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Satapatha Brahmana Part IV (SBE43), Julius Eggeling tr. [1897], at sacred-texts.com
10:2:5:11. Now as to the building itself. He builds between the two (performances of the) Upasads 1. For at that time the gods were afraid lest the fiends, the Rakshas, should destroy that (Agni's body) of theirs (built) there 2. They saw these strongholds, the Upasads, to wit, these worlds, for these worlds are indeed strongholds. They entered them, and having entered them, they completed that body in a place free from danger and devilry; and in like manner does the Sacrificer now, after entering these strongholds, complete this body in a place free from danger and devilry.
10:2:5:22. And, again, as to why he builds between the Upasads. At this time the gods were afraid lest the fiends, the Rakshas, should destroy that (Agni's body) of theirs (built) there. They saw these thunderbolts, the Upasads, for the Upasads indeed are thunderbolts: they entered them 3, and, having entered them, they completed that body in a place free from danger and devilry; and in like manner does the Sacrificer now, after entering those thunderbolts,
complete this body (of Agni) in a place free from danger and devilry.
10:2:5:33. And the Upasads also are the fervour 1 in the sacrifice, for they are indeed fervour; and inasmuch as it is built (ki) in fervour (tapas) it is called 'Tâpaskita 2.' As long as they perform the Upasads so long (do they perform) the Pravargya 3: (if) it is for a year. that they perform the Upasads, it is for a year (they perform) the Pravargya.
10:2:5:44. The Upasads, indeed, are the days and nights, and the Pravargya is the sun: he thus establishes yonder sun on the days and nights, whence he is established on the days and nights.
10:2:5:55. And 'if there are twenty-four (Upasad-days 4), there being twenty-four half moons--the Upasads
are the half-moons, and the Pravargya is the sun: he thus establishes yonder sun on the half-moons, whence he is established on the half-moons.
10:2:5:66. And if there are twelve (Upasad-days) 1--there being twelve months--the Upasads are the months, and the Pravargya is the sun: he thus establishes yonder sun on the months, whence he is established on the months.
10:2:5:77. And if there are six (Upasad-days)--there being six seasons--the Upasads are the seasons, and the Pravargya is the sun: he thus establishes yonder sun in the seasons, whence he is established in the seasons.
10:2:5:88. And if there are three (Upasad-days)--there being these three worlds--the Upasads are these three worlds, and the Pravargya is the sun: he thus establishes yonder sun in these worlds, whence he is established in these worlds.
10:2:5:99. Now, then, the inquiry as to the earth-layers of the altar-pile. One month (the building of) the first layer (of bricks takes), and one month the layer of earth 2,--so long desire (lasts) in the spring season (of two months): he thus 3 builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in the spring season 4.
10:2:5:1010. One month the second (layer of bricks takes), and one month the layer of earth,--so long desire (lasts) in the summer season: he thus builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in the summer season.
10:2:5:1111. One month the third (layer of bricks takes), and one month the layer of earth,--so long desire (lasts) in the rainy season: he thus builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in the rainy reason.
10:2:5:1212. One month the fourth (layer of bricks takes), and one month the layer of earth,--so long desire (lasts) in the autumn season: he thus builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in the autumn season.
10:2:5:1313. And of the fifth layer (of bricks) he lays down the Asapatnâ and Virâg (bricks) on the first day, and of the Stomabhâgâs one each day: these he 'settles' together once, and pronounces once the sûdadohas-formula over them 1. For a month they silently apply the earth-layer for the Stomabhâgâs, for so long desire (lasts) in the winter season: thus he builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in the winter season.
10:2:5:1414. One month the sixth (layer of bricks takes),
and one month the layer of earth,--so long desire (lasts) in the dewy season: he thus builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in the dewy season. So long, indeed, desire (lasts) in the twelve months and the six seasons: he thus builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in the twelve months and the six seasons.
10:2:5:1515. And in addition to these there are three days 1, to wit, the day on which he performs the Satarudriya offering, the day of preparation, and the day on which the Soma is pressed. When they perform the Upasad on these days, these (days) are the days and nights of that (thirteenth, or intercalary) month: and when (they perform) the Pravargya, he thereby establishes yonder sun also in that (seventh) season,--so long, indeed, desire (lasts) in the thirteen months and the seven seasons: he thus builds for himself a body so as to obtain all of whatever desire there is in thirteen months and seven seasons.
10:2:5:1616. For a year Soma should be pressed,--the year is everything, and the one hundred and one-fold (altar) is everything: by means of everything he thus gains everything. Should he be unable (to press Soma) for a year, he should perform the Visvagit Atirâtra 2 with all the
[paragraph continues] Prishthas 1, and at that (sacrifice) he should give away all his property 2; for the Visvagit (all-conquering) Atirâtra with all the Prishthas means everything, and all one's property means everything, and the one hundred and one-fold (altar) means everything: by means of everything he thus gains everything.
