Sacred Texts Hinduism Satapatha Brahmana Index Previous Next
Buy this Book at Amazon.com
Satapatha Brahmana Part IV (SBE43), Julius Eggeling tr. [1897], at sacred-texts.com
THIS solemn and awful ceremony consists of 425 oblations to Rudra, the representative of the fearful aspects of life and nature, accompanied by appropriate formulas addressed to the various forms of the terrible god, and his associates, with a view to appeasing their wrath. These formulas make up a complete kânda (XVI) of the Vâgasaneyi-samhitâ, and constitute a special Upanishad. Though only a few of the formulas are actually referred to in the text of the Brâhmana, the different portions of which this dismal litany consists are otherwise alluded to, and for this reason, as well as on account of its intrinsic interest, as doubtless reflecting, to a considerable extent, the popular belief in demoniac agencies to which man is constantly exposed, a complete translation of the Satarudriya formulas is here given. For a German translation of the Taittirîya recension of the text, with the various readings of the Kâthaka and Vâgasaneyin versions, see A. Weber, Ind. Stud. II, p. 14 seqq.
I. 1. Reverence, O Rudra, be to thy wrath; and to thine arrow be reverence; and to both thine arms be reverence! 2. What auspicious form there is of thine, free from terror and boding of evil, with that most propitious form look down upon us, O mountain-dweller! 3. The shaft thou bearest in thy hand to hurl, O mountain-dweller, make it harmless, O protector of mountains, injure not man nor beast! 4. With auspicious speech we call upon thee, O mountain-dweller, that all these living beings of ours may
be healthy and of good cheer! 5. May he plead for us as our intercessor, the first divine physician: crushing all serpents, turn thou aside all practices of witchcraft! 6. That tawny one, and the ruddy and the brown one, the auspicious--the Rudras that hover around him by thousands in the quarters: their wrath do we deprecate. 7. That one who glideth downwards (the sun) blood-red and blue-necked--the cowherds have seen him and the water-bearers (f. the clouds) have seen him--be he gracious unto us, when seen! 8. Reverence be to the blue-necked, thousand-eyed showerer; and what henchmen there are of his, to them do I render homage. 9. Loose thou the string from the ends of thy bow; and cast away the arrows in thy hand, O holy one! 10. Stringless be the bow of the coil-braided one, and arrowless his quiver! may his arrows be futile, axed empty his scabbard! 11. With that plague-repelling weapon in thy hand, with thy bow, protect us, O best of showerers, on all sides! 12. May the shaft of thy bow spare us on all sides, and far from us lay down that quiver of thine! 13. Unstringing the bow, and breaking off the points of thy shafts, be thou gracious and well-disposed unto us, O thousand-eyed lord of a hundred quivers! 14. Reverence be to thine unstrung weapon, the powerful one; and reverence be to thine arms and to thy bow! 15. Neither our full-grown, nor our little one, neither the virile, nor the unborn, neither our father strike thou, nor our mother: harm not our dear bodies, O Rudra! 16. Neither to our children, and our children's children, nor to our life, neither to our kine nor to our horses do thou injury! smite not our shining warriors: with offering we ever invoke thee, O Rudra!
II. 17. Reverence be to the golden-armed leader of hosts, and to the lord of regions be reverence! reverence be to the green-haired trees, and to the lord of beasts be reverence! reverence be to the grass-hued shining one, and to the lord of roads be reverence! reverence be to the gold-locked wearer of the sacred cord, and to the lord of the strong-bodied be reverence! 18. Reverence be to the dusky smiter, and to the lord of food be reverence! reverence be to Bhava's weapon, and to the lord of moving creatures be reverence! reverence be to the strung-bowed Rudra, and to the lord of field's be reverence! reverence be to the inviolable charioteer, and to the lord of forests be reverence! 19. Reverence be to the ruddy architect, and to the lord of trees be reverence! reverence be to the ubiquitous producer of wealth, and to the lord of plants be reverence! reverence be to the wise merchant, and to the lord of forest retreats be reverence! reverence be to the loud-noised crier,
and to the lord of wanderers be reverence! 20. Reverence be to the onward-rushing one with his (weapon) levelled everywhere, and to the lord of beings be reverence! reverence be to the victorious smiter, and to the lord of victorious (hosts) be reverence! reverence be to the matchless swordsman, and to the lord of thieves be reverence! reverence be to the prowling rover, and to the lord of the forest be reverence! 21. Reverence be to the tricking arch-trickster, and to the lord of pilferers be reverence! reverence be to the well-quivered swordsman, and to the lord of robbers be reverence! reverence be to the slaying spearmen, and to the lord of pillagers be reverence! reverence be to the night-walking sword-wielders, and to the lord of cut-throats be reverence!
