1. Verily, his fiery spirit, his energy, or vital power, depart from him whom Soma purges either upwards or downwards.
2. As to this they say, 'Truly, the Soma-juice is the Brâhmana's food; and, indeed, it is not owing to Soma when a Brâhmana vomits Soma; and he who vomits Soma is one who, whilst being fit to (gain) prosperity, does not gain prosperity, and who, whilst being fit to (gain) cattle, does not gain cattle 1, for Soma is cattle.'
3. Let him seize for sacrifice that grey (he-goat) of the Asvins, the ram of Sarasvatî, and the bull of Indra; for the Asvins are the physicians of the gods, and it is by them that he heals this (Sacrificer); and Sarasvatî is healing medicine, and it is with her help that he prepares medicine for him; and Indra is energy (indriya), or vital power, and it is with his help that he bestows energy, or vital power, on this (Sacrificer).
4. The two Asvins, indeed, are the eyesight,
6. Indra is speech, strength; and inasmuch as there is (a victim) sacred to Indra, he bestows speech, strength, on this (Sacrificer); and mind also, for one and the same are speech and mind.
7. 'He-goats are sacred to the Asvins, ewes to Sarasvatî, and cows (and bulls) to Indra,' they say: if these animals are sacrificed, he, by means of those deities, gains those (three) animals.
8. There is a mare with a foal 1: the one-hoofed (animal),glory, he thereby secures (for the Sacrificer 2). There are hairs of wild beasts 3, for the purpose of securing the wild beasts;--there are hairs of wolf: vigour, the impetuous rush of wild beasts, he thereby secures;--there are hairs of tiger: courage, the sway of wild beasts, he thereby secures;--there are hairs
10. With lead he buys 2 the malted rice, with (sheep's) wool the malted barley, with thread the (fried) rice-grain,--that lead is a form of both iron and gold, and the Sautrâmanî is both an ishti-offering and an animal sacrifice, so that he thereby secures both of these.
11. With wool and thread 3 he buys,--this, to wit, wool and thread, is women's work; and work, indeed, means energy, or vital power, and this latter is extinct in women: he thus secures (for the Sacrificer) that energy, or vital power, which is extinct in women.
12. Here now, other Adhvaryus buy the malted rice with lead from a eunuch, saying, 'That is that 4; for the eunuch is neither woman nor man, and the
14. There is an asvattha (ficus religiosa) vessel: honour he thereby secures. There is an udumbara (ficus glomerata) one: force he thereby secures. There is a nyagrodha (ficus indica) one: sweet drink he thereby secures. There are (earthen) pots (sthâlî): the food of the earth he thereby secures.
15. There are supernumerary 3 (vessels) of palâsa
16. As to this they say, 'The victims have one set of deities, and the cakes another set of deities: this is an improper performance 2; how does it become right and proper?' To Indra belongs the last of the victims, and to Indra the first of the cakes; and Indra, indeed, is energy (indriya), or vital power: through (Indra's) energy he thus confers on him energy, or vital power; and through (Indra's) energy he secures energy, or vital power.
17. There is a cake to Savitri for him to become impelled by Savitri; and one to Varuna, for it is Varuna that seizes him who is seized by evil: through Varuna he thus delivers him from Varuna's power;--it is the final (cake): he thus delivers him finally from Varuna's noose.
18. Indra's (cake) is one on eleven potsherds, in order that he may secure (Indra's) energy, or vital
20. Varuna's (cake) is one on ten potsherds, for the Virâg consists of ten syllables, and Varuna is Virâg (the widely ruling), the lord of food: through Varuna he thus secures food for him. In the middle (of the sacrifice) they proceed with (the offering of) these cakes, for the centre means their (mother's) womb: he thus causes them to be produced from their own (mother's) womb.
21. A mare with a foal is the sacrificial fee, for such a (mare) produces both the horse and the mule, and the Sautrâmanî is both an ishti-offering and an animal sacrifice: thus it is so in order that he may secure both of these.
217:1 According to Kâty. XIX, 1, 4, the Sautrâmanî may also be performed by one who finds himself in the unfortunate position here referred to; as also (acc. to ib. 3) by a king who has been deprived of his kingdom.
218:1 According to XII, 9, 2, 11, a milch cow with her calf are given as dakshinâ for the two paps offered to Aditi, whilst a mare and foal, according to XII, 7, 2, 21, are the fee for the offering of the three victims; though Kâtyâyana, it is true, makes no mention of this dakshinâ.
218:2 Or, perhaps, he (the Sacrificer) secures for himself; but see paragraph 15, 'asmai avarunddhe.'
218:3 Hairs of a wolf, tiger, and lion are put into the cups of spirituous liquor from which libations are made.
219:1 That is, rice and barley grain that has germinated, and subsequently become dry.
219:2 As on the occasion of the purchase of Soma-plants (part ii, p. 63 seq.), the bargain is effected near the antahpâtya-peg at the back of the Vedi, where an ox-hide is spread for the purpose; the Adhvaryu asking the seller, 'Seller of Surâ and Soma, hast thou Surâ and Soma for sale?'
219:3 Thus 'ûrnâ-sûtram' is to be resolved, according to Kâty. XIX, 1, 18; the wool being used for buying malted barley, and the thread for buying fried rice.
219:4 That is, one is the same as the other.
220:1 For the use of this pot, see note on XII, 8, 1, 8.
220:2 See XII, 8, 3, 14. 15.
220:3 At III, 7, 2, 1. 2, I would also now translate 'upasaya' by 'supernumerary' or 'additional':--there are eleven stakes, and a twelfth, rough-hewn, supernumerary one, &c.
221:1 For the use of the two feathers of an eagle, see XII, 7, 3, 22.
221:2 The rule (as laid down in III, 8, 3, 1) is that the Pasu-purodâsa, or animal cakes, offered after the animal portions, should belong to the same deities to whom the victims are sacred. On the present occasion this is, however, not the case; for while the three sacrificial animals of the main performance belong to the Asvins, to Sarasvatî and Indra, the three cakes are offered to Indra, Savitri, and Varuna respectively.
