Whoso will know Prayer with immediate knowledge, whose mem-
bers are the stuff, whose spine the verses:
Whose hairs are psalms, whose heart is called the Yajus, whose
coverlet is verily oblation—
Verily when a host looks at his guests he looks at the place of
sacrifice to the Gods.
When he salutes them reverently he undergoes preparation for
a religious ceremony: when he calls for water, he solemnly
brings sacrificial water.
The water that is solemnly brought at a sacrifice is this same
water.
The libation which they bring; the sacrificial victim dedicated
to Agni and Soma which is tied to the post, that, verily, is
this man.
When they arrange dwelling-rooms they arrange the sacred
chamber and the shed for housing the Soma cars.
What they spread upon the floor is just Sacrificial Grass.
With the couch that the men bring, he wins for himself the
world of Svarga.
The pillow-coverings that they bring are the green sticks that
surround the sacrificial altar.
The ointment that they bring for injunction is just clarified
liquid butter.
The food they bring before the general distribution represents
the two sacrificial cakes of rice meal.
When they call the man who prepares food they summon the
preparer of oblation.
The grains of rice and barley that are selected are just filaments
of the Soma plant.
The pestle and mortar are really the stones of the Soma press.
The winnowing-basket is the filter, the chaff the Soma dregs,
the water, the pressing-gear.
Spoon, ladle, fork, stirring-prong are the wooden Soma tubs;
the earthen cooking-pots are the mortar-shaped Soma
vessels; this earth is just the black-antelope's skin.
Or the host acts in this way to a Yajamāna's Brāhman: when
he looks at the furniture and utensils he says, More here t
yet more here.
When he says, Bring out more, he lengthens his life thereby.
He brings oblations: he makes the men sit down.
As the guest of the seated company he himself offers up
sacrifice.
With ladle, with hand, in life, at the sacrificial post, with cry of
Ladle! with exclamation of Vashat!
Now these guests, as priests beloved or not beloved, bring one
to the world of Svarga.
He who hath this knowledge should not eat hating, should not
eat the food of one who hates him, nor of one who is doubt-
ful, nor of one who is undecided.
This man whose food they eat hath all his wickedness blotted
out.
All that man's sin whose food they do not eat remains unblot-
ted out.
The man who supplies food hath always pressing stones adjusted,
a wet Soma filter, well prepared religious rites, and mental
power to complete the arranged sacrifice.
The arranged sacrifice of the man who offers food is a sacrifice
to Prajāpati.
The man who offers food follows the steps of Prajāpati.
The fire of the guests is the Āhavaniya, the fire in the dwelling
is the Gārhapatya, that whereon they cook food is the South-
ern Sacrificial Fire.
Now that man who eats before the guest eats up the sacrifice
and the merit of the house.
He devours the milk and the sap:
And the vigour and prosperity.
And the progeny and the cattle:
And the fame and reputation.
The man who eats before the guest eats up the glory and the
understanding of the house.
The man should not eat before the guest who is a Brāhman
versed in holy lore.
When the guest hath eaten he should eat. This is the rule for
the animation of the sacrifice and the preservation of its
continuity.
Now the sweetest portion, the produce of the cow, milk, or
flesh, that verily he should not eat.
The man who having this knowledge pours out milk and offers
it wins for himself as much thereby as he gains by the perfor-
mance of a very successful Agnishtoma sacrifice.
The man who having this knowledge pours out clarified butter
and offers it wins for himself thereby as much as he gains by
the performance of a very successful Atirātra sacrifice.
He who pours out mead and offers it wins for himself thereby
as much as he gains by the performance of a very successful
Sattrasadya sacrifice.
He who having this knowledge besprinkles flesh and offers it
wins for himself thereby as much as he gains by the perfor-
mance of a very successful Twelve-Day sacrifice.
The man who having this knowledge pours out water and offers
it obtains a resting-place for the procreation of living beings
and becomes dear to living beings, even the man who having
this knowledge pours out water and offers it.
For him Dawn murmurs, and Savitar sings the prelude; Brihas-
pati chants with vigour, and Tvashtar joins in with increase;
the Visve Devāh take up conclusion. He who hath this know-
ledge is the abiding-place of welfare, of progeny, and of
cattle.
For him the rising Sun murmurs, and Early Morning sings the
prelude; Noon chants the psalm, Afternoon joins in; the
setting Sun takes up the conclusion. He who hath this know-
ledge is the abiding place of welfare, of progeny, and of
cattle.
For him the Rain-cloud murmurs when present, sings the pre-
lude when thundering, joins in when lightening, chants the
psalm when raining, and takes up the conclusion when it stays
the downpour. He who hath this knowledge is the abiding-
place of welfare, of progeny, and of cattle.
He looks at the guests, he utters a gentle sound; he speaks, he
signs the prelude; he calls for water, he chants the psalm; he
offers the residue of the sacrifice, he takes up the conclusion.
When he summons the door-keeper he gives instruction.
He (the door-keeper) pronounces the sacrificial formula in his
answer to what he hears.
When the attendants with vessels in their hands, foremost and
hindmost, come in, they are just the priests who manage the
Soma cups.
Not one of them is incompetent to sacrifice.
Or if the host, having offered food to his guest, goes up to the
house, he virtually enters the bath of purification.
When he distributes food he distributes priestly fees; what he
performs he asks as favour.
He having been invited on earth, regales, invited in that, which
wears all various forms on earth.
He, having been invited in air, regales, invited, in that which
wears all various forms in air.
He having been invited in the sky, regales, invited, in that which
wears all various forms in the sky.
He, having been invited among the gods, regales, invited in that
which wears all various forms among the Gods.
He, having been invited in the worlds, regales, invited, in that
which wears all various forms in the worlds.
He, having been invited hath been invited.
He gains this world and the world yonder.
He who hath this knowledge wins the luminous spheres.
