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^ He who knowing this uses two Brihatis, gives him- self wealth and glory,* He who loves the sacrifice, let him U9e two Panktis.* The sacrifice is like a Pankti.* The sacrifice comes to him who, knowing this, uses two Panktis/ Let him who desires strength, use two Trishtubhs.* Trishtubh is strength, which is vigour and power.' He who knowing this uses two Trishtubhs, becomes strong, vigorous and powerful.^^ They are "Ena vo agnim (vii. 16. 1.), and Udasya eochih." (vii. 16. a) Thej are " Agnim tam manye." (v. 6. 1.) • iThV% ^nr:ii ' ^^ WV Trf5t 'I TT^^rn. 'Wt ^i They are "Dre vir&pe charatah." (i. 95. 1.) IQI He SBi tbl^ '^e.* '"'^^ ^A,v , f \|i'^^UH.^ 4C4 BRAHMANA8. two syllables, it must be remembered that) metres do not change by one syllable or by two. The fifth power is that it is Vir&j (shining).^ He who knowing this uses the two VirHj verses, ob* tains the power of all metres, retains the power of all metres, obtains union, uniformity and unison with all metres, eats and has to eat, has food together with his family.^ Therefore the two VirAj verses are certainly to be used, those which begin with ^^ Preddho agne " and "Imo agne."* Diksh& is right, Diksh& is truth, therefore a man who performs the Diksh& must speak the truth.^ Now they say, what man can speak all truth? Gods are full of truth, men are full of falsehood.^ ^'rt l[^3rfft Hl^^ W^pPff ^^qini^f-gnS^iO S^MfJi- Bight (rite) and truth (satja) are said to differ, ina'smach as fita means a true conception, %a, a true speech. bbAhmanas; 405 Let him make each speech with the word '' Vicha- kshana." (which means Jet him put ^^ vichakshana " at the end of the name of a person whom he addresses.)^ The eye is vichakshana, for with it he sees clearly (vi-chakah^ to perceive.)* The eye is established as truth among men.^ Therefore people, say to a man who tells something, " Hast thou seen it ? " And if he says " I saw it," then they believe him. And if one sees a thing one- self one does not believe others, even many.^ Therefore let a man make each speech with the word '^ Yichakshana " ; then his uttered speech be- comes full of truth.^ For instance, instead of saying, '* Devadatta, bring the cow ; ** let him saj, '^ Dievadatta, vichakshana, bring the cow." According to Apastamba, yichakshana ought to be used after the names of a Kshatriya and Ybj&jvl, but ** chanasita " after the name of a Brah- ^ ft^^^ fir %^ ^?1inW?^ll Kau8h.-br. ^ DP 3 •Xbe next extract is from the Eausbitald-br&h- ^jia (xxvi. 5.) It will show ho-w completely the true ^^^y^racter of the sacrifice had been forgotten, and how ^^— -(jch importance was attached to mere trifles.^ Itia ■^^^■fcelligible, wherever there ia an established ceremo- ^ 5^1, and priests appointed to watch over it, that cer- ^^5.0 rules should be laid down for remedying any ^^istake that may have occurred in the performance ^ a sacrifice. The chapter of accidents is a lai^e j£ and the Brahmans have spared no pains in laying ^^:>-wn the most complicated rules, how to counteract *.f3e consequences of a real mistake. The rules of pe- wfHT^ 11%^ T ^ ^ xi^ ^ ^ iif?r T ^nr naiice or prftyaschilta oteupy, in seVer&l instcmces^ one third of the wh^le collections of ceremonial rulesr But this was not enough. Discussions were raisedi not only hoW to remedy milrtakes, that had been ob- served at the time ; but how to counteract the effects of mistakes, unobserved during the performance of the sacrifice. Td settle this questioui the Kaushita* kins quote the following story : — '^And then Pratardiana^ the son of Divod&sa, (a famous king) having gone to the sacrifice of the Rbhis of Nimisha, sat down in their presence and askect the question : ^ If the Sadasya (the superintending priest, according to the ceremonial of the Eaushtta- kins) should make known a past Uunder, or any one of the priests shoi^ld observe it, how would you be fre^ from sin ? ' The priests Fere silent* Thejr Brahrhai^ wds Alikayu, the descendant of y&cbaspati. He Said, ^ X do not know this, alas ! Let us ask the teabher of our fathers, the elder J&tukarnya.' He asked him : ' If the performer himself should observe a past blund^r^ or some one else should make it known, how could that blunder become not a blunder ? by saying the passage again, or by an offering ? ' J&tukarnya said,. ^The passage must be S9.id again/ Alikayu asked him again: 'Should he say again the Sastra^ the Anuvachana, the Nigada, the Y&jyA, or whatever else it. may be, from beginning to end?' J&tukarnya said: * As far as the blunder extends, so far let hinx say it again, whether a verse, a half verse, a foot,: a word, or a letter*' Then said Kaushitaki: 'Let him:; ^ot say the passage again, nor let him perform a pe< nance offering (Kaush.