m VEDA. 



high, with boards placed on them, and aide-boards of the dimension* 

 of cubit or two spans; the whole well fattened together with it 

 texture nuule of curd* of utnja gam (Studumm Jfnja) ; a tiger akin, 

 which U placed on the seat with the hair upward and the neck to the 

 out, a Urge four-cornered ladle of uilmnbara wood, and a branch of 

 the tame. In the ladle have been put eight things : em. I. honey, 

 clarified butter, water proceeding from rain during sunshine, before it 

 baa fallen down, blade* of A'ydrna gnat, sprouts, spirituous liquor, and 

 Ou'b gnat (Paticum Jadyi'i*). To prepare a lite fur the throne three 

 lino* have been drawn on a place of sacrifice .... one southwards, 

 another westwards, and a third north ward* ; the one to the south U 

 that on which the throne U to be placed, with it* front toward* the 

 eaat, ao that the two feet to the north come to stand within tl. 

 or sacrificial ground, anuV the two to the south without; thi* latter 

 apot occupied by the throne seat, u called -S'rf (couiui., as a type of 

 happines* or prosperity). The place within the Vedi being small, but 

 that without being illiiuited, this portion of the throne indicates that 

 the aaorifioer may obtain definite and indefinite wishea within and 

 without the Vedi. The tiger akin U the type of increase of military 

 power, for the tiger U the hero of the wild beasts ; the udumbara wood 

 of the throne, ladle and branch, U the type of nourishing juice and of 

 food (which the sicrificer is supposed to acquire by this symbol) ; 

 curd, honey, and clarified butter typify the essence of water and plants 

 (curd and butter, as the commentator observes, because they originate 

 in grass and water, which are the food of cattle ; honey, because it 

 originates in the juice of plants collected by been) ; water proceeding 

 from rain during sunshine, before it has fallen down, typifies lustre (or 

 energy); and rain (being the consequence of oblations to the gods) 

 holiness; gnus and sprouts typify food, hence prosperity and 

 progeny; spirituous liquor is the type of a Kshatriya's power 

 (comm., on account of its fierceness or botnesa) ; DuTj grass (being 

 the Kahatriya of the plants, and firmly established in the soil with 

 iU many roots) is the type of military power and of a firmly established 

 rule. The principal features of the ceremony itself are the following. 

 The king, who performs the sacrifice, kneels clown at the back part of 

 the throne-seat with his face to the east, and his right knee touching 

 the ground. He then touches with his hands the throne-seat, and 

 invite* the gods to ascend it together with various metres Ayni with 

 the metre Gayatri, Savilrt with the Ushnih, .Swaa with the Anusht'ubh, 

 Jlr'ihtupali with the IVihatl, Milra and I'arun'a with the Paukti, I,,,!, a 

 with the Triaht'ubh, the I'ijVe DccAt with the Jagatt for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining " kingly power, righteous government, increase of 

 enjoyment, independent rule, attainment of more distinguished quali- 

 ties than those possessed by other kings, coming (after death) into the 

 world of Brahman, and obtaining there dominion, a mighty rule, 

 mastership, independence, and a long residence there." The gods have 

 arrived, and the king now ascends himself the throne-seat, first with 

 hi* right and then with his left knee. The next ceremony is the pro- 

 pitiation of the liquid in the ladle, which is performed by the priest, 

 who will pour it over the king by reciting these verses (from the 

 Atharvaveda) : " Waters, behold me with a favourable eye ; with a 

 favourable body touch my skin ; all fires, for they reside in water, I 

 invoke on your account ; do you produce in me beauty , bodily strength, 

 and energy ; " and by the king repeating these word* after him. If 

 this propitiation .lid not take place, the liquid would destroy the vigour 

 of the king. After this, the priest covers the head of the king with the 

 udumbara branch, and pours the liquid over him while reciting the 

 following three R'igveda verses : " These waters are moat propitious ; 

 they have healing power to free from all disease ; they are the aug- 

 menters of kingly power ami iU supporters ; they are immortal" 

