Translator – Arthur Berriedale Keith
PRAPATHAKA I
The Special Animal Sacrifices
ii. 1. 1.
He who desires prosperity should offer a white (beast) to Vayu; Vayu is the swiftest deity; verily he has recourse to him with his own share; verily he makes him attain prosperity; he prospers. ‘He is an overswift deity,’ they say, ‘he has power to burn him up.’ This (beast) he should offer to Vayu of the team; the team is his support; verily, being supported he attains prosperity to avoid being burnt; he prospers [1]. He who desires a village should offer to Vayu of the team; Vayu leads these creatures tied by the nose; verily he has recourse to Vayu of the team with his own share; verily he assigns him creatures led by the nose; he becomes possessed of a village. It is offered to (Vayu) of the team; verily he makes creatures abide steadfast with him. He who desires offspring should offer to Vayu of the team; Vayu is expiration, the team is inspiration; expiration and inspiration depart from the offspring of him [2] who being fit for offspring yet obtains not offspring. Verily he has recourse to Vayu of the team with his own share; verily he for him begets offspring by means of expiration and inspiration; he obtains offspring. He who has long been ill should offer to Vayu of the team; Vayu is expiration, the team is inspiration, expiration and inspiration depart from him whose illness is long. Verily he has recourse to Vayu of the team with his own share [3], he bestows on him expiration and inspiration; even if his life be gone, he yet lives. Prajapati was here alone; he desired, ‘May I create offspring and cattle’; he took out from his body the omentum, and placed it in the fire. The hornless goat then came to life; he offered it to its own deity; then did he create offspring and cattle. He who desires offspring [4] and cattle should offer to Prajapati a hornless goat. Verily he has recourse to Prajapati with his own share; verily he begets for him offspring and cattle. The beard is the characteristic of man, the lack of horns of the horse, having incisors on one side only that of cattle, having sheep-like hooves that of sheep, the goat-nature that of goats; so many are the domesticated animals; verily by their characteristics he wins them [5]. He who desires cattle should offer one of a triplet to Soma and Pusan; the she-goat has two teats, two are born separately, the third for strength and growth. Verily he has recourse to Soma and Pusan with their own share; verily they produce cattle for him; Soma is the depositor of seed, Pusan the producer of cattle; Soma deposits seeds for him, Pusan produces cattle. The sacrificial post is of Udumbara; the Udumbara is strength, cattle are strength; verily by strength he wins for him strength and cattle.
ii. 1. 2.
Prajapati created offspring; they being created went away from him; they went to Varuna; he pursued them and asked them back; he would not give them back to him; he said, ‘Choose a boon, and then give them back to me.’ He chose a boon from them, it was the black (beast) with one white foot. He who is seized by Varuna should offer this black (beast) with one white foot to Varuna. Verily he has recourse to Varuna [1] with his own share; verily he sets him free from Varuna’s noose. It is a black (beast) with one white hoof, for it has Varuna for its deity (and serves) for prosperity. Svarbhanu, the Asura, pierced the sun with darkness; the gods desired an atonement for him; the first darkness of his they struck off became a black sheep; the second a bright-coloured one; the third a white one; what they cut from the upper part of the bone became a barren ewe [2]. The gods said, ‘Here has come into being a divine beast; to whom shall we offer him?’ Now then the earth was small, plants were not born, they offered the barren ewe to the Adityas as desire.’ Then the earth became broad, the plants grew. He who desires, ‘May I be extended with cattle, with offspring be propagated’ should offer this barren ewe to the Adityas as desire [3]. Verily he has recourse to the Adityas as desire with their own share; verily they extend him with cattle and propagate him with offspring. Yonder sun did not shine; the gods desired an atonement for him; for him they offered these dewlapped (beasts), to Agni one with a black neck, to Indra one of different colours, to Brhaspati a white one; verily by means of them they restored his brilliance, For him who desires splendour he should offer dewlapped (beasts) [4], to Agni one with a black neck, to Indra one of different colours, to Brhaspati a white one. Verily he has recourse to these deities with their own share; verily they bestow splendour upon him; he becomes resplendent. In the spring in the morning should he offer (the beast) with a black neck to Agni; in the summer at midday (the beast) of different colours to Indra; in the autumn in the after noon the white (beast) to Brhaspati. These are the brilliances of the sun, in the spring in the morning, in the summer at midday, in the autumn in the afternoon; verily he wins whatever brilliances there are [5]. They are offered in the course of the year; the year is the giver of splendour; verily the year gives him splendour; he becomes resplendent. They are (beasts) with young; the foetus is power; verily he bestows power upon him. He who being master of uttering speech cannot speak properly should offer a ewe to Sarasvati; Sarasvati is speech; verily he has recourse to Sarasvati with her own share, she bestows on him [6] speech, and he becomes an utterer of speech. Its teeth are complete; therefore men utter speech whole. He who is long ill should offer to Agni (a beast) with black neck, and a brown (beast) to Soma; the body of him whose illness is long goes to Agni, the sap to Soma; verily he ransoms from Agni his body, from Soma his sap, and even if his life is gone, yet he lives. He who desires offspring should offer to Soma a brown (beast), and to Agni one with a black neck; Soma [7] is the depositor of seed, Agni the producer of offspring; verily Soma deposits seed for him, Agni produces offspring; he obtains offspring. The Brahman who despite study does not win fame should offer to Agni (a beast) with a black neck, and to Soma a brown (one); in that (the beast) is offered to Agni, thereby he places brilliance in him; in that (the beast) is offered to Soma, thereby (be places) splendour. The one with a black neck is for Agni; verily he drives away the darkness from him: it is white [8]; verily he bestows brilliance on him. There is a brown one for Soma; verily he bestows splendour and radiance on him. He who has a dispute for a Purohitaship should offer (a beast) with a black neck to Agni, a brown one to Soma, and one with a black neck to Agni; the Brahman is connected with Agni, the prince with Soma; on either side of (the beast) for Soma there is one for Agni; verily with brilliance, with the Brahman, he seizes on either side the kingdom, and forthwith appropriates it; they choose him as Purohita.
