The 13r,Ihman'a portion of the R'igveda is preserved in two works only—the Aitareya Briihman'a, which consists of eight Panchibis, or "pentacles," each of•these comprising five Aelby(iyas, or "lessons," and all the Adhyilyas together; 285 Ifkan'das, or "por tions;" and the So nkluiyana, or Kaushit«lci-Briilanan'a, containing 30 Adhyilyas, also sub,livided into a number of Khan!d'as. The following specimens, selected from the former, may illustrate the manner in which works of this category enjoin sacrificial rites and explain their secret meaning. The first relates to the ceremony of carrying the Soma (q.v.). " The king Soma lived among the Gandharvas. The gods and R'ishis deliberated as to how the king might be induced to return to them. Vdch, the goddess of speech, said: " The Gandharvas lust after women. I (therefore) shall, transform myself into a woman, and then you sell me to them (in exchange for Soma)." The gods answered: " No how may we live without thee?" She said: " Sell me unto them; if you should want me, I shall return to you." 'rims they did. In the disguise of a big naked woman, she was sold (by the gods to the Gandharvas) in exchange for Soma. In imitation (of this precedent), men drive away an immaculate cow of one year's age, this being the price at which they purchase the king Soma. This cow may, however, be rebought; for Bich returned to the gods. Hence the Mantras, after Sema has been bought, are to be repeated with a low voice. After Soma has been bought, the goddess of speech is with the Gandharvas; but she returns as soon as the ceremony of carrying Inc sacred fire is performed." The following are the speculations of this Brahman'a on the Pupa, or sacrifical post, and the meaning of the sacrificial animal: " (The theologians) argue the question: Is the Ytipa to remain standing (before the fire); or is it to be thrown (into the fire)? (They answer:) For him who desires cattle, it may remain standing. (About this, the following legend is reported.) Once upon a time, cattle did not stand still to be taken by the gods for food. After having run away, the cattle stood still, and, turning toward the gods, said repeatedly: "You shall not obtain us. No, no!" Thereupon the gods saw that Yi'epa-weapon which they erected. Thus they frightened the animals, which then returned to them. That is the reason that, up to this day, the sacrificial animals are turned toward the Ripa (their head being bent toward the sacrificial post to which they are tied). Then they stood still to be taken by the gods for their food The man who is initiated (into the sacrificial mysteries) offers himself to all deities. Agni represents all deities, and Soma represents all deities. When the sacrificer offers the animal to Agni and Soma, he releases himself front being offered to all deities. Some say: " The animal to be offered to Agni and Soma must be of two colors, because it belongs to two deities." But this precept should not be attended to. A fat animal is to be sacrificed, because animals (compared to the sacrificer) are fat, and he (compared to them) is lean. When the animal is fat, the sacri ficer thrives through its marrow. Some say: "Do not eat of the animal offered to Agni and Soma. Who eats of this animal, eats human flesh, because the sacrificer releases himself (from being sacrificed) by means of the animal," But this precept, too, should not be attended to. The animal offered to Agni and Soma was an offering to Indra, for lndra slew Vr'itra through Agni and Soma. Both then said to hint: " Thou host slain Vr'itra through us; let us choose a boon from thee." "Choose yourselves," answered he. But they choose this boon from him; and thus they receive (now as their food) the animal which is sacrificed the day previous to the Soma feast. This is their everlasting portion chosen by them; hence one ought to take pieces of it, and eat them."—See M. Haug's edition and translation of the Aitureya Briihman'a pp. 59, 78), vols. i., ii. (Bombay, 1863).
