1. Being about to build Agni (the fire-altar), he takes him up into his own self; for from out of his own self he causes him to be born, and wherefrom one is born, suchlike he becomes. Now were he to build up Agni without taking him up into his own self, he would beget man from man, mortal from mortal, one not freed from sin from one not freed from sin; but when he builds up Agni after taking him up into his own self, he causes Agni to be born from Agni, the immortal from the immortal, the sinless from the sinless.
2. He takes him in (by muttering, Vâg. S. X III, 1), 'Within me I first take Agni,' he thereby first takes Agni into his own self;--'for increase of wealth, for healthy progeny, for vigorous manhood!' and hereby he takes all blessings to himself;--'and may the deities stand by me!' and hereby he takes all the gods to himself; and thus he takes into his own self all that he is about to generate from his own self. Having taken Agni
4. They sang that 'true hymn' at the outset, and thus made the truth his (Agni's) mouth; and they became the truth; the truth turned unto them, and true became that wish of theirs for which they performed this rite.
5. And in like manner when the Sacrificer now, at the outset, sings the 'true hymn,' he thereby makes the truth his (Agni's) mouth; and he (himself) becomes the truth; and truth turns unto him; and true becomes that wish of his for which he performs this rite.
6. Now that truth is the same as the waters, for the waters are the truth. Hence they say, 'Whereby 2 the waters flow, that is a form of the truth.' It is the waters indeed that were made first of this universe: hence when the waters (rains) flow, then everything whatsoever exists is produced here.
7. He then puts down a lotus-leaf (in the centre of
9. [He lays it down, with Vâg. S. XIII, 2] 'The waters’ back thou art, the womb of Agni,' for this earth is indeed the back of the waters, and the womb of Agni;--'around the swelling ocean,' for the ocean indeed swells around this earth;--'growing great on the lotus,' that is, 'growing, flourish thou on the lotus;'--'spread out with the extent, with the breadth, of the sky!' with this he strokes along (the leaf),--for this Agni is yonder sun, and no other extent but that of the sky is able to contain him: he thus says (to the leaf), Having become the sky, contain him! He lays it down with a Svarâg verse, for self-rule (svârâgya) belongs to the waters. Having 'settled' it, he pronounces the Sûdadohas 1 upon it: the significance of this has been explained.
10. He then puts the gold plate 2 thereon. Now
12. And, again, why he puts it on the lotus-leaf;--the lotus-leaf is a foundation, for the lotus-leaf is this earth, and this earth is the foundation: he who is not settled on this earth, is unsettled even as one who is far away. Now by means of his rays that (sun) is settled on this earth: he thus settles him (Agni) on this earth, as his foundation.
13. And, again, why he puts it on the lotus-leaf. When Indra had smitten Vritra, he, thinking that he had not laid him low, entered the waters. He said to them, 'I am afraid: make ye a stronghold for me!' Now what essence of the waters there was that they gathered upwards (on the surface), and made it a stronghold for him; and because they made (kar) a stronghold (pûh) for him, therefore it is 'pûshkara;' 'pûshkara' being what is mystically called 'push-kara' (lotus-leaf), for the gods love the mystic. Now when he puts it (the gold plate) on the lotus-leaf, he then establishes him (Agni) in that essence which the waters gathered together for him (Indra), and in that stronghold which they made for him.
14. [He puts it down, with Vâg. S. XIII, 3]
15. He then lays the (gold) man thereon,--he is Pragâpati, he is Agni, he is the Sacrificer. He is made of gold, for gold is light, and fire is light; gold is immortality, and fire is immortality. It is a man (purusha), for Pragâpati is the Man.
17. He lays him on the gold plate, for the gold plate is yonder sun: that same man who is in that (sun's) disk, it is him he now lays down (on the altar).
18. He lays him down on his back 1;--for the gods at that time said, 'If we lay down these two 2 both looking hitherwards, they will burn up everything here; and if (we lay) both so as to be turned away from here, they will give warmth only in the opposite direction; and if facing each other, then there will be light only between those two, and they will injure each other.' They laid down the one so as to look hitherwards, and the other so as to look away from here: that one (the sun), the gold disk, looking downwards, gives warmth by his rays, and
19. [He lays him down, with Vâg. S. XIII, 4; Rik S. X, 121, 1] 'Hiranyagarbha came first into existence,' for that golden child did come first into existence;--'born he was the one lord of being;' for he indeed was born as the one lord of all this being;--'he upholdeth this earth and the sky,' for he (the sun) does uphold both the sky and the earth;--'to the god Ka let us do homage by offering!' Ka (Who?) is Pragâpati: thus, 'let us do homage to Him by offering!'