ii. 1. 3.
The gods and the Asuras strove for these worlds; Visnu saw this dwarf, he offered it to its own deity; then he conquered these worlds. One who is engaged in a struggle should offer a dwarf (beast) to Visnu; then he becomes Visnu and conquers these worlds. He should offer on an uneven (place), for these worlds are uneven as it were; (verily it serves) for prosperity. He who is engaged in a contest should offer (a beast) with a spot on its forehead and horns bent forward to Indra, the angry, the wise [1]. By power (indriyá), by anger, by wisdom, one wins a contest. Verily he has recourse to Indra, the angry, the wise, with his own share; verily he bestows on him power, anger, wisdom; he wins that contest. He who desires a village should offer (a beast) with dappled thighs to Indra with the Maruts. Verily he has recourse to Indra with the Maruts with his own share; verily he subdues his relatives to him; he becomes possessed of a village. In that it is an ox [2], it is Indra’s; in that it is dappled, it is of the Maruts, for pros perity. It has dappled thighs behind; verily he makes the folk dependent on him. He who desires food should offer a brown (beast) to Soma; food is connected with Soma; verily he has recourse to Soma with his own share; he bestows food on him; verily he becomes an eater of food. It is brown; that is the colour of food; (verily it serves) for prosperity. He who being meet for kingship obtains not a kingdom should offer a brown (beast) to Soma [3]; the kingdom is connected with Soma; verily he has recourse to Soma with his own share; Soma bestows on him a kingdom; the kingdom comes to him. It is brown, that is the colour of Soma; (verily it serves) for prosperity. He whose prosperity is gone and who desires support should offer (a beast) with a spot on the forehead and horns bent forward to Indra, the conqueror of Vrtra; verily he overcomes the evil foe and attains support. ‘He who is seized by evil should offer (a beast) with a spot on the forehead and horns bent forward to Indra, the overcomer of enemies [4]; the enemy is the evil; verily he has recourse to Indra, the overcomer of enemies with his own share, and he drives away from him the enemy, the evil. He who being meet for kingship obtains not a kingdom should offer (a beast) with a spot on the forehead and horns bent forward to Indra of the thunderbolt. Verily he has recourse to Indra of the thunderbolt with his own share; he bestows his thunderbolt on him, the bolt kindles him for prosperity, the kingdom comes to him. It has a spot on its forehead and horns bent for ward, that is the shape of the bolt, (and so it serves) for prosperity.
ii. 1. 4.