The principal object for which the Samareda was compiled is the performance of those sacrifices of which the juice of the Soma plant is the chief ingredient; and of such sacrifices the most important is the .Iyotisht'oma, which consists of seven stages: the Agnisheoma, Atyagnisht'oma, Ukthya, Shod'as'in, Atiratra, Aptoryilma, and Yiljapeya ; but the performance of the Agnisheoma alone was considered obligatory for those who wished to derive the chief advantage accruing from the celebration of this grand cere mony; while its other six stages, though adding to the merits of the sacrificer, were deemed voluntary. At the performance of such Soma sacrifices, the verses of the Silma veda were intoned; and there are special song-books which teach the proper manner how to chant them. The Sanhitri of the Silmaveda is preserved in two recensions: in that of the Riaiiyaniya, and probably also the Eauthuma school. It consists of two
parts: the first, the Chlutmlograntha, also called Archika, or Paredrchika, contains, in the present recension, 5S5 ferses, which are arranged into 59 Das'ati or decades, these being divided into Prapahakas, or chapters, and the latter, again, into Ardhaprapdthakas, or half-chapters. The second portion, called Staubhika, or Eittaragrantha, or Uttarci r Mika, consists of 1225 verses, distributed over nine Prapilehakas, which, too, are sub divided into Ardhaprapdthakas. And there is this peculiarity in the Uttar5grantha, that being for the most part arranged according to triplets of verses, the Bust verse of these triplets is frequently one which also occurs in the Archika portion. It is then called the Yoni, or parent verse, because the subsequent two, the Mira, are symboli cally its children, since they participate of all the modulations, stoppages, and other modifications which may occur in the chanting of the "parent" verse. These modula tions, etc., are taught in the Gdnas, or song-books mentioned before, two of which, the Veyagana and Aran'yagiina, relate to the Archika; and two others, the Uhaulina and Uhyagil na, to the Staubhika part, The text of the Silmaveda-Sanhitil, in the Riinii yaniya recension, has been edited and translated by Dr. J. Stevenson (Loud. 1842-43), and by 'Prof. Th. Benfey (Leip. 1848).
The number of Brahman'as relating to this Veda is, by the native authorities, given as eight; and their names are: the or the Shad' the or Samavidhdna-, the Arsheya-, the Devatildhyiiya-, the Vans'a-, the Sanhitn panishad-Brillonan'a; and the Upanishad, which probably is the Chhiindogya-Upanishad. and thus is ranked among the Brilliman'as. A later Bralman'a, probably of modern date, and which is not mentioned by Silyan'a, is the The latter and the Iran'sa Briihmana have been edited by prof. A. Weber; the former in the lndische Studien, vol. iv. (Berlin, 1858); the latter in the Abhandluagen der koniglichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin (1858).
The history of the Yajurveda differs in so far from that of the other Vedas, as it is marked by a dissension between its own schools far more important than the differences which separated the schools of each other Veda. It is known by the distinction between a iajurveda, called the Black, and another, called the Wink Yajurreda. Tradition, especially that of the Purdn's, records a legend to account for it. Vais'amptiyana, it says, the disciple of Vyrisa, who had received from him the Yajurveda, once having com mitted an offense, desired his disciples to assist him in the performing of some expiatory act. One of these, however, Ydjnavalkya, proposed that he should alone perform the whole rite; upon which, Vais'ampayana, enraged at what he considered to be the arro gance of Yajnaalkya, uttered a curse on him, the effect of which was that YAjnavalkya. disgorged all the Yajus texts he had learned from Vais'ampayana. The other disciples, having meanwhile been transformed into partridges (tittiri), picked up these tainted texts, and retained them. Hence these texts are called Thiltiriyas. But Yajnavalkya, desirous of obtaining other Yajus texts, devoutly prayed to the sun, and had granted to him his wish—" to possess such texts as were not known to his teacher." And because the sun on that occasion appeared to Yiljnavalkya in the shape of a horse (rain), those who studied these texts were called That part of this legend was invented merely to account for the name of the Taittirtyas, after whom a Sanhita, and BrtIliman'a of the Black Yajurveda, and for that of the Vajasaneyins, after whom the Sanhita of the White Yajurveda is named, is clear enough. Nor is greater faith to he 'placed on it when it implies that the origin of this dissension ascended to the very oldest period of the Yajurveda; for there is strong reason to assume that the division took place even after the time of the grammarian Piin'ini (q.v.). See Goldstbeker's p. 189, ff. But so much in it is consistent with truth—that the Black Yajurveda is the older of the two; that the White Yajurveda contains texts which are not in the Black; and that, compared to the motley character of the former, it looks "white," or orderly. This motley character of the Black Yajurveda, however, arises from the circumstance, that the distinction between a Mantra and Brama'na portion is not so clearly established in it as in the other Vedas; hymns and matter properly belonging to the Bea.hman'as there being intermixed. This defect is remedied in the White Yajurveda; and it points, therefore, to a period when the material of the old Yajus was brought into a system consonant with prevalent theories, literary and ritual.