Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 134

EKAVRDH AND EKAVRT IN VEDIC LITERATURE
M. A. Mehendale
POONA
In the Sat. Br. 13.2.1 are mentioned food offerings (annahoma-s) which are offered as a part of the Afvamedha sacrifice. The offerings consist of different materials like ajya, saktu, dhand and laja. They are offered throughout the night. The offerings commence with those offered to prana, apāna etc. and then come those which are offered to the cardinal numbers like eka, dvi, tri etc. and go upto data and ekasata. Everytime the numbers are raised successively by one. The formulas, accompanying the offerings, like präṇāya svāhā, apandya svähä etc. are found in the Vaj. Sam. 22.23-24. While explaining the significance of raising the numbers each time by one. the Sat. Br. (13.2.1.5) observes: ékasmal sváhá dvábhyam sváha sataya sváhaikasataya sváhėtyaupurva juhoti | anupūrvám evaināms tat prināti ékottara juhoti ekavrd vai svargó lokah | ekadhalvainam svargám lokáṁ gamayati "To one hail! to two hail! to a hundred hail ! to a hundred and one hail! He offers in the proper order: in the proper order he thus gratifies them (the gods). He performs oblations successively. increasing by one, for single, indeed, is heaven: singly he thus causes him (the sacrificer) to reach heaven" (Eggeling).
The word ekavit is used in the above passage to describe heaven. Eggeling translates it as 'single' which shows that he looked upon the word ekavet to contain the root noun vrt. But since the word occurs while giving justification for raising the numbers each time by one (ékottara juhoti) it appears that it would be better to interpret ekavrt as the nom. sg. of ekavrdh 'rising by one'. In the Vedic literature when the heaven is looked upon as consisting of the three or seven divisions, these are supposed to lie one above the other and the sacrificer rises (a-ruh) gradually up to them. Since the divisions are looked upon as placed singly one above the
1. BR assigns to ekav't the meaning 'einfach'.
2. See "Die Dreiteilung des Himmels" and "Sieben Goetterwelten", Lueders: Varuna I pp. 57ff.
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