the Book of the Dead ( PDF )

The Doctrine Of Eternal Life.
{p. lxiii}
having been buried in the lowest chamber, "his ka cometh forth to him."[1] Of Pepi I. it is said:--
ai su ka-k hems ka-k am ta hena-k at ur
Washed is thy ka, sitteth thy ka [and] it eateth bread with thee unceasingly
en t'et t'etta
forever.'[2]
aha uab-k uab ka-k uab ba-k uab sexem-k
Thou art pure, thy ka is pure, thy soul is pure, thy form is pure.[3]
The ka, as we have seen, could eat food, and it was necessary to provide food for it. In the XIIth dynasty
and in later periods the gods are entreated to grant meat and drink to the ka of the deceased; and it seems
as if the Egyptians thought that the future welfare of the spiritual body depended upon the maintenance
of a constant supply of sepulchral offerings. When circumstances rendered it impossible to continue the
material supply of food, the ka fed upon the offerings painted on the walls of the tomb, which were
transformed into suitable nourishment by means of the prayers of the living. When there were neither
material offerings nor painted similitudes to feed upon, it seems as if the ka must have perished; but the
texts are not definite on this point.
A prayer of the ka.
The following is a specimen of the ka's petition for food written in the XVIIIth dynasty:--
"May the gods grant that I go into and come forth from my tomb, may the Majesty refresh its shade, may
I drink water from my cistern every day, may all my limbs grow, may Hapi give unto me bread and
flowers of all kinds in their season, may I pass over my estate every day without, ceasing, may my soul
[1. ###. l. 483.
2. Recueil de Travaux, t. v., p. x 66, 1. 67.
3 Ibid., 1. 112.]
{p. lxiv}
alight upon the branches of the groves which I have planted, may I make myself cool beneath my
sycamores, may I eat the bread which they provide. May I have my mouth that I may speak therewith
like the followers of Horus, may I come forth to heaven, may I descend to earth, may I never be shut out
upon the road, may there never be done unto me that which my soul abhorreth, let not my soul be
imprisoned, but may I be among the venerable and favoured ones, may I plough my lands in the Field of
Aaru, may I arrive at the Field of Peace, may one come out to me with vessels of ale and cakes and bread
of the lords of eternity, may I receive meat from the altars of the great, I the ka of the prophet Amsu."[1]
The ba or soul.
To that part of man which beyond all doubt was believed to enjoy an eternal existence in heaven in a
state of glory, the Egyptians gave the name ba, a word which means something like "sublime," "noble,"
http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ebod/ebod05.htm (7 of 21) [8/10/2001 11:23:20 AM]