SHATHPATH BRAHMAN

Rishi Yagnavalkya was the founder of Shukla Yajur Ved who was given the knowledge of Yajurved by Lord Surya. Shukla Yajurved originally had 15 Sakhas out of which only two sakhas or branches called Madyandina and Kanva exist at present. Madyandina sakha is more prevalent in North India where as Kanva Sakha is found mostly in South India. Details of all the 15 Shakhas can be found in the book Charana Vuyha Tantram.

In both the Madyandina and Kanva sakhas the Brahman is known as Shathpath Brahman. Shathpath literally means hundred paths. Satha does not exactly mean 100 it can be even greater then 100 or then that. The Shatpath Brahmins describe the Vedic ritual according to the Shukla Yajurved.

 

Shathpath Brahman :

 

The Shatpath Brahman (Sanskrit: Shatpath Brahman, meaning 'Brahman of one hundred (shatam, cognate with Latin centum) paths', abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Sukla (white) YajurVed. Described as the most complete, systematic, and important of the Brahmans (commentaries on the Veds), it contains detailed explanations of Vedic sacrificial rituals, symbolism, and mythology.

 

Particularly in its description of sacrificial rituals (including construction of complex fire-altars), the Shatpath Brahman (SB) provides scientific knowledge of geometry (e.g. calculations of Pi and the root of the Pythagorean theorem) and observational astronomy (e.g. planetary distances and the assertion that the Earth is circular) from the Vedic period.

 

The Shatpath Brahman is also considered to be significant in the development of Vaishnavism as the origin of several Puranic legends and avatars of the Rig Vedic god Vishnu. Notably, all of them (Matsya, Kurma, Varah, Narsimha, and Vaman) are listed as the first five avatars in the Dashavatar (the ten principal avatars of Vishnu).

 

There are two versions (recensions) available of this text. They are the Madhyandina recension and the Kanva recension. This article focuses exclusively on the Madhyandina version of the Shatpath Brahman.

 

Nomenclature :

The 'Shatpath Brahman' can be loosely translated as 'Brahman of one hundred paths' :

 

• 'Brahman' means 'explanations of sacred knowledge or doctrine'.

• 'Shatpath' means 'having a hundred paths' or 'proceeding in a hundred ways'.

Khand and Adhyâya :

• 'Khand' (or 'Khanda'), means 'chapter', 'division of a book', or more loosely 'book'. It also means 'praise' and 'water'.

• 'Adhyâya', means 'chapter' (of a book), 'lesson', 'reading' and 'lecture'.

In relation to the Shatpath Brahman, a reference such as '14.1.2' means 'Kand 14, Adhyay 1, Brahman 2', or in English, 'Book 14, Chapter 1, Explanation 2'. The addition of a fourth digit at the end (e.g. 17.7.3.11) refers to the verse number.

 

Date of Origin :

Arthur Berriedale Keith states that linguistically, the Shatpath Brahman belongs to the later part of the Brahman period of Vedic Sanskrit (8th to 6th centuries BCE, Iron Age India). M. Witzel dates this text to the 7th-6th centuries BCE. Jan N. Bremmer dates it to around 700 BCE. J. Eggeling (translator of the Vajasaneyi madhyandina recension into English), dates the final, written version of the text to 300 BCE, although stating some elements 'far older, transmitted orally from unknown antiquity'.

 

B. N. Narahari Achar also notes several other estimations, such as that of S.B. Dixit, D. Pingree, and N. Achar, in relation to a statement in the text that the Krittikas (the open star cluster Pleiades) never deviate from the east; Dixit's interpretation of this statement to mean that the Krittikas rise exactly in the east, and calculated that the Krittikas were on the celestial equator at about 3000 BCE, is a subject of debate between the named scholars; Pingree rejects Dixit’s arguments.

 

S.C. Kak states that a 'conservative chronology places the final form of the Shatpath Brahman to 1000-800 B.C.E... [although on] the other hand, it is accepted that the events described in the Veds and the Brahmans deal with astronomical events of the 4th millennium [i.e. 3,000] B.C.E. and earlier'. According to Kak, the Shatpath Brahman itself contains astronomical references dated by academics such as P.C. Sengupta 'to c. 2100 B.C.E', and references the drying up of the Sarasvati river, believed to have occurred around 1900 B.C.E.

 

Sanskrut :

 

tarhi videgho mathava asa | sarasvatyam sa tata eva prandahannabhiyayemam prthivim tam gotamasca rahugano videghasca mathava? pascaddahantamanviyatuh sa imah sarva nadiratidadaha sadaniretyuttaradgirernirghavati tam haiva natidadaha tam ha sma tam pura brahmana na tarantyanatidagdhagnina vaisvanareneti

 

Shatpath Brahmnana, transliteration of Khand I, Adhyâya IV, Brâhmana I, Verse 14

 

English Translation :

 

Mâthava, the Videgha, was at that time on the (river) Sarasvatî. He (Agni) thence went burning along this earth towards the east; and Gotama Râhûgana and the Videgha Mâthava followed after him as he was burning along. He burnt over (dried up) all these rivers. Now that (river), which is called 'Sadânîrâ,' flows from the northern (Himâlaya) mountain: that one he did not burn over. That one the Brâhmans did not cross in former times, thinking, 'it has not been burnt over by Agni Vaisvânara.'