III. 22. Reverence be to the turbaned mountaineer, and to the lord of spoilers be reverence! reverence be to shooters of arrows, and to ye bowmen be reverence! reverence be to the bow-stretching, and to ye that fix the arrow be reverence! reverence be to ye that pull (the bow), and to ye that hurl be reverence! 23. Reverence be to ye that shoot, and to ye that pierce be reverence! reverence be to ye that sleep, and to ye that wake be reverence! reverence he to ye, the lying, and to ye, the sitting, be reverence! reverence be to ye, the standing, and to ye, the running, be reverence! 24. Reverence be to gatherings, and to ye, lords of the gathering, be reverence! reverence be to horses, and to ye, masters of horses, be reverence! reverence be to the victorious (armies), and to ye that smite be reverence! reverence be to the serried (hosts), and to ye that crush be reverence! 25. Reverence be to the troops, and to ye, chiefs of troops, be reverence! reverence be to the bands, and to ye, chiefs of bands, be reverence! reverence be to sharpers, and to ye, chiefs of sharpers, be reverence! reverence be to the unshapen, and to ye, the all-shaped, be reverence! 26. Reverence be to armies, and to ye, leaders of armies, be reverence! reverence be to chariot-fighters, and to ye, the chariot-less, be reverence! reverence be to car-fighters, and to ye, charioteers, be reverence! reverence be to the adult, and to ye, children, be reverence!
IV. 27. Reverence be to carpenters, and to ye, wheelwrights, be reverence! reverence be to potters, and to ye, blacksmiths, be reverence! reverence be to the jungle tribes, and to ye, fishermen, be reverence! reverence be to dog-keepers, and to ye huntsmen be reverence! 28. Reverence be to dogs, and to ye masters of dogs be reverence! reverence be to Bhava and to Rudra! reverence be to Sarva and to Pasupati (lord of beasts)! reverence be to Nîlagrîva
[paragraph continues] (the blue-necked) and to Sitikantha (the white-throated)! 29. Reverence be to him of the coiled hair and to the shaven-haired one! reverence be to the thousand-eyed and to the hundred-bowed one! reverence be to the mountain-dweller and to the bald one! reverence be to the chief of showerers and to the arrow-shooter! 30. Reverence be to the short and the dwarfish one! reverence be to the tall and the old one! reverence be to the full-grown and the growing one 1 reverence be to the topmost and first one! 31. Reverence be to the swift and agile one! reverence be to the fast and nimble one! reverence be to the surging and roaring one! reverence be to the river-dweller and the isle-dweller!
V. 32. Reverence be to the eldest and to the youngest! reverence be to the firstborn and to the afterborn! reverence be to the middlemost and to the abortive (?) one! reverence be to the hindmost and to the bottommost one! 33. Reverence be to him dwelling in the air-castles, and to him in the magic cord-ring! reverence he to him who is in Yama's (death's) power, and to him who liveth in safety! reverence be to him in (the height of his) fame, and to him who is at his end! reverence be to him on the tilled land, and to him on the threshing-floor! 34. Reverence be to him dwelling in the wood, and to him in the jungle! reverence be to the sound and to the echo! reverence be to him of the swift army, and to him of the swift chariot! reverence be to the hero and the shatterer! 35. Reverence be to the helmeted and the armoured one! reverence be to the mailed and the cuirassed one! reverence be to the famous one, and to the leader of the famous army! reverence be to him dwelling in the drum, and to him in the drumstick! 36. Reverence be to the bold, and the deliberate one! reverence he to the swordsman, and to the quiver-bearer! reverence be to the sharp-shafted and the armed one! reverence be to the well-armed one, and to the wielder of a goodly how
VI. 37. Reverence be to him dwelling in the stream, and to him on the road! reverence be to him in the mere (?), and to him in the pool! reverence be to him in the ditch, and to him in the lake! reverence be to him in the river, and to him in the pond! 38. Reverence be to him dwelling in the well, and to him in the bank! reverence be to him in the clouded sky (?), and to him in the heat of the sun! reverence be to him in the cloud, and to him in the lightning! reverence be to him in the rain, and to him in the drought! 39. Reverence be to him dwelling in the wind, and to him in the storm-cloud (?)! reverence be to him dwelling in the house, and to the guardian of the house! reverence be to Soma
and Rudra! reverence be to the dusky and the ruddy one! 40. Reverence be to the propitious one, and to the lord of beasts! reverence be to the terrible and fearful one! reverence be to the near-hitter and the far-hitter! reverence be to the slayer and the slaughterer! reverence be to the gold-haired trees! reverence be to the deliverer!
