११

सौर्या वा एता देवता यन्निविदस्तद्यत्पुरस्तादुक्थानां प्रातःसवने धीयन्ते मध्यतो मध्यंदिने ततस्तृतीयसवन आदित्यस्यैव तद्व्रतमनु पर्यावर्तन्ते ।

(How the Nivids should be Repeated. How to Correct Mistakes Arising from Confusion.)

The Nivids are deities connected with the sun. When they are put at the morning libation at the beginning (of the Śastras), at the midday libation in the midst, and at the evening libation at the end, then they follow the regular course of the sun.

सौर्या वा एता देवता यन्निविदस्तद्यत्पुरस्तादुक्थानां प्रातःसवने धीयन्ते मध्यतो मध्यंदिने ततस्तृतीयसवन आदित्यस्यैव तद्व्रतमनु पर्यावर्तन्ते ।

पच्छो वै देवा यज्ञं समभरंस्तस्मात्पच्छो निविदः शस्यन्ते ।

The gods had obtained (once) one portion of the sacrifice after the other (pach-chhas). Thence the Nivids are repeated pada by pada.

पच्छो वै देवा यज्ञं समभरंस्तस्मात्पच्छो निविदः शस्यन्ते ।

यद्वै तद्देवा यज्ञं समभरंस्तस्मादश्वः समभवत्तस्मादाहुरश्वं निविदां शंस्त्रे दद्यादिति ।

When the gods had obtained the (whole of the) sacrifice, a horse came out of it. Thence they say, the sacrificer ought to give a horse to the reciter of the Nivids.

यद्वै तद्देवा यज्ञं समभरंस्तस्मादश्वः समभवत्तस्मादाहुरश्वं निविदां शंस्त्रे दद्यादिति ।

तदु खलु वरमेव ददति ।

By doing so (presenting a horse), they present really the most exquisite gift (to the reciter).

तदु खलु वरमेव ददति ।

न निविदः पदमतीयात् यन्निविदः पदमतीयाद्यज्ञस्य तच्छिद्रं कुर्याद्यज्ञस्य वै छिद्रं स्रवद्यजमानो ऽनु पापीयान्भवति ।

The reciter (of the Nivid) ought not to forego any of its padas. Should he do so, he would make a rupture in the sacrifice; if this (rupture) increases, the sacrificer then becomes guilty of the consequences of a great sin.

न निविदः पदमतीयात् यन्निविदः पदमतीयाद्यज्ञस्य तच्छिद्रं कुर्याद्यज्ञस्य वै छिद्रं स्रवद्यजमानो ऽनु पापीयान्भवति ।

तस्मान्न निविदः पदमतीयात् ।

Thence the reciter ought not to forego any of the padas of the Nivid.

तस्मान्न निविदः पदमतीयात् ।

न निविदः पदे विपरिहरेद्यन्निविदः पदे विपरिहरेन्मोहयेद्यज्ञं मुग्धो यजमानः स्यात् ।

He ought not to invert the order of two padas of the Nivid. Should he do so, he would confound the sacrifice, and the sacrificer would become confounded.

न निविदः पदे विपरिहरेद्यन्निविदः पदे विपरिहरेन्मोहयेद्यज्ञं मुग्धो यजमानः स्यात् ।

तस्मान्न निविदः पदे विपरिहरेत् ।

Thence he ought not to invert the order of two padas.

तस्मान्न निविदः पदे विपरिहरेत् ।

न निविदः पदे समस्येद्यन्निविदः पदे समस्येद्यज्ञस्य तदायुः संहारेत्प्रमायुको यजमानः स्यात् ।

He ought not to take together two padas of the Nivid. Should he do so, he would confound the sacrifice, which would prove fatal to the sacrificer.

न निविदः पदे समस्येद्यन्निविदः पदे समस्येद्यज्ञस्य तदायुः संहारेत्प्रमायुको यजमानः स्यात् ।

तस्मान्न निविदः पदे समस्येत् ।

Thence he ought not to take together two padas of the Nivid when repeating it.

तस्मान्न निविदः पदे समस्येत् ।

प्रेदं ब्रह्म प्रेदं क्षत्त्रमित्येते एव समस्येद्ब्रह्मक्षत्त्रयोः संश्रित्यै ।

He ought to take together only the two padas, predam brahma and predam kṣatram.[23] If he do so, it is (done) for joining together the Brahma and the Kṣatra.