 

Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand I, Adhyâya IV, Brâhmana I, Verse 14

 

Scholars have extensively rejected Kak's arguments; Witzel criticizes Kak for "faulty reasoning" and taking "a rather dubious datum and using it to reinterpret Vedic linguistic, textual, ritual history while neglect[ing] all the other contradictory data." According to Witzel, the Shatpath Brahman does not contain precise contemporary astronomical records, but rather only approximate naked-eye observations for ritual concerns which likely reflect oral remembrances of older time periods; furthermore, the same general observations are recorded in the Babylonian MUL.APIN tablets of c. 1000 BCE. The Shatpath Brahman contains clear references to the use of iron, so it cannot be dated earlier than c. 1200-1000 BCE, while it reflects cultural, philosophical, and socio-political developments that are later than other Iron Age texts (such as the Atharv Ved) and only slightly earlier than the time of the Buddh (c. 5th century BCE).

Divisions
Madhyandina Recension
Kanva Recension
Khands
14
17
Adhyayas
100
104
Prapathakas
68
-
Brahmans
436
435
Kandikas
7179
6806

The Madhyandina recension is known as the Vajasaneyi madhyandina sakha, and is ascribed to Yajñavalkya Vajasaneya.

 

The Kanva recension is known as the Kanva sakha, and is ascribed to Samkar.

 

Scholars have extensively rejected Kak's arguments; Witzel criticizes Kak for "faulty reasoning" and taking "a rather dubious datum and us[ing] it to reinterpret Vedic linguistic, textual, ritual history while neglect[ing] all the other contradictory data." According to Witzel, the Shatpath Brahman does not contain precise contemporary astronomical records, but rather only approximate naked-eye observations for ritual concerns which likely reflect oral remembrances of older time periods; furthermore, the same general observations are recorded in the Babylonian MUL.APIN tablets of c. 1000 BCE. The Shatpath Brahman contains clear references to the use of iron, so it cannot be dated earlier than c. 1200-1000 BCE, while it reflects cultural, philosophical, and socio-political developments that are later than other Iron Age texts (such as the Atharv Ved) and only slightly earlier than the time of the Buddha (c. 5th century BCE).

 

The 14 books of the Madhyandina recension can be divided into two major parts. The first 9 books have close textual commentaries, often line by line, of the first 18 books of the corresponding samhita of the Sukla (white) Yajur Ved. The remaining 5 books of the Shatpath cover supplementary and ritualistically newer material; the content of the 14th and last book constitutes the Brhad-Aranyaka Upanishad. The IGNCA also provides further structural comparison between the recensions, noting that the 'names of the Khands also vary between the two (versions) and the sequence in which they appear':

Kand
Madhyandina No.
Kanva No.
Ekapat
2
1
Haviryajna
1
2
Udhari
-
3
Adhvara
3
4
Graha
4
5
Vajapeya
-
6
Sava
5
-
Rajasuya
-
7
Ukhasambharan
6
8
Hastighata
7
9
Citi
8
10
Sagniciti (Saciti)
-
11
Sanciti
9
-
Agnirahasya
10
12
Astadhyayi
11
13
Madhyama
12
14
Ashwamegh
13
15
Pravarghya
-
16
Brhadaranyaka
14
17

The IGNCA adds that 'the division of Kandika is more rational in the Kanva text than in the other... The name 'Shatpath', as Eggeling has suggested, might have been based on the number of Adhyayas in the Madhyandina which is exactly one hundred. But the Kanva recension, which has one hundred and four Adhyayas is also known by the same name. In Indian tradition words like 'sata' and 'sahasra', indicating numbers, do not always stand for exact numbers'.

 

Brihadaranayaka Upanishad :

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is from the last Khand (i.e. book 17) of the Kanva recension of the Shatpath Brahman. Swami Madhavananda states that this Upanishad is 'the greatest of the Upanishads... not only in extent; but it is also the greatest in respect of its substance and theme. It is the greatest Upanishad in the sense that the illimitable, all-embracing, absolute, self-luminous, blissful reality - the Brhat or Brahman, identical with Atman, constitutes its theme'.

 

Significance in Science :

 

Shape of fire altar during full moon-new moon sacrifice

Geometry and mathematics of the Shatpath Brahman and the Sulhasutras are generally considered [to be] the description of the earliest science in India... Specifically, the development of the scientific method in India in that age was inspired by some rough parallels between the physical universe and man's physiology [i.e. correspondence or equivalence between the macrocosm and microcosm]. This led to the notion that if one could understand man fully, that would eventually lead to the understanding of the universe... This led to a style of seeking metaphors to describe the unknown, which is the first step in the development of a scientific theory. A philosophy of the scientific method is already sketched in the RgVed. According to the RgVedic sages, nature has immutable laws and it is knowable by the mind...

 

— Astronomy of the Shatpath Brahman by Subhash C. Kak, Indian Journal of History of Science, 28(1), 1993

Astronomy :

Kak elaborates that 'the main elements of the astronomy of [the] Vedang Jyotish [one of the earliest known Vedic texts on astronomy are already contained in [the] Shatpath Brahman and earlier books'. He adds that Vedic ritual sacrifices (yajna) described in texts such as the Shatpath Brahman are intended to capture 'time in motion', noting some rituals lasted an entire year.

 

In relation to sacrifice and astronomical phenomena detailed in texts such as the Shatpath Brahman (e.g. sacrifices performed during the waxing and waning of the moon), N. Aiyangar states the fact that 'the Vedic people had a celestial [i.e. astronomical] counterpart of their sacrificial ground is clear', and cites an example of the Yajna Varah sacrifice in relation to the constellation of Orion.[20] Roy elaborates further on this example, stating that when 'the sun became united with Orion at the vernal equinox...[this] commenced the yearly [YajnaVarah] sacrifice'. The vernal (March) equinox marks the onset of spring, and is celebrated in Indian culture as the Holi festival (the spring festival of colours).

