56 Thunder out strength and fill us full of vigour: yea, thunder forth and drive away all dangers.

Drive hence, O War-drum, drive away misfortune: thou art the Fist of Indra: show thy firmness.

57 Drive hither those, and these again bring hither: the Wardrum speaks aloud as battle's signal.

Our heroes, winged with horses, come together. Let our carwarriors, Indra, be triumphant.

58 The black-necked victim belongs to Agni; the ewe to Sarasvatî; the brown victim is Soma's; the dusky Pûshan's; the white-backed is Brihaspati's; the dappled belongs to the All-Gods; the red to Indra; the spotted to the Maruts; the strong-bodied to Indra-Agni; one with white marks below to Savitar; to Varuņa a black ram with one white foot. 59 To Agni Anîkavân is sacrificed a red-marked ox; two with

white spots below are for Savitar; two with silvery navels for Pûshan; two yellow hornless he-goats for the All-Gods; a spotted one for the Maruts; the black-faced he-goat is Agni's; the ewe is Sarasvati's; the ram is Varuna's. 60 To Agni of the Gâyatrî, of the Trivṛit hymn and of the Rathantara Sâman is to be offered a rice-cake on eight potsherds; to Indra of the Trishṭup, the Pañchadaṣa hymn and the Brihat Sâman one on eleven potsherds; to the All-Gods of the Jagatî, the Seventeenfold hymn and the Vairûpa Sâman, one on twelve potsherds; to MitraVaruna of the Anushṭup, the Ekavimṣa hymn, and the Vairâja Sâman, a mess of curdled milk; to Brihaspati of the Pankti metre, the Triņava hymn, and the Sâkvara Sâman, an oblation of rice boiled in milk; to Savitar of the Ushnih, the Thirty-threefold hymn, and the Raivata Sâman, a rice-cake on eight potsherds; a mess of boiled rice is to be made for Prajâpati; the same for Vishnu's Consort Aditi; to Agni Vaiṣvânara is to be offered a ricecake on twelve potsherds, and to Anumati one on eight.

57 Drive to us the cows of the enemy and send our own home in safety. Or, as Mahidhara explains, understanding sendḥ, troops, instead of cows, with the feminine pronoun: Drive thither away the troops of the enemy, and rally ours and lead them to victory.

58-60 These verses are supplementary to the list of sacrificial animals in Book XXIV.

59 Anîkaván: having a face or an army (of pointed rays); perhaps, set in the front or van of the army. See Sacred Books of the East, XII. p. 408, note. 60 Of the Gayatri, etc.: praised in the metres, hymns, and Sâmans named in the verse. Anumati: divine Grace or Favour shown in the Gods' acceptance of oblations, personified as a female deity. Vishnu's Consort Aditi: only in this place and in a passage of the Taittiriya-Samhitâ is Aditi said to be the wife of Vishnu. In the Epic and Purâuic mythology she is the wife of Kasyapa and the mother of Vishnu in his Dwarf Incarnation.

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 thoughts and wishes.

The Lord of Speech sweeten the words we utter!

2 May we attain that excellent glory of Saritar 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 natins of antiquity. The ceremony was to be performed by a Brahman or a Lâjanya, and was expected to obtain for the Sacrificer universal preeminence 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. 406— 413; 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.

6

5 Lost: that is, allowed to go out. Ayoga: 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 Kshatriyâ.

44 The Grass divine of water-plants hath helped bright Indra force-giver, the God hath magnified the God,

Laying in Indra mighty power with Kakup, fame and vital strength. For gain of wealth let it enjoy. Pay sacrifice. 45 Agni, the God who makes fair rites, hath strengthered Indra force-giver, the God hath magnified the God,

Laying with Atichhandas power in Indra, sway, and vital strength. For gain of wealth let him enjoy. Pay sacrifice. 46 To-day the Sacrificer hath elected, etc., as in verse 23. To-day divine Vanaspati, etc. Thee, to-day, O Rishi, etc.

44 Kakup: a metre of three Pâdas, 8+12+8 syllables.

45 Atichhandas: hypermeter; any metre of more than forty-eight syllables.

DECKING the treasure-house of prayers, O Agni, enkindled, pouring forth sweet-tasted butter,

Swift-moving, bearing curd, O Jâtavedas, bear what they love to the Gods' habitation.

2 Balming the paths that lead to heaven with fatness, let the Steed go unto the Gods well-knowing.

Courser, the Quarters of the sky attend thee! Bestow thou food upon this Sacrificer.

3 Thou, Steed, art meet for laud and veneration; swift, fit for sacrifice art thou, O Courser.

In concert with the Gods aud Vasus Agui Omniscient waft thee a contented bearer!

4 Pleased with much Sacred Grass which we have scattered wide spread upon the earth, a pleasant carpet,

Joined with the Gods may Aditi, accordant, bestowing bliss award it happy fortune.

5 May these your Doors divine that wear all colours, auspicious, with uplifted leaves unfolding,

Lofty and closely fitted and sonorous, rich in adornment, offer easy passage.

6 Your two Dawns rich in gold and varied colour, travelling on 'twixt Varuna and Mitra,

Acquainted with the face of sacrifices, I settle here within the home of Order.

7 Your two chief Hotars have I pleased, bright coloured, borne on one car, Gods who behold all creatures,

Those who prepare your rules and ordinances and make you see the light by their direction.

8 Bharatî with Âdityas love our worship! Sarasvatiî with Rudras be our helper,

And Idâ in accord, invoked with Vasus! Goddesses, place our rite among the Immortals.

This Book is supplementary to Book XXII.-XXV. which treat of the Asvamedha or Horse-Sacrifice.

1 This and the ten following verses form an Apri or Propitiatory Hymn. See XX. 37, note.

5 Leaves: sides of the double door of the sacrificial hall.

6 Two Dawns: Morning and closely connected Night. Mitra: representing, respectively, sky and earth.

Varuņa and

7 The light according to Mahidhara, the Ahavaniya fire. Direction: commanding them to offer sacrifice.

6 For Dance & stable-master; for Song a public dancer; for Duty one who attends court; for Pastime a timid man; 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 Ṛikshîkâs a Nishâda's son; for the Man-tige a madman; for the Gandharvas and Apsarases a Vrâtza; 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 unnarried 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 Garility 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. Vrátya: 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.