[23]These two sentences form part of every Nivid, used at the midday or evening libation, They occur in the following connections: प्रेमां देवो देवहूतिमवतु देव्या धिया । प्रेदं ब्रह्म प्रेदं क्षत्रम् । प्रेदं सुन्वन्तं यजमानमवतु ।

प्रेदं ब्रह्म प्रेदं क्षत्त्रमित्येते एव समस्येद्ब्रह्मक्षत्त्रयोः संश्रित्यै ।

तस्माद्ब्रह्म च क्षत्रं च संश्रिते ।

Thence the Brahma and Kṣatra become joined.

तस्माद्ब्रह्म च क्षत्रं च संश्रिते ।

न तृचं न चतुर्ऋचमतिमन्येत निविद्धानमेकैकं वै निविदः पादमृचं सूक्तं प्रति ।

He ought, for the insertion of the Nivid, to select hymns consisting of more than a triplet, or stanza of four verses;[24] for the several padas of the Nivid ought to correspond, each to the several verses in the hymn[25].

[24]This refers to the sûkta or hymn which stands in connection with the Nivid.

[25]The expression ṛicham sûktam prati is evidently a Hendiadyoin; for the distributive meaning of prati can only refer to ṛich, but not to sûkta; because there are not as many sûktas as there are pâdas of the Nivid. The sentence, न तृचं न चतुर्ऋचं अतिमन्येत निविद्धानं, can easily be misunderstood. At the first glance it appears to mean “he ought not to think of selecting any other hymn for inserting the Nivid, save such ones as consist of three or four verses.” Sây. followed this explanation which most naturally suggests itself to every reader. But, in consideration that all the Nivid hymns, actually in use, and mentioned in the Aitareya Br. exceed in number four verses (some contain eleven, others even fifteen verses), that explanation cannot be correct. The passage can only have the sense given to it in my translation.

न तृचं न चतुर्ऋचमतिमन्येत निविद्धानमेकैकं वै निविदः पादमृचं सूक्तं प्रति ।

तस्मान्न तृचं न चतुर्ऋचमतिमन्येत निविद्धानं निविदा ह्येव स्तोत्रमतिशस्तं भवति ।

Thence he ought, for the insertion of the Nivid, to select hymns consisting of more than of stanzas with three or four verses. Through the Nivid the celebration of the Sāman is made excessive.[26]

[26]The Sastra thus obtains more verses than are properly required.

तस्मान्न तृचं न चतुर्ऋचमतिमन्येत निविद्धानं निविदा ह्येव स्तोत्रमतिशस्तं भवति ।

एकां परिशिष्य तृतीयसवने निविदं दध्यात् यद्द्वे परिशिष्य दध्यात्प्रजननं तदुपहन्याद्गर्भैस्तत्प्रजा व्यर्धयेत् ।

At the evening libation, he ought to put the Nivid when only one verse (of the Śastra) remains (to be recited). Should he recite the Nivid when two verses (of the Śastra) are still remaining, he would thus destroy the faculty of generation, and deprive the offspring of their embryos.

एकां परिशिष्य तृतीयसवने निविदं दध्यात् यद्द्वे परिशिष्य दध्यात्प्रजननं तदुपहन्याद्गर्भैस्तत्प्रजा व्यर्धयेत् ।

तस्मादेकामेव परिशिष्य तृतीयसवने निविदं दध्यात् ।

Thence he ought to repeat the Nivid at the evening libation when only one verse (of the Śastra) remains (to be recited).

तस्मादेकामेव परिशिष्य तृतीयसवने निविदं दध्यात् ।

न सूक्तेन निविदमतिपद्येत येन सूक्तेन निविदमतिपद्येत न तत्पुनरुपनिवर्तेत वास्तुहमेव तत् ।

He ought not to let fall the Nivid beyond the hymn (to which it belongs).[27] Should he, however, do it, he ought not to revert to it again (not to use the hymn), the place (where the Nivid is to be put) being destroyed.