Yonder sun did not shine; the gods desired an atonement for him; for him they offered this offering of ten bulls; verily thereby they restored his brilliance. For him who desires splendour he should offer this offering of ten bulls; verily he has recourse to yonder sun with his own share; verily he bestows on him splendour; he becomes resplendent. He should offer in the spring in the morning three with spots on the forehead; in the summer at midday [1] three with white backs; in the autumn in the afternoon three with white tails. Three are the brilliances of the sun, in the spring in the morning; in the summer at midday; in the autumn in the afternoon; verily he wins whatever brilliances there are. They are offered in sets of three; verily in order he bestows brilliance on him. They are offered in the course of the year; the year is the giver of splendour; verily the year gives him splendour; he becomes resplendent. At the end of the year he should offer a reddish brown one to Prajapati [2] all the gods are Prajapati; verily he rests on all the gods. If he fears, ‘I shall become diseased in the skin,’ he should offer a dark (beast) to Soma and Pusan; man has Soma as his deity, cattle have Pusan; verily by his own deity, by cattle, he makes a skin for him; be does not become diseased in the skin. The gods and Yama were at strife over this world; Yama appropriated (ayuvata) the power and strength of the gods; therefore Yama has his name [3]. The gods reflected, ‘Yama here has become what we are.’ They had recourse to Prajapati. Prajapati from his body fashioned out the bull and the cow; the gods offered a cow to Visnu and to Varuna, a bull to Indra; they caused him to be seized by Varuna and by Visnu, the sacrifice, they drove him away; his power they appropriated by means of that for Indra. He who has foes should in strife offer to Visnu and Varuna a cow [4], to Indra a bull; verily causing his foe to be seized by Varuna, by Visnu, the sacrifice, he drives him away, he appropriates his power by means of that for Indra, he prospers, his foe is defeated. Indra slew Vrtra; him Vrtra slain bound with sixteen coils; from the head of Vrtra came out cows, they were (cows) of Videha; behind them came the bull. It Indra [5] perceived; he reflected, ‘He who shall offer him shall be freed from this evil’; he offered to Agni one with a black neck, to Indra a bull. Agni, being approached with his own share, burned into sixteen pieces the coils of Vrtra, and by (the offering) to Indra he bestowed power on himself. He who is seized by evil should offer (a beast) with a black neck to Agni, and a bull to Indra; verily Agni, being approached with his own share [6], burns away his evil, and by (the offering) to Indra he bestows power on himself, he is freed from the evil, he prospers. He who is long in exile should offer a cow to sky and earth; for he is not established in them; verily also he who is long in exile has recourse to sky and earth with their own share; verily they establish them; he is established. It is one which is long in labour, for Iong in labour as it were is the kingdom of him who is long in exile; (verily it serves) for prosperity. To Vayu [7] he should offer a calf; Vayu is their calf; these worlds are barren for him, the people are barren; verily also he who is long in exile has recourse to Vayu with his own share; verily Vayu causes these worlds and the people to give to him; these worlds drop milk for him; the people wait upon him in service.
ii. 1. 5.
Indra opened the hole of Vrtra; the topmost cattle he grasped by the back and pulled out; a thousand cattle followed it, it became hump backed. He who desires cattle should offer this humpbacked (one) to Indra; verily he has recourse to Indra with his own share; verily he bestows cattle upon him; he becomes possessed of cattle. It is humpbacked [1]; the hump backed is fortune a thousandfold; verily by fortune he wins cattle. When he obtains a thousand cattle, he should offer a dwarf (beast) to Visnu; upon it the thousand rested; therefore the dwarf, stretched out, affords support to cattle when born. ‘Who can obtain a thousand cattle?’ they say; verily he should make up a thousand days and nights and sacrifice. The days and nights [2] are cattle; verily he gives support to cattle when born. He who desires offspring should offer a barren cow to the plants, the plants hinder him from offspring who being fit for offspring does not obtain offspring; the plants indeed destroy the pregnancy of that one which becomes barren, verily he has recourse to the plants with their own share; verily they from his own self beget him offspring; he obtains offspring [3]. The plants are the waters, man is what is not; verily the waters give him being from non-existence; therefore they say, both he who knows thus and who (knows) not, ‘The waters verily give being from non-existence.’ He who desires prosperity should offer to Indra (a cow) which is barren after one birth; he is unborn who being fit for prosperity obtains it not; the (cow) became barren after bearing Indra, [4]; verily he has recourse to Indra with his own share; verily he causes him to attain prosperity; he prospers. He should offer to Indra (the calf) through bearing which (the cow) became barren; that indeed is power (indriyá); verily straightway he obtains power. He whose ancestors and himself for three generations have not drunk Soma should offer (a bull) which has again been let loose to Indra and Agni; the Soma drinking of a Brahman is interrupted if his ancestors and himself for three generations have not drunk Soma [5]; verily he has recourse to Indra and Agni with their own share; verily they bestow on him the drinking of Soma, the drinking of Soma comes to him. In that it is offered to Indra, the Soma drink is power; verily he wins power, the Soma-drink. In that it is offered to Agni, the Brahman is connected with Agni, verily he continues his own deity. It is let loose again, for his drinking of Soma is as it were let loose again [6]; (verily it serves) for prosperity. When practising witchcraft, he should offer a hornless (beast) to Brahmanaspati; verily he has recourse to Brahmanaspati with his own share; verily he cuts him down to him; swiftly he reaches destruction. It is a hornless one; prosperity is razor-edged; in that it is hornless, (it serves) for prosperity. The sacrificial post is shaped like a wooden sword; the wooden sword is a thunderbolt; verily he hurls a thunderbolt against him; the strew is made of Çara grass; verily he crushes him; the kindling-wood is of Vibhidaka; verily he splits him.