VII. 41. Reverence be to the gentle and the friendly one! reverence be to the peaceful and pleasing one! reverence be to the kindly and the kindliest!
VIII. 42. Reverence be to him who is on the further shore, and to him on the near shore! reverence be to him who ferrieth over, and to him who bringeth ashore! reverence be to him dwelling in the ford, and to him on the bank! reverence be to him dwelling in the sward, and to him in the foam! 43. Reverence be to him dwelling in the sand, and to him in the current! reverence be to him dwelling in the stony and to him in habitable places! reverence be to the coil-haired and to the straight-haired (?) one! reverence be to him dwelling in barren land, and to him on the beaten track! 44. Reverence be to him dwelling in the cow-pen, and to him in the cattle-shed! reverence be to him dwelling in the couch, and to him in the house! reverence be to him dwelling in the heart, and to him in the whirlpool! reverence be to him dwelling in the well, and to him in the abyss! 45. Reverence be to him dwelling in what is dried up, and to him in what is green! reverence be to him dwelling in the dust, and to him in the mist! reverence be to him dwelling in the copse, and to him in the shrub! reverence be to him in the ground, and to him in the gully! 46. Reverence be to him dwelling in the leaf, and to him in the leaf-fall (sere leaf)! reverence be to the growler, and to the smiter! reverence be to the snatcher, and to the repeller (?)! reverence be to the arrow-makers, and to ye bow-makers!--Reverence be to ye, the sparkling hearts of the gods! reverence be to the discriminating, reverence to the destructive, reverence to the irremovable!
IX. 47. Chaser, lord of the (Soma) plant! blue-red cleaver! fright and hurt not these people and these cattle: let none of us sicken! 48. These prayers we bring before the mighty Rudra, the coil-braided miter of heroes, that there may be safety for the two-footed and the four-footed, and that everything in this village may be healthy and thriving. 49. That friendly form of thine, O Rudra, friendly and ever healing, friendly and healing to the stricken: therewith be gracious unto us that we may live! 50. May the shaft of Rudra spare us, and the ill-will of the violent and malevolent
one: unstring the strong (bow) from (hurting) our patrons, O showerer (of gifts), and be gracious unto our children and our children's children! 51. Be thou kindly and well-disposed towards us, O kindliest chief of showerers, lay down thy weapon on the highest tree, and putting on the hide come and join us, bearing the spear! 52. O blood-red scatterer, reverence be unto thee, holy one, let those thousand shafts of thine lay low another than us! 53. The thousandfold thousand shafts of thine arms--turn thou away their heads from us, O holy lord! 54. What countless thousands of Rudras there are upon earth, their bows do we unstring (and cast away) at a thousand leagues. 55. The Bhavas in this great sea, the air: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 56. The blue-necked, white-throated Rudras seated in the sky: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 57. The blue-necked, white-throated Sarvas dwelling below the earth: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 58. The grass-green in the trees, the blue-necked, blood-red ones: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 59. They who are the chiefs of spirits, hairless and coil-braided: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 60. They who are the guardians of roads, food-bearers, life-fighters (?): their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 61. They who haunt the bathing-places, wielders of spear and sword: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 62. They who strike men at their meals, and in their cups those that drink: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues. 63. What Rudras are scattered over the regions, so many and more: their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues.--64. Reverence be to the Rudras dwelling in the sky, whose arrows the rain is! to them (I stretch) ten (fingers) eastward, ten southward, ten westward, ten northward, ten upward: to them be reverence! may they be gracious unto us and help us: whomsoever we hate, and whosoever hateth us, him we cast into their jaws! 65. Reverence be to the Rudras dwelling in the air, whose arrows the wind is! to them (I stretch) ten (fingers) eastward, ten southward, ten westward, ten northward, ten upward: to them be reverence! may they be gracious unto us and help us: whomsoever we hate, and whosoever hateth us, him we cast into their jaws! 66. Reverence be to the Rudras dwelling upon earth, whose arrows food is! to them (I stretch) ten (fingers) eastward, ten southward, ten westward, ten northward, ten upward: to them be reverence! may they be gracious unto us and help us: whomsoever we hate, and whosoever hateth us, him we cast into their jaws!
