English
Their original title was the obt**^ A^criras' or the Bhrigvangiras', orthe Atharvans, ' Nirukta-parisUhta, I, 10. THB qopathA"^ ^^^y^. 447 and these very titles show ti^ ^Onga which could he quoted in such a manner^, to^wt 1,^^^ j^^^^ of ancient date, and must have had a lon^ ^ife in the oral tradition of India. Their proper position ivith reference to the other Yedas is well marked in a passage of the Tait* tiiiy&ranyaka (viii. 3.), where the Yajush is called the head, the Rich the right, the S&man the other side, the Ade6a (the Upanishad) the vital breath, and the AtharvlLngiras' the tail. The songs known under the name of the Atharv&n- giras' formed probably an additional part of the sacri- fice from a very early time. They were chiefly in- tended to counteract the influence of any untoward • event that might happen during the sacrifice. They also contained imprecations and blessings, and various formulas, such as popular superstition would be sure to sanction at all times and in all countries. If once sanctioned, however, these magic verses would soon grow in importance, nay, the knowledge of all the other Yedas would necessarily become useless without the power of remedying accidents, such as could hardly be avoided in so complicated a ceremonial as that of the Brahmans. As that power was believed to reside in the songs of the Atharv&ngiras', a knowledge of these songs became necessarily an essential part of the theological learning of ancient India. According to the original distribution of the sacri- ficial oflEices among the four classes of priests, the supervision of the whole sacrifice, and the remedying of any mistake that might have happened belonged to the Brahman. He had to know the three Yedas, to follow in his mind the whole sacrifice, and to advise the other priests on all doubtful points.^ If it was the oflice See page 362. Sayana'a Introduclion to tlic Hig-vcda, p. 3. 1. 3. THB QOPATHA-BB1hMa.NA. ^lae Brahman to remedy mistakes in the r^r4' * J:^ of the sacnfice, and if, for that ^ P*>nn. ^^^^^ ^^ *^" AtharvAngi^s' ^e* c^"''^^ ^''^ r<>*^i^ efficacy, it foUo^s%hat it was ^^'^'^^"f ^S^^ljtoan who had to acquires knowl^^ ^^^^^^V the ^^^^la^. Now the office of the B^T^**^^ °^ *h f-^^^^a by the other classes of priests Th!f ^ T** *^"- ^^^ Bahyricha (Hotri), the Adhva^ J^'*^J>^ ^^^ \y r^ it belongs to one of their own bo^ "^'Dtn tl*^ ^dogas also preferred similar claim "^^ T*^ *^® ^^^ei**y *^® ""°^' important office, and irf * ^** *^*^cea, tl"g^ ^°* always* it was held bv ti^^S" "' "*^^^ tl^ hereditary family priest. Certail l^"f°- "•^^ <^^ * *^® Vasishthas and VifivamitraT 7? io^^ X *'i^as. (See ^' because a knowledge of the songs of the Ath^A . rs' Teas most important to the Brahman or PurohT^^' fl,ese songs themselves, when once admitted to *t ' rank of a Veda, were caUed the Veda of the Brahm or the Brahm-v^' I the Gopatha-br4hmana TlT* title of BrahnJ-^®^* ^^^ not occur.' But the so oftheilfciarvd^K''**'*'*™®°tio"ed there. Xhe "^ called both J^tharvana-veda (i. 5.), and Xns'Z^^ veda (L 8.x ^d they are repeatedly repr^se^^^" the proper v^^* for the Brahman. Thus x^^ ^ (iiL 1.): u/f „,a„ elect a Hotri who kn^ '^'^ ^l?^' an A^lVaiyu who knows" the Y^^^^^ *'" ,U%Atri T^^^^^^^o^s the SAman, a Brahman '.^'^ ^"o^ the ^ ^"rvAngira8^" It seems in f° Tk"* THE QOPATHA^ ^ ^^ANA. 449 of four Vedas- A carriag^^ ^^ are toW, Joes not proceed with less than foul* ^^eela, an animal does not walk with less than four ffe^t, uor will the sacrifice be perfect with less than four Vedas.^ But although a knowledge of the fourth Veda is thus represented as essential to the Brahman, it is never maintained that such a knowledge would be sufficient by itself to enable a person to perform the offices of a Brah.