20. [Vâg. S. XIII, 5; Rik S. X, 17, 11] 'The drop leaped along the earth and sky;' the drop is yonder sun, and he leaps both to the sky and to the earth--thus (in rising) to that (sky), and thus (in setting) to this (earth);--'along this seat, and that which was afore;' that is, to this world, and to that one; or this (Âhavanîya altar) which is now being built, and that (Gârhapatya altar) which yonder was built before;--'(the drop) moving along the common seat;' for he (the sun) moves along that common seat;--'the drop I offer along the seven hotrâs;' the drop is yonder sun; and the seven hotrâs are the regions: he thus establishes yonder sun in the regions.
21. With two (verses) he lays him down;--two-footed is the Sacrificer, and the Sacrificer is Agni: as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, with so much he thus lays him down;--with two trishtubh
23. They said, 'Think ye upon this, how we may put vigour into this man!' They said, 'Meditate ye (ketay)!' whereby, doubtless, they meant to say, 'Seek ye to build up (kitim ish)! seek ye how we shall put vigour into this man!'
24. Whilst meditating, they saw this Sâman, and sang it, and thereby put vigour into him; and in like manner does this (Sacrificer) thereby put it into him: he sings on the man, he puts vigour into the man;--he sings on the bright one 1, for Agni is all bright things. After he has laid him down, let him not walk round him in front, lest that Agni should injure him.
25. He (the Sacrificer) then stands by (the gold man) worshipping him with the Sarpanâma (serpent-named) formulas. The serpents doubtless are these worlds, for these glide along (sarp) with everything here whatsoever there is; and Agni is no other than the self (body) of all the gods. They, the gods, having laid down (on the altar) that self of theirs, were afraid lest these worlds should glide away with that self of theirs.
26. They saw those Sarpanâma and worshipped with them; by these (verses) they stopped these worlds for him, and caused them to bend themselves; and because they caused them to bend (nam) themselves,
28. [Vâg. S. XIII, 6-8] 'Homage be to the serpents, whichever are on earth, and they that are in the air, and they that are in the sky, to those serpents be homage!' whatever serpents there are in these three worlds to them he thereby does homage.
29. 'They that are the darts of demons,' for some (of the serpents), sent by demons, bite;--'and those on the trees, and those which lie in holes, to those serpents be homage!' he thereby does homage to the serpents that lie both in trees, and in holes.
30. 'Or those that are in the luminous sphere of the sky; or those in the rays of the sun; those by which abode is made in the waters, to those serpents be homage!' he hereby does homage to them wheresoever they are. He does so by 'homage, homage,' for homage is sacrifice (worship): by sacrifice, by homage, he thus worships them. Let him therefore not say 'homage be to thee,' to one not worthy of sacrifice, for it
32. Thereupon, having sat down he offers on (the gold man) with fivefold-taken ghee,--the significance of this has been explained. On each side (of the fire he offers), moving round: he thus gratifies him (Agni) with food from all quarters.
33. And, again, why he offers thereon. The gods, having laid down that body of theirs, now were afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, should smite that (body) of theirs. They saw those Rakshas-killing counter-charms 1,--(Vâg. S. XIII, 9-13; Rik S. IV, 4, I-5),
35. Behind the altar (he offers) while seated with his face towards the east; then on the left (north) side (looking) to the south; then in front (looking) to the west; then going round behind, (he offers) on the right (south) side while sitting with his face towards the north. Thus (he moves) to the right, for
36. He then lays down two offering-spoons,--the offering-spoons are arms 2: it is his arms he thus restores to him (Agni). And as to why offering-spoons (are laid down), it is because the arms are offering-spoons,--that bowl and the handle are two, for there are two of these arms. He lays them down at the (left and right) sides, for these arms (of ours) are at the sides.
37. On the right (south) side he lays down one of kârshmarya (gmelina arborea) wood. For at that time the gods were afraid lest the Rakshas, the fiends, should destroy their sacrifice from the south. They saw that Rakshas-killing tree, the Kârshmarya: having by that tree repelled the Rakshas, the fiends, on the south, they spread that sacrifice in a place free from danger and devilry. And in like manner the Sacrificer, having by that tree repelled the Rakshas, the fiends, on the south, now spreads that sacrifice in a place free from danger and devilry. It (the spoon) is filled with ghee;--the ghee is a thunderbolt: it is by the thunderbolt he thus repels the Rakshas, the fiends, on the south.
38. On the left (north) side he then lays down one of udumbara (ficus glomerata) wood; for the Udumbara means strength, life-sap: strength, life-sap he thus puts into him. It is filled with sour
40. He (Pragâpati) said to those two, 'Come ye to me, and put back into me that (substance) of mine wherewith ye have gone off!'--'Well then, bestow thou all food here on us two!' they said.--'Well then, join me, becoming these two arms of mine!'--'So be it!' He bestowed all food on them, and they joined him, becoming those two arms of his: hence it is by the arms that food is made, and by means of the arms that it is eaten, for he (Pragâpati) bestowed all food on the two arms.
41. The kârshmarya one he lays down on the right side, with (Vâg. S. XIII, 13), 'By Agni's fiery spirit I settle thee!'--that fiery spirit of his (Pragâpati's) which Agni then took and carried off to the south, he now puts back into him.--'Agni, the head, the summit of the sky, he, the lord of the earth, animates the seeds of the waters,' for Agni indeed is this (spoon). With a Gâyatrî verse (he performs),--Agni is Gâyatra: as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, with so much he thus lays down that (spoon). It is filled with ghee, for ghee belongs to Agni: with his own share, with his own life-sap he thus gratifies him.
42. He then lays down the udumbara one on the
45. As to this they say, 'Let him make no arms to this (gold) man 1, lest he should cause him to be redundant; for these two spoons are (in lieu of) his arms.' Let him nevertheless make (him with arms), for those two spoons are (merely) after the manner of the two arms. Moreover, those two (arms of Agni) are wings; and whatever forms, whatever stomas, whatever prishthas, whatever metres he will be applying to that fire-altar, that will be the perfection, that will be the growth of those two: let him therefore make arms to that (gold) man.
363:1 Probably Sâma-v. S. I, 99 (Rik S. I, 69, 4), 'O Agni, lord of bovine food, child of strength, grant unto us, O knower of beings, great glory!' See Weber, Ind. Stud. XII, p. 148, note 2.
363:2 ? Or, in that (or because, yena) the waters flow,--that is to say, the flowing of the waters (rain, &c.) is a manifestation of eternal truth.
364:2 Viz., the one the Sacrificer wore round his neck during the initiation period. See VI, 7, 1, 1 seq.
366:1 'Sîmatah' would rather seem to mean 'from the boundary line,' but the author here takes 'sîman' in the sense of (sîmanta) 'hair-line, parting of the hair, crown of the head (Scheitel).'
366:2 In the Sanskrit participial (or gerundial) construction, the relation between the primary and secondary notions is usually the reverse of ours,--thus 'he rises in overspreading.'
366:3 It is usually with Indra that the Trishtubh metre is connected--see part i, introduction, p. xviii; Sat. Br. IX, 4, 3, 7 (cf. VIII, 5, 1, 10)--the Trishtubh being also the emblem of the nobility (III, 4, 1, 10).
367:1 Professor Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, p. 249, takes 'uttânam' in the sense of 'standing erect,' with his face towards the east; but this surely must be a mistake.
367:2 Viz. both the gold plate (the sun), which was laid down with the embossed or front side downwards, and the gold man.
368:1 Cf. VI, 7, 1, 11, where it is said that the immortal part of the vital air of man streams out by upward breathings. Cf. p. 359, n. 1.
369:1 That is, he sings the Kitra-sâman, Sâma-v. I, 169 (Vâg. S. XXVII, 39), 'With what favour will the bright one, the ever-growing friend, be with us; with what mightiest host?'
371:1 See p. 53, note 2. In the present instance, the sacrificial formulas themselves constitute these charms. The five verses, only the first pâda of the first of which is given in the text, are as follows:--
1. Put forth thy power as (if it were) a broad host (or, net); go forth, like a mighty king with his following, following up the swift host! An archer thou art: pierce the Rakshas with thy fieriest (darts).
2. Swiftly fly thy whirling (darts): fiercely burning attack thou boldly! Unfettered, O Agni, with thy tongue pour forth on all sides winged flames and firebrands.
3. Thou, the most rapid, send forth thy spies: be thou an undaunted protector to this people (from him) who planneth evil against us from afar or from near by; O Agni, let none dare to attack us without thy cognizance.
4. Rise, O Agni, spread thyself out, and burn down the foes, O sharp-darted: whosoever hath done us injury, burn him down, O flaming one, like dry brushwood.
373:2 They are indeed of an arm's length, with bowls of the shape and size of the hand, see part i, p. 67, note 2.
375:1 There seems to be considerable difference of opinion between Kâtyâyana and Sâyana regarding this point of the ceremonial. The gold man lies stretched out on his back with his head towards the east. According to Kâtyâyana, XVII, 4, 10, he (the Sacrificer) is to lie down so as to cover the gold man, but without actually touching him with his breast, and at the extreme end of where the arms touch (the ground) he is to make two marks, where the spoons are then to be laid down with the bowl towards the east. Sâyana,
376:1 That is to say, Let it be a gold statuette without arms.
