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

y means of Bráhman Prajäpati then again filled himself up (made strong);
Bráhman turned unto him, he made Bráhman subordinate to himself. And
so does this one (the sacrificer) now become strong by means of Bráhman
etc. ". In a similar way Prajäpati made himself strong again by speech (Sarasvatï
is speech; hence a victim for her, 7); by food (Soma is food, hence
one for him, 8); by meáns of cattle (Pü!?an is cattle, hence one for him,
10), and so on 7'+. In the shorter version oi the above passage KB. 12, 8
(12,9, 18 ff.) the identifications are not always the same: KB. 12, 10, 5
S. identifies Agni with Brahman; Soma is nobility (11), Pü!?an food (14)
but Brhaspati is here also Bráhman (17), etc. This text merely says that
Prajäpati by sacrificing these victims obtained the objects of his de sire
and won food. See also SS. 6, 10.
From SB. 3, 9, 1, 11 it appears that, in the beginning , Prajäpati stood
in need of Bráhman just as he had required sacred speech (väc), food,
cattle etc. in order to strengthen himself: dealing with the ekädasinï ritual
the author states that there must be victims for Sarasvatï, Soma, and
Pü!?an etc. and also a victim for Brhaspati who represents Bráhman, by
means of which Prajäpati again strengthened himself; "and so does this
(sacrificer) now become strong by means of Brahman".
In TB. 2, 7, 1, 2 it is Brhaspati himself (not Prajäpati!) who beheld the
brhaspatisava when he wished to become the purohita of the gods. Af ter
having performed this sacrifice his de sire was fulfilled. A man who desires
to become a purohita should perform it af ter his example. In the version
handed down in JB. 2, 128 Brhaspati beheld the way by which he ..... ould
succeed in winning a race when the gods could not agree upon the apportionment
of Prajäpati who being exhausted had become food. So the rite
under discussion became Brhaspati's sava. There are more places where
Brhaspati is described as having beheld a rite or an element of a ritual:
in T S. 7, 2, 3, 1 being desirous of brahminical illustriousness he beheld
the rite of eight days; in 2, 6, 8, 5 he was afraid because he was given
the same offering as Pü!?an who had lost his teeth af ter eating it and thereupon
he beheld a definite mantra. ·
The man who is desirous of brahminical illustriousness (brahmavarcasa)
should perform the brhaspatisava. When once the gods did not place confidence
in Brhaspati, Prajäpati performed this rite on his behalf; thereup
on the gods had again confidence in him (KS. 37, 7: 88, 8). Here Prajäpati
performs a ritual task which elsewhere is Brhaspati's.
Interestingly enough, both gods are declared to be or represent the
complete or unimpaired Bráhman (sarva'!l brahm!l), Brhaspati, the brahmán
of the gods, at GB. 2, 1, 3; 4 Prajäpati at SB. 7, 3, 1, 42.
After the formula brhaspate dhärayä vasüni "0 Brhaspati, preserve
(our) property" (KS. 3, 4:24, 20; cf. TS. 1,3, 7 d; 6,3,6, 1; cf. also
TB. 2, 8, 2, 8 etc.) KS. 26, 7: 130,21 states: "Brhaspati represents
Bráhman; through Bráhman creatures (offspring) are born; one procreates
them by means of Bráhman". (See also KapS. 41, 5: 241,3). In a
similar passage, KS. 28, 8: 162, 15 (KapS. 44, 8: 263, 7), the 'identification
' is followed by "out of Bráhman creatures are born ... ", which
reminds us of the otherwise parallel passage MS. 4, 7, 4: 97, 10 reading
as follows: " ... (af ter a quotation containing Brhaspati's name) Brhaspati
74 In three cases (the victims for Agni, 6; Savitar, 20; VaruQa, 21) the motivation
and formulation are different.
24