XIII, 2, 11. Eleventh Brâhma<I>n</I>a

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

13:2:11

ELEVENTH BRÂHMANA.

13:2:11:11. Pragâpati desired, 'Would that I were great, and more numerous!' He perceived those two Mahiman (greatness) cups of Soma at the Asvamedha; he offered them; and thereby, indeed, became great and more numerous: hence whosoever should desire to become great, and more numerous, let him offer up those two Mahiman cups of Soma at the Asvamedha; and he indeed becomes great and more numerous.

13:2:11:22. He offers them on both sides (before and after) the omentum;--the Asvamedha, doubtless, is the Sacrificer, and that Mahiman (cup) is the king: it is with royal dignity he thus encompasses him on both sides. Some gods have the svâhâ-call ('hail') in front, and the other gods have the svâhâ-call behind ²: it is them he thus gratifies. With 'Hail

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to the gods!' and 'To the gods hail!' he makes offering by means of the king (Soma) on both sides of the omentum: he thereby gratifies those gods who are in this world, and those who are in the other, and thus gratified, both these kinds of gods lead him to the heavenly world.

Footnotes

327:2 The formula uttered whilst the first Mahiman cup is offered runs thus (Vâg. S. XXIII, 2): 'What greatness of thine there hath p. 328 been in the day and the year; what greatness of thine there hath been in the wind and the air; what greatness of thine there hath been in the heavens and the sun, to that greatness of thine, to Pragâpati, hail, to the gods!' whilst that of the second Mahiman cup runs thus (XXIII, 4): 'What greatness of thine there hath been in the night and the year; what greatness of thine there hath been in the earth and the fire; what greatness of thine there hath been in the Nakshatras (lunar asterisms) and the moon, to that greatness of thine, to Pragâpati, to the gods, hail!' cf. XIII, 5, 2, 23; 3, 7.