 

I.G. Pearce states that the Shatpath Brahman - along with other Vedic texts such as the Veds, Samhitas, and Tattiriya Samhita - evidences 'the astronomy of the Vedic period which, given very basic measuring devices (in many cases just the naked eye), gave surprisingly accurate values for various astronomical quantities. These include the relative size of the planets the distance of the earth from the sun, the length of the day, and the length of the year'. A.A. Macdonell adds that the Shatpath in particular is notable as - unlike the Samhitas - in it the Earth was 'expressly called circular (parimandala)'.

 

Mathematics :

 

A miniature replica of the Falcon altar (with yajna utensils) used during Athirathram

 

Layout of a basic domestic fire altar

In the construction of fire altars used for sacrifices, Kak also notes the importance of the number, configuration, measurements, and patterns of bricks representing factors such as :

 

• Vedic Meters : The rhythmic structure of verses in sacred utterances or mantras, particularly from the Rig Ved

• Area/size and numeric equivalences : Units of time such as Muhurtas, months, seasons, and days; and Vedic numerology, an example being the Falcon altar (see left image), which was constructed from five layers of 200 bricks each, the total 1,000 bricks symbolising the Purusha, the first principle of creation, enumerated in the RigVed (10.90):

A THOUSAND heads hath Purush, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. On every side pervading earth he fills a space ten fingers wide.

 

— Rig Ved (translated by R.T.H. Griffith, 1896), Book 10, Hymn 90, Verse 1

Notably, P. N. Sinha states that the number 1,000 represents 'the thousand Maha yugs of every Kalp' (about 4.32 billion years), illustrated by the 1,000 hoods of the Nag Vasuki/Anant on which the Earth is supported. I.G. Pearce, F. Staal, and D.M. Knipe all agree with Kak, repeating that the number, layering, size, and configuration of bricks to construct sacrificial altars - real and symbolic - as detailed in texts such as the Shatpath Brahman had numerous rules, with Staal adding - in relation to similarities with ancient Greek, Babylonian, and Chinese geometry :

 

Vedic geometry is attached to ritual because it is concerned with the measurement and construction of ritual enclosures [and] of altars... Vedic geometry developed from the construction of these and other complex altar shapes. All are given numerous interpretations in the Brahmans and Aranyakas [texts relating to the Veds]... [but the] Sulba Sutras contain the earliest extant verbal expression of the closely related theorem that is still often referred to as the Theorem of Pythagoras but that was independently discovered by the Vedic Indians...

— Discovering the Veds: Origins, Mantras, Rituals, Insights by Frits Staal, 2008 (pp. 265-267)

Noting that Kak also provides three values for Pi (the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter) from the Shatpath Brahman, Pearce elaborates on the advancement of Vedic mathematics in general in relation to the construction of sacrificial altars :

 

As a result of the mathematics required for the construction of these altars, many rules and developments of geometry are found in Vedic works. These include :

 

Use of geometric shapes, including triangles,

rectangles, squares, trapezia and circles.

Equivalence through numbers and area.

Equivalence led to the problem of:

Squaring the circle and visa-versa.

Early forms of Pythagoras theorem.

Estimations for pi.

 

— Mathematics in the service of religion: I. Veds and Vedngas, by I.G. Pearce (School of Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews, Scotland)

C.S. Seshadri states 'Familiarity with the four fundamental operations of arithmetic is evidence in Vedic Literature like the Shatpath Brahman, the Taittiriya Samhita and even the Rig Ved. A passage from the ancient Shatpath Brahman gives all divisors of 720'. This passage (10.4.2.1-18) is noted by Kak as having 'exactly 15 factors (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 24)'. The significance of this (including in relation to astronomy) can be seen in the following verses of that passage :

 

Sanskrut :

 

pañcadasatmano'kuruta astacatvarimsadistakantsa naiva vyapnot

sodasatmano'kuruta pañcacatvarimsadistakantsa naiva vyapnonna saptadasadha vyabhavat

astadasatmano'kuruta catvarimsadistakantsa naiva vyasnonnaikam na vimsatidha vyabhavat

vimsatimatmano'kuruta sartrimsadistakantsa naiva vyapnonnaikavimsatidha vyabhavanna dvavimsatidha na trayovimsatidha

caturvimsatimatmano'kuruta trimsadistakantso'tratisthata pañcadase vyuhe tadyatpañcadase vyuhe'tisthata tasmatpañcadasapuryamanasya rupani pañcadasapaksiyamanasya

atha yaccaturvimsatimatmano'kuruta tasmaccaturvimsatyardhamasah samvatsarah sa etaiscaturvimsatya trimsadistakairatmabhirna vyabhavatsa pañcadasahno rupanyapasyadatmanastanvo muhurtalokampmah pañcadasaiva ratrestadyanmuhu trayante tasmanmuhurta atha yatksudrah santa imamlokanapurayanti tasmallokamprnah

 

- Shatpath Brahman, transliteration of Khand X, Adhyâya IV, Brahmana II, Verses 13-18

 

English Translation :

 

He made himself fifteen bodies of forty-eight bricks each: he did not succeed. [15x48=720]

He made himself sixteen bodies of forty-five bricks each: he did not succeed. He did not develop seventeenfold. [16x45=720]

He made himself eighteen bodies of forty bricks each: he did not succeed.He did not develop nineteenfold. [18x40=720]

He made himself twenty bodies of thirty-six bricks each: he did not succeed. He did not develop either twenty-one-fold, or twenty-two-fold, or twenty-three-fold. [20x36=720]

He made himself twenty-four bodies of thirty bricks each. There he stopped, at the fifteenth; and because he stopped at the fifteenth arrangement there are fifteen forms of the waxing, and fifteen of the waning (moon). [24x30=720]

And because he made himself twenty-four bodies, therefore the year consists of twenty-four half-months. With these twenty-four bodies of thirty bricks each he had not developed (sufficiently). He saw the fifteen parts of the day, the muhûrtas,as forms for his body, as space-fillers (Lokamprinâs), as well as fifteen of the night...

