36 E. \V. Hopkins, 



The S3'mpathetic rite for increase, pouring- out water that increase 

 may follow, is found here as in other Brahmanas. Besides the 

 rational view that water produces plants and plenty, 13. 9. 16, apo 

 hi sautilt, 8. 7. 8, there is the view " seed is water," and so, to 

 strengthen seed, water is poured out upon the right thigh. Since 

 seed is threefold fhaving vigor, virility, and virtue), the priest must 

 count the women f/iree times, and the wife of the sacriiicer must 

 have the water poured over her thigh, uncovering it " quite far "(other 

 Brah. say " wholh' ''"), since this (symbolism) is a " cause of pro- 

 geny," 8. 7. 8-13 (originall}' water had "essence of milk," ksJra- 

 rasa apali, 13. 4. 8j. Compare TS. 6. 5. 8. 6; AB. 1. 3. 3; .SB. 4. 

 4. 2. 18. 



The part of the Fire-god is so purely conventional, that nothing 

 need be said of him except as a moral factor. As elsewhere, he 

 heads the gods, 25. 14. 4, leads them to battle as a horse, 8. 8. 4 

 (11. 11. 6; cf. AB. 3. 49. 7); is all divinities, 9. 4. 5; 18. 1. 18, is, in 

 particular, Rudra, wiio causes cattle to be lost and found, 12. 4. 24 f. 

 (cf. TS. 2. 2. 10. 4 ; 5. 4. 3. 1 ; and 3. 5. 4. 3) ; a slayer, ghdtuka, 

 21. 2. 9 (active adj.), feverish [rfira, ranrava Saman, 7. 5. 10) or 

 "roarer", as also in 14. 3. 19, where he becomes "food-eater" and 

 then roared, agardayat, agaiigjlyat {gdungava, one of the howling 

 chaunts) ; a practiser of tapas, ib. and 14. 11. 37, where also he is 

 "guest of every clan." He could not at first blaze up, 13. 3. 22; 

 he is built up in figures, e. g. as the " tail " of the fire-laud, 20. 16. 3 

 (SB. 5. 2. 3. 6, he in the lowest part, Visnu the upper part, pardr- 

 dhya. of sacrifice). His first body dissolved and became unguents 

 {gauggula, pJtitddrii, etc.), 24. 13. 2 f . (TS. 6. 2. 8. 6; SB. 3. 5. 2. 

 15.) He is the one fire, just as men say "there is but one sacrifice," 



16. 1. 3 f . He eats all things, and those who worship him with 

 the rite of a thousand nights may also eat anything, sarvam esdni 

 ddyam, through which rite he won the impelling power id. 24. 15. 2) 

 of Savitar (as is said, 25. 17. 2, of Prajapatii, 25. 9. 2 f. That he 

 is (burns) "best in the middle" is proclaimed at 19. 10. 3 and 11. 9. 

 But above all he is purificator\'. Not onl}- is there an " ordeal by 

 fire " (see below), but even he who praises the Fire-god is said to 

 enter fire, and the god destroys his impurity, apfitain ksdpayati, 



17. 5. 3-7; 16. 5. 10. When Agni " went Ijurning the worlds," the 

 gods were afraid of him and averted him with a branch of the 

 Varana tree and so saved themselves, which is the reason for the 

 name of the Varavantlya vSaman and for the medicinal use of the 

 (magical) Varana tree. That too is the reason why a priest should 

 not only not drink from a cup made of pottery (as " his mouth is 



