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248
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
for the sake of the continuity and uninterruptedness of the seasons. They are all of them invitatory formulas and all offering-formulas !, whence all the seasons pass onwards, and all of them return. All (the formulas) are first, all of them intermediate, and all of them last, whence all the seasons are first, all of them intermediate, and all of them last. All the cups have two (formulas, an) invitatory and (an) offering-formula, this is of the form of day and night : it is the day and the night he thus secures for himself; whence both the seasons and the months are established on day and night.
36. The Sautrâmani, truly, is the same as the year, and the same as the moon; and the Sacrificer is manifestly the sun: his vedi (altar-ground) is this earth, his uttara-vedi the air, his barhis the sky, his officiating priests the quarters, his fuel the trees, his ghee the waters, his oblations the plants, his fire Agni himself, his samsthå (the particular form of sacrifice) the year-and, indeed, everything here, whatever there is, is the year; whence he who has performed the Sautrâmant wins everything, and secures everything for himself.
THIRD BRÂHMANA. 1. Tvash tri, seeing his son slain, brought Soma suitable for witchery, and withheld from Indra. Indra, committing a desecration of the sacrifice, by main force drank off his (Tvashtri's) Soma-juice. He went asunder in every direction, from his mouth and vital airs his excellence and fame passed
i See p. 244, note 1, where it is shown that each of the three verses serves successively as puros nuvákya and as yâgyâ.
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