Kanda IV, adhyaya 6, brahmana 6

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

1. Now once on a time the gods, while performing sacrifice, were afraid of an attack from the Asura-Rakṣas. They said, 'Who of us shall sit on the south side; we will then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury.'

2. They said, 'He who is the strongest of us, let him sit on the south side; we will then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury.'

3. They said, 'Verily, Indra is the strongest of us: let Indra sit on the south side; we will then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury.'

4. They said to Indra, 'Verily, thou art the strongest of us: sit thou on the south side; we will then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury.'

5. He said, 'What will be my reward then?'--'The office of Brāhmaṇāchaṃsin shall be thine, the

Brahmasāman^[1] shall be thine!'--Hence one elects the Brāhmaṇāchaṃsin with, 'Indra is the Brahman, by virtue of the Brahmaship!' for to Indra belongs this (office). Indra sat on the south side, and they entered upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury. Therefore let him who is the strongest sit on the south side, and let them then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury. Now he, forsooth, who is the most learned of Brāhmans, is the strongest of them; and as now any one is (able to become) a (superintendent) Brahman^[2]--nay, does he not sit still?--therefore whosoever is the strongest of them, let him sit on the south side, and let them then enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury. Hence Brāhmans sit on the south side (of the vedi), and they enter upon the sacrifice on the north side in a place free from danger and injury.

6. When (the Prastotṛ) says, 'Brahman, we will chant, O Praśāstar!' then the Brahman mutters (Vāj.. S. II, 12), 'This thy sacrifice, O divine Savitar, have they announced unto Bṛhaspati (the lord of prayer), the Brahman^[3]: therefore speed the sacrifice, speed the lord of the sacrifice, speed me^[4]!--Praise ye at the impulse (prasava) of Savitṛ!' The significance is the same (as before)^[5]. With this (text) must probably enter upon (the chant).

7. But one may also enter upon it with, 'O divine Savitar; this, O Bṛhaspati, forwards!' Therewith he hastes to Savitṛ for his impulsion, for he is the impeller (prasavitṛ) of the gods; and 'O Bṛhaspati, forwards!' he says, because Bṛhaspati is the Brahman of the gods,--thus he announces it to him who is the Brahman of the gods: therefore he says, 'O Bṛhaspati, forwards^[6]!'

8. The Maitrāvaruṇa then mutters, 'Impelled by the divine Savitṛ, acceptable to Mitra and Varuṇa!' Therewith he hastes to Savitṛ for his impulsion, for he is the impeller of the gods; and 'acceptable to Mitra and Varuṇa' he says, because Mitra and Varuṇa are the deities of the Maitrāvaruṇa (Praśāstṛ),--thus he announces it to those who are the deities of the Maitrāvaruṇa: therefore he says, 'acceptable to Mitra and Varuṇa.'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

That is, the Sāman which supplies the text for the Stotra chanted in connection with the Brāhmaṇāchaṃsin's Sastra, and forming the Stotriya verse of the latter. Thus, at the midday savana, the (Pṛṣṭha) Stotra of that priest usually consists of the Naudhasa-sāman (Sāma-veda II, 35-36), if the Rathantara-sāman (Sāma-vela II, 30-31) is used for the Hotṛ's Stotra; but, if the Bṛhat-sāman (ib. II, 159-160) is used for the latter, then the Śyaita-sāman (II, 161-2) is used as the Brahma-sāman. See p. 339, note 2. The reason, however, why special mention is made of the Brāhmaṇāchaṃsin in this place, probably is that at the Gavām ayana the Brahma-sāman is treated in a peculiar way. For, while on 142 days of the first half of the year,--viz. on the Caturviṃśa, on all (6 × 23) Ābhiplavika days and on the three Svara-sāman days,--one and the same tune, the Abhīvarta-sāman, is to be used day by day, but each time with a different pragātha stanza (thus the pragātha S. V. II, 35-36, usually chanted to the Naudhasa tune, being on this occasion chanted to the Abhīvarta tune); on the corresponding days of the second half of the year, one and the same stanza, 'Indra kratuṃ na ā bhara' (S. V. II, 806-7), is to be used day by day, but with different tunes (six such being given in the Calc. ed. vol. iv, pp. 529-34). Tāṇḍya Br. IV, 3, 1 seq.

[2]:

According to XII, 6, I, 40 only priests of the Vasiṣṭha family could become Brahmans, or superintendent priests, in olden times; because they alone knew the Somabhāga mantras; but now every one learns them, and can therefore become a Brahman.

[3]:

Mahīdhara interprets, 'This sacrifice, O divine Savitar, they announce to thee and to Bṛhaspati, the Brahman.' Perhaps the correct meaning (though not that assumed by the Brāhmaṇa) is, 'This sacrifice they announce to thee as the Bṛhaspati, the Brahman!' and similarly the mantra in the next paragraph.

[4]:

The Kāṇva text adds here the verse Vāj. S. II, 13; see Śat. Br. I, 7, 4, 22, with the same various reading 'gyotir.'

[5]:

See I, 7, 4, 21. Asau nvaivaitasya yajuṣo bandhur ya evāsau darśapūrṇamāsayoḥ; Kāṇva text.

[6]:

On 'pra' see part i, p. 301 note.