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BOOK THE NINTH.

OUR sacrifice, God Savitar, speed onward: speed to his share the sacrifice's patron.

May the celestial Gandharva, cleanser of thought and will, make clean our thought and purpose: the Lord of Speech sweeten the food we offer.

2 Thee, firmly set, settled in man, in spirit.

Taken upon a base art thou. I take thee, draught acceptable
to Indra. This is thy home. Thee, welcomest to Indra.
Thee set in waters, butter, realm of ether. Taken upon
. Indra.

Thee seated in the sky, earth, air's mid-region, among the
Gods and in the vault of heaven. Taken, etc. as above.

3 The strength-arousing essence of the waters, gathered in the Sun, Essence of waters' essence, that, most excellent, I take for you.

Taken, etc., as above.

4 Cups of strength-giving sacrifice, inspirers of the sage's hymn

Of you, the handleless, have I collected all the sap and strength.

Taken, etc., as above.

United are ye twain: with bliss unite me.

keep me apart from evil.

Parted are ye:

Books IX. and X. contain the formulas required for the performance of two important modifications of the Soma sacrifice, the Vâjapeya, Draught of Strength or Cup of Victory, and the Râjasuya, Inauguration or Consecration of a King. For the Vâjapeya, see Sacred Books of the East, XLI. pp. 1-40; Hillebrandt, Ritual-Litteratur, pp. 141-143; Weber, Über den Vajapeya (Sitzungsberichte der K. Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, pp. 765-813).

1 The Sacrificer offers an oblation of butter and recites the text. Celestial Gandharva: the God in the form of the Sun's disc, according to Mahîdhara. Lord of Speech: Prajapati. The food: vajam.

2 Thee: the first of the five Vâjapeya Cups which he draws for Indra. Thee set in waters: he draws the second cup. The rest of the formula is repeated from lines 2 and 3. In the sky, etc. he draws the third cup. The rest as in lines 2 and 3. Soma is considered as pervading the three worlds, Barth, Air, and Sky.

3 He draws the fourth cup. Gathered in the Sun: meaning the purifying Vâyu or Wind. That most excellent: meaning Prajapati. For you: O Gods. The rest of the formula is repeated as above.

4 He draws the fifth cup. Handleless: or noseless, or jawless; without spouts or side-handles. Ye twain: a cup of Soma and another of Surâ, a kind of wine or beer made from rice or barley with a kind of leaven to make it ferment. See Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 280.

5 Thou art the thunderbolt of Indra, winner of wealth: with thee may this man win him riches.

In gain of wealth we celebrate with praises her, Aditi by
name, the Mighty Mother,

On whom this Universe of life hath settled. Thereon God
Savitar promote our dwelling!

6 Amrit is in the Waters, in the Waters healing medicine.
Yea, Horses at our praises of the Waters grow ye fleet
and strong.
Whatever wave, O ye celestial Waters, wealth-giving,
towering high, and swiftly rushing, is yours, therewith
may this man win him riches.

7 It was the wind, or it was thought, or the Gandharvas twenty-seven

These at the first harnessed the horse: they set the power of speed in him.

8 Steed, being yoked grow wind-swift: be beauteous as Indra's right-hand steed.

Omniscient Maruts harness thee! Tvashtar put swiftness in thy feet!

9 What speed, O Horse, was laid in thee in secret, what passed in wind, bestowed upon the falcon,

With that same strength be strong for us, O Courser, wealth-winning and victorious in battle.

Starting to run your course, winners of riches, smell ye
Brihaspati's portion, O ye Horses.

10 By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, may I ascend Brihaspati's highest heaven.

5 Here begin the formulas for the chariot-racing which is a characteristic and important part of the Vâjapeya. The Sacrificer addresses the Chariot which he takes down from its stand, draws to the south of the Châtvâla or pit, and places by the altar. On whom as Earth.

6 He takes water and sprinkles the chariot horses, reciting the text from A. V. I. 4. 4., the first line of which is taken from R. V. I. 23. 19. Amrit: nectar or ambrosia.

