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Satapatha Brahmana Part IV (SBE43), Julius Eggeling tr. [1897], at sacred-texts.com


8:5:2

SECOND BRÂHMANA.

8:5:2:11. He then lays down those Khandasyâs 2 (relating to the metres). For Pragâpati, having freed himself from evil, death, asked for food; hence, to this day, a sick man, when he gets better, asks for food; and people have hope for him, thinking, 'He asks for food, he will live.' The gods gave him that food, these (bricks) relating to the metres; for the metres are cattle, and cattle are food. They (the metres) pleased him, and inasmuch as they pleased (khand) him they are (called) metres (khandas).

8:5:2:22. He lays them down by tens,--the Virâg consists of ten syllables, and all food is 'virâg'

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[paragraph continues] (shining, or ruling): he thus bestows all food on him. On all (four) sides he places them: from all sides he thus bestows food on him.

8:5:2:33. [He lays them down, with, Vâg. S. XV, 4. 5], 'The Course metre,'--the 'course' metre, doubtless, is this (terrestrial) world;--'the Expanse metre,'--the 'expanse' metre, doubtless, is the air; 'the Blissful metre,'--the 'blissful' metre, doubtless, is the sky;--'the Encircler metre,'--the 'encircler' metre, doubtless, is the regions;--'the Vestment metre,'--the 'vestment' metre, doubtless, is food;--'the Mind metre,'--the 'mind' metre, doubtless, is Pragâpati; 'the Extent metre,'--the 'extent' metre, doubtless, is yonder sun.

8:5:2:44. 'The Stream metre,'--the 'stream' metre, doubtless, is the breath;--'the Sea metre,'--the 'sea' metre, doubtless, is the mind;--'the Flood metre,'--the 'flood' metre, doubtless, is speech;--'the Kakubh (peak) metre,'--the 'Kakubh' metre, doubtless, is the out (and in)-breathing;--'the Three-peaked metre,'--the 'three-peaked' metre, doubtless, is the up-breathing;--'the Wisdom metre,'--the wisdom' metre, doubtless, is the threefold science;--'the Arikupa metre,'--the 'Arikupa 1' metre, doubtless, is the water;--'the Aksharapaṅkti metre,'--the Aksharapaṅkti (row of syllables) metre, doubtless, is yonder (heavenly) world;--'the Padapaṅkti metre,'--the Padapaṅkti (row of words or steps) metre, doubtless, is this (terrestrial) world;--'the Vishtârapaṅkti metre,'--the Vishtârapaṅkti (row of expansion) metre, doubtless, is the regions;--'the Bright Razor metre,'--the 'bright

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razor' metre, doubtless, is yonder sun;--'the Vestment metre, the Investment metre,'--the 'vestment' metre, doubtless, is food, and the 'investment' metre is food.

8:5:2:55. 'The Uniting metre,'--the 'uniting' metre, doubtless, is the night;--'the Separating metre,'--the 'separating' metre, doubtless, is the day;--'the Brihat metre,'--the 'brihat' (great) metre, doubtless, is yonder world;--'the Rathantara metre,'--the 'rathantara' metre, doubtless, is this world;--'the Troop metre,'--the 'troop' metre, doubtless, is the wind;--'the Yoke metre,'--the 'yoke' metre, doubtless, is the air;--'the Devourer metre,'--the 'devourer' metre, doubtless, is food;--'the Bright metre,'--the 'bright' metre, doubtless, is the fire;--'the Samstubh metre, the Anushtubh metre,'--the 'samstubh' metre, doubtless, is speech, and the 'anushtubh' metre is speech;--'the Course metre, the Expanse metre,'--the meaning of this has been explained.

8:5:2:66. 'The Strength metre,'--the 'strength' metre, doubtless, is food;--'the Strength-maker metre,' the 'strength-maker' metre, doubtless, is Agni (the fire);--'the Striver metre,'--the 'striver' metre, doubtless, is yonder world;--'the Ample metre,'--the 'ample' metre, doubtless, is this world;--'the Cover metre,'--the 'cover' metre, doubtless, is the air;--'the Unclimbable metre,'--the 'unclimbable' metre, doubtless, is yonder sun;--'the Slow metre,'--the 'slow' metre, doubtless, is the Paṅkti;--'the Aṅkâṅka metre,'--the 'aṅkâṅka 1' metre, doubtless, is water.