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand X, Adhyâya IV, Brahmana II, Verses 13-18

 

Significance in Vaishnavism :

 

A.A. Macdonell, A.B. Keith, J. Roy, J. Dowson, W.J. Wilkins, S. Ghose, M.L. Varadpande, N Aiyangar, and D.A. Soifer all state that several avatars and associated Puranic legends of Vishnu either originate (e.g. Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, and Narasimha) or at least were significantly developed (e.g. Vamana) in the Satapatha Brahmana (SB). Notably, all constitute the first five avatars listed in the Dashavatar, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.

 

Vishnu :

Sofia states ''developments that occur in the general character of Visnu in the Brahman literature have far-reaching influence on the growth and moulding of avataric Visnu... Probably the single most important development, which is first found in the Brahmans and exerts the most influence over all other factors, is the identification of Vishnu with the sacrifice'. Vishnu is explicitly stated to be sacrifice repeatedly throughout the Shatpath Brahman (e.g. SB 1.7.4.20, 1.1.4.9, 3.2.1.38, 3.6.3.3, 5.2.3.6, 5.4.5.1, 5.4.5.18, 11.4.1.4, 12.5.4.11, 14.1.1.13, and 11.4.1.4).

 

Khand 14, Adhyaya 1, Brahman 1 :

in SB 14.1.1 ('The Pravargya'), the story given is that 'the gods Agni, Indra, Som, Makh, Vishnu, and the [Vishvadevas], except the two Ashvins, performed a sacrificial session', which was first attained by Vishnu, hence 'he became the most excellent of the gods'. Upadik ants then agreed with the other gods to gnaw at the bowstring of Vishnu while He rested his head on the Bow, in exchange for the boon to 'find water even in the desert' (as 'all food is water'). The Gharma (hot beverage offered as an oblation) is named after the sound of Vishnu's head hitting the ground (which 'on falling became yonder sun'), and 'inasmuch as he [Vishnu] stretched out (pra-vrig) on the ground, therefrom the Pravargya (took its name)'. The body of Vishnu is encompassed by Indra, who possessed by His glory 'became Makhavat (possessed of makh)'. Vishnu is then divided into three parts, with Agni receiving the first (morning) portion, Indra the second (midday) portion, and the remaining Visvedevas the third portion.

 

Kurma :

As related in the main article, Kurma, the tortoise avatar of Vishnu, is inextricably linked in the Purans with the legend of the churning of the Ocean of Milk, referred to as the Samudra manthan. The tortoise avatar is also synonymous with Akupar, the 'world-turtle' supporting the Earth, as well as the Saptarishi sage, Kasyapa. Accounts from the Shatpath Brahman are stated by Varadpande to be the seed of Kurma.

 

Eggeling adds that the 'kapals [cups used in ritual sacrifices] are usually arranged in such a manner as to produce a fancied resemblance to the (upper) shell of the tortoise, which is a symbol of the sky, as the tortoise itself represents the universe... In the same way the term kapala, in the singular, is occasionally applied to the skull, as well as to the upper and the lower case of the tortoise, e.g. Sat Br. VII, 5, 1, 2 [7.5.1.2].'

 

Khand 1, Adhyaya 6, Brahman 2 :

 

Sanskrut :

 

tercantah sramyantasceruh | sramena ha sma vai taddeva jayanti yadesamvjayyamasarsayasca tebhyo deva vaiva prarocayam cakruh svayam vaiva dadhrire pretavtadesyamo yato devah svargam lokam samasnuvateti te kim prarocate kim prarocata iti ceruretpurodasameva kurmam bhutva sarpanta? teha sarva eva menire ya? vai yajña iti

te hocuh | asvibhyam tistha sarasvatyai tisthendraya tistheti sa sasarpaivagnaye tistheti tatastasthavagnaye vaasthaditi tamagnaveva parigrhya sarvahutamajuhavurahutirhidevanam tata ebhyo yajñah prarocata tamasrjanta tamatanvata so 'yam paro 'varam yajño 'nucyate pitaiva putraya brahmacarine

 

- Shatpath Brahmnan, transliteration of Khand I, Adhyâya VI, Brâhman II, Verses 3-4

 

English Translation :

 

They went on praising and toiling; for by (religious) toil, the gods indeed gained what they wished to gain, and (so did) the Rishis. Now whether it be that the gods caused it (the sacrifice) to attract (or, peep forth to) them, or whether they took to it of their own accord, they said, 'Come, let us go to the place whence the gods obtained possession of the world of heaven!' They went about saying (to one another), 'What attracts? What attracts?' and came upon the sacrificial cake which had become a tortoise and was creeping about. Then they all thought, 'This surely must be the sacrifice!'

They said, 'Stand still for the Asvins! stand still for Sarasvati! stand still for Indra!' still it crept on;--'Stand still for Agni!' at this it stopped. Having then enveloped it in fire (Agni), knowing, as they did, that it had stopped for Agni, they offered it up entirely, for it was an oblation to the gods. Then the sacrifice pleased them; they produced it, they spread it. And this same sacrifice is taught by the former to the later; the father (teaches it) to his son when he is a student (brahmakârin).