7 He harnesses the off horse with the text. Wind... thought: as emblems of rapidity. Gandharvas: see II. 3. note; here representing the Nakshatras, Lunar Mansious or stages through which the Moon passes, and signifying the flight of time.

8 He yokes the near horse. Omniscient: or, All-possessing.

9 He yokes a third horse as off side-horse. In secret: in the region of thy heart. In battle: or, at the gathering (of the Gods at sacrifice), according to the Satapatha-Brahmana. Brihaspati's portion: a mess of boiled wild-rice, dedicated to Brihaspati the representative of the priesthood. The horses are made to smell it in order to assure their victory.

10 The Brahman mounts a chariot-wheel placed on a post, with the following line of text if the Sacrificer is a Brahman. Indra: as the represen

By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, may I ascend the highest heaven of Indra.

By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, Brihaspati's
highest heaven have I ascended.

By impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, I have ascended
Indra's loftiest heaven.

11 Brihaspati, win the prize. Lift up your voices to Brihaspati. Make ye Brihaspati win the prize.

Do thou, O Indra, win the prize. To Indra lift your voices up. Make Indra winner of the prize.

12 True hath been this your league whereby ye made Brihaspati win the prize.

Brihaspati have ye caused to win the prize. Be freed, ye
Forest-lords.

Faithful was this your league whereby ye have made Indra
win the prize.

Ye have made Indra win the prize. Be ye set free, ye
Forest-lords.

13 Through impulse of God Savitar, true Impeller, mine be Brihaspati's prize who winneth prizes.

On to the goal, ye Steeds, winners of prizes, blocking the ways and meting out the courses!

14 Bound by the neck and at the flanks and in the mouth, that vigorous Courser lends new swiftness to his speed.

tative of the Kshatra or nobility; this part of the text being used when the Sacrificer is a Râjanya, a man of the princely, noble, or military class. The third line also is to be used when the Brahman descends from the wheel, if the Sacrificer be a Brâhman. and the fourth when he is a Râjanya.

Seventeen being the number sacred to Prajâpati, whose favour is to be won in the ceremony, seventeen four-horse chariots have been prepared and assembled, the goal round which they have to turn being the branch of an -Udumbara tree (Ficus Glomerata) planted in the ground at a distance of seventeen bowshots from the starting-place.

11 The Brahman beats one of the seventeen drums ranged along the edge of the altar ground, and recites the text, the rest of the drums being considered to be simultaneously beaten. Brihaspati: this, if the Sacrificer is a Brâhman. Lift up: 0 Drums. O Indra: this, if the Sacrificer is a Rajanya.

12 After the racing he takes down, with the text, the drum that has been beaten, and the others in silence. Your league: the union of your voices. Brihaspati... Indra: as in verse 11. Forest-lords: trees, the drums made chiefly of wood.

13 This refers to an earlier stage of the proceedings when the Sacrificer mounts the chariot.

14 The Adhvaryu makes an offering of butter, or addresses the running horses with two verses taken respectively from R. V. IV. 40. 4, 3. Dadhikrás, or in the crude form, Dadhikrå: a kind of divine horse, probably a personification of the morning Sun. The word appears to be an apocopated form of Dadhikrâvan in the following verse, with which it is interchangeable.

Drawing himself together as his strength allows, Dadhikrâs speeds along the windings of the paths. All-hail!

15 His pinion, rapid runner, fans him on his way, as of a bird that hastens onward to its aim,

And, as it were a falcon's gliding through the air, strikes Dadhikrâvan's side as he speeds on with might. All-hail! 16 Bless us the Coursers when we call, while slowly they move, strong singers, to the Gods' assembly.

Crushing the wolf, the serpent, and the demons, may they completely banish all affliction. All-hail!

17 May all those vigorous Coursers listen to our cry, hearers of invocation, speeders on their way;

Winners of thousands, fain to win where meed is won, who gather of themselves great wealth in every race.

18 Deep-skilled in Law Eternal, wise, immortal, O Coursers, help us in each fray for booty.

Drink of this meath, be satisfied, be joyful: then go on paths which Gods are wont to travel.

