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तदग्निना पर्यादधुस्तन्मरुतो ऽधून्वंस्तदग्निर्न प्राच्यावयत् ।

(How Different Creatures Originated from Prajâpati’s Sperm. On the Verse addressed to Rudra. Propitiation of Rudra.)

The gods surrounded this sperm with Agni (in order to make it flow); the Marutas agitated it; but Agni did not make it (the pool formed of Prajâpati’s sperm) move.

तदग्निना पर्यादधुस्तन्मरुतो ऽधून्वंस्तदग्निर्न प्राच्यावयत् ।

तदग्निना वैश्वानरेण पर्यादधुस्तन्मरुतो ऽधून्वंस्तदग्निर्वैश्वानरः प्राच्यावयत् ।

They (then) surrounded it with Agni Vaiśvânara; the Marutas agitated it; Agni Vaiśvânara (then) made it move.

तदग्निना वैश्वानरेण पर्यादधुस्तन्मरुतो ऽधून्वंस्तदग्निर्वैश्वानरः प्राच्यावयत् ।

तस्य यद्रेतसः प्रथममुददीप्यत तदसावादित्यो ऽभवत् ।

That spark which first blazed up from Prajâpati’s sperm became that Âditya (the sun);

तस्य यद्रेतसः प्रथममुददीप्यत तदसावादित्यो ऽभवत् ।

यद्द्वितीयमासीत्तद्भृगुरभवत् ।

the second which blazed up became Bhṛigu.

यद्द्वितीयमासीत्तद्भृगुरभवत् ।

तं वरुणो न्यगृह्णीत तस्मात्स भृगुर्वारुणिः ।

Varuṇa adopted him as his son. Thence Bhṛigu is called Varuṇi, i.e., descendant of Varuṇa.

तं वरुणो न्यगृह्णीत तस्मात्स भृगुर्वारुणिः ।

अथ यत्तृतीयमदीदेदिव त आदित्या अभवन् ।

The third which blazed up (âdîdevatâ)[34] became the Âdityas (a class of gods).

[34]This strange intensive form of the root div, to shine, is here chosen only for explaining the origin of the name, “adityas."

अथ यत्तृतीयमदीदेदिव त आदित्या अभवन् ।

ये ऽङ्गारा आसंस्ते ऽङ्गिरसो ऽभवन् ।

Those parts (of Prajâpati’s seed after it was heated) which were coals (aṅgâra) became the Âṅgiras.

ये ऽङ्गारा आसंस्ते ऽङ्गिरसो ऽभवन् ।

यदङ्गाराः पुनरवशान्ता उददीप्यन्त तद्बृहस्पतिरभवत् ।

Those coals whose fire was not extinguished, and which blazed up again, became Bṛihaspati.

यदङ्गाराः पुनरवशान्ता उददीप्यन्त तद्बृहस्पतिरभवत् ।

यानि परिक्षाणान्यासंस्ते कृष्णाः पशवो ऽभवन् ।

Those parts which remained as coal dust (parikṣâṇâni) became black animals,

यानि परिक्षाणान्यासंस्ते कृष्णाः पशवो ऽभवन् ।

या लोहिनी मृत्तिका ते रोहिता ।

and the earth burnt red (by the fire), became red animals.

या लोहिनी मृत्तिका ते रोहिता ।

अथ यद्भस्मा ऽसीत्तत्परुष्यं व्यसर्पद्गौरो गवय ऋश्य उष्ट्रो गर्दभ इति ये चैते ऽरुणाः पशवस्ते च ।

The ashes which remained became a being full of links, which went in all directions (and sent forth) a stag, buffalo, antelope, camel, ass, and wild beasts.

अथ यद्भस्मा ऽसीत्तत्परुष्यं व्यसर्पद्गौरो गवय ऋश्य उष्ट्रो गर्दभ इति ये चैते ऽरुणाः पशवस्ते च ।

तान्वा एष देवो ऽभ्यवदत मम वा इदं मम वै वास्तुहमिति ।

This god (the Bhûtavân), addressed them (these animals), “This is mine; mine is what was left on the place.”