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand I, Adhyâya VI, Brâhman II, Verses 3-4

 

Macdonell also notes another instance in the Taittiriya Samhita (2.6.3; relating to the Krishna (Black) Yajur Ved), where Prajapati assigns sacrifices for the gods and places the oblation within himself, before Risis arrive at the sacrifice and 'the sacrificial cake (purodas) is said to become a tortoise'.

 

Khand 6, Adhyaya 1, Brahman 1 :

 

Sanskrut :

 

so 'yam purusah prajapatirakamayata bhuyantsyam prajayeyeti so 'sramyatsa tapo 'tapyata sa srantastepano brahmaiva prathamamasrjata trayomeva vidyam saivasmai pratisthabhavattasmadahurbrahmasya sarvasya pratistheti tasmadanucya pratitisthati pratistha hyesa yadbrahma tasyam pratisthayam pratisthito 'tapyata

so 'po 'srjata | vaca eva lokadvagevasya sasrjyata sedam sarvamapnodyadidam kim ca yadapnottasmadapo yadavmottasmadvah

so 'kamayata | abhyo 'dbhyo 'dhi prajayeyeti so 'naya trayya vidyaya sahapah pravisattata andam samavartata tadabhyamrsadastvityastu bhuyo 'stvityeva tadabravittato brahmaiva prathamamasrjyata trayyeva vidya tasmadahurbrahmasya sarvasya prathamajamityapi hi tasmatpurusadbrahmaiva purvamasrjyata tadasya tanmukhamevasrjyata tasmadanucanamahuragnikalpa iti mukham hyetadagneryadbrahma...

so 'kamayata | abhyo 'dyo 'dhimam prajanayeyamiti tam samksyapsu pravidhyattasyai yah paran raso 'tyaksaratsa kurmo 'bhavadatha yadurdhvamudauksyatedam tadyadidamurdhvamadbhyo 'dhi jayate seyam sarvapa evanuvyaittadidamekameva rupam samadrsyatapa eva

 

- Shatpath Brahmnan, transliteration of Khand VI, Adhyâya I, Brâhman I, Verses 8-10 and 12

 

English Translation :

 

Now this Person Pragâpati desired, 'May I be more (than one), may I be reproduced!' He toiled, he practised austerity. Being worn out with toil and austerity, he created first of all the Brahman (neut.), the triple science. It became to him a foundation: hence they say, 'the Brahman (Ved) is the foundation of everything here.' Wherefore, having studied (the Ved) one rests on a foundation; for this, to wit, the Ved, is his foundation. Resting on that foundation, he (again) practised austerity.

He created the waters out of Vâk (speech, that is) the world; for speech belonged to it: that was created (set free). It pervaded everything here; and because it pervaded (âp) whatsoever there was here, therefore (it is called) water (âpah); and because it covered (var), therefore also it (is called) water (vâr).

He desired, 'May I be reproduced from these waters!' He entered the waters with that triple science. Thence an egg arose. He touched it. 'Let it exist! let it exist and multiply!' so he said. From it the Brahman (neut.) was first created, the triple science. Hence they say, 'The Brahman (n.) is the first-born of this All.' For even before that Person the Brahman was created: it was created as his mouth. Hence they say of him who has studied the Ved, that 'he is like Agni;' for it, the Brahman (Ved), is Agni's mouth...

He desired, 'May I generate, this (earth) from these waters!' He compressed it and threw it into the water. The juice which flowed from it became a tortoise; and that which was spirted upwards (became) what is produced above here over the wafers. This whole (earth) dissolved itself all over the water: all this (universe) appeared as one form only, namely, water.

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand VI, Adhyâya I, Brâhmana I, Verses 8-10 and 12

 

Vak (speech) is female (e.g. SB 1.2.5.15, 1.3.3.8, 3.2.1.19, 3.2.1.22). Used in ritual sacrifices, so is the sacrificial altar (Vedi; SB 3.5.1.33, 3.5.1.35), the spade (abhri; SB 3.5.4.4, 3.6.1.4, 3.7.1.1, 6.3.1.39; see section on Varah, below), and the firepan (ukha; SB 6.6.2.5). The (generative) principle of gender (i.e. male and female coupling to produce something) is pervasive throughout (as reflected by the Sanskrit language itself).

 

Khand 7, Adhyaya 5, Brahman 1 :

 

Sanskrut :

 

kurmamupadadhati | raso vai kurmo rasamevaitadupadadhati yo vai sa esam lokanamapsu praviddhanam paranraso 'tyaksaratsa esa kurmastamevaitadupadadhati yavanu vai rasastavanatma sa esa ima eva lokah

tasya yadadharam kapalam | ayam sa lokastatpratisthitamiva bhavati pratisthita iva hyayam loko 'tha yaduttaram sa dyaustadbyavagrhitantamiva bhavati vyavagrhitanteva hi dyauratha yadantara tadantariksam sa esa ima eva loka imanevaitallokanupadadhati...

sa yah kurmo 'sau sa adityo | 'mumevaitadadityamupadadhati tam purastatpratyañcamupadadhatyamum tadadityam purastatpratyañcam dadhati tasmadasavadityah purastatpratyan dhiyate daksinato 'sadhayai vrsa vai kurmo yosasadha daksinato vai vrsa yosamupasete 'ratnimatre 'ratnimatraddhi vrsa yosamupasete saisa sarvasamistakanam mahisi yadasadhaitasyai daksinatah santsarvasamistakanam daksinato bhavati

 

- Shatpath Brahman, transliteration of Khand VII, Adhyâya V, Brâhman I, Verses 1-2 and 6

 

English Translation :

 

He then puts down a (living) tortoise;--the tortoise means life-sap: it is life-sap (blood) he thus bestows on (Agni). This tortoise is that life-sap of these worlds which flowed away from them when plunged into the waters: that (life-sap) he now bestows on (Agni). As far as the life-sap extends, so far the body extends: that (tortoise) thus is these worlds.

