Sacred Texts Hinduism Upanishads Index Previous Next
1. If a man wishes to reach greatness (wealth for performing sacrifices), he performs the upasad rule during twelve days 3 (i. e. he lives on small quantities of milk), beginning on an auspicious day of the light half of the moon during the northern progress of the sun, collecting at the same time in a cup or a dish
made of Udumbara wood all sorts of herbs, including fruits. He sweeps the floor (near the house-altar, âvasathya), sprinkles it, lays the fire, spreads grass round it according to rule 1, prepares the clarified butter (âgya), and on a day, presided over by a male star (nakshatra), after having properly mixed the Mantha 2 (the herbs, fruits, milk, honey, &c.), he sacrifices (he pours âgya into the fire), saying 3: 'O Gâtavedas, whatever adverse gods there are in thee, who defeat the desires of men, to them I offer this portion; may they, being pleased, please me with all desires.' Svâhâ!
'That cross deity who lies down 4, thinking that all things are kept asunder by her, I worship thee as propitious with this stream of ghee.' Svâhâ!
2. He then says, Svâhâ to the First, Svâhâ to the Best, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to Breath, Svâhâ to her who is the richest, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to Speech, Svâhâ to the Support, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to the Eye, Svâhâ to Success, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to the Ear, Svâhâ to the
[paragraph continues] Home, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to the Mind, Svâhâ to Offspring, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to Seed, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
3. He then says, Svâhâ to Agni (fire), pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to Soma, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Bhûh (earth), Svâhâ, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Bhuvah (sky), Svâhâ, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svah (heaven), Svâhâ, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Bhûr, Bhuvah, Svah, Svâhâ, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to Brahman (the priesthood), pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to Kshatra (the knighthood), pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to the Past, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to the Future, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to the Universe, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to all things, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
He then says, Svâhâ to Pragâpati, pours ghee into the fire, and throws what remains into the Mantha (mortar).
4. Then he touches it (the Mantha, which is dedicated to Prâna, breath), saying: 'Thou art fleet (as breath). Thou art burning (as fire). Thou art full (as Brahman). Thou art firm (as the sky). Thou art the abode of all (as the earth). Thou hast been saluted with Hin (at the beginning of the sacrifice by the prastotri). Thou art saluted with Hin (in the middle of the sacrifice by the prastotri). Thou hast been sung (by the udgâtri at the beginning of the sacrifice). Thou art sung (by the udgâtri in the middle of the sacrifice). Thou hast been celebrated (by the adhvaryu at the beginning of the sacrifice). Thou art celebrated again (by the âgnîdhra in the middle of the sacrifice). Thou art bright in the wet (cloud). Thou art great. Thou art powerful. Thou art food (as Soma). Thou art light (as Agni, fire, the eater). Thou art the end. Thou art the absorption (of all things).'
5. Then he holds it (the Mantha) forth, saying
'Thou 1 knowest all, we know thy greatness. He is
indeed a king, a ruler, the highest lord. May that king, that ruler make me the highest lord.'
6. Then he eats it, saying: 'Tat savitur varenyam 1 (We meditate on that adorable light)--The winds drop honey for the righteous, the rivers drop honey, may our plants be sweet as honey! Bhûh (earth) Svâhâ!
'Bhargo devasya dhîmahi (of the divine Savitri)--May the night be honey in the morning, may the air above the earth, may heaven, our father, be honey! Bhuvah (sky) Svâhâ!'
'Dhiyo yo nah prokodayât (who should rouse our thoughts)--May the tree be full of honey, may the sun be full of honey, may our cows be sweet like honey! Svah (heaven) Svâhâ!'
He repeats the whole Sâvitrî verse, and all the verses about the honey, thinking, May I be all this! Bhûr, Bhuvah, Svah, Svâhâ! Having thus swallowed all, he washes his hands, and sits down behind the altar, turning his head to the East. In the morning he worships Âditya (the sun), with the hymn, 'Thou art the best lotus of the four quarters, may I become the best lotus among men.' Then returning as he came, he sits down behind the altar and recites the genealogical list 2.
