The Brahman'a of the Bahvr'ichas, or the priests of the R'igveda, is still preserved in two editions. The former—the A itareya-Bralman'a consists of eight PanehiLd or pentacles of Adhydyas, thus comprising forty AdhyAyas or lectures, which again are subdivided into two hundred and eighty-five Khan'd'a or portions. The latter, the S'ehi khdyana-Brd/initea, which bears also the name of the Kaushitaki Brdlonan'a, consists of thirty AdhyAyas, likewise subdivided into a number of Khan'd'as. Both BrAlimau'as contain on the whole the same matter ; but the difference of the manner in which their subjects aro arranged and treated leads to the supposition that the first thirty lectures of the AitsreyaBrahman'a are older than those of the S'AnkhAyana, whereas the last ten lectures of the former contain rites not explained in the latter, and are probably therefore more recent than the S'Ankhayana. These Brahman'as do not follow the order of the hymns of the Rig-veda-SanhitA, but quote them as they would be required by the Hotr'i priest for the performance of the rites described. In order to give an idea of the elaborate ceremonial which called these Brahman'a into life, and of the mysticism which connects them with a subsequent class of works, we will first give an abstract of an import ant ceremony, treated of with great detail in the last books of the Aitareya-Brahman'a, and several times alluded to in the epic poetry of the MahAbharata and ltAmAyan'a,—the Abhisheka or inauguration of a king.
This ceremony is either part of a Rajaaaya, and performed by a king at the end of this sacrifice, or it is not part of a sacrifice, and then occurs at a king's accession to the throne. For celebrating the former ceremony there must have been prepared a throne-seat of the wood of the udumbara (Ficw glamerata), resting ou four legs a span high, with boards placed on them, and side-boards of the dimensions of a cubit or two spans; the whole well fastened together with • texture made of cords of musics grass (Sase/memo Menja) ; a tiger akin, which is placed on the seat with the hair upward and the neck to the cut, a large four-cornered hulls of udumbara wood, and • branch of the same. In the ladle have been put eight things: curd, honey, clarified butter, water proceeding from rain during ennshine, before it has fallen down, blades of S'ydrain grass, sprouts, spirituous liquor, and Dal grass (Pea item dot-tyke). To prepare a site for the throne three lines have been drawn on a place of sacrifice .... one southwards, another westwards, and a third northwards ; the one to the south is that ou which the throne is to be placed, with its front towards the oast, so that the two feet to the north coins to stand within the Vali or sacrificial ground, anit.the two to the south without ; this latter spot occupied by the throne seat, is called SW (comm. as a typo of happiness or prosperity). Tho place within the red i being small, but that without being ilinnited, this portion of the throne indicates that the sacrificer may obtain definite and indefinite wishes within and without the I'edi. The tiger skin is the type of increase of military power, for the tiger is the hero of the wild beasts; the udumbara wood of the throne, ladle and branch, is the type of nourishing juice and of food (which the sacrificer 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 bees); 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; grass and sprouts typify food, hence prosperity and progeny ; spirituous liquor is the type of a Iishatriya's power (comm., on account of its fierceness or hotness) ; Du'b grass (being the Kshatriya of the plants, and firmly established in the soil with its many roots) is the type of military power and of a firmly established rule. The principal features of the ceremony ittelf are the following. The kiug, who performs the sacrifice, kneels down 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-scat, and invites the gods to ascend it together with various metres—ituni with the metre ()apart Sarilr'i with the Ushnih, Sean with the Anusht'ubh, Br'ihaspaii with the Beihatl, Mitre and rarea'a with the Pankti, Indra with the Trisht'ubh, the Derds with the Jagati—for the 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 his right and then with his left knee. The next ceremony is the pro pitiatien 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 akin ; 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 words after him. If this propitiation did 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 verses: " Thaw waters are most propitioua; they have healing power to free from all disease; they are the aug menters of kingly power and its supporters; they are immortal" " With which Pmjipati (the lord of creatures) sprinkled Indra, the king Soma and Maim, with these I sprinkle thee, that thou becoinest 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 picious mother bore thee." And this Yajurveda verse " The divine Savitrl has given his consent, therefore, I pour (this liquid) over thee with the arms of the Aciwins (comm., not with my own), with the hands of Iliahan, with the beauty of Ag-ni, with the radiance of Sarya, and with the senses of Indra, for the sake of strength, prosperity, glory, and increase of food." After the recital of other verges by which spirituous liquor and Sonia are intended to become identified, the king drinks the liquor, and presents the rest to a friend. Ile then