That lower shell of it is this (terrestrial) world; it is, as it were, fixed; for fixed, as it were, is this (earth-)world. And that upper shell of it is yonder sky; it has its ends, as it were, bent down; for yonder sky has its ends, as it were, bent down. And what is between (the shells) is the air;--that (tortoise) thus is these worlds: it is these worlds he thus lays down (to form part of the altar)...

And as to its being called 'kûrma' (tortoise); Prajapati, having assumed that form, created living beings. Now what he created, he made; and inasmuch as he made (kar), he is (called) 'kûrma;' and 'kûrma' being (the same as) 'kasyapa' (a tortoise), therefore all creatures are said to be descended from Kashyap. Now this tortoise is the same as yonder sun: it is yonder sun he thus lays down (on the altar)... On the right (south) of the Ashâdhâ [Altar Brick] (he places it), for the tortoise (kûrma, masc.) is a male, and the Ashâdhâ a female...

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand VII, Adhyâya V, Brâhman I, Verses 1-2 and 6

 

Originally a form of Prajapati, the creator-god, the tortoise is thus clearly and directly linked with Vedic ritual sacrifice, the sun, and with Kasyapa as a creator (or progenitor). The tortoise is also stated to represent the three worlds (i.e. the triloka). SB 5.1.3.9-10 states 'Pragapati (the lord of generation) represents productiveness... the male means productiveness'. SB 14.1.1, which relates the story of Vishnu becoming the greatest of the gods at a sacrifice of the gods before being decapitated by His bow, states the head of Vishnu became the sun when it fell.

 

Matsya :

As related in the main article, Matsya, the fish avatar of Vishnu, appears to Manu to warn him of an impending deluge. After being reared by and growing to an enormous size, Matsya then guides Manu's ship to safety at the peak of a mountain, where Manu re-establishes life through the performance of Vedic sacrificial rites (yajna). In Puranic accounts, Matsya also rescues the Veds taken under the water, after they were stolen from Brahma by the Asura called Hayagriva (not to be confused with Hayagriva, the horse-headed avatar of Vishnu). From the Shatpath Brahman :

 

Sanskrut :

 

manave ha vai pratah | avanegyamudakamajahruryathedam panibhyamavanejanayaharantyevam tasyavanenijanasya matsyah pani apede

sa hasmai vacamuvada | bibhrhi ma parayisyami tveti kasmanma parayisyasityaugha imah sarvah praja nirvodha tatastva parayitasmiti katham te bhrtiriti

sa hovaca | yavadvai ksullaka bhavamo bahvi vai nastavannastra bhavatyuta matsya eva matsyam gilati kumbhyam magre bibharasi sa yada tamativardha atha karsum khatva tasyam ma bibharasi sa yada tamativardha atha ma samudramabhyavaharasi tarhi va atinastro bhavitasmiti

sasvaddha kasa asa | sa hi jyestham vardhate 'thetithim samam tadaugha aganta tanma navamupakalpyopasasai sa augha utthite navamapadyasai tatastva parayitasmiti

 

- Shatpath Brahman, transliteration of Khand I, Adhyaya VIII, Brahman I ('The Ida'), Verses 1-4

 

English Translation :

 

In the morning they brought to Manu water for washing, just as now also they (are wont to) bring (water) for washing the hands. When he was washing himself, a fish came into his hands.

It spake to him the word, 'Rear me, I will save thee!' 'Wherefrom wilt thou save me?' 'A flood will carry away all these creatures: from that I will save thee!' 'How am I to rear thee?'

It said, 'As long as we are small, there is great destruction for us: fish devours fish. Thou wilt first keep me in a jar. When I outgrow that, thou wilt dig a pit and keep me in it. When I outgrow that, thou wilt take me down to the sea, for then I shall be beyond destruction.'

It soon became a ghasha (a large fish); for that grows largest (of all fish). Thereupon it said, 'In such and such a year that flood will come. Thou shalt then attend to me (i.e. to my advice) by preparing a ship; and when the flood has risen thou shalt enter into the ship, and I will save thee from it.'

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand I, Adhyaya VIII, Brahman I ('The Ida'), Verses 1-4

 

Aiyangar explains that, in relation to the Rig Ved, 'Sacrifice is metaphorically called [a] Ship and as Manu means man, the thinker, [so] the story seems to be a parable of the Ship of Sacrifice being the means for man's crossing the seas of his duritas, [meaning his] sins, and troubles'. SB 13.4.3.12 also mentions King Matsya Sammad, whose 'people are the water-dwellers... both fish and fishermen... it is these he instructs; - 'the Itihas is the Ved'.'

