III, 21

Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE46), by Hermann Oldenberg [1897], at sacred-texts.com

p. 283

MANDALA III, HYMN 21.

ASHTAKA III, ADHYÂYA 1, VARGA 21.

1. Take this our sacrifice to the immortals; accept graciously these offerings, O Gâtavedas. O Agni, partake of the drops of fat and ghee, O Hotri, having sat down as the first.

2. To thee, O purifier, the drops of fat mixed with ghee drip down. O (god) who followest thy own ordinances, give us the best boon for this feast to which the gods come eagerly.

3. To thee, the priest, O Agni, (belong) the drops dripping with ghee, O good one! Thou art kindled as the best Rishi. Be a furtherer of our sacrifice!

4. For thee, O liberal one 1, full of power, the drops of fat and ghee drip down, O Agni! Praised by the sages thou hast come hither with mighty light. Accept graciously the offerings, O wise one!

5. For thee the richest fat 1 has been taken out from the midst. We give it to thee. On thy skin, O Vasu, the drops drip down. Accept them eagerly for each of the gods.

NOTES.

The same Rishi. Verses 1 and 4 are Trishtubh, verses 2 and 3 Anushtubh, verse 5 Virâdrûpâ Satobrihatî.

The hymn belongs to the ritual of the animal sacrifice. It has to be recited, according to the prescription of the later Vedic texts, while the vapâ (omentum) of the sacrificial animal is roasted and the drops of fat drip down from it. See Schwab, Das Altindische Thieropfer, p. 114

p. 284

seq., and the Sûtra texts quoted by him (for instance, Âsvalâyana Srautasûtra III, 4, 1). Bergaigne (Recherches sur l’Histoire de la Liturgie Védique, 18) seems to be right in observing: 'Bien qu’il (l’hymne III, 21) soit récité tout d’une pièce dans le pasubandha, pendant la cuisson de la vapâ, pour les gouttes de graisse qui tombent dans le feu sa complexité métrique … le trahit et nous y fait voir une simple collection de vers liturgiques.' It may be observed, however, that the two last verses seem to form a distich of an irregular Pragâtha type; comp. H. O., Die Hymnen des Rigveda, vol. i, p. 118.—Verses 1–5 = TB. III, 6, 7, 1. 2; MS. IV, 13, 5.

Verse 4.

Note 1. On the word ádhrigu, cf. Bloomfield, American Or. Soc. Proceedings, March, 1894, p. cxxiii.

Verse 5.

Note 1. Vapâkhyam havih, Sâyana. This explanation is evidently correct. After the sacrificial animal has been killed, the omentum, which is very rich in fat, is first drawn out of its body and offered. See H. O., Die Religion des Veda, 360 seq.