३२

आग्नेयी प्रथमा घृतयाज्या सौमी सौम्ययाज्या वैष्णवी घृतयाज्या ।

(The Offerings of Ghee to Agni and Viṣṇu, and the Offering of a Charu to Soma.)

The first Yājyā verse for the offering of hot butter is addressed to Agni, that for the offering of Charu is addressed to Soma, and another for the offering of hot butter is addressed to Viṣṇu.[24]

[24]After the Soma juice has been offered to the Viśvedevâs, an offering of hot butter (ghee) is given to Agni; then follows the oblation of Charu or boiled rice to Soma, and then another oblation of hot butter to Viṣṇu. The chief oblation is that of Charu to Soma, which is put in the midst of the two offerings of hot butter. The Yâjyâ verses addressed at this occasion to Agni and Viṣṇu are not to be found in the Saṁhitâ of the Ṛigveda; but they are given by Āśval. in the śrauta Sûtras, (5, 19). The following is addressed to Agni: घृताहवनो घृतपृष्ठो अग्निर्घृतेश्रितो घृतम्वस्य धाम । घृतग्रुषस्त्वां हरितो वहन्तु घृतं पिबन् यञ्चसि देव देवान्, i.e, Agni is it who receives oblations of hot butter, who has (as it were) a back laden with hot butter, by whom hot butter abides, whose very house is hot butter, May thy butter drops, sputtering horses, carry thee! Thou, O God! offerest up the sacrifice to the gods, by drinking the hot butter. The Yâjyâ verse addressed to Viṣṇu is : ऊरु विष्णो विक्रमश्चोरुक्षयाय नस्कृधि । घृतं घृतयोने पिब प्र प्रयक्षपतिं तिर, i.e., take, O Viṣṇu! thy wide strides; make us room for living in ease. Drink the hot butter, O thou, who are the womb of hot butter; prolong (the life of) the master of the sacrifice (the sacrificer).

आग्नेयी प्रथमा घृतयाज्या सौमी सौम्ययाज्या वैष्णवी घृतयाज्या ।

त्वं सोम पितृभिः संविदान इति सौम्यस्य पितृमत्या यजति ।

The Yājyā verse for the offering of Charu to Soma is tvam soma pitṛibhiḥ (8, 48, 13); it contains the word “pitaras,” i.e., manes.

त्वं सोम पितृभिः संविदान इति सौम्यस्य पितृमत्या यजति ।

घ्नन्ति वा एतत्सोमं यदभिषुण्वन्ति ।

(This Charu is an oblation to the dead Soma). The priests kill the Soma, when they extract its juice.

घ्नन्ति वा एतत्सोमं यदभिषुण्वन्ति ।

तस्यैतामनुस्तरणीं कुर्वन्ति यत्सौम्यः ।

This (oblation of Charu) is therefore the cow which they use to kill (when the body of a sacrificer is laid on the funeral pile.[25])

[25]The term is anustaraṇî (gauḥ), i.e., a cow put down after, i.e., accompanying the dend to the other world. See Āśv. Gṛihya Sûtra, 4, 3.

तस्यैतामनुस्तरणीं कुर्वन्ति यत्सौम्यः ।

पितृभ्यो वा अनुस्तरणी ।

For this Charu oblation has, for the Soma, the same significance as the cow sacrificed at the funeral pile for the manes.

पितृभ्यो वा अनुस्तरणी ।

तस्मात्सौम्यस्य पितृमत्या यजति ।

This is the reason that the Hotar repeats (at this occasion) a Yājyā verse, containing the term “pitaras,” i.e., manes.

तस्मात्सौम्यस्य पितृमत्या यजति ।

अवधिषुर्वा एतत्सोमं यदभ्यसुषवुस्तदेनं पुनः सम्भावयन्ति पुनराप्याययन्ति ।

Those who have extracted the Soma juice, have killed the Soma. (By making this oblation) they produce him anew.

अवधिषुर्वा एतत्सोमं यदभ्यसुषवुस्तदेनं पुनः सम्भावयन्ति पुनराप्याययन्ति ।

उपसदां रूपेणोपसदां किल वै तद्रूपं यदेता देवता अग्निः सोमो विष्णुरिति ।

They make him fat[26] in the form of a siege (by putting him between Agni and Viṣṇu); for (the order of) the deities Agni, Soma, and Viṣṇu, has the form of a siege.

[26]The term is âpyayanti. This is generally done by sprinkling water over him before the juice is squeezed, for the purpose of making the Soma (mystically) grow. When he is already squeezed and even sacrificed, water itself cannot be sprinkled over him. But this is mystically done, by addressing the verses just mentioned to the deities Agni, Soma, and Viṣṇu, so as to put Soma in the midst of them, just as a town invested on all sides. When they perform the ceremony of âpyâyanam, the Soma plant is on all sides to be sprinkled with water. This is done here symbolically by offering first ghee, and giving ghee again after the Charu for Soma is sacrificed. So he is surrounded everywhere by ghee, and the two gods, Agni and Viṣṇu.

The remark about the âpyâyanam is made in the Brâhmaṇam for the sole purpose of accounting for the fact, that the first Yâjyâ is addressed to Agni, the second to Soma, and the third to Viṣṇu; that this was a sacrificial rule, see Āśv. Śr. S. 5, 19.

उपसदां रूपेणोपसदां किल वै तद्रूपं यदेता देवता अग्निः सोमो विष्णुरिति ।

प्रतिगृह्य सौम्यं होता पूर्वश्छन्दोगेभ्यो ऽवेक्षेत ।

After having received (from the Adhvaryu) the Charu for Soma for being eaten by him, the Hotar should first look at himself and then (offer it) to the Sāma singers.

प्रतिगृह्य सौम्यं होता पूर्वश्छन्दोगेभ्यो ऽवेक्षेत ।

तं हैके पूर्वं छन्दोगेभ्यो हरन्ति ।

Some Hotṛi-priests offer first this Charu (after the oblation to the gods is over) to the Sāma singers.

तं हैके पूर्वं छन्दोगेभ्यो हरन्ति ।

तत्तथा न कुर्यात् ।

But he ought not to do that;

तत्तथा न कुर्यात् ।

वषट्कर्ता प्रथमः सर्वभक्षान्भक्षयतीति ह स्मा ऽऽह ।

for he (the Hotar) who pronounces the (powerful) call vauṣaṭ, eats all the remains of the food (offered to the gods). So it has been said by him (the Aitareya Ṛiṣi).

वषट्कर्ता प्रथमः सर्वभक्षान्भक्षयतीति ह स्मा ऽऽह ।

तेनैव रूपेण तस्माद्वषट्कर्तैव पूर्वो ऽवेक्षेताथैनं छन्दोगेभ्यो हरन्ति ।

Therefore the Hotar who pronounces the (powerful) formula vauṣaṭ should, when acting upon that injunction (to offer first the Charu remains to the Sāma singers), certainly first look upon himself. Afterwards the Hotar offers it to the Sāma singers.[27]

[27]The mantras which the Hotar has to repeat at this occasion, are given in full by Āśvalâyana Śr. S. 5, 19. After having repeated them, he besmears his eyes with melted butter, and gives the Charu, over which butter is dripped, to the Sâma singers, who are called here and in Āśvalâyana Chandogas

तेनैव रूपेण तस्माद्वषट्कर्तैव पूर्वो ऽवेक्षेताथैनं छन्दोगेभ्यो हरन्ति ।