19 To me come plenteous growth of wealth! Approach me these, Heaven and Earth, who wear each form and figure! Hither may Father come to me, and Mother. Soma with immortality approach me !

20 To the Friend, Hail! To the Good Friend, Hail! To the Later-born, Hail! To Resolution, Hail! To the Vasu, Hail! To the Lord of Days, Hail! To the Failing Day, Hail! To the Failing sprung from the Transitory, Hail! To the Transitory sprung from the Final, Hail! To the Final Mundane, Hail! To the Lord of the World, Hail! To the Sovran Lord, Hail!

16 He addresses the horses with the text from R. V. VII. 38. 7. Strong singers: or, perhaps, high-mettled.

17 He addresses them again with the text from R. V. X. 64. 6. Meed: the priestly fee.

18 He addresses them a third time with the text from R. V. VII. 38 8. This meath: a mess made of wild-rice which the horses are made to smell before the race and to drink after it. See verse 9.

19 The Sacrificer having dismounted from the chariot touches the mess of wild-rice and recites the text. Father: Heaven. Mother Earth; or perhaps the Sacrificer's parents are intended.

20 The Adhvaryu makes twelve oblations with the dipping-spoon, or makes the Sacrificer recite the following twelve formulas, one for each month, addressed to Prajapati as the Presiding Genius of the Year. The Friend: perhaps the first month after the winter solstice when the weather becomes milder. The Lord of Days: the month containing the longest day. The meaning of some of these fanciful expressions is obscure, and their applicability to the respective months is not apparent. Cf. XVIII. 28; XXII. 32.

21 May life succeed through sacrifice. May life-breath thrive by sacrifice. May the eye thrive by sacrifice. May the ear thrive by sacrifice. May the back thrive by sacrifice. May sacrifice thrive by sacrifice.

We have become the children of Prajapati. Gods, we have gone to heaven. We have become immortal.

22 In us be your great might and manly vigour, in us be your intelligence and splendour.

Obeisance to our Mother Earth! Obeisance to our Mother Earth!

This is thy Sovranty. Thou art the ruler, thou art controller, thou art firm and stedfast.

Thee for land-culture, thee for peace and quiet, thee for wealth, thee for increase of our substance.

23 Of old the furtherance of strength urged onward this Sovran Soma in the plants and waters.

For us may they be stored with honey: stationed in front may we be watchful in the kingdom. All-hail!

24 The furtherance of strength extended over this heaven and all the worlds as sovran ruler.

He, knowing, makes the churl a bounteous giver wealth may he grant us with full store of heroes.

All-hail!

25 Surely the furtherance of strength pervaded all these existing worlds in all directions.

From olden time the King moves round, well knowing, strengthening all the people and our welfare.

26 As suppliants, for aid we grasp Soma the King, and Agni, the Adityas, Vishnu, Sûrya, and the Brahman-priest Brihaspati.

21 He offers six oblations, or makes the Sacrificer recites the following six formulas, one for each season, belonging to Prajapati as Lord of the Year. Sacrifice: meaning the Vâjapeya now in course of performance. The back: or, possibly, a special arrangement of Samans called Prishtha. We have gone to heaven: or, to light; here the Sacrificer, mounting by a ladder, touches the dough cap or head-piece of the sacrificial stake. Become immortal: he mounts higher till his head is above the top of the stake. 22 He looks towards the four quarters of the sky and the intermediate points, and addresses the text to them or to their presiding deities. Obeisance: here he looks on the ground. Thy Sovranty: he points to a seat of Udumbara wood, on which he spreads a goat-skin. Thou: addressed to the Sacrificer whom he seats on the Asandi or throne. Thee: I seat' understood. 23 He offers oblations of milk, rice and other grain collected in a vessel of Udumbara wood, and recites seven texts. These offerings are called Vajaprasavaniya, Strength-Furthering, the first three texts beginning with Vajasya... prasavaḥ, the furtherance of strength. Of old: in the beginning of creation. The churl: literally, 'him who is unwilling to give.' 26 Taken with a variation from R. V. X. 141. 3.

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