Gods and Saints of tliv Great Bralunana. 29 



Before the moral teaching of the Brahmana is discussed, a word 

 may be said of another (priestl}') divine form. The " chaplain of 

 the gods," Brhaspati, who has special offerings, anubandhya, for 

 example, 17. 13. 2, takes the place of Indra in releasing demon- 

 bomid cattle, but otherwise is unimportant, except that he cures 

 lameness and skin-disease, 21. 14. 16 (of cattle). As chaunter of 

 the gods, when pursued by ogres he flees to the lords of the world. 

 Fire, Wind, and Sun, asking them to guard him from the dangers 

 of earth, air, and sk}'. Usually Purohita (" chaplain,") 17. 11,4; 19. 

 17. 8; 25. 1. 7, he is here chaunter, devanam ttdagayat (cf. TS. 3. 

 3. 2. 1) of the gods, 6. 7. 1. In 25. 1. 11, by means of the udbhid 

 and valabliid (ceremonies) he lets out cattle for the gods. This is 

 more fully described at 19. 7. 1 {vala must here be "prison")^: 

 " There was verily a prison of the demons, concealed in darkness 

 and covered with a stone. In it was a wealth of cattle. The gods 

 could not pierce it. The}^ said to Brhaspati, "Let out these (cattle) 

 for us."" He, with the iidbJiid (splitter) caused the prison to open 

 up ; with the valabliid he split it ; with the utsedha (chaunt; he let 

 out the cattle ; with the niscdha (chaunt) he herded them (cf. 15. 9. 

 11, utscdhcna vai dcvdl) pas ft n iidasedhan, niscdJicna paryagrhnan). 

 Brahmanaspati is Brahma here (as elsewhere), 16. 5. 8 and 18 ; 

 AB. 2. 38. 9; Cf. SB. 4. 5. 1. 11; 9. 2. 3. 3 ; 12. 8. 3. 29. 



Morality. 



Despite the fact that the Saman and the rite make the gist of 

 the Brahmana's religion, it remains true that there is a real ethical 

 foundation for this religion. Nothing very lofty is to be expected. 

 Witchcraft, magic, gratification of passion, rites to insure one's 

 superiority over friends (mildly expressed as " become the light of 

 his people," 21. 12. 6) as well as foes, to make one "get ahead of 

 his own people," to enable one to kill a rival, to get " revenge " 



pardnco garihdh sambhavanti, pratyancah prajdyante, tasindd ii ie ' 7'da/ia- 

 vilebhyo nd ' vapadyanta^ eteiia {samtid) hy ctci dhftdli, 15. 5. 16 ; cf. 22. 9. 4. 

 This does not quite agree with 6. 8. 9, pardncah (men) praj'dyante ; but 

 cf. 7. 2. 6, pardncah prdj'yaiite pratyancah prajdya7ite (cattle). Compare TS. 

 2. 5. 7. 3, prdc'uiam reto dhJyate . . prdtlclh prajdh jdyante (also 5. 2. 10. 2) ; 

 On the breeding of cattle, cf 24. 11. 2 (5, ass and mare, cf. 6. 1. 4). On 

 at man, cf. trivrt sirah . . pdnkta itara dtmd (head lias hair. skin, bone ; 

 body, also flesh and marrow), 5. 1. 3-4; TB. 1. 5. 9. 7 ; on man as 

 ■vdirdja with ten '■ breaths," see 2. 7. 8 ; 14. 2. 



^ So too Hillebrandt, Vcd. Myth. 3. 264. with parallels. S. understands 

 Vala as demon! 



