XIV, 1, 4. Fourth Brâhma<I>n</I>a

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

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14:1:4

FOURTH BRÂHMANA.

14:1:4:11. Now, when the Adhvaryu here steps up and says, 'The Gharma is aglow,' they step up and revere it (the Mahâvîra) with the Avakâsa ¹; but the 'avakâsa' are the vital airs: it is thus the vital airs he lays into it. Six of them ² step up to it, for six in number are these vital airs in the head: it is these he thus lays into it.

14:1:4:22. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 14,] 'The child of the gods,'--the child (garbha) of the gods, in truth, is he that shines yonder, for he holds (grabh) everything here, and by him everything here is held; and the Pravargya also is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'The child of the gods.'

14:1:4:33. 'The father of thoughts,'--for he (the sun) is indeed the father of thoughts;--'the lord of creatures,'--for he is indeed the lord of creatures.

14:1:4:44. 'The god hath united with the god Savitri,'--for the god (the Mahâvîra) has indeed united with the god Savitri (the sun);--'with Sûrya he shineth,'--for (equally) with Sûrya (the sun) he has indeed shone.

14:1:4:55. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 15,] 'Agni hath united with Agni,'--for Agni (fire) has indeed united with Agni;--'with the divine Savitri,'--for with the divine Savitri he has indeed united;--'with Sûrya

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he hath shone,'--for with Sûrya he has indeed shone.

14:1:4:66. 'Hail! Agni hath united with his heat,'--for Agni has indeed united with his heat; the call of hail he places first, and the deity last: the significance of this is the same as before;--'with the divine Savitri,'--for with the divine Savitri he has indeed united;--'with Sûrya he hath shed light,'--for with Sûrya he has indeed shed light.

14:1:4:77. These, then, are three 'avakâsa,'--for there are three vital airs, the in (and out)-breathing, the up-breathing, and the through-breathing: it is thereby that he lays it (the vital air) into him.

14:1:4:88. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 16,] 'The sustainer of the sky, and of heat upon earth, shineth forth,'--for as the sustainer of the sky, and of heat on earth, that (sun, and Mahâvîra) indeed shines forth;--'the divine sustainer of the gods, he, the immortal, born of heat,'--for he is indeed the divine sustainer of the gods, the immortal one, born of heat;--'grant unto us speech, devoted to the gods!'--speech doubtless is worship: he thus means to say thereby, 'bestow upon us worship whereby we shall please the gods!'

14:1:4:99. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 17; Rig-v. I, 164, 31; X, 177, 3,] 'I beheld the guardian, the never-resting ¹,'--he who shines yonder is indeed the guardian, for he guards everything here; and he does not lie down to rest: therefore he says, 'I beheld the guardian, the never-resting;'--

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14:1:4:1010, 'Wandering on paths hither and thither,'--for he indeed wanders hither and thither on the divine ¹ paths;--'arraying himself in the gathering and the radiating,'--for he indeed arrays himself in the gathering (converging) and the radiating regions, or rays;--'he moveth to and fro within the spheres,'--for again and again he wanders moving within these worlds.

14:1:4:1111. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 18,] 'O lord of all worlds, O lord of all thought, O lord of all speech, O lord of every speech!' that is, 'O lord of all this (universe);'--'Thou art heard by the gods, O god Gharma, as a god, guard thou the gods!' in this there is nothing hidden, so to speak.

14:1:4:1212. 'Give thy countenance hereafter to the divine feast of you two,'--it is with regard to the two Asvins that he says this, for it was the Asvins that then restored the head of the sacrifice: it is them he thus pleases, and therefore he says, 'Give thy countenance hereafter to the divine feast of you two.'

14:1:4:1313. 'Honey to the two lovers of honey! honey to the two longing for honey!'--for Dadhyañk the Âtharvana indeed told them (the Asvins) the Brâhmana called Madhu (honey), and this is their dear resource: it is by means of that (dear resource) of theirs that he approaches them, and therefore he says, 'Honey to the two lovers of honey! honey to the two longing for honey!'

14:1:4:1414. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 19,] 'To the heart

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[paragraph continues] (I consecrate) thee, to the mind thee, to the sky thee, to the sun thee: going upwards take thou the sacrifice to the gods in heaven!' in this there is nothing hidden, so to speak.

14:1:4:1515. [Vâg. S. XXXVII, 20,] 'Thou art our father: be thou our father!'--for he who shines yonder is indeed the father, and the Pravargya is that (sun): it is him he thus gratifies, and therefore he says, 'Thou art our father: be thou our father!'--'Reverence be unto thee: injure me not!'--it is a blessing he thereby invokes.

14:1:4:1616. Thereupon he uncovers the head of the (Sacrificer's) wife, and makes her say whilst she is looking at the Mahâvîra, 'Together with Tvashtri will we serve thee: (bestow thou sons and cattle upon me! bestow thou offspring upon us! may I remain unscathed together with my husband!)'--the Pravargya (m.) is a male, and the wife is a female: a productive pair is thus produced.

14:1:4:1717. And, verily, whosoever either teaches, or partakes of, this (Pravargya) enters that life, and that light: the observance thereof is the same as at the creation ¹.

Footnotes

469:1 Avakâsa (looks, or possibly, apertures) is the technical designation of the verses Vâg. S. XXXVII, 14-20 a.

469:2 Viz. the Sacrificer and the priests with the exception of the Prastotri.

470:1 Or, as Mahîdhara and Sâyana take it, the never-falling.

471:1 One might expect 'daívaih pathíbhih' or 'devaíh pathíbhih,' which Mahîdhara explains by 'devamârgaih.'

472:1 See p. 458, note 1.