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Satapatha Brahmana Part V (SBE44), Julius Eggeling tr. [1900], at sacred-texts.com


13:3:6

SIXTH BRÂHMANA.

13:3:6:11. When the horse was slaughtered, the life-sap 4 went out of it; it became the Asvastomîya (set of oblations 5): when he offers the Asvastomîya (oblations) he indeed supplies the horse with life-sap.

13:3:6:22. He performs it with ghee; for ghee is life-sap, and the Asvastomîya is life-sap: by means of life-sap

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he thus puts life-sap into it. He performs with ghee, for that--to wit, ghee--is the favourite resource of the gods: he thus supplies them with their favourite resource.

13:3:6:33. Having performed the Asvastomîya (set of) oblations, he offers the Dvipadâs 1; for the Asvastomîya is the horse, and the Dvipadâ is man, for man is two-footed (dvipâd), supported on two (feet): he thus supplies him with a support.

13:3:6:44. Concerning this they say, 'Is the Asvastomîya to be offered first, or the Dvipadâ?' The Asvastomîya, surely, is cattle, and the Dvipadâ is man: inasmuch as he performs the Dvipadâs after performing the Asvastomîya, man subsequently establishes himself amongst cattle.

13:3:6:55. Sixteen Asvastomîya oblations he performs, for animals (cattle) consist of sixteen parts 2: that is the measure of cattle, and he thus supplies cattle with their (right) measure; Were he to offer either less or more, he would deprive cattle of their (right) measure. Sixteen he offers, for cattle consist of sixteen parts: that is the measure of cattle, and he thus supplies cattle with their (right) measure. He offers no other as a final oblation 3: were he to offer another as a final oblation, he would lose

p. 343

his support. The Dvipadâs he offers last, for Dvipadâs are a support: he thus finds a support (establishes himself). With, 'To Gumbaka hail!' he offers, at the purificatory bath, the last oblation 1; for Gumbaka is Varuna: by sacrifice he thus manifestly redeems himself from Varuna. He offers it on the head of a white-spotted 2, baldheaded (man) with protruding teeth 3 and reddish brown eyes; for that is Varuna's form: by (that) form (of his) he thus redeems himself from Varuna.

13:3:6:66. Having stepped out (of the water) he prepares twelve messes of cooked rice for the priests, or performs twelve ishtis. Concerning this they say, 'These to wit, ishtis--are a form of sacrifice: were he to perform ishtis, the sacrifice would be ready to incline towards him; but he would become the worse for it, for, surely, of exhausted strength now are the metres (offering formulas) of him who has performed the Soma-sacrifice;--how could he make use of them so soon? For when the sacrifice is complete, Vâk (speech and sacred writ 4) is wholly gained, and, being gained, it now is exhausted in strength, and, as it were, wounded and mangled; but sacrifice is speech: hence he should not make use of it.'

p. 344

13:3:6:77. Having stepped out (of the water) he should certainly prepare twelve messes of rice for the priests; for cooked rice is Pragâpati, and Pragâpati is the year, Pragâpati is the sacrifice: it is the year, the sacrifice, he thus gains, and the sacrifice becomes ready to incline towards him, and he does not become the worse for it.


Footnotes

341:4 Or, sacrificial essence.

341:5 See p. 336, note 2.

342:1 The formulas of the six dvipâdâs--i.e. (verses) consisting of two pâdas--are found Vâg. S. XXV, 46-47.

342:2 See XII, 8, 3, 13; for a highly artificial explanation of the sixteen parts of the man Pragâpati, probably intended here, X, 4, 1, 17. Elsewhere those of animals are explained as including head, neck, trunk, tail, the four legs and eight claws; see Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, p. 111, note.

342:3 This would seem to be directed against the practice of performing the oblation to Heaven and Earth immediately after the Asvastomîyâs, see p. 336, note 2.

343:1 See p. 336, note 1.

343:2 ? Or, pale. Sâyana, on Taitt. Br. III, 9, 15, 3, explains 'sukla' by 'kitrin' (? having white spots, or affected with white leprosy). Harisvâmin does not explain the word.

343:3 Harisvâmin explains 'viklidha' by 'dantura,' i.e. one who has projecting teeth; whilst Sâyana, l.c., explains it by either 'given to perspiring (svedanasîlasarîra),' or 'moist-bodied (? leprous, or, old, in bodily decay, viklinnadeha).'

343:4 Cf. V, 5, 5, 12 'that triple Veda is the thousandfold progeny of Vâk.'


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