 

Narsimha :

As related in the main article, Narsimha destroyed the Asur-King Hiranyakashyap, who after undertaking severe penances, was granted a boon by Brahma that he could not be killed inside or outside any residence, on the ground or in the sky, or by any god, human, animal, or weapon. The man-lion avatar of Vishnu thus put the demon on His lap and killed him with claws. This concept is similar to that found in the Shatpath Brahman (Sanskrit transliteration for Khand XII is not available):

 

By means of the Surâ-liquor Namuki, the Asura, carried off Indra's (source of) strength, the essence of food, the Soma-drink. He (Indra) hasted up to the Ashvins and Sarasvatî, crying, 'I have sworn to Namuki, saying, "I will slay thee neither by day nor by night, neither with staff nor with bow, neither with the palm of my hand nor with the fist, neither with the dry nor with the moist!" and yet has he taken these things from me: seek ye to bring me back these things!

 

— Shatpath Brahman, translated by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand XII, Adhyaya VII, Brahman III, Verse 1

D.A. Soifer states that 'Brahman literature yields what must be considered as the prototype of that [Narsimha] myth, the Indra-Namuchi [or Namuki] myth', adding that other academics such as Devasthali concur that although elements of the Namuchi legend are 'scattered throughout Brahman literature (cf. VS [Vajaseneyi Samhita] 10.34; PB [Pancavimsa Brahman] 12.6.8, MS [Maitrayani Samhita] IV.34; TB [Taittiriya Brahman] 1.7.1.6)', the fullest version is in the Shatpath Brahman. Indra defeating Namuchi itself originates from the RigVed (e.g. 10.73) :

 

Sanskrut :

 

tvam jaghantha namucim makhasyum dasam krnvana rsayevimayam |


tvam cakartha manave syonan patho devatrañjasevayanan ||

 

- Rig Ved transliteration of Book 10, Hymn 73, Verse 7

 

English English Translation :

 

War-loving Namuci thou smotest, robbing the Dasa of his magic for the Rishi.


For man thou madest ready pleasant pathways, paths leading as it were directly God-ward.

 

- Rig Ved English Translation  by Ralph T.H. Griffith (1896) of Book 10, Hymn 73, Verse 7

 

Vaman :

As related in the main article, Vaman, the dwarf avatar of Vishnu, took back the three worlds from the Asura king Bali (grandson of Prahlada, saved from his father, Hiranyakashyap, by the Narsimha avatar) in three steps.

 

Khand I, Adhyaya 2, Brahman 5 :

 

Sanskrut :

 

devasca va asurasca | ubhaye prajapatyah pasprdhire tato deva anuvyamivasuratha hasura menire 'smakameVedm khalu bhuvanamiti

te hocuh | hantemam prthivim vibhajamahai tam vibhajyopajivameti tamauksnaiscarmabhih pascatprañco vibhajamana abhiyuh

tadvai devah susruvuh | vibhajante ha va imamasurah prthivim preta tadesyamo yatremamasura vibhajante ke tatah syama yadasyai na bhajemahiti te yajñameva visnum puraskrtyeyuh

te hocuh | anu no 'syam prthivyamabhajatastveva no 'pyasyam bhaga iti te hasura asuyanta ivocuryavadevaisa visnurabhisete tavadvo dadma iti

vamano ha visnurasa | taddeva na jihidire mahadvai no 'durye no yajñasammitamaduriti

 

- Shatpath Brahman, transliteration of Khand I, Adhyaya II, Brahman V, Verses 1-5

 

English Translation :

 

The gods and the Asurs, both of them sprung from Prajapati, were contending for superiority. Then the gods were worsted, and the Asuras thought: 'To us alone assuredly belongs this world!

They thereupon said: 'Well then, let us divide this world between us; and having divided it, let us subsist thereon!' They accordingly set about dividing it with ox-hides from west to east.

The gods then heard of this, and said: 'The Asuras are actually dividing this earth: come, let us go to where the Asuras are dividing it. For what would become of us, if we were to get no share in it?' Placing Vishnu, (in the shape of) this very sacrifice, at their head, they went (to the Asuras).

They then said: 'Let us share in this earth along with yourselves! Let a part of it be ours!' The Asuras replied rather grudgingly: 'As much as this Vishnu lies upon, and no more, we give you!'

Now Vishnu was a dwarf. The gods, however, were not offended at this, but said: 'Much indeed they gave us, who gave us what is equal in size to the sacrifice.'

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand I, Adhyaya II, Brahman V, Verses 1-5

 

Eggeling notes that in the Shatpath Brahman, 'we have here the germ [i.e. origin] of the Dwarf incarnation of Vishnu'.[56] The difference in this account - aside from no mention of Bali - is that instead of gaining the earth by footsteps, it is gained by as much as Vaman can lie upon as a sacrifice. That this legend developed into Vaman taking three steps, as noted by Aiyangar, originates from the three strides of Vishnu covering the three words in the RigVed (1.22 and 1.154). Notably, the three steps of Vishnu are mentioned throughout the Shatpath Brahman as part of the sacrificial rituals described (e.g. SB 1.9.3.12, 5.4.2.6, and 6.7.4.8).

 

Khand 6, Adhyaya 7, Brahman 4 :

SB 6.7.4.8 also explains why the strides of Vishnu are performed in rituals :

 

Sanskrut :

 

sa vai visnukramankrantva | atha tadanimeva vatsaprenopatisthate yatha prayayatha tadanimeva vimuñcettadrktaddevanam vai vidhamanu manusyastasmadu hedamuta manuso gramah prayayatha tadanimevavasyati

 

- Shatpath Brahman, transliteration of Khand VI, Adhyaya VII, Brahman IV, Verse 8

 

English Translation :

 

And, again, why the Vishnu-strides and the Vâtsapra rite are (performed). By the Vishnu-strides Prajapati drove up to heaven. He saw that unyoking-place, the Vâtsapra, and unyoked thereat to prevent chafing; for when the yoked (beast) is not unloosed, it is chafed. In like manner the Sacrificer drives up to heaven by the Vishnu-strides; and unyokes by means of the Vâtsapra.