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8:5:2:77. Now of those which he lays down in front, the first is the out (and in)-breathing, the second the through-breathing, the third the up-breathing, the fourth the up-breathing, the fifth the through-breathing, the sixth the out-breathing, the seventh the out-breathing, the eighth the through-breathing, the ninth the up-breathing, and the tenth, in this case, is the Sacrificer himself: this same Sacrificer, being raised and firmly established on this Virâg (brick), made up of breath, lays down (bricks) extending both backward and forward, for the breathings move both backward and forward.

8:5:2:88. And of those on the right (south) side, the first is Agni (fire), the second Vâyu (the wind), the third Âditya (the sun), the fourth Âditya, the fifth Vâyu, the sixth Agni, the seventh Agni, the eighth Vâyu, the ninth Âditya, and the tenth, in this case, is the Sacrificer himself: this same Sacrificer, being raised and firmly established on this Virâg, made up of deities, puts on (bricks) extending both hitherwards and thitherwards, for those gods move both hitherwards and thitherwards.

8:5:2:99. And of those behind, the first is this (terrestrial) world, the second the air, the third the sky, the fourth the sky, the fifth the air, the sixth this world, the seventh this world, the eighth the air, the ninth the sky, and the tenth, in this case, is the Sacrificer himself: this same Sacrificer, being raised and firmly established on that Virâg made up of the worlds, lays down (bricks) extending both hitherwards and thitherwards;--whence these worlds extend both hitherwards and thitherwards.

8:5:2:1010. And of those on the left (north) side, the first is the summer, the second the rainy season, the

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third the winter, the fourth the winter, the fifth the rainy season, the sixth the summer, the seventh the summer, the eighth the rainy season, the ninth the winter, and the tenth, in this case, is the Sacrificer himself: this same Sacrificer, being raised and firmly established on that Virâg, made up of the seasons, lays down (bricks) extending both hitherwards and thitherwards;--whence those seasons move both hitherwards and thitherwards 1.

8:5:2:1111. And, again, those which he lays down in front are the vital airs. There are ten of them, for there are ten vital airs. He places them in the front part, for these vital airs are in the front part.

8:5:2:1212. And those on the right (south) side are the deities,--Agni, the Earth, Vâyu, the Air, Âditya, the Sky, Kandra (the moon), the Stars, Food, and Water.

8:5:2:1313. And those behind are the regions (quarters),--four regions, four intermediate regions, the upper region, and this (earth).

8:5:2:1414. And those on the left (north) side are the months,--two spring-months, two summer-months, two months of the rainy season, two autumn-months, and two winter-months.

8:5:2:1515. And, again, the first ten are this (terrestrial) world, the second the air, the third the sky. By the first set of ten they (the gods) ascended this (earth), by the second the air, by the third the sky; and in like manner does the Sacrificer now, by the first set of ten, ascend this (earth), by the second the air, and by the third the sky.

8:5:2:1616. This, then, is, as it were, an ascent away from

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here; but this (earth) is the foundation: the gods came back to this (earth), the foundation; and in like manner does the Sacrificer now come back to this (earth), the foundation. And that last set of ten is this world: hence, even as (takes place) that start from the first set of ten, so from the last; for this is the same,--those two sets of ten (the first and last) are this (terrestrial) world.

8:5:2:1717. Now these are forty bricks and forty formulas,--that makes eighty, and eighty (asîti) means food 1: thus whatever he now says that he makes to be food, asîti, and gives it him, and thereby gratifies him (Agni).


Footnotes

87:2 The Khandasyâ or Virâg bricks are laid down at the end of the spines, ten in each quarter.

88:1 A word of doubtful meaning (? drinking its own windings).

89:1 Another word of doubtful meaning (? winding-winding).

91:1 That is to say, they come and go.

92:1 The author apparently connects 'asîti' with the root 'as,' to eat.


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