^ man. Like the Chhandogas (By. Bh. vol. i. page 3.), the Atharvanikas also declare that the whole sacrifice is performed twice, once in words, and once in thought. It is performed in words by the Hotri, Udgd^tri, and Adhvaryu separately ; it is performed in thought by the Brahman alone (Gop. Br. vol. iii. 2.) The Brahman, therefore, had to know all the three Vedas and in addition the formulas of the Athar- v&ngiras'. It is a common mistake in later writers to place the Atharva-veda coordinate with the other • Vedas, and to represent it as the Veda of the Brah- man. The Gopatha-br&hmana raises no such claims ; when it describes the type of the sacrifice, it says : Agni (fire) was the Hotri, V&yu (wind) the Adhvaryu, SArya (sun) the XJdgatri, Ghandramas (moon) the Brahman, Paijanya (rain) the Sadasya, Oshadhi and Vanaspati (shrubs and trees) the Ghamasftdhvar3rus, ^ At the end of the fifth Prapathaka we read : "vfl^; jf^ptt 0 G J 450 THE qopatha-bbAhmana. The Vifive Devas were the Hotrakas, The AtharvUngiras', the Goptris op protectors. In another place (v. 24.) the persons engaged in the sacrifice are enumerated as follows : Hotri, Maitr&varuna, Achh&viLka, Grd^vastut (Rig- veda), 1 — 4. Adhvaryu, Pratiprasth&tri, Neshtri, Unnetri ( Yajur-veda), 5 — 8, Udglltri, Prastotri, Subrahmanya, Pratihartri (SAma-veda), 9 — 12. Brahman, Br&hmand^hhansin, Potri, Agnidhra ( Atharvangiras'), 13 — 16. Sadasya, 17. Patnl dikshitft (the wife), 18. I§amitri (the immolator), 19. Grihapati (the lord), 20. Angiras, 21. Here we see that besides the four Brahman-priests to whom a knowledge of the Atharv&ngiras' is recom- mended, there were other priests who are called Goptris, i. e. protectors or Angiras', and whose special office it was to protect the sacrifice by means of the magical formulas of the Atharv^giras', against the efiects of any accidents that might have happened. Such was the original office of the Atharvans at the Vedic sacrifices, and a large portion of the Gopatha- brfthmana (i. 13. ; i. 22.) is taken up with what is called the Virishta, the tFna, the Y&taylLma, or what- ever else the defects in a sacrifice are called which must be made good (sandh&na) by certain hymns, verses, formulas, or exclamations. There are long discussions on the proper way of pronouncing these salutary formulas, on their hidden meaning, and their miraculous power. The syllable Om, the so-called .-^'^'Ou,.. THE GOPATHA.--^ ^^l^NA. 451 Vyfiihritis, and other strange ^ ^6a are recommended for various purposes, and "^ ^^s such as the Sarpa- veda, PififiLcha-veda, Asuraved^j ItihAsa-veda, Pur&na- veda, are referred to as authorities (i W.). Although, however, the Gropatha-br&hmana is more explicit on the chapter of accidents than the Brdh- manas of the other Vedas, the subject itself is by no means peculiar to it* The question of expiation or penance (pr&ya6chitta) is fully discussed in the other Yedas, and remedies are suggested for all kinds of mishaps. The ceremonial in general is discussed in the Gopatha in the same manner as in the other Brfthmanas. There is, in fact, very little, if any, dif- ference between the Gopatha and the other Br&h- manas, and it is not easy to discover any traces of its more recent origin. It begins with a theory of the creation of the world, such as we find in many places of the other Br&hmanas. There is nothing remark- able in it except one idea, which I do not remember to have seen elsewhere. Brahman (neuter), the self- existing, bums with a desire to create, and by means of his heat, sweat is produced from his forehead, and from all the pores of his body. These streams of sweat are changed into water. In the water Brahman perceives his own shadow, and falls in love with it. This, however, is only one phase in the progress of creation, which is ultimately to lead to the birth of Bhrigu and Atharvan. Atharvan is represented as the real Praj&pati, or Lord of Creation. From him twenty classes of poets, the same as those mentioned in the Anukramani, are produced, and their poems are said to have formed the Atharvana-veda. Then follows a new series of creation. Brahman creates the earth from his feet, the sky from his o o 2 ^52 THE GOPATErA-BBlHM>^ ' ^jiteff belly, heaven from his skull. He *^^ /^ind) ^J^*^ vg gods : Agni (fire) for the earth, Y^f^^ ^^f^Lyta Iky, and Aditya (sun) for the be^jf proceed/ ^^T creates the three Vedas : the B-ig-ve^* F ^^gda *^ Agni, the Yajur-veda from Vayu, the *^ -^cred ^J"^ Aditya. The three Vy&hritia also, ^f ^ e%^^^^!f^'c hies (bMh bhuvah svar), are called i^.