 "With which Prajijwti (the lord of creatures) sprinkled Indra, the 

 king Soma and Maim, with these I sprinkle thee, that thou becomcst 

 king of kings in this world." " The queen, thy mother, bore thee to 

 be great amongst the great, and a righteous ruler over men ; an aus 

 I lien. 1 1* mother bore thee." And this Yajurveda verse : " The divine 

 Savitr'i has given his consent, therefore, I pour (this liquid) over th. . 

 with the arms of the As'wins (coinm., not with my own), with the 

 hand* of Puihan, with the beauty of Agni, with the radiance of Si'irya. 

 and with the sense* of Indra, for the sake of strength, prosperity, 

 glory, and increase of food." After the recital of other verses, by 

 which pirittinus liquor and Soma are intended to become identified, 

 the king drink* the liquor, and present* the rest to a friend. He then 

 place* the udumbara branch on the ground, and prepares himself for 

 descending from the throne-vat ; but while he i* still seated, ami put- 

 bis feet on the ground, he says : " I firmly stand on heaven and earth. 

 I tinuly stand on exhaled and inhali-d air, 1 firmly stand on day and 

 niuht. I lirmly stand on food and drink ; on what is IJmhman'a, on 

 what is Kahatriya on these three worlds stand I firmly ! " He then 

 descends, sits down on the ground with his face towards the east, 

 utters thrice the words, " adoration to what is Brahman'a 1 " an<l oil. i 

 a gift (coinm., a cow) to a Brahman'a. The object of this gift is the 

 attainment of victory in every quarter, and over every description ot 

 enrmirs; and his threefold expression of adoration to-what i* a Brah 

 uun'a, implies that a kingdom prosper! and has valiant men when it i 

 under the control of the Brahman'a*, and that a valiant son will bo 

 born to him. Then the king rue*, puU fuel into the sacrificial fire, 

 and takes three step* to the east, north, and to the north-east, while 

 recifing several Terse* specified. Upon this he *iU down by the 



VEDA. 



domestic fire, and the Adhwaryu priest makes for him, out of a goblet, 

 ' nir times three oblations, with clarified butter, to Indra, while reciting 

 tln-r Ulgveda verses. " A king for whom these libations are made to 

 Indra in the indicated manner, becomes free from diaeaae, cannot be 

 injured by enemies, i* exempt from poverty, everywhere protected 

 against danger, and thus becomes victorious in all the quarters, and, 

 after death, established in In.lra's heaven." 



The rites of the Abhisheka ceremony, which are performed at a 

 king's accession to the throne, are founded on the proceedings w In. h 

 are described as having taken place when Indra was consecrated by the 

 gods as their supreme ruler. The latter are, as a matter of course, of 

 an entirely mystical kind. Thus, the eight parts of his throne-seat are 

 said to have consisted of Samaveda verse* ; of the threads of the tex- 

 ture which waa to hold thia structure together, those that went length- 

 wise were made of R'igveda-, and those that went croasways of 

 S&maveda-, the intervals being Yajurveda- verses ; the covering of the 

 throne was the goddess of Glory, the pillow the goddess of Happiness ; 

 Savitr'i and Brthaapati supported the fore-legs, Vayu and Pushan the 

 hind-legs, Mitra and Varuu'a the two top-boards, and the two As'wina 

 the two side-boards, of the throne-seat, Ac. The inauguration of the 

 mortal king begins with the priest calling upon him to take the following 

 aath : " If I (the king) do ever harm to thee, thou (the priest) mayst 

 deprive me of all pious act* which I have done from the time of my 

 birth up to that of my death, of heaven, and whatever else good has 

 been accomplished by me, of long life and offspring." He then orders 

 his attendants to brine four kinds of fruit*: the fruit of the Nua;i 

 (Kut Indica), of the Udumbara (Fieut ijlamerata), of the Ai'tcattlu ( Fieut 

 reliijitaa), and of the PUiktlia (J'iciu infcftoria) ; besides, four kinds of 

 grain : rice with small grain, rice with large grain, J'riyangu, and 

 barley. Next they bring at his command a throne-seat of udumbara- 

 wood (made in the manner as described before), a ladle of udumbara 

 (or, instead of the latter, a vessel of udumbara), and an udumbara 

 branch. Then they put the various kinds of fruit and grain in the 

 ladle or vessel, and pour over them curds, honey, clarified butter, and 

 water proceeding from rain during sunshine, before it has fallen down ; 