9:1:1:11. He then performs the Satarudriya offering! This whole Agni has now 1 been completed: he now is the deity Rudra. Upon him the gods bestowed that highest form, immortality. Flaming he there stood longing for food. The gods were afraid of him lest he should hurt them.
9:1:1:22. They spake, 'Let us gather together food for him: therewith we will appease him!' They gathered for him that food, the Sântadevatya 2, and thereby appeased him; and inasmuch as they thereby appeased (sam) the god (deva), it is called Sântadevatya;--Sântadevatya, doubtless, is here called mystically 'Satarudriya 3,' for the gods love the mystic. And in like manner does this Sacrificer now bestow upon him that highest form, immortality. Flaming he there stands, longing for food. He gathers for him that food, the Sântadevatya, and thereby appeases him.
9:1:1:33. He offers wild sesamum seeds. He (Agni) grows when he is being built up: he grows for (the consumption) of every kind of food. And wild sesamum seeds represent both kinds of food, the cultivated as well as the wild-growing: inasmuch as they are sesamum seeds they are a cultivated (kind of food), and inasmuch as they ripen on unploughed land they are wild-growing; he thus satisfies him with both kinds of food, the cultivated as well as the wild-growing.
9:1:1:44. He offers by means of an arka-leaf 1,--the Arka-tree (Calotropis gigantea) is food: he thus gratifies him with food.
9:1:1:55. He offers on (three) enclosing-stones:--these enclosing-stones are the (three) Agnis; and thus it is over Agni himself that these oblations of his become offered.
9:1:1:66. And as to why he performs the Satarudriya offering. When Pragâpati had become disjointed, the deities departed from him. Only one god did not leave him, to wit, Manyu (wrath): extended he remained within. He (Pragâpati) cried, and the tears of him that fell down settled on Manyu. He became the hundred-headed, thousand-eyed, hundred-quivered Rudra. And the other drops that fell down, spread over these worlds in countless numbers, by thousands; and inasmuch as they originated from crying (rud), they were called Rudras (roarers). That hundred-headed, thousand-eyed, hundred-quivered Rudra, with his bow strung, and his arrow fitted to the string, was inspiring fear, being in quest of food. The gods were afraid of him.
9:1:1:77. They spake unto Pragâpati 'We are afraid of this one, lest he should hurt us!' He spake, 'Gather food for him, and appease him therewith!' They gathered for him that food, the Satarudriya (offering), and thereby appeased him; and inasmuch as they thereby appeased (sam) the hundred-headed (satasîrsha) Rudra, it is called Satasîrsharudrasamanîya,--and satasîrsharudrasamanîya, doubtless, is what
they mystically call Satarudriya, for the gods love the mystic. And in like manner does this (Sacrificer) now gather for him that food, the Satarudriya, and appease him thereby.
9:1:1:88. He offers gavedhukâ flour; for from the place where that deity lay disjointed, gavedhukâ plants (coix barbata) sprang forth: he thus gratifies him by his own portion, by his own life-sap.
9:1:1:99. He offers by means of an arka-leaf; for that tree sprang from the resting-place of that god: he thus gratifies him by his own portion, by his own life-sap.
9:1:1:1010. He offers on (three) enclosing-stones 1, for the enclosing-stones are the hair, and neither poison nor anything else injures one at the hair. He offers whilst standing on the left (north) side of Agni (the altar), with his face to the north; for in that region lies the house of that god 2: it is thus in his own region that he gratifies him, in his own region he contents him with offering.
9:1:1:1111. The first Svâhâ ('hail') he utters on the knee-high one,---what is knee-high is, as it were, below, and below, as it were, is this (terrestrial) world: he thus gratifies those Rudras who entered this world.
9:1:1:1212. Then on the navel-high one,--what is navel-high
is, as it were, the middle; and the middle, as it were, is the air-world: he thus gratifies those Rudras who entered the air-world.
9:1:1:1313. Then on the one reaching up to the mouth,--what reaches up to the mouth is, as it were, above, and above, as it were, is yonder world: he thus gratifies those Rudras who entered yonder world. [He does so] with Svâhâ,--the Svâhâ is food: with food he thus gratifies them.
