Kanda IV, adhyaya 4, brahmana 4

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

E. CONCLUDING CEREMONIES.

1. Now, it is nine Samiṣṭayajus^[1] he offers on this occasion. The reason why he offers nine Samiṣṭayajus is that those stotra-verses at the Bahiṣpavamāna^[2] chant amount to nine. Thus there is at both ends an inferior (incomplete) virāj^[3], for the sake of production: it was from that same inferior (lower) source of production on both sides that Prajāpati produced the creatures,--from the one (he created) the upright, and from the other those tending to the ground. And in like manner does he (the Adhvaryu) now create creatures from that lower source of production on both sides,--from the one the upright, and from the other those tending to the ground.

2. The call 'Hiṃ' is the tenth of stotra-verses, and the 'Svāhā' (the tenth) of these (Samiṣṭayajus): and thus does this incomplete virāj come to consist of tens and tens.

3. And as to why they are called Samiṣṭayajus. Whatever deities he invites at this sacrifice, and for whatever deities this sacrifice is performed, they all are thereby 'sacrificed-to together' (sam-iṣṭa); and because, after all those (deities) have been 'sacrificed-to together,' he now offers those (libations), therefore they are called Samiṣṭayajus.

4. And as to why he offers the Samiṣṭayajus. Now, the self of him who has sacrificed has, as it were, become emptied, since he gives away of whatever is his: it is him he fills again by three out of these (oblations).

5. And as to the three following which he offers,--whatever deities he invites at this sacrifice, and for whatever deities this sacrifice is performed, they continue waiting till the Samiṣṭayajus are performed, thinking, 'These, forsooth, he must offer unto us!' It is these same deities he thereby dismisses in due form whithersoever their course lies.

6. And as to the three last which he offers,--in performing the sacrifice he has produced it, and, having produced it, he firmly establishes it where there is a safe resting-place for it: this is why he performs the Samiṣṭayajus.

7. He offers (the first) with (Vāj. S. VIII, 15; Rig-veda V, 42, 4), 'With thought lead us, O Indra, to meet with kine,'--'with thought him who was emptied he thereby fills with thought; with kine;' him who was emptied he thereby fills with kine;--'with patrons, O mighty Lord, with well-being; with prayer which is divinely inspired^[4],'--'with prayer:' him who was emptied he thereby fills with prayer;--'with the favour of the adorable gods! Hail!'

8. [The second with Vāj. S. VIII, 16], 'With lustre, with sap, with bodies,'--'with lustre him who was emptied he thereby fills with lustre; with sap,'--sap is vigour--him who was emptied he thus fills with sap;--'We have united, with the happy spirit: may Tvaṣṭṛ, the dispenser of boons, grant us riches, and may he smooth what was injured in our body!' Thus they heal what was torn.

9. [The third with Vāj. S. VIII, I7; Atharva-veda VII, 17, 4], 'May the gracious Dhātṛ, Savitṛ, Prajāpati, the guardian of treasures, and the divine Agni accept this (offering); and Tvaṣṭṛ and Viṣṇu: grant ye willingly to the sacrificer wealth together with children! Hail!' Him who was emptied he fills again, when he says, 'grant ye wealth to the sacrificer, Hail!'

10. [The fourth with Vāj. S. VIII, 18^[5]], 'Accessible homes have we prepared for you, O gods, who graciously came to this Soma feast;'--whereby he means to say, 'seats easy of access we have prepared for you, O gods, who have graciously come to this Soma feast;'--'Carrying and driving the offerings,' thereby he dismisses the several deities; 'Those forsooth who are without cars may go away carrying; and those who have cars may go away driving,' this is what he means to say; therefore he says, 'Carrying and driving the offerings;'--'bestow goods on him, ye good! Hail!'

11. [The fifth with Vāj. S. VIII, 19; Atharva-veda VII, 97, 3], 'The willing gods whom thou, O God, broughtest hither, speed them each to his own abode, O Agni!' For to Agni he said, 'Bring hither such and such gods! bring hither such and such gods!' and to him he now says, 'Whatever gods thou hast brought hither, make them go whithersoever their course lies!'--'Ye have all eaten and drunk,'--for they have eaten the cakes of the animal offering, and they have drunk the king Soma: therefore he says, 'ye have all eaten and drunk;'--'Draw ye nigh to the air, to the heat, to the light! H ail!' Hereby, then, he dismisses the deities.

12. [The sixth with Vāj. S. VIII, 20], 'Thee, O Agni, have we chosen here for our Hotṛ at the opening of this sacrifice: severally hast thou offered to them, and severally hast thou toiled; well-knowing the sacrifice, draw thou nigh^[6], thou the wise! Hail!' by this (verse) he releases Agni, dismisses Agni.

13. [The seventh with Vāj. S. VIII, 21], 'Ye path-finding gods,'--for the gods are, indeed, the finders of the path;--'having found the path,'--'having found the sacrifice,' he thereby means to say;--'go ye in the path!' therewith he dismisses them in due form;--'O divine Lord of mind, this sacrifice--Svāhā!--give thou to the wind!' for the sacrifice, indeed, is yonder blowing (wind): having thus completed this sacrifice, he establishes it in that sacrifice, and thus unites sacrifice with sacrifice,--hence he says, 'Svāhā! give (it) to the wind!'

14. [The eighth with Vāj. S. VIII, 22], 'O sacrifice, go to the sacrifice, go to the lord of the sacrifice, go to thine own womb, Hail!'--the sacrifice, thus established, he thereby establishes in its own womb. [The ninth he offers with], 'This is thy sacrifice, O lord of the sacrifice, bestowing numerous heroes, together with the song of praise: do thou accept it, Hail!' the sacrifice, thus established, bestowing numerous heroes, together with the song of praise he thereby finally establishes in the sacrificer.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See I, 9, 2, 25 seq.

[2]:

See p. 310, note 1.

[3]:

The virāj consists of pādas of ten syllables. For the same speculation, see II, 5, I, 20.

[4]:

? The author of the Brāhmaṇa would rather seem to take it in the sense of 'with the priestly authority (sacerdotium) instituted by the gods.'

[5]:

Cf. Atharva-veda VII, 97, 4.

[6]:

That is, according to Mahīdhara, 'knowing that the sacrifice p. 378 is accomplished, go thou to thine own house!' Cf. Atharva-veda VII, 97, 1 ('draw near to Soma!').