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Thy breath join wind, thy limbs those meet for worship, the sacrifice's lord the boon he prays for.

11 Balmed, both of you, with butter, guard the cattle. Grant, Rich! the Sacrificer's prayer. Approach thou.

Meeting with heavenly Wind, from air's mid-region. Be thou united with this offering's body.

O Great One, lead the sacrifice's master on to a sacrifice of loftier order. All-hail to Gods! To Gods All-hail!

12 Become no serpent, thou, become no viper. To thee, O widely-spread, be adoration.

Advance, unhindered, on thy way. To rivers of butter move along the paths of Order.

13 Bear the oblation to the Gods, ye Waters celestial and pure and well-provided. May we become providers well-provided. 14 I cleanse thy voice, thy breath, thine eye, thine ear, thy

navel, and thy feet, thy sexual organ, and thy rump.

15 Let thy mind, voice, and breath increase in fulness, thine eye be fuller, and thine ear grow stronger.

Whatever there is in thee sore or wounded, may that be filled for thee, cleansed and united.

Blest be the days. Plant, guard! Axe, do not harm him. 16 Thou art the demons' share. Expelled are demons.

Here

I tread down; here I repel the demons; here lead the demons into lowest darkness.

mal's forehead, shoulder and loins. Join wind: like to like. Meet for worship: the Gods, or sacrifices offered to them.

11 Both a chip from the stake and the whittle or slaughtering-knife with which he touches the victim's forehead. Cattle: honorific plural, the victim. Rich!: the Goddess of Speech, Våk. Approach: and inspire the Sacrificer. From air's, etc.: 'Guard him' understood. O Great One: or, O Rain-born; he addresses a blade of grass thrown down behind the Şâmitra or Slaughtering-place. All-hail!: Some Gods, says Mahidhara, have Svâhâ or All-hail! before them and some have it after them.

...

12 He throws the victim's halter into the pit. Serpent. viper: a snake is called the Rope with Fangs. See A. V. IV. 3. 2 ; XIX. 47. 8. To thee: the Matron, bringing water for washing feet, recites the text. O widelyspread: the sacrifice.

14 The Matron wipes each organ of the animal as she recites the appropriate clause of the text. In the original, sundhâmi, 'I cleanse,' is repeated as each organ is named.

15 The Adhvaryu and the Sacrificer sprinkle all the members of the victim and recite the text. Plant: a blade of grass laid upon the victim when turned over on its back. Axe: here meaning the slaughtering-knife. 16 Thou the lower part of the blade of grass which he has smeared with blood Ye two sticks, called vapaṣrapanis, on which the omentum or caul when extracted from the victim, is wrapped for roasting. O Vayu: the Adhvaryu throws the upper part of the grass-stalk into the Ahavanîya fire.

Invest, ye two, the heaven and earth with fatness.

O Vâyu, eagerly enjoy the droppings. Let Agni eagerly enjoy the butter. All-hail!

Go, both of you, by Svâhâ consecrated, to Urdhvanabhas, offspring of the Maruts.

17 Ye Waters, wash away this stain and whatsoever taint be here, Each sinful act that I have done, and every harmless curse of mine.

May Waters rid me of that guilt, and Pavamâna set me free. 18 Be they united, with the Mind thy mind, and with the Breath thy breath.

Thou quiverest. Let Agni make thee ready. Waters have washed together all thy juices.

Thee for the Wind's rush, for the speed of Pûshan. From heated vapour may it reel and totter,-the disconcerted hatred of our foemen.

19 Ye drinkers-up of fatness, drink the fatness; drink up the gravy, drinkers of the gravy! Thou art the oblation of the air's mid-region. All-bail!

The regions, the fore-regions, the by-regions, the intermediate and the upper regions,-to all the regions Hail!

20 In every limb is Indra's out-breath seated, in every limb is Indra's in-breath settled.

God Tvashtar, let thine ample forms be blended, that what wears different shapes may be one-fashioned.

To please thee let thy friends, mother and father, joy over thee as to the Gods thou goest.

