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

elieved, be transferred by any form of contact 109 (cf. also SB. 5, 1, 5,
27). This mess is an offerIng for Brhaspati: "the one who worships with
the viijapeya sacrifice belongs to (resorts to) Brhaspati in respect of (his)
deity" (biirhaspatyo vii e~a devatayii yo viijapeyena yajate, TB. 1, 3, 6, 8
f.). The formu\a runs as follows: "0 bearers of viija (i.e. steeds), winners
of viija, abo~t to run for viija, about to win viija, do you smeU at Brhaspati's
portion ". There can be no doubt that this god is expected to contribute
substantiaUy to the victory. When the race is over, the horses are made
to smeU the same sacrificial food with TS. 1, 7, 8, 4 p: "0 bearers of viija
(more exactly, "ye that set yourselves to winning viija,,110), winners of
viija, that have run for viija, that have won viija, cleanse yourself in B,rhaspati's
portion": their nostrils are smeared with part of the food (ÀpS. 18,
5, 1); according to MS. 7, 1, 3, 13 they have to sniff at it. See also M~. 1,
11,3: 163, 11; 1, 11, 7: 169,8; KS. 14, 1: 201, 1; 14, 7: 206,22 and SB.
5, 1,4, 15 (quoting part of VS. 9, 9) and 5, 1,5, 17 (VS. 9, 18) observing
that by making the horses smeU this substance the officiant imbues the
patron with 'virtue' (or manly energy, vïryam). Moreover , after having
descended from the chariot the patron touches the biirhaspatya mess of
rice (SB. 25) with VS. 9, 18 and "by (so) bringing it in contact with himself,
puts it within himself". However, when one of the horses is yoked
with the other parts of VS. 9, 9 the author of SB. 5, 1, 4, 10 explains the
reference to the animal's speed and strength twice with the injunction
"with that win thou this (our) sacrifice, (viz.) Prajäpati!" Thus contact
with the oblation to be offered to Brhaspati is considered conducive to
winning Prajäpati.
As to the mess of wild r;ice, this belongs to Brhaspati because this god
won it in the beginning (SB. 5, 1, 4, 12 f.). "Brhaspati is Bráhman and
these wild rice grains are cooked with Bráhman" (14): I would object to
Eggeling's translations , viz. "priesthood" of the first and "prayer" of the
second word bráhman, because the same fundamental concept is believed
to manifest itself in the divine figure and in the mant ras that are to consecrate
the preparation of the sacrificial food: "Bráhman is eternal and
imperishable and can be directly expressed in (sacred) speech" (BD. 1,
62). "It is a mess of 17 plates (cf. also ÀpS. 18, 2, 17), because Prajäpati
is characterized by the number 17; he thus wins Prajäpati" (14). The above
observation on Brhaspati's co- operation may be repeated.
The statement in SB._5,,2, 1, 19 that the Brhaspatisava is identical with
the viijapeya (see also ApS. 8, 7, 17 111 ) is another indication of the importance
attached to Brhaspati's contribution to the success of th!s rite. Mention
mayalso be made of the mantras VS. 9, 23 ff. quoted in SB. 5, 2, 2,
5 ff. to accompany the so-caUed viijaprasavïya oblations - in the ritual of
the Black Yajurveda caUed annahomii~ (TB. 1, 3, 8, 1; 1, 7, 10; ÀpS. 18,
6, 5) - which are to stimulate the viija: in VS. st. 26; 27; 29 BrhaspaH is
among the gods invoked for that purpose . Af ter this ceremony the patron
is anointed (consecrated) with the complete or universal sovereignty (siimriijya)
of Brhaspati (SB. 5, 2, 2, 14). By means of the relevant mantra the
officiant makes him attain to the feUowship of this god and to co-existence
in his 'world' (loka). According to TS. I, 7,10 h .the patron is anointed
109 I refer to Gonda, Vedie ritual, eh. IV.
110 See Gonda, The vision of the Vedie poets, p. 152.
111 And Caland's note, Sr. Äpast. 111, p. 123.
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