-br, vi. 11. )l It is not a- blunder,* so said Kaushitaki ; * for, whatever blunder the Hotf is commit at ^he sacrifice without being D D 4 ^^re of it, all that, Agni, the divine Hotri, makes ^ ^a^ol^ ; Aiid this is confirmed by a verse from the f^here are, however, other passages in the Brfth- ^nas, full of genuine thought and feeling, and most ^^l^f^ble as pictures of life, and as records of early ^^^^ggles, which have left no trace in the literature * ^ other nations. The story of dunahSepha, for in- ^^^ce, which we find in the Aitareya-brfthmana, and ? the SfiLnkhftyana-sfitras is interesting in many .^^^pects. It shows that, at that early time, the Brah- -^^^^s were familiar with the idea of human sacrifices, --^4l that men who were supposed to belong to the ^0^0!b^ of the Brahmans were ready to sell their sons i^y^ that purpose. The text of this story, together ^ith the various readings, as gathered from the ggknl^hAyana-sfitras vdll he printed in the appendix.^ ** Harlfichandra*, the son of Vedhas, of the family of the Ikshvi^kus, was a king without a son. He had a hundred wives, but had no son by them. In his house lived Parvata and N&rada. He asked N&rada: * Tell me, O N&rada, what do people gain by a aon, whiMtt they all wish for, as well those who reason as those who do not reason ? ' Being asked by one verse, K&rada* replied in ten verses: See Pirofessor Wilaon's Essay on Human Sacrifices in the Veda, and ProfesaK>r Roth, in Weber's Ind. Studien, i. p. 457. s Hari^handra ^s^ according to the Purfbias, the son of Tri- fonkn, king of SJ^^l^ ^^^"* Vasishtha had cursed, and who made Vli^yimitra bifl Furohita. VUv&mitra in the Br&hmana is represented as on© o^ Harifchandra's prieats, but the office of Brahman is held by Vasbh^ha. In the R&m&jana, the sacrifice of Sunahfepha takes place under King Ambarisha! ■ NArada is known as s frequent interlocutor in th ^P*^ biiAhmanas. 409 4f a father sees the face of a son, bom alive, he pays a debt in him, and goes to immortality. ^The pleasure which a father has in his son is greater than all the pleasures that are from the earth, from the fire, and from the waters. * Always have the fathers overcome the great darkness by a son ; for a Self is bom from his Self; it (the new-born Self, the son) is like a ship, full of food, to carry him over. What is the flesh ? What is the skin ? What are the hairs ? What the heat ? Try to get a son, you Brahmans ; he is undoubtedly the world. * Food is life for men, clothing his protection, gold his beauty, cattle his strength* His wife is a friend, his daughter is a pity^ ; but the son is his light in the highest world. , ^As husband he embraces a wife, who becomes and puranic poetry, particularly in dialognes where moral and legal precepts are given. Cf. Bomouf, Bhagavat-purAna, vol. iii. preface. 1 The commentator gives a very different version of this line. He takes maloy which usually means matter, or mud, to signify the state of life of a Gphasthoy or householder. Ajina^ the skin, particularly of the antelope (aja), he takes as a symbol of the Brahmaehdrin state, because the pupil wears a skin. Smairu^ used in the singular for beard, he takes as a symbol for the Vana- pnuthoj because he does not shave any more ; and tapas he ex- plains to mean the penance practised by the Parivrajaka. Why the birth of a daughter was considered a pity we learn from the following verse (metre Bathoddhata) : — 410 brjLhmakas. his mother, when he becomes her child. Having been renewed in her, he is born in the tenth month.