7. Uddâlaka Âruni told this (Mantha-doctrine) to his pupil Vâgasaneya Yâgñavalkya, and said: 'If a man were to pour it on a dry stick, branches would grow, and leaves spring forth.'
8. Vâgasaneya Yâgñavalkya told the same to his pupil Madhuka Paingya, and said: 'If a man were to pour it on a dry stick, branches would grow, and leaves spring forth.'
9. Madhuka Paingya told the same to his pupil Kûla Bhâgavitti, and said: 'If a man were to pour it on a dry stick, branches would grow, and leaves spring forth.'
10. Kûla Bhâgavitti told the same to his pupil Gânaki Âyasthûna, and said: 'If a man were to pour it on a dry stick, branches would grow, and leaves spring forth.'
11. Gânaki Âyasthûna told the same to his pupil Satyakâma Gâbâla, and said: 'If a man were to pour it on a dry stick, branches would grow, and leaves spring forth.'
12. Satyakâma Gâbâla told the same to his pupils, and said: 'If a man were to pour it on a dry stick, branches would grow, and leaves spring forth.'
Let no one tell this 1 to any one, except to a son or to a pupil 2.
13. Four things are made of the wood of the Udumbara tree, the sacrificial ladle (sruva), the cup (kamasa), the fuel, and the two churning sticks.
There are ten kinds of village (cultivated) seeds, viz. rice and barley (brîhiyavâs), sesamum and kidney-beans (tilamâshâs), millet and panic seed (anupriyangavas), wheat (godhûmâs), lentils (masûrâs), pulse (khalvâs), and vetches (khalakulâs 3) . After having
ground these he sprinkles them with curds (dadhi), honey, and ghee, and then offers (the proper portions) of clarified butter 1 (âgya).
209:2 Mâdhyandina text, p. 1103; cf. Khând. Up. V, 2, 4-8; Kaush. Up. II, 3.
209:3 Yasmin punye 'nukûle 'hni karma kikîrshati tatah prâk punyâham evârabhya dvâdasâham upasadvratî.
210:1 As the whole act is considered smârta, not srauta, the order to be observed (âvrit) is that of the sthâlîpâka.
210:2 Dravadravye prakshiptâ mathitâh saktavah is the explanation of Mantha, given in Gaimin. N. M. V. p. 406.
210:3 These verses are not explained by Sankara, and they are absent in the Khând. Up. V, 2, 6, 4.
210:4 The Mâdhyandinas read nipadyase.
212:1 These curious words â mamsi â mamhi te mahi are not explained by Sankara. Ânandagiri explains them as I have translated p. 213 them. They correspond to 'amo, nâmâsy ama hi te sarvam idam' in the Khând. Up. V, 2, 6, 6. The Mâdhyandinas read: 'âmo 'sy âmam hi te mayi, sa hi râgâ, &c. Dvivedaganga translates: thou art the knower, thy knowledge extends to me.'
213:1 Rv. III, 62, 10.
213:2 This probably refers to the list immediately following.
214:1 The Mantha-doctrine with the prânadarsana. Comm.
214:2 It probably means to no one except to one's own son and to one's own disciple. Cf. Svet. Up. VI, 22.
214:3 I have given the English names after Roer, who, living in India, had the best opportunity of identifying the various kinds of plants here mentioned. The commentators do not help us much. Sankara p. 215 says that in some places Priyangu (panic seed or millet) is called Kangu; that Khalva, pulse, is also called Nishpâva and Valla, and Khalakula, vetches, commonly Kulattha. Dvivedaganga adds that Anu is called in Guzerat Moriya, Priyangu Kangu, Khalva, as nishpâva, Valla, and Khalakula Kulattha.