9:1:1:1414. [He offers, with, Vâg. S. XVI, 1], 'Reverence, O Rudra, be to thy wrath!' he thereby does reverence to that wrath which remained extended within him;--'And to thine arrow be reverence, and to both thine arms be reverence!' for it was by his arrow and his arms that he was inspiring fear.
9:1:1:1515. That god who became the hundred-headed (Rudra) is the chief (kshatra 1), and those others who originated from the drops are the peasants (clansmen): those peasants in the first place assigned to that chief this as his special share, to wit, this first chapter of formulas 2, and gratified him thereby. And in like manner does this (Sacrificer) now assign this to him as his special fore-share, and gratify him thereby. Hence this (section) is addressed to a single deity, to Rudra; for it is him he thereby gratifies.
9:1:1:1616. There are here fourteen formulas,--thirteen months are a year, and Pragâpati is the fourteenth;
and Pragâpati is Agni: as great as Agni is as great as is his measure, with so much food he thus gratifies him. 'Reverence! reverence!' he says;--reverence being sacrifice, it is by sacrifice, by reverence, that he thus reveres him. Therefore he must not mention any one unworthy of sacrifice, for it would be just as if he were to say to him, 'Sacrifice be to thee!'
9:1:1:1717. He then makes offering to those forming pairs 1: 'Reverence to so and so! reverence to so and so!' It is as if he were to say, 'Thou, N. N., and this one, do not ye two injure us!' for in no wise does a man who is known and appealed to 2 injure us.
9:1:1:1818. [Vâg. S. XVI, 17], 'Reverence be to the golden-armed leader of hosts, and to the lord of regions be reverence!' for he (Rudra-Agni) is indeed the golden-armed 3 leader of hosts, and the lord of regions. And in that everything in this second chapter of formulas applies to one and the same deity, thereby he gratifies that (god Rudra), and makes the chief to have a share in the people (or the clan): hence whatever belongs to the people 4, in that the chieftain has a share. And those (Rudras) that spread over these worlds, countless, by thousands 5, they are the deities to whom he now offers.
9:1:1:1919. He thus makes offering to the tribes (of Rudras), for it was those tribes, those Rudras, that spread, and wheresoever they are there he thereby gratifies them. And thus, indeed, (he gratifies) those tribes of Rudras; and, men being after the
manner of the gods, therefore also these tribes of men: tribe after tribe he thus gratifies them.
9:1:1:2020. Now some of these (formulas) have 'reverence' on both sides, and others on one side only;--more terrible and more unappeased, indeed, are those (Rudras) that have 'reverence' on both sides: on both sides he thereby appeases them by sacrifice, by reverence.
9:1:1:2121. With (each set of) eighty (formulas) he utters the Svâhâ 1,--on the first anuvâka, and on eighty, and on eighty; and the formulas which follow as far as the 'unstringing'-formulas (Vâg. S. XVI, 54-63),--eighties 2 mean food: by means of food he thus gratifies them.
9:1:1:2222. He thus mutters these formulas (the last four of Vâg. S. XVI, 46), 'Reverence be to you, the sparkling (hearts of the gods)!' for this is his favourite resort, either as a dear son or the heart: hence whenever he should be in fear of that god (Rudra), let him offer with those mystic utterances, for he draws nigh unto the favourite resort of that god, and so that god does not injure him.
9:1:1:2323. 'Reverence be to you, the sparkling 3,'
for those (Rudras) produce (kar) everything here,--'hearts of the gods!'--Agni, Vâyu and Âditya (fire, wind and sun), these truly are the hearts of the gods;--'Reverence to the discriminating!'--for those (gods) discriminate everything here;--'Reverence to the destructive!'--for those (gods) destroy whom they wish to destroy;--'Reverence to the irremovable!'--for those (gods) are not (to be) removed from these worlds.
9:1:1:2424. He then mutters those that follow (Vâg. S. XVI, 47 seq.), 'Chaser! lord of the (Soma) plant!'--that (god) is indeed a repeller, for he chases away whom he wishes to chase away;--'lord of the plant'--that is, 'lord of the Soma-plant;'--'O blue-red cleaver 1;'--these are names and forms of him: he thus gratifies him by calling him by his names;--'frighten and hurt not these people and these cattle! let none of us sicken!' as the text, so the sense.
