1. Now the gods, when going upwards, did not know (the way to) the heavenly world, but the horse knew it: when they go upwards with the horse, it is in order to know (the way to) the heavenly world. 'A cloth, an upper cloth, and gold,' this 1 is what they spread out for the horse 2:
3. With, 'Ambâ! Ambikâ! Ambâlikâ 3! there is no one to lead me,'--he leads up the (four)
4. With (Vâg. S. XXIII, 19), 'We call upon thee, the host-leader of (divine) hosts, O my true lord!' the wives walk round (the horse), and thus make amends to it for that (slaughtering 2): even thereby they (already) make amends to it; but,
5. But, indeed, the vital airs depart from those who perform the fanning at the sacrifice. Nine times they walk round 4; for there are nine vital airs: vital airs they thus put into their own selves, and the vital airs do not depart from them. 'I will urge the seed-layer, urge thou the seed-layer!' (the Mahishî says 5);--seed, doubtless, means offspring and cattle: offspring and cattle she thus secures for herself. [Vâg. S. XXIII, 20,] 'Let us stretch our feet,' thus in order to secure union. 'In heaven ye envelop yourselves' (the Adhvaryu says),--for that is, indeed, heaven where they immolate the victim: therefore he
320:1 The 'iti' seems superfluous; Harisvâmin explains it by 'etat trayam.' For a similar use of the particle, see XIII, 2, 2, 1. 320:2 That is, they spread them on the ground for the horse to lie upon. Differently St. Petersb. Dict., 'they spread over the horse;' but see Kâty. XX, 6, 10 comm.; and Harisvâmin:--vâso yad antardhânâyâlam, adhivâso yad âkkhâdanâyâlam, tak ka vâsasa upari staranîyam, tayor upari hiranyam nidheyam, tasmims traye enam adhi upari samgñapayanti;--and he then remarks that these three objects here do not take the place of the stalk of grass which, in the ordinary animal sacrifice, is thrown on the place where the victim is to be killed and cut up (III, 8, 1, 14; Kâty. VI, 5, 15-16), but that the stalk is likewise put down on this occasion. Similarly the comm. on Kâtyâyana, where it is stated that the stalk of grass (or straw) is first laid down, and then the others thereon. Indeed, as was the case in regard to the stalk of grass--representing the barhis, or layer of sacrificial grass on the vedi--so here the fourfold underlayer is intended to prevent any part of the sacrificial material (havis)--the victim in this case--from being spilt. The 321:2 For the symbolic import of this, see III, 8, 2, 4. 321:3 These are just three variants used in addressing a mother (Mutter, Mütterchen, Mütterlein), or, indeed, as here, any woman (good lady! good woman!. Acc. to Kâty. XX, 6, 12, this is the formula which the assistant priest (the Neshtri, or, according to others, the Pratiprasthâtri, cf. Kâty. VI, 5, 27-28) makes the king's wives say whilst leading them up to the slain horse to cleanse it. It is, moreover, to be preceded by the formula used, at this juncture, at the ordinary animal sacrifice, viz. 'Homage be to thee, O wide-stretched one, advance unresisted unto the rivers of ghee, along the paths of sacred truth! Ye divine, pure waters, carry ye (the sacrifice) to the gods, well-prepared! may ye be well-prepared preparers!' (III, 8, 2, 2-3). The words 'Ambâ!' &c. are, according to Mahîdhara, addressed by the women to one another. The latter part of the formula as given in the Vâg . Samh. (viz. 'the horse sleeps near Subhadrikâ, dwelling in Kâmpîla') is apparently 322:2 Apahnuvate vismaranty evâsmai etat pradakshinâvartanena samgñapanam unnayanti, comm. 323:1 Thus Harisvâmin:--dhuvate dhûnane(na) upavâgayanti, evam asvam râgânam iva vyaganair etat,--'they shake themselves,' St. Petersb. Dict.; and, indeed, it is doubtless by the flutter of the garments produced in walking round first one way and then another, that the fanning is supposed to be produced. 323:2 Viz. in sunwise fashion (pradakshinâ), that is so as to keep the object circumambulated on one's right side. 323:3 Viz. in the opposite, the 'apradakshinam' way, as is done in the sacrifice to the departed ancestors. They do so with the text, 'We call upon thee, the dear Lord of the dear ones, O my true lord!' 323:4 Viz. another three times in the sunwise way. Having completed their circumambulation, the king's wives cleanse the horse's apertures of the vital airs (mouth, nostrils, eyes, &c.), as the Sacrificer's wife did at the ordinary animal sacrifice (III, 8, 2, 4), which they do with the text, 'We call upon thee, the treasure-lord of treasures, O my true lord!' 323:5 Cf. III, 5, 2, 1 seqq.