 afterwords, having placed the ladle or vessel on the ground, they 

 address the throne-seat with a Mantra, which recalls the component 

 part* of Indra'a throne, and thus tends to identify both. Then the 

 priest ask* the king to ascend the throne-seat, inviting the Vasus, 

 Kudras, Adityas, and the other divinities which were invited by 

 at hi* inauguration to ascend his throne, with the same metres and 

 songs, and for the same purpose*. Upon this the relatives of the king 

 proclaim his high qualities in the same words as the goda proclaimed 

 the greatness of Indra ; the priest recites a certain R'igveda verse, and, 

 placing himself before the throne with his face toward* the west, 

 the head of the king with the udumbara branch, the leaves of which 

 have been wetted, and with a gold Pavitra, and sprinkles him with 

 the liquid (in the ladle or vessel) while reciting the three K'igveda 

 verses, and the Yajurveda verse quoted above, and uttering the three 

 sacred words tth&r, Jihui-ar, Stcar. Lastly, he addresses the kin-; 

 with the prayer that the Vasua, the Rudras, and the other divinities 

 who performed thi* ceremony for Indra in the east, south, Ac., may 

 severally do the same for him in thirty-one successive days, and to 

 the same effect a* they did it for him. Of the ingredients of the 

 sacred liquid, the Nyagrodba, being, on account of its wide spread, 

 the king of the trees, and rice with small grains, being among plants 

 principally productive of strength, the fruit of the former ami (In- 

 grain of the latter are the type of the qualities of a Kshatra ; the fruit 

 of the udumbara and the grain* of the Priyangu are the t 

 increase of enjoyment ; the fruit of the As'wattha and rice with large 

 grains, the type of righteous government ; the fruit of the 1'laksha, 

 the type of independent rule and attainment of more distinguished 

 qualities than those possessed by other king*; barley i* the i. 

 military commandenhip ; curds, that of sharpness of the senses ; 

 honey, that of the essence of plants and tree* ; and water is the t 

 freedom from death, or that of long life (because it nourishes). The 

 ceremony having been completed, the king ha* to make a present to 

 the inaugurating priest, namely, a thousand nishkas of gold, a field, and 

 cattle ; but this amount seems merely to constitute a minimum 

 acknowledgement of the exertions of the priest, for the text of the 

 Aitareya-Brahman'a adds that " they say, a king should give innume- 

 rable, illimited presents, since a king U illimited (in wealth), and thug 

 will obtain illimited benefit to himself;" and it adds, too, m 

 instances in which king* bestowed unbounded wealth on the olli- 

 priests. After the priest has received the gift, he hand* to the king a 

 goblet of spirituous liquor in reciting an appropriate R'iirveda hymn, 

 whieh has the power of transforming the qualities of the liquor drunk 

 by the king into those of the juice of the Soma plant. Lastly, the 

 king recites some other verses specified. (For a fuller account of 

 thi* ceremony, compare Qoldrtucker's ' Sanskrit Dictionary,' s.v. 

 'Abhiaheka.') 



As an illustration of those passages of the Aitareya-Brahman'a, which 

 partake more of an incantatory nature. w may quote the description 

 of a rite which occurs in iU last chapter, and relates to rites to i 

 formed, under the direction of a proper Purobita or chaplain, for the 

 destruction of the king's enemies. " Foes, enemies, and rival*," we 

 read there, " perish around him who i* conversant with these rites. 

 That which (moves) in the atmosphere is air (Brahman), around which 



