Prajapati's relations with Brahman, Brhaspati and Brahma - DWC

during the performance of an animal sacrifice the fire is carried round,
offerings are made with five mant ras , among them "God Väyu must in the
beginning release the cattle of the forest, Prajäpati, in harmony with (his)
offspring" (Caland) . Translators disagree, howev~r (Keith and Kashikar:
"Väyu, lord of offspring"). Väyu is according to SB. 6, 2, 2, 11 one half
of Prajäpati; to 7, 1, 2, 5 the vital air that went out of this god; according
to AiB. 4, 26, 11 Prajäpati simply is Väyu. Prajäpati is, on the other
hand, said to be Väyu when he has been relaxed (SB. 6, 1, 2, 19), and
to have become "that breath that blows here" (11, 1, 6, 17). In SB. 8, 4,
1, 6 f. Väyu plays a part in the restoration of Prajäpati (agnicayana ritual);
9, 1, 2, 38, where he is considered to be the body of Prajäpati, the
great fireplace. At the end of the description of the laying down of the
third layer of the great fireplace (agnicayana) - which represents prajäpati
- in the mantras of which Väyu 's name is a comparatively frequent
occurrence 16 , this god, ,who is during the relevant performance made the
overlord of that layer (SB. 8, 3, 2, 4), fuses with Prajäpati: this structure
is called Väyu-Prajäpati (8,3,4,15). - In connexion with the socalled
ment al chant (miinasa-stotra, SV. 11, 726-8, gaviim ayana ritual)
an imaginary libation to Prajäpati-Väyu is made; everything connected
with it is done mentally17. - Väyu is also regarded as identical with Visvakarman
(SB. 8, 1, 4, 7) and as having become manas (ibidem).
16 See F. Staal (ed.), Agni, Berkeley 1983, I, p. 459 ff.
17 Cf. Gonda, in WZKSA 27, p. 24.
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