places the udumbera branch on the ground, and prepares himself for descending from the throne-seat ; but while ho is still seated, and mite his feet on the ground, he says " I firmly stand on heaven and earth. 1 firmly stand on exhaled and inhaled air, I firmly stand on day and night, I firmly stand on food and drink ; on what is BrIllnan'a, on what is Kshetriya—on these three worlds stand I firmly 1" Ile then descends, sits down on the ground with his face towards the east, utters thrice the words, " adoration to what, is Brahman's I" and offers • gift (comm., • cow) to a Brihrnan'a. The object of this gilt is the attainment of victory In every quarter, and over every description of enemies; and hie threefold expression of adoration to-what is a Brah man's, implies that a kingdom prospers and has valiant men when it is under the control of the Briliman'as, and that a valiant son will be born to him. Then the king rises, puts fuel into the sacrificial fire, and takes three steps to the east, north, and to the north-east, while reciting several verses specified. Upon this lie site down by the domestic fire, and the Adhwaryu priest makes for him, out of a goblet, four times three oblations, with clarified butter, to Indra, while reciting other lt'igveda verse*. " A king for whom these libations are made to Indra in the indicated manner, becomes free from disease, cannot be injured by enemies, is exempt from poverty, everywhere protected against danger, and thus becomes victorious in all the quarters, and, after death, established in Indra'ai heaven." The rites of the Abhielieke ceremony, which are performed at king's accession to the throne, are founded on the proceedings which 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 Sainavecla verses ; of the threads of the tex ture which was to hold this structure together, those that weut length wise were made of Rigvedie, and those that went crossways of the intervals being Yajurveda-versos; the covering of the throne was the goddess of Glory, the pillow the goddess of Happiness ; Savitei and Br'ihnspati supported the fore-legs, VAyu and Peahen the hind-legs, Mitre and Varun'a the two top-boards, and the two Mewing the two aide-boards, of the throne-seat, &c. The inauguration of the mortal king begins with the priest calling upon him to take the following oath :—" If I (the king) do ever harm to thee, thou (the priest) mayst deprive me of all pious acts 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 bring four kinds of fruits: the fruit of the A'sagrodha (Fires Indica), of the ljdumbara (Ficus glomerata), of the A?treatha (Ficus religiosa), and of the J'lakslia (Ficus infeetoria); besides, four kinds of grain : rice with small grain. rico with large grain, l'riyange, 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 hullo or vessel, and pour over them curds, honey, clarified butter, and water proceeding from rain during sunshine, before it has fallen down ; afterwards, having placed the ladle or vessel on the ground, they address the throne-scat with a Mantra, which recalls the component parts of Indra's throne, and thus tends to identify both. Then the priest asks the king to ascend the throne-seat, iuviting the Vents, Itudras, Adityas, and the other divinities which were invited by Indra at his inauguration to ascend his throne, with the same metres and songs, and for the same purposes. Upon this the relatives of the king proclaim his high qualities in the same words as the gods proclaimed the greatness of Indra ; the priest recites a certain itigveda verse, and, placing himself before the throue with his face towards the west, covers the head of the king with the uduinbara 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 Wigveda verses, and the Yajurveda verse quoted above, and uttering the three sacred words JMflr, Bhurar, Seer. Lastly, he addresses the king with the prayer that the Vomit, the Rudras, and the other divinities who performed this ceremony for Indra in the cast, south, &c., may severally do the same for him in thirty-one successive days, and to the same effect as they did it for him. Of the Ingredients of the sacred liquid, the Nyagrodha, 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 and the grain of tho latter are the typo of the qualities of a Kohatra ; the fruit of the udumbara and the grains of the Priyangu are the type of increase of enjoyment ; the fruit of the Atewattha and rice with largo grains, the typo of righteous government ; the fruit of the Plaksha, the type of independent rule and attainment of more distinguished qualities than those possessed by other kings; barley is the type of military commandership ; curds, that of sharpness of the senses ; honey, that of the essence of plants and trees; and water ia the type of freedom from death, or that of long life (because it nourishes). The ceremony having been completed, the king has to make a present to the inaugurating priest, namely, a thousand nishkns 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 itinume rabic, illimited presents, since a king is illimited (in wealth), and thus will obtain illimited benefit to himself ;" and it adds, too, several instances in which kings bestowed unbounded wealth on the officiating prieats. After the priest has received the gift, ho kande to the king e goblet of spirituous liquor in reciting an appropriate Wigveda hymn, which 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 this ceremony, compare Ooldstinker's Sanskrit Dictionary,' s.v.