9:1:1:2525. That god (Rudra) is the kshatra (ruling power; chieftainship or chief); and for that chief these peasants set apart this special fore-share, to wit, that first section (of formulas); and now he (the Sacrificer) sets apart for him that after-share, and thereby gratifies him; and hence this (section) also belongs to a single deity, to wit, to Rudra; for it is him he thereby gratifies.
9:1:1:2626. These are seven formulas,--of seven layers the fire-altar consists, and the year consists of seven months, and Agni is the year: as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, by so much food he thus gratifies him. These two kinds (of formulas) amount to twenty-one,--the twelve months, the five seasons, these three worlds, and yonder sun as the twenty-first (make up) this amount.
9:1:1:2727. He then offers (the libations of the) 'unstringing'-formulas 1. For at that time the gods, having gratified those (Rudras) by that food, unstrung their bows by means of these 'unstringing'-formulas; and in like manner this (Sacrificer), having gratified them by that food, now unstrings their bows by means of these 'unstringing'-formulas; for with an unstrung bow one injures no one.
9:1:1:2828. Here now he says 'at a thousand leagues,' for a thousand leagues is the farthest distance; and he thus unstrings their bows at what is the farthest distance.
9:1:1:2929. And, again, as to why he says 'at a thousand leagues,'--a thousand leagues means this Agni (fire-altar), for neither this way nor that way is there any other thing greater than he; and it is when he makes offering in the fire that he unstrings their bows at a thousand leagues.
9:1:1:3030. 'Countless thousands,--in this great sea,'--thus, wheresover they are, there he unstrings their bows.
9:1:1:3131. There are ten of these 'unstringing'-offerings he makes,--the Virâg consists of ten syllables, and Agni is Virâg (widely-shining or ruling); there are ten regions, and Agni is the regions; there are ten vital airs, and Agni is the vital airs: as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, by so much he thus unstrings their bows.
9:1:1:3232. He then offers the descending 1 (series of oblations). For then (in the preceding oblations) he ascends these worlds upwards from hence: this is, as it were, an ascent away from here. But this (earth) is a firm resting-place: the gods returned to this resting-place; and in like manner does the Sacrificer now return to this resting-place.
9:1:1:3333. And, again, as to why he descends. Then (in the preceding oblations) he goes after those (gods), gratifying (propitiating) them. From thence he now recovers his own self unto life; and so does he by that self of his attain all vital power.
9:1:1:3434. And., again, as to why he descends. He then (in the preceding oblations) gratifies those Rudras from hence upwards; he now does so again from thence hitherwards.
9:1:1:3535. [Vâg. S. XVI 64], 'Reverence be to the Rudras dwelling in the sky,'--he thereby does reverence to those Rudras who are in yonder world;--'whose arrows the rain is,' for the rain is
indeed their arrows, and by the rain they injure whom they wish to injure.
9:1:1:3636. [Vâg. S. XVI, 65], 'Reverence be to the Rudras dwelling in the air,'--he thereby does reverence to those Rudras who are in the air;--'whose arrows the wind is,' for the wind is indeed their arrows, and by the wind they injure whom they wish to injure.
9:1:1:3737. [Vâg. S. XVI, 66], 'Reverence be to the Rudras dwelling upon earth,'--he thereby does reverence to those Rudras who are in this (terrestrial) world;--'whose arrows food is,' for food is indeed their arrows, and by means of food they injure whom they wish to injure.
9:1:1:3838. 'To them (I stretch) ten (fingers) forwards, ten to the right, ten backwards, ten to the left, ten upwards 1,'--of ten syllables consists the Virâg, and Agni is Virâg; there are ten seasons, and Agni is the seasons; there are ten vital airs, and Agni is the vital airs: as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, with so much food he thus gratifies them.
9:1:1:3939. And as to why he says 'ten-ten,'--there are ten fingers in the joined hands 2: he thus makes reverence to them in each direction; and hence he who is frightened places his hands together;--'To them be reverence!'--he thus does reverence to them;--'May they be gracious unto us!'--they thus are gracious unto him;--'whomsoever we hate, and whosoever hateth us, him we cast into their jaws!'--thus he casts into their jaws
whomsoever he hates, and whosoever hates him. He may say, 'So-and-so I cast into their jaws!' naming him whom he hates, and then he has no longer any hold upon him. But let him take no notice of this (injunction), for indicated of himself is he whom he who knows this hates.
9:1:1:4040. In three turns he descends,--Agni is threefold: as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, by so much food he thus gratifies them. With 'Svâhâ' (he makes offering), for the Svâhâ is food: with food he thus gratifies them. Thrice (in three turns) he ascends from hence upwards,--that makes six: the significance of this has been explained 1.
9:1:1:4141. And as to why he descends in three turns,--it is because he ascends in three turns: thus in as many turns as he ascends, in so many turns does he descend.
9:1:1:4242. He then throws that arka-leaf 2 into the pit; for it is therewith that he performs that sacrificial work sacred to Rudra, and that same (leaf) is inauspicious; he now puts it away, lest any one should tread on this inauspicious (leaf), and suffer injury thereby: hence (he throws it) into the pit. And, again, as to why (he throws it) into the pit,--the pit, doubtless, means the fire, and thus that fire consumes it. Now as to the (symbolic) correspondence.
9:1:1:4343. As to this they say, 'How does this Satarudriya of his attain to (conformity with) the year, and Agni? how does it correspond to the year, to
[paragraph continues] Agni?' Well, this Satarudriya includes three hundred and sixty (formulas); and (other) thirty, and thirty-five. Now, as to the three hundred and sixty which there are, so many are there days in the year: thereby it obtains the days of the year. And as to the thirty (formulas) which there are, they are the thirty nights of the month: thereby it obtains the nights of the month: thus it obtains both the days and nights of the year. And as to the thirty-five (formulas) there are, they are the thirteenth month 1, (Agni's) self,--the body (consists of) thirty (limbs 2), the feet of two, the breath of two (in-breathing and off-breathing), and the head is the thirty-fifth: so much is the year. And in this way this Satarudriya of his attains to (conformity with) the year, Agni, and corresponds to the year, Agni. And, indeed, in the Sândila fire-altar as many bricks with formulas attached to them are placed in the middle, for these bricks are indeed the same as these different Agnis (invoked in the Satarudriya); and thus these Agnis of his come to have oblations offered to them separately by means of the Satarudriya.
9:1:1:4444. As to this they say, 'How does this Satarudriya of his attain to (conformity with) the Great
[paragraph continues] Litany 1?--how does it correspond to the Great Litany?' Well, those twenty-five formulas which there are on both sides of the eighties 2, they are the twenty-five-fold body 3; and where the body (of the altar-bird) is, that (includes) the head, and the wings and tail. And what eighties (of formulas) there are (in the Satarudriya), thereby indeed the (corresponding) eighties (of the Mahad uktham) are obtained, for by eighties the Great Litany is recited. And what there is (in the Satarudriya) after the eighties that is for him the same as what there, in the Great Litany, is after the eighties 4; and in this way this Satarudriya
of his attains to (conformity with) the Great Litany; in this way it corresponds to the Great Litany.
156:1 Or, here, in this (atra), in the shape of this (altar) on which the fire is to be deposited.
156:2 That is, that whereby the deity is propitiated or appeased.
156:3 A fanciful etymology of Sata-rudriya, as if it were sânta (propitiated) + rudriya, instead of 'that which relates to a hundred Rudras'; cf. paragraph 7.
157:1 That is to say, the leaf is used in lieu of the ordinary offering-spoon. Whilst making continual oblations on one of the three stones from this leaf, held in his right hand, the priest holds a piece of arka wood in his left hand. Mahîdh. on Vâg. S. XVI, 1.
158:1 The site of the altar is enclosed within a continuous line of 261 parisrits, about half a foot in width, running along its edge. Their height is indeterminate, with the exception of three of them, dug in at the back (west) corner of the left wing, of which one is to reach up to the knee, the second up to the navel, and the third up to the mouth; each of the latter two standing to the left (north) of the preceding one.
158:2 See I, 7, 3, 20, with note. Agni, in the form of the formidable Rudra (who is to be kept at a distance), is referred to.
159:1 Literally, the ruling power.
159:2 The first anuvâka of kânda XVI of the Vâg. S. consists of sixteen verses; which of these the fourteen referred to in the next paragraph are is not clear to me.
160:1 That is from Vâg. S. XVI, 17 seqq.
160:2 Or, who is appealed to as being known to us, i.e. in terms showing that he is known to us.
160:3 That is, aureis brachiis instructus.
160:4 Pragâyâ yad dhanam asti, Sây.
160:5 See paragraph 28.
161:1 The calculation here, as so often in regard to metres, is rather a loose one. Anuvâka I, consisting of sixteen verses, is taken as amounting to the first fourscore formulas; anuvâkas II and III, consisting of ten kandikâs (each of which is calculated to consist of eight mantras), constitute the second fourscore; anuvâkas IV and V again form the third fourscore; anuvâkas VI-VIII (save the last four formulas, see parag. 22), the fourth fourscore; and from there to the 'unstringing'-formulas, that is, from within XVI, 46 to 53, the fifth fourscore. At the end of each eighty formulas he is to utter one Svâhâ (sakrit svâhâkârah, Sây.).
161:2 An etymological play on the word 'asîti,' as if derived from as, to eat.
161:3 ? Or, scatterers, sprinklers (kirika), root krî. The author of the p. 162 Brâhmana, on the other hand, evidently takes it in the sense of 'maker, producer.'
162:1 Thus ('Zerspalter') daridra is probably correctly interpreted (from root 'dar,' to split) by Prof. Weber; whilst the commentators take it in its ordinary sense of 'poor' (i.e. without an assistant, Mahîdh.); blue-red Rudra is called inasmuch as he is the 'nîlakantha' blue-necked, and red all over the rest of his body.
163:1 Viz. Vâg. S. XVI, 54-63: 'What countless thousands of Rudras there are upon earth, their bows do we unstring at a thousand leagues.--The Bhavas that are in this great sea, in the air, their bow do we unstring at a thousand leagues.' Thus each formula ends with the 'unstringing' refrain.
164:1 Vâg. S. XVI, 64-66. In making these three oblations to the Rudras in the sky, the air, and on earth respectively, the procedure is the reverse from that described in paragraphs 11-13, viz. first on the enclosing-stone which reaches up to his mouth, then on that reaching up to his navel, and lastly on that reaching up to his knee.
165:1 These words, as well as the spaced words in the next paragraph, are added to each of the three formulas in paragraphs 35-37.
165:2 The joining of the hollow of the hands, by placing the tips of the fingers together, is a sign of reverence.
166:1 Of objects numbering six, the seasons commonly occur, e. g. VI, 7, 1, 16.
166:2 See paragraph 4. According to Kâty. Srautas. 18, 1, 6 both offering-utensils (the arka-leaf and the arka-stick) are thrown into the pit.
167:1 As Prof. Weber, 'Die vedischen Nachrichten von den Nakshatra,' p. 298, points out, this passage points to a six years’ period of intercalation, since, in counting 360 days in the year, the remainder accumulates in six years to an intercalary month of thirty-five days (or thirty-six according to Sat. Br. X, 5, 4, 5); and accordingly in Vâg. S. XXX, 15, and Taitt. Âr. IV, 19, 1, the names of the six years of such a period of intercalation are mentioned; while a five years’ period and the names of the respective years are more frequently referred to.
167:2 Viz. twenty fingers and toes, the upper and lower arms, the thighs and shanks, and the hands.
168:1 For the mahad uktham, or Great Litany, recited on the Mahâvrata day, see p. 110, note 3. According to Sâyana, however, this does not refer to the Mahad uktham, or Great Litany, itself, but to its Stotra, the Mahâvrata-sâman (cf. note on X, 1, 1, 5), by the chanting of which it is preceded, and which, like the Great Litany itself, is represented as being composed of the different parts of Agni-Pragâpati's bird-shaped body. Now, that part of the chant which corresponds to the god's trunk (âtman) is the only part of this Stotra which is chanted in the Pañkavimsastoma, or twenty-five-versed hymn-form, which, indeed, is the characteristic Stoma of the Mahâvrata day, all other Stotras of that rite being chanted in that form. It is, however, doubtful to me whether it is not rather the opening part of the Great Litany itself representing the trunk that is here referred to, and which, indeed, consists of twenty-five verses; cf. F. Max Müller, Upanishads, I, p. 183. Besides, it has always to be borne in mind that the particular arrangement of the Great Litany which the authors of the Brâhmana had before them, may have differed in some respects from those known to us.
168:3 That is, the body with its twenty-four limbs, viz. the two arms, two legs, and the twenty fingers and toes.
168:4 According to Sâyana, the Pañkavimsa-stotra, chanted after the Mahad uktham, is here referred to. See p. 111, note 1. Sâyana takes it to refer to the prose-formulas at the end of the Sastra, which, he says, represent the mind (buddhi) of Pragâpati.