Satapatha Brahmana Part II (SBE26), Julius Eggeling tr. , at sacred-texts.com
4:5:4:11. Now, at first the gods were all alike, all good. Of them, being all alike, all good, three desired, 'May we be superior 3!'--Agni, Indra, and Sûrya.
4:5:4:22. They went on praising and toiling. They saw those Atigrâhyas 4, and drew (grah) them for themselves
over and above (ati): hence the name Atigrâhyas. They became superior, even as they are now superior 1 and verily he becomes superior for whomsoever, knowing this, they draw those cups of Soma.
4:5:4:33. And at first there was not in