Satapatha-brahmana
by Julius Eggeling | 1882 | 730,838 words | ISBN-13: 9788120801134
This is Satapatha Brahmana XIII.2.4 English translation of the Sanskrit text, including a glossary of technical terms. This book defines instructions on Vedic rituals and explains the legends behind them. The four Vedas are the highest authortity of the Hindu lifestyle revolving around four castes (viz., Brahmana, Ksatriya, Vaishya and Shudra). Satapatha (also, Śatapatha, shatapatha) translates to “hundred paths”. This page contains the text of the 4th brahmana of kanda XIII, adhyaya 2.
Kanda XIII, adhyaya 2, brahmana 4
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
1. Prajāpati desired, 'Would that I might gain both worlds, the world of the gods, and the world of men.' He saw those beasts, the tame and the wild ones; he seized them, and by means of them took possession of these two worlds: by means of the tame beasts he took possession of this (terrestrial) world, and by means of the wild beasts of yonder (world); for this world is the world of men, and yonder world is the world of the gods. Thus when he seizes tame beasts he thereby takes possession of this world, and when wild beasts, he thereby (takes possession) of yonder (world).
2. Were he to complete (the sacrifice) with tame ones, the roads would run together[1], the village-boundaries of two villages would be contiguous[2], and no ogres[3], man-tigers, thieves, murderers, and robbers would come to be in the forests. By (so doing) with wild (beasts) the roads would run asunder[4], the village-boundaries of two villages would be far asunder[5]; and there would come to be ogres, man-tigers, thieves, murderers, and robbers in the forests.
3. As to this they say, 'Surely that--to wit, the forest (beast)--is not a beast (or cattle), and offering should not be made thereof: were he to make offering thereof, they would ere long carry away the Sacrificer dead to the woods, for forest (or wild) beasts have the forest for their share; and were he not to make offering thereof, it would be a violation of the sacrifice.' Well, they dismiss them after fire has been carried around them[6]: thus, indeed, it is neither an offering nor a non-offering, and they do not carry the Sacrificer dead to the forest, and there is no violation of the sacrifice.
4. He completes (the sacrifice) with tame (beasts),--father and son part company[7], the roads run together, the village-boundaries of two villages become contiguous, and no ogres, man-tigers, thieves, murderers, and robbers come to be in the forests.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The commentary remarks that by 'roads' here is meant those walking on them--as, in that case, peace and security would reign, men would range all the lands:--adhvabhir atrādhvasthā lakṣyante; kṣeme sati manushyāḥ sarvān deśān saṃcareyur ity abhiprāyaḥ.
[2]:
Harisvāmin takes 'samantikam' in the sense of 'near' and construes it with 'grāmayoḥ' (as he does 'vidūram' in the next paragraph)--'the two village-boundaries would be near (far from) the two villages;' but see I, 4, 1, 22, where samantikam (and IX, 3, 1, 11, where 'samantikataram') is likewise used without a complement; as is 'vidūram' in I, 4, 1, 23.
[3]:
Harisvāmin takes 'ṛkṣīkā' to 'mean 'a bear;'--ṛkṣā eva ṛkṣīkāḥ.
[4]:
Hardly as the commentary takes it, 'they would become blocked up,' and people would have to stay in their own country:--adhvānaḥ pūrvadeśādayo vikrameyur, viruddhaṃ krāmayeyuḥ (!), svadeśa eva manushyāḥ saṃcareyur na deśāntare'py antarālānām . . bhinnatvād akṣematvāc ca vidūraṃ grāmayor grāmāntau syātām.
[5]:
Viz. because, for want of security and peace, the villages would be few and far between,--akṣeme hi sati praviralā grāmā bhavanti, comm.
[6]:
On the 'paryagnikaraṇam' or circumambulation of an oblation in accordance with the course of the sun, whilst holding a firebrand in one's hand, see part i, p. 45, note; part ii, p, 187, note.
[7]:
Or, they exert themselves in different directions,--that is, as the commentator explains, because in peace they would not be forced to keep together, as they would have to do in troublous times. He, however, seems somehow to connect 'vy avasyataḥ' with the root 'vas':--kṣeme hi sati pitāputrāv atra vi pṛthag vasataḥ; akṣeme tu sambaddhāv apy etāv atra vasataḥ.--Whilst in this passage the verb would hardly suggest an estrangement between father and son, this is distinctly the case in the parallel passage, Taitt. Br. III, 9, I, 2, where, however, this contingency is connected with the completion of the sacrifice, not, as here, with tame, but with wild beasts.