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand VI, Adhyaya VII, Brahman IV, Verse 8

 

Varah :

As related in the main article, Varah - also referred to as Yajna-Varah ('sacrificial boar') - is in Puranic literature explicitly stated to be the symbolic embodiment of sacrifice (including the ritual equipment, offerings, oblations, and altars used). Stated in the Nirukta to be synonymous with clouds and rain (sacrifice produces rain, rain feeds crops, and crops feed living beings), Varah is most commonly associated with the legend of lifting the Earth out of the Cosmic Waters, and in various accounts also battles and defeats the Asura Hiranyaksa to do so.

 

Khand 14, Adhyaya 1, Brahman 2 :

 

Sanskrut :

 

atha Varahvihatam iyatyagra asiditiyati ha va iyamagre prthivyasa pradesamatri tamemusa iti Varah ujjaghana so'syah patih prajapatistenaivainametanmithunena priyena dhamna samardhayati krtsnam karoti makhasya te'dya siro radhyasam devayajane prthivya makhaya tva makhasya tva sirsna ityasaveva bandhuh

 

- Shatpath Brahman, transliteration of Khand XIV, Adhyaya I, Brahman II ('The making of the pot'), Verse 11

 

English Translation :

 

Then (earth) torn up by a boar (he takes), with 'Only thus large was she in the beginning,'--for, indeed, only so large was this earth in the beginning, of the size of a span. A boar, called Emûsha, raised her up, and he was her lord Prajapati: with that mate, his heart's delight, he thus supplies and completes him;--'may I this day compass for you Makha's head on the Earth's place of divine worship: for Makha thee! for Makha's head thee!'

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand XIV, Adhyaya I, Brahman II ('The making of the pot'), Verse 11

 

The context of this verse is in relation to a Pravargya ritual, where clay/earth is dug up, fashioned or 'spread out' into Mahâvîra pots (symbolising the head of Vishnu), and baked in a fire altar (an explanation of Vishnu's decapitation relating to this ritual is given in SB 14.1.1). S. Ghose states that the 'first direct idea of the boar as an incarnation of Vishnu performing the specific task of rescuing the earth is mentioned in the Shatpath Brahman... the nucleus of the story of the god rescuing the earth in the boar-shape is found here'. A.B. Keith states that the boar 'is called Emusa [or 'Emûsha' in the SB] from its epithet emusa, [meaning] fierce, in the Rig Ved'. However, as this name occurs only once in the Rig Ved, the ascribed meaning cannot be verified:

 

10 All these things Vishnu brought, the Lord of ample stride whom thou hadst sent -


A hundred buffaloes, a brew of rice and milk: and Indra, slew the ravening [emusam] boar [Varah].

 

— Rig Ved (translated by R.T.H. Griffith, 1896), Book 8, Hymn 66, Verse 10

 

Khand 5, Adhyaya 4, Brahman 3 :

 

Sanskrut :

 

deva ghrtakumbham pravesayam cakrustato Varahh sambabhuva tasmadvaraho meduro ghrtaddhi sambhutastasmadvarahe gavah samjanate svamevaitadrasamabhisamjanate tatpasunamevaitadrase pratitisthati tasmadvarahya upanaha upamuñcate

athemam pratyaveksamano japati | prthivi matarma ma himsirmo aham tvamiti varunaddha va abhisisicanatprthivi bibhayam cakara mahadva ayamabhudyo 'bhyaseci yadvai mayam navadhuniyaditi varuna u ha prthivyai bibhayam cakara yadvai meyam navadhunviteti tadanayaivaitanmitradheyamakuruta na hi mata putra? hinasti na putro mataram

 

- Shatpath Brahman, transliteration of Khand V, Adhyaya IV, Brahman III, Verses 19-20

 

English Translation :

 

He then puts on shoes of boar’s skin. Now the gods once put a pot of ghee on the fire. There from a boar was produced: hence the boar is fat for it was produced from ghee. Hence also cows readily take to a boar: it is indeed their own essence (life-sap, blood) they are readily taking to. Thus he firmly establishes himself in the essence of the cattle: therefore he puts on shoes of boar’s skin.

Looking down on this (earth) he then mutters, 'O mother Earth, injure me not, nor I thee!’ For the Earth was once afraid of Varun, when he had been consecrated, thinking, ‘ Something great surely has he become now that he has been consecrated: I fear lest he may rend me asunder! And Varuna also was afraid of the Earth, thinking, I fear lest she may shake me off ! Hence by that (formula) he entered into a friendly relation with her; for a mother does not injure her son, nor does a son injure his mother.'

 

- Shatpath Brahman, English Translation  by Julius Eggeling (1900), Khand V, Adhyaya IV, Brahman III, Verses 19-20

 

The form of a boar was produced from a sacrificial oblation of the gods, and boars share the essence of cattle (which symbolise prosperity and sacrifice in SB 3.1.4.14, and productiveness in 5.2.5.8). Eggeling notes that in this ceremony, the King wears boar-boots to engage in a mock-battle with a Raganya (a Kshatriya noble or royal), stated to be 'Varun's consecration; and the Earth is afraid of him'. This ritual therefore seems to be significant as the mock-battle between the King (symbolising the boar) and the Raganya (symbolising Varun, Rig Vedic deity of water) parallels the battle between Varah with the Asur Hiranyaksa in various Puranic accounts of the Earth being saved and lifted out of the waters.

 

Source :

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Shatapatha_
Brahmana