76, where, and in the following pages, Prof. W. has given a version, with explanatory notes, of the whole list of victims and objects to which they are dedicated Magadha : the word meaning originally belonging to the Magadha country (South Bahar)' means a professional bard, minstrel, or panegyrist, the son of a Vaisya and a Kshatriya. 6 For Dance & stable-master; for Song a public dancer; for Duty one who attends court; for Pastime a timid mau; for Sport a chatterer; for Laughter an artist; for Pleasure a woman-lover; for Desire a damsel's son; for Dexterity a car-builder; for Firmness a carpenter; 7 For Trouble a potter's son; for Device an artificer; for Beauty a jeweller; for Welfare a sower; for the Arrowdeity a maker of shafts; for Injury a bowyer; for Action a bowstring-naker; for Fate a rope-maker; for Death a hunter; for he Finisher a dog-leader; 8 For Rivers a fisherman; for Rikshîkâs a Nishâda's son; for the Man-tige a madman; for the Gandharvas and Apsarases a Vrâta; for Motives one demented; for Serpents and Genii anuntrustworthy man; for Dice a gambler; for Excitement a non-gambler; for Pişâchas a woman whɔ splits cane; fo Yâtudhânas a woman who works in thorns; 9 For Rendezvous a lover; for Homestead a paramour; for Trouble an unmarried elder brother; for Nirriti a younger brother who has married before his elder; for Misfortune the husband of a younger sister whose elder sister has not been marriel; for Representation a woman who embroiders; for Agreement a woman who deals in lovecharms; for Gariulity a by-sitter; for Colour an obstinate man; for Strength a yielding man; 10 For Interruptions a hunch-back; for Delight a dwarf; for Doors a blear-eyed nan; for Sleep a blind man; for Unrighteousness a deaf man; for Purifying Medium a physician; for Insight an astrologer; for Craving for Knowledge an inquisitive man; for Desire of extra Knowledge an extra-inquisitive man; for Moral Law a question-solver; 11 For Eye-diseases an elephant-keeper; for Speed a horsekeeper; for Nourishment a cowherd; for Manliness a shepherd; for Keenness a goatherd; for Refreshment a ploughman; for Sweet Beverage a preparer of Surâ; for Weal a house-guard; for Well-being a possessor of wealth; for Supervision a doorkeeper's attendant; 7 The Finisher: Antaka, another name of Death. 8 Rikshikas: a class of evil spirits, mentioned in A. V. XII. 1. 49 in connexion with lions, tigers, hyenas, and wolves. Vrâtya: the chief of a band of nomad Nonconformists of Aryan extraction, but absolutely independent and not following the Aryan or Brahmanist way of life. See A. V. XV. Pisachas a class of fierce and malignant imps or goblins. Yâtudhânas : fiendish sorcerers. 9 Nirriti: or Destruction. 11 Sweet Beverage: kîlâla; see II. 34; 1II. 43; XX. 65. 12 For Light a wood-bringer; for Brightness a fire-kindler; for the Sun's Station a besprinkler; for Highest Heaven a high steward; for the World of Gods a carver; for the World of Meu a distributer; for All-Worlds a pourer-out: for Poverty, Affliction a stirrer-up of strife; for Sacrifice a washerwoman; for Delight a female dyer; 13 For Assault a thievish-hearted man; for Homicide a slanderer; for Discrimination a door-keeper; for Inspection a door-keeper's attendant; for Strength a servant; for Plenty a running footman; for the Beloved a sweet speaker; for Safety the rider of a horse; for the World of Svarga a dealer-out of portions; for Highest Heaven a high steward; 14 For Passion an iron-smelter; for Anger a remover; for Yoking a yoker; for Pain an assailant; for Quiet an unyoker; for Up-hill and Down-hill one who stands on three legs; for Form a conceited man; for Virtue a female ointmentmaker; for Nirriti a feinale scabbard-inaker; for Yama a barren woman; 15 For Yama a mother of twins; for the Atharvans a woman who has miscarried; for the First Year a gad-about; for the Parivatsara one who has not borne a child; for the Idâvatsara one who exceeds; for the Id vatsara one who transgresses; for the Vatsara one who is worn out; for the Samvatsara one with grey hair; for the Ribhus a hidedresser; for the Sâdhyas a currier; 16 For Lakes a fisherman; for Standing Waters a fisher; for Tank-waters a Nishâda; for Reed-beds a fish-vender; for the Opposite Bank one who gropes for fish; for This Bank a fish-catcher; for Fords an Anda; for shallows a Mainâla; 12 Besprinkler: a priest who consecrates a king by aspersion. High steward: chief attendant at meals. Distributer of portions of food. : : 14 Remover: nisaram; the meaning is uncertain: Niedergehender:-Weber; perhaps a sort of chucker-out.' Three legs: with a staff to make his footing surer. 15 Twins: the word Yama meaning originally one of twins. The Atharvans spells and charms, such as are contained in the Atharva-veda. First Year of the Five-year Cycle. Parivatsara, Idâvatsara, Idvatsara, Vatsara are names of the other years. See XXVII, 45. Sumcutsu: the first year of the cycle mentioned again. Ṛibhus: three artificers, raised to Godhead for their merits. A hide-dresser: alluding to the re-animation of the dead cow's skin by the Ribhus, that is, the refreshment and restoration of the parched earth by the Rains, the Ribhus being Seasonal deities. See R. V. I. 110. 8. Sadhyas: see XXIV. 27; XXIX. 11. 16 Anda: said to mean one who catches fish by damming up water. Mainâla: a netter of fish. Bhilla: a Bheel. The Bheel is a black man, only hairier. He carries bows and arches in his hands. When he meets you he shoots you and throws your body in a ditch. By this you may know the Bheel.' - Indian Examinee's Answer-paper. Kirata: a savage who lives by hunting. for Sounds a Bhilla; for Caverns a Kirâta; for Mountainheights a destructive savage; for Mountains a wild man ; 17 For Abhorrence a Paulkasa; for Colour a goldsmith; for Balance a merchant; for Repentance a sluggard; for All Spirits a leper; for Prosperity a watchful man; for Failure a sleepy man; for Mischief a chatterer; for Misfortune a shameless man; for Undoing one who cuts up into small pieces; 18 For the Dice-king a gambler; for the die Krita one who contemplates his adversary's ill luck; for the Tretâ a gamblemanager; for the Dvâpara a chief manager; for Åskanda one who will not leave the gambling-hall; for Mrityu one who approaches cows; for Antaka a Cow-killer; for Hunger one who goes begging to a man who is cutting up a cow; for Misdeed a leader of the Charakas; for Misery a robber; 19 For Echo a reviler; for Noise a snarler; for End a very talkative man; for Endless a mute; for Sound a drummer; for Might a lute-player; for Cry a flute-blower; for Confused Tone a Conch-blower; for the Wood a woodranger; for Partly-wooded Land a forest fire guard ; 20 For Pastime a harlot; for Laughter a jester; for Lust a woman with spotty skin; for Might these, the head-man of a village, an astrologer, and a watchman; a lute-player; a hand-clapper, a flutist, these for Dance; for Pleasure a musician; 21 For Fire a fat man; for Earth a cripple; for Wind a Chândâla; for Mid-Air a pole-dancer; for Sky a bald-head; for the Sun a green-eyed man; for Stars a spotty man; for the Moon a leper; for Day a white yellow-eyed man; for Night a black man with yellow eyes. 17 Paulkasa: a man of very low birth, son of a Nishâda and a Kshatriyâ. 18 Dice-king: the ace, the die called Kali; Krita, Tretâ, Dvâpara, Âskanda being the names of the other four in general use. Who will not leave: etc. sabhasthanum literally a gambling-saloon pillar or post. Mrityu: Death. Antaka: the Finisher. Death. Who approaches cows: a cow-knacker (Kuhschinder) :-Weber. Charakas: followers of one of the principal schools of the Black Yajurveda, regarded as opponents. 19 Forest fire guard: forest conflagrations, caused by the inter-friction of dry branches and other accidents, are not uncommon in the hot weather. 20 Lust: an aquatic monster, according to Sâyaṇa. 21 Chandala: a man of an impure or degraded tribe, an outcast. Poledancer: an acrobat. See The Hymns of the Rigveda, I. 10. 1, note. 22 Now he ties up the eight following variform men: one too tall, one too short, one too stout, one too thin, one too white, one too black, one too bald, one too hairy. These must be neither Șûdras nor Brâhmans, and must be dedicated to Prajapati. A minstrel, a harlot, a gambler, and a eunuch-neither of Súdra nor Brahman caste-are to be dedicated to Prajâpati. 22 Minstrel: Mâgadha; see verse 5. |