Part 3: Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (Introduction)

The Śukla Yajurveda has only one Brāhmaṇa known as Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa i.e., the Brāhmaṇa of hundred paths. This Brāhmaṇa derives this name from the number of chapters contained in it and the chapters are indicated by the word patha.

Sridhar has stated this view as follows:

śatapathabrāhmanamitīyaṃ saṃjñā ca tasya śatādhyāyatmakatvāt/ tathā ca śabdavyūtpattirapi śataṃ panthāno mārgā nāmādhyāyā yasya tacśatapathamiti tadanugunaiva jāyate^[1].

Both Kāṇva and Mādhyandina recension of the Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā have the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. Both the Brāhmaṇas have resemblance in the subject matter, but bear difference in the number of chapters and the arrangement of the topics. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa belonging to the Mādhyandina recension consists of hundred chapters divided into fourteen Kāṇḍas, sixty eight Prapāthakas, four hundred thirty eight Brāhmaṇas and six thousand eight hundred six Kaṇḍikās. On the other hand, the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa of the Kāṇva recension has one hundred and four chapters, seventeen Kāṇḍas, four hundred thirty five Brāhmaṇas and six thousand eight hundred six Kaṇḍikās. Each kāṇḍa of both the recensions has separate name.

The Brāhmaṇa of the mādhyandina recension has the following fourteen Kāṇḍas [respectively]—

1. haviryajña,
2. ekapādika,
3. adhvara,
4. grahanāma,
5. sava,
6. uṣāsambharaṇa,
7. hastighata,
8. citi,
9. saṃciti,
10. agnirahasya,
11. aṣṭyādhyāyī (saṃgrahaḥ)
12. madhyama (sautrāmaṇī)
13. aśvamedha,
14. bṛhadāraṇyaka.

On the other hand, the names of the seventeen Kāṇḍas of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa of the Kāṇva recension are respectively:

1. ekapāt,
2. haviryajña,
3. uddhari,
4. adhvara,
5. grahanāma,
6. vājapeya,
7. rājasūya,
8. uṣāsambharaṇa,
9. hastighaṭakāṇḍa,
10. citi,
11. sāgniciti,
12. agnirahasya,
13. aṣṭyādhyāyī,
14. madhyama,
15. aśvamedha,
16. pravargyakāṇḍa,
17. bṛhadāraṇyaka.

The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa of the Mādhyandina recension corresponds to the Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā in case of the arrangement of its subject matter. The first nine chapters deal with the major sacrifices in the same order in which these occur in the Saṃhitā. The first kāṇḍa is on the Darśapaurṇamāsa sacrifice, the model of all Iṣṭis.

The second kāṇḍa deals with various sacrifices beginning with the setting up of the Śrauta fires. It contains discussion on Ādhāna, Agnihotra, Piṇḍapitṛyajña, Āgrayaṇa and Cāturmāsya sacrifice. The third and fourth Kāṇḍas are on Somayāga. The fifth kāṇḍa deals with two famous sacrifices viz., Rājasūya and Vājapeya. In the following five Kāṇḍas, the rite called Agnicayanai.e., the laying of the fire altar with its philosophical significance has been elaborated. The Paśubandha and the Pañcamahāyajña have been discussed in the eleventh kāṇḍa. Apart from these two sacrifices, one comes across some additional rules on Darśapūrṇamāsa in the eleventh kāṇḍa. The twelveth kāṇḍa is devoted to the sacrifices viz., Dvādaśāha, Saṃvatsara and the Sautrāmaṇīsattra. The word sattra refers to these sacrifices which need more than twelve days to complete. In addition to this, the sacrifices like Aśvamedha, Pitṛmedha, Puruṣamedha, Sarvamedha have been discussed in the thirteenth kāṇḍa. The last kāṇḍa of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa is on the Pravargya rite. The six chapters i.e., chapters from fourth to ninth of the fourteenth kāṇḍa are known as the Bṛhadāraṇyaka which is both an Āraṇyaka and an Upaniṣad.

Though the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa deals with various sacrifices, this ritualistic text is not devoid of legends that are common to all the Brāhmaṇas. It constitutes some legends such as the legend of Indra and Vṛtrāsura,^[2] the legend of Devāsura^[3], Vāk and Manas^[4], Manu and Matsya^[5], Pururavā and Urvaśī^[6] etc. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa can be said to be the store house of many sacrificial data as well as information of ancient Indian civilization, culture, and religion. So, the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇais the most important among the Brāhmaṇas.

The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa mentionsYājñavalkya and Śāndilya as its teachers. In the Kāṇḍas from sixth to tenth, the name of Śāndilya has been stated as proclaimer. In these Kāṇḍas Yājñavalkya who has been mentioned in the fourteenth kāṇḍaas the teacher of the whole of Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa is not at all referred to. But, at the end of the fourteenth kāṇḍa, Yājñavalkya has been said to be the proclaimer of the entire texts of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa^[7]. On the basis of such data, in some books, Yājñavalkya has been declared as the only teacher of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa^[8].

It is to be noted here that this Brāhmaṇa besides being the most extensive and best known among the texts of this kind, is also one of the highest achievement of the Vedic ritualists. This Brāhmaṇa is virtually a treasure trove of very rich ritualistic information and narrations.^[9]

The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa has various commentaries. Out of these, the most well known commentary is the Vedārthaprakāśa of Sāyaṇ. The commentary of Harisvāmin on the Mādhyandina Śatapatha is known by the name Śrutyārthavivṛti^[10]. Motilal Shastri wrote a Hindi commentary known as Vijñānabhāṣya^[11]. Another commentary on the Mādhyandina Śatapatha has been composed by Sri Ganesh Shastri Pathak and his commentary is known as Sarvaprakāśa.^[12]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Upodghāta of Sridhar Sharma, op.cit., p.22; cf., śataṃ panthāno yasya saitivyutpatyā śatamārgavatvamasyetyavagamyate/ ke ca te mārgā iti jijñāsāyāṃ mārgaśabdasya adhyayaparatvamaṅgīkṛtya śatamadhyāyā yatra sa śatapathaiti…/; Bhūmikā ofVidyadhar Sharma, Vidyadhar Sharma (ed.), op.cit., Part.1,p.18

[2]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 1.6.3.1-10

[3]:

Ibid., 1.5.4.6-16

[4]:

Ibid., 1.4.5.8-13

[5]:

Ibid., 1.8.1.1-6

[6]:

Ibid., 11.5.1.1

[7]:

Ibid., 14.9.4.33

[8]:

Urmila Devi Sharma, Śatapatha Brāhamaṇa–Eka Sāṃskṛtika Adhyayana, p.27

[9]:

J.Gonda, op.cit.,p. 352

[10]:

Renu K Sharma, op.cit.,p.62

[11]:

Ibid., p.73

[12]:

Ibid., p.83