तान्वा एष देवो ऽभ्यवदत मम वा इदं मम वै वास्तुहमिति ।

तमेतयर्चा निरवादयन्त यैषा रौद्री शस्यते आ ते पितर्मरुतां सुम्नमेतु मा नः सूर्यस्य संदृशो युयोथाः ।

They made him resign his share by the verse which is addressed to Rudra : â te pitâ marutâm (2, 33, 1), i.e., “may it please thee, father of the Marutas, not to cut us off from beholding the sun (i.e., from living);

तमेतयर्चा निरवादयन्त यैषा रौद्री शस्यते आ ते पितर्मरुतां सुम्नमेतु मा नः सूर्यस्य संदृशो युयोथाः ।

त्वं नो वीरो अर्वति क्षमेथाः इति ब्रूयान्नाभि न इत्यनभिमानुको हैष देवः प्रजा भवति ।

may’st thou, powerful hero (Rudra)! spare our cattle and children, The Hotar ought to repeat (in the third pada of the verse) tvam no vîro and not abhi no vîro (as is the reading of another Śâkhâ). For, if he do not repeat the words abhi naḥ, i.e., towards us, then this god (Rudra) does not entertain any designs against (abhi) our children and cattle (i.e.) he does not kill them.

त्वं नो वीरो अर्वति क्षमेथाः इति ब्रूयान्नाभि न इत्यनभिमानुको हैष देवः प्रजा भवति ।

प्रजायेमहि रुद्रिय प्रजाभिरिति ब्रूयान्न रुद्रेत्येतस्यैव नाम्नः परिहृत्यै ।

that we, O master of the Rudras!” might be propagated by our progeny." In the fourth half-verse he ought to use the word rudriya, instead of rudra, for diminishing the terror (and danger) arising from (the pronunciation of) the real name Rudra.[35]

[35]In the Rigveda Samhita which is extant at present, the mantra has in the third pada the word abhi no, and not tvam no, and in the fourth pada rudra, and not rudriya. The readings of the verse as they are in our copies of the Saṁhita, seem to have been current already at the time of the author of the Aitareya Brâhmaṇam. But he objects to using the verse so, as it was handed down, for sacrificial purposes, on account of the danger which might arise from the use of such terms as abhi, i.e. (turned) towards, and rudra, the proper name of the fearful god of destruction. He proposes two things, either to change these dangerous terms, or to leave out the verse altogether, and use another one instead of it.

तदु खलु शं नः करतीत्येव शंसेच्छमिति प्रतिपद्यते सर्वस्मा एव शान्त्यै ।

(But should this verse appear to be too dangerous) the Hotar may omit it and repeat (instead of it) only śam naḥ karati (1, 43, 6), i.e., “may he be propitiated (and) let our horses, rams and ewes, our males and females, and cows go on well.” (By repeating this verse) he commences with the word śam, i.e., propitiated, which serves for general propitiation.

तदु खलु शं नः करतीत्येव शंसेच्छमिति प्रतिपद्यते सर्वस्मा एव शान्त्यै ।

नृभ्यो नारिभ्यो गव इति पुमांसो वै नरः स्त्रियो नार्यः सर्वस्मा एव शान्त्यै ।

Narah (in the verse mentioned) means males, and nâryaḥ females.

नृभ्यो नारिभ्यो गव इति पुमांसो वै नरः स्त्रियो नार्यः सर्वस्मा एव शान्त्यै ।

सो ऽनिरुक्ता रौद्री शान्ता ।

(That the latter verse and not the first one should be repeated, may be shown from another reason.) The deity is not mentioned with its name, though it is addressed to Rudra, and contains the propitiatory term śam.

सो ऽनिरुक्ता रौद्री शान्ता ।

सर्वायुः सर्वायुत्वाय सर्वमायुरेति य एवं वेद ।

(This verse helps) to obtain the full term of life (100 years). He who has such a knowledge, obtains the full term of his life.

सर्वायुः सर्वायुत्वाय सर्वमायुरेति य एवं वेद ।

सो गायत्री ब्रह्म वै गायत्री ब्रह्मणैवैनं तं नमस्यति ।

This verse (śam naḥ karati) is in the Gâyatrî metre. Gâyatrî is Brahma. By repeating that verse, the Hotar worships him (Rudra) by means of Brahma (and averts consequently all evil consequences which arise from using a verse referring to Rudra).

सो गायत्री ब्रह्म वै गायत्री ब्रह्मणैवैनं तं नमस्यति ।