Page Text
________________
78
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
stands and drives. He (Soma), indeed, is too high for (the driver) mounting beside him, for who is worthy of mounting beside him? Therefore he drives while standing between (the boards).
10. He drives with a palâsa branch. Now when Gâyatri flew towards Soma', a footless archer aiming at her while she was carrying him off, severed one of the feathers (or leaves, parna), either of Gâyatri or of king Soma; and on falling down it became a parna (palâsa) tree; whence its name parna. May that which was there of the Soma nature, be here also now!' so he thinks, and for this reason he drives with a palâsa branch.
11. He urges on the two oxen. If they be both black, or if either of them be black, then let him know that it will rain, that Parganya will have abundance of rain that year: such indeed is science.
12. He (the Adhvaryu) first yokes them, with the text (Vâg. S. IV, 33), 'Ye oxen, come hither, patient of the yoke!' for they are indeed oxen, and they are patient of the yoke;-Let yourselves be yoked, tearless!' for they are now being yoked; and tearless means unscathed;-'not man-slaying,' this means 'not doing wrong;''speeding the Brahman,' for they are indeed speeders of the Brahman (worship, or the priests);— 'Go ye happily to the sacrificer's dwelling!' this he says in order that the evil spirits may not injure them on the way.
13. Having then gone round to the back (of the
1 See I, 7, 1, 1; part i, p. 183. According to Ait. Br. III, 26, Krisânu the Soma-keeper's arrow cut off one of the talons of Gâyatri's left foot, which was turned into a porcupine.
Digitized by
Google
| SR No. | 007678 |
| Book Title | Satapatha Bramhana Part 02 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Julius Eggeling |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1885 |
| Total Pages | 2521 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 44 MB |