:

Butter which is poured on the omentum. Both of you: the roasting-sticks which are thrown into the fire. Urdhvanabhas: He who is in the cloud on high; Vâyu.

17 The priests, the Sacrificer, and his wife purify themselves at the pit with the text which is found also in A. V. VII. 89. 3. Cf. R. V. I. 23. 22; X. 9. 8. Pavamana: he who flows clear, or blows to purify; Soma, or Vâyu.

18 The Adhvaryu sprinkles the victim's heart with clotted butter. Mind: heart; let thy heart be united with the heart of the Gods, and thy breath with theirs. Thou quiverest: he takes up the vasâ or melted fat and pieces of cooked meat. Agni: the fire. Thee: 'I take' understood. Pashan the Sun. Heated vapour : the wind.

19 Ye drinkers: the All-Gods, to whom the oblation is offered. The gravy: the vasâ. See verse 18. Thou: the gravy. The regions, etc.: I have borrowed Prof. Eggeling's translation of the words used to designate the intermediate points.

20 He touches the remains of the victim as he recites the text. The purpose of this part of the ceremony is to re-unite the separated portious and to re-animate the body for life in heaven,

21 Go to the sea. Savitar.

All-hail! Go to the air. All-hail! Go to God
All hail !

Go thou to Mitra-Varuna. All-hail! Go thou to Day and
Night. All-hail!

Go to the Metres. All-hail! Go to Heaven and Earth. All-
hail! Go to the sacrifice. All-hail! Go to Soma. All-
hail! Go to the heavenly ether. All-hail! Go to Vaiṣvâ-
nara Agni. All hail! Bestow upon me mind and heart.
Thy smoke mount to the sky, to heaven thy lustre. Fill
thou the spacious earth full with thine ashes.

22 Harm not the Waters, do the Plants no damage. From every place, King Varuņa, thence save us.

Their saying that we swear our oath by sacred cows, by
Varuna,

O Varuna, save us therefrom.

To us let Waters and let Plants be friendly; to him who hates us, whom we hate, unfriendly.

23 These waters teem with sacred food: rich in that food, one longs for them.

Rich be the holy rite therein. In sacred food be Sûrya rich. 24 I set you down in Agni's seat whose home is indestructible. Indra-and-Agui's share are ye, Mitra-and-Varuņa's share are

ye.

The share of all the Gods are ye.

May waters gathered near the Sun, and those wherewith the
Sun is joined,

Speed on this sacred rite of ours.

25 Thee for the heart, thee for the mind, thee for the heaven, thee for the Sun.

Bear up erect to heaven, to Gods, this rite, these sacrificial calls.

22 He addresses the heart-spit, the stick on which the victim's heart has been roasted, and which is now buried where dry ground and moist ground meet. Waters...plants: being between both and not touching either. From every place: the St. Petersburg Lexicon suggests that dkâmnodhamnaḥ of the text is a corruption of dâmno-damnaḥ, from every bond or fetter.' Their saying: the meaning is not clear. Perhaps, Save us from our enemies' blame when they find fault with us for swearing by cows and by Varuna, when an oath on cows alone would be sufficient.

23 These waters: the Vasativari waters, to be used in pressing out the Soma juice. Rich in that food: the Sacrificer.

24 The text is taken from R. V. I. 23. 17.

25 The Adhvaryu takes Soma down from the cart, lays him on the pressing-stones, and recites the text. Heart....mind: I take thee down in order to fulfil the wish and purpose of the Sacrificer. Sacrificial calls : 01, according to Mahidhara, the seven chief priests themselves.

26 Descend, O Soma, King, to all thy people. Down, unto thee, go, one and all, thy people!

May Agni with his fuel hear my calling. Hear it the Waters and the Bowls, Divine Ones! Hear, Stones, as knowing sacrifice, my calling. May the God Savitar hear mine invocation. All hail!

27 Waters Divine, your wave, the Waters' offspring, fit for oblation, potent, most delightful

Upon those Gods among the Gods bestow it, who drink the pure, of whom ye are the portion.

All-hail!

28 Drawing art thou: I draw thee up that Ocean ne'er may

waste or wane.