316:1 The Upasads (or sieges) are performed twice a day on at least three days (the regular number for ordinary one day's Soma-sacrifices) intervening between the end of the Dîkshâ (initiation) and the day of the Soma-sacrifice; see part ii, p. 105, note 1. On the first day the first layer is built between the two performances (whilst the final preparation of the altar-site, as well as the building of the Gârhapatya altar and the installation of the Ukhya Agni thereon, takes place before the morning performance of the Upasads), and on the second day the remaining layers are built.
316:2 For the construction in the oratio directa, see part iii, p. 34, note 2.
316:3 Or, they went into their shelter (pra-pad).
317:1 Or, austere devotion, see III, 4, 4, 27, where fasting during the Upasad days is recommended as calculated to promote religious fervour. There is also, however, the primary' meaning 'heat' implied, whence the 'heating' of the cauldron (gharma--θερμός) at the Pravargya (representing the sun) is connected with the Upasads.
317:2 That is, the fire-altar used at the sacrificial period (ayana) called Tâpaskita, which generally requires a full year (360 days) for the performance of the Upasads (as do also the Dîkshâ- before them, and the performance of the Soma-sacrifice after them); cf. XII, 3, 3, 10 seq.; Kâty. XIV, 5, 1.--Âsval. XII, 5, 9; Kâty. XXIV, 5, 7, however, mention a Tâpaskita which only requires four months for each of the three periods, or a year altogether, whilst the maximum duration is by Âsv. fixed at thirty-six years (twelve for each period); and by Kâty. at three years for the Upasads and a year for each of the two other ceremonies.
317:3 See part ii, p. 304.
317:4 Sâyana does not specify what sacrificial performance is intended as requiring twenty-four Upasad-days, but merely says that they are required 'kratuviseshe,' at some special kind of sacrifice. At all events, the Sacrificer would be at liberty to adopt that number of Upasad-days instead of the minimum of days prescribed, if he hoped to derive special benefit therefrom.
318:1 For an ordinary Ekâha, or one day's Soma-sacrifice, the Upasads may be performed for twelve days instead of the usual three days (Kâty. VIII, 2, 40). It is also the regular number of days for Ahînas (ib. XIII, i, x; Âsv. IV, 8, 15) and for most sattras.
318:2 That is, when the Upasads last for a whole year, as at the Tâpaskita.
318:3 That is, by building for his Soma-sacrifice an altar the body of which requires a whole year in being laid down, as it does in the Tâpaskita.
318:4 Translated literally, the sentence would run thus: 'Thus as p. 319 much desire as there is in the spring season--he builds for himself a body so as to obtain all that (desire).' Only the building of an altar (body) for a whole year ensures the full fruition of sensual pleasures supplied during the year.
319:1 That is, these three kinds of bricks--the five Asapatnâs, and forty Virâgs being laid down on the first day, and of the twenty-nine Stomabhâgâs one each day,--the three kinds of bricks thus take one month in being laid down, after which the 'sâdanam' and 'Sûdadohas' (cf. part iii, p. 301, note 3) are performed upon them.
320:1 Viz. after the twenty-eight days of the twelfth month two days remain to make up the year, so that the (first) Sutyâ day (pressing day) takes place after the expiry of a full year.
320:2 The Visvagit, as usually performed, is an Agnishtoma sacrifice, the twelve Stotras of which are chanted in three different stomas or hymn-forms, viz. the first four in the trivrit (nine-versed), the next four in the pañkadasa (fifteen-versed), and the last four in the saptadasa (seventeen-versed) stoma. For the stotriya-texts see p. 321 Tândya-Br. XVI, 5, 1 seq. It is closely united with the Abhigit Soma-day--the stotras of which are performed in four stomas, viz. three in each of those used for the Visvagit, and the last three in the ekavimsa, or twenty-one-versed, stoma--with which it may, indeed, be combined in one and the same performance; and both form part of the sacrificial session called Gavâm ayanam (part ii, p. 427). The Visvagit (as well as the Abhigit) may, however, also be performed as an Atirâtra instead of Agnishtoma, and in that case the sequence of Stomas is entirely different, their order being as follows: the first four stotras are performed in the first four stomas (trivrit, pañkadasa, saptadasa, ekavimsa); the next four stotras in the four stomas beginning with the second stoma (up to trinava), and the next four stotras in the four stomas beginning with the third stoma (up to trayastrimsa). Of the three Ukthastotras, the first is performed in the trinava, and the two others in the ekavimsa; the Shodasin in its own (ekavimsa) form; the night-chants in the pañkadasa; and the twilight-chant in the trivrit-stoma. See Tândya-Br. XX, 9.
321:1 On 'sarvaprishtha' Soma-days, see part iii, introduction, pp. xx seq.
321:2 As an equivalent for one's 'whole property (sarvavedasa, sarvasva),' Kâtyâyana (XXII, 2, 26. 27) enumerates 'cows, oxen, ploughs, sacks of corn (or corn-sacks), pairs of slaves, waggons, animals for riding, houses (or sheds), and couches.' For other similar enumerations, see A. Weber, Omina and Portenta (Abb. of Berl. Acad. 1858), p. 398.