[27]The meaning is : he should not repeat the Nivid, after he might have repeated the whole of the hymn in which it ought to have been inserted. Should he, however, have committed such a mistake, then he must select another hymn, and put the Nivid in its proper place, i.e., before the last verse of the hymn. The Hotar is more liable to commit such a mistake at the evening libation than at the two preceding ones. For at the evening libation, there are seven Nivids (to Savitar, Dyâvâpṛithivi, Ribhus, Vaisvânara, Viśvedevâḥ, Marutas, and Jâtavedâs) required, whilst we find at the morning libation only one (which is rather a Puroruk than a Nivid), and at the midday libation two (to the Marutas and Indra).

न सूक्तेन निविदमतिपद्येत येन सूक्तेन निविदमतिपद्येत न तत्पुनरुपनिवर्तेत वास्तुहमेव तत् ।

अन्यत्तद्दैवतं तच्छन्दसं सूक्तमाहृत्य तस्मिन्निविदं दध्यात् ।

He ought (in such a case) to select another hymn which is addressed to the same deity and in the same metre, to put the Nivid into it.

अन्यत्तद्दैवतं तच्छन्दसं सूक्तमाहृत्य तस्मिन्निविदं दध्यात् ।

मा प्र गाम पथो वयमिति पुरस्तात्सूक्तस्य शंसति ।

(In such a case) he ought, before (repeating the new) Nivid hymn, to recite the hymn: mā pragāma patho vayam (10, 57), i.e., let us not go astray.

मा प्र गाम पथो वयमिति पुरस्तात्सूक्तस्य शंसति ।

पथो वा एष प्रैति यो यज्ञे मुह्यति ।

For he loses his way who gets confounded at a sacrifice.

पथो वा एष प्रैति यो यज्ञे मुह्यति ।

मा यज्ञादिन्द्र सोमिन इति यज्ञादेव तन्न प्रच्यवते ।

(By repeating the second pada) ma yajnād indra sominaḥ (10, 57, 1) i.e., (let us not lose) O Indra, the Soma sacrifice, he prevents the sacrificer from falling out of the sacrifice.

मा यज्ञादिन्द्र सोमिन इति यज्ञादेव तन्न प्रच्यवते ।

मा ऽन्त स्थुर्नो अरातय इत्यरातीयत एव तदपहन्ति ।

(By repeating the third pada) mā antaḥ sthur no arātayaḥ, i.e., “May no wicked men stand among us!” he turns away all who have wicked designs, and defeats them.

मा ऽन्त स्थुर्नो अरातय इत्यरातीयत एव तदपहन्ति ।

यो यज्ञस्य प्रसाधनस्तन्तुर्देवेष्वाततः तमाहुतं नशीमहीति प्रजा वै तन्तुः प्रजामेवास्मा एतत्संतनोति ।

In the second verse (of this hymn) yo yajñasya prasādhanas tantur, i.e., “Let us recover the same thread which serves for the performance of sacrifice, and is spread among the gods[28] by means of which was (hitherto) sacrificed (by us),” the expression tantu (thread) means offspring. By repeating it, the Hotar spreads (saṁtanoti) offspring for the sacrificer.

[28]Sây. has, in his commentary on the Rigveda Saṁhitâ, the following remark: देवैः स्तोत्रिभिः ऋत्विग्भिर्विस्तारितो वर्त्तते.

यो यज्ञस्य प्रसाधनस्तन्तुर्देवेष्वाततः तमाहुतं नशीमहीति प्रजा वै तन्तुः प्रजामेवास्मा एतत्संतनोति ।

मनो न्वाहुवामहे नाराशंसेन सोमेनेति मनसा वै यज्ञस्तायते मनसा क्रियते ।

(The words of the third verse are) mano nu ā huvāmahe nārāśamsena somena, i.e., “Now we bring an offering[29] to the mind (manas) by pouring water in the Soma cups (devoting them thus to Narāśaṁsa).” By means of the mind, the sacrifice is spread; by means of the mind, it is performed.

[29]Of आह्वामहे Sây, gives two different explanations in his commentaries on the Ait. Br. and in that on the Rigveda Saṁhitâ. In the first, he explains it by आड्वानि I call hither (from hvē to call); in the other, he derives it from hu, to sacrifice. The latter explanation is preferable.

मनो न्वाहुवामहे नाराशंसेन सोमेनेति मनसा वै यज्ञस्तायते मनसा क्रियते ।

सैव तत्र प्रायश्चित्तिः प्रायश्चित्तिः ।

This is verily the atonement at that occasion (for the mistake pointed out above).

सैव तत्र प्रायश्चित्तिः प्रायश्चित्तिः ।