Let waters with the waters, and the plants commingle with the plants.

29 That man is lord of endless strength whom thou protectest in the fight,

Agni, or urgest to the fray.

30 By impulse of God Savitar I take thee with arms of Așvins, with the hands of Pûshan,

Free with thy gifts art thou. Perform for Indra this deep, most excellently ordered worship.

With the most noble bolt I pay the worship enriched with strengthening food and milk and sweetness.

Ye are Nigrâbbyâ waters, heard by Deities: make me con

tent.

26 Bowls: there is some doubt as to the exact meaning of dhishanás here. From the context sacrificial implements of some kind are clearly implied. See Oldenberg, Vedic Hymns, II. 121. Mahidhara explains the word as meaning Divine Voices or Words, i. e. hymns. Stones: for pressing Soma.

27 He pours butter into the water and recites the text. The pure: Soma.

28 Drawing: or ploughing. He removes the oblation by means of the Maitrâvaruna priest's cup, that is, he makes the sediment float away. I draw: he takes some water in the Maitrâvaruna's cup. Waters with the waters: the Vasativari water and that in the cup, which he brings together. Plants with the plants: beans, lentils, etc., with rice and other grains.

29 If the ceremony be the liturgical rite called Agnishtoma (Praise of Agni), an oblation is to be offered with this text taken from R. V. I. 27. 7.

30 Formulas for the Morning Soma-Pressing. I take thee: the stone called 'Upâmṣusavana or Low-voiced Presser. Most noble bolt: Soma, like a thunderbolt in power. I pay the worship; or, I make the Soma; the words are understood. Nigrabhyd: the technical name of the Vasativari waters when poured into the Hotar's cup. This water is now brought, and the rest of the text, with the verse that follows, is recited over it.

31 Content my mind, content my speech, content my breath, content mine eye, content mine ear, content my soul, content my progeny, content my herds, content the troops of men about me: never may the bands of men about me suffer thirst.

32 For Indra girt by Vasus and accompanied by Rudras, thee. For Indra with Âdityas, thee. For Indra foe-destroyer, thee. Thee for the Soma-bringing Hawk. For plentygiving Agni, thee.

33 Soma, what light there is of thine in heaven, what on the earth, what in mid-air's wide region,

Therewith give broad space to the Sacrificer for his enrichment: Comfort thou the giver.

34 Auspicious are ye, conquerors of Vritra, formed for bestowing wealth, the Immortal's Consorts.

Lead to the Gods this sacrifice, Divine Ones! and at our invitation drink of Soma.

35 Be not afraid; shake not with terror. Take thou strength. Ye two Bowls, being firm, stay firm, and take ye strength. Mishap-not Soma-hath been killed.

36 East, west, north, south, from every side to meet thee let the regions run.

Fill him, O Mother, let the noble meet together.

37 Thou, verily, O Mightiest, as God shalt gladden mortal man. O Bounteous Lord, there is no comforter but thou. Indra, I speak my words to thee.

32 He measures out Soma on the Upâmsu press-stone, five handfuls with a formula for each. Soma-bringing Hawk: see V. 1.

33 He touches the measured-out Soma.

34 He pours the Nigrâbhyâ waters on the Soma. Conquerors of Vritra as blended with Soma the inspirer and strengthener of Indra. Cf. I. 13. The Immortal's Consorts: as closely connected with the imperishable Soma.

35 He addresses the Soma which he beats with the press-stone. Take thou strength: give sap or juice, according to Mahidhara. Two Bowls: Heaven and Earth; or the sacrificial implements, bowls or boards, may be meant. See verse 26, note. Take ye strength: or, put juice (into the Soma). Killed by the beating.

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36 Thee: Soma. Fill him: or, satisfy him; the formula is obscure. "I take the last part of the formula to mean, May he (Soma) win (or, perhaps, join) the longing (waters).""-Eggeling, Sacred Books of the East, XXVI. 245. Mother: each Region.

37 Thou: Indra. The text is taken from R. V. I. 84. 19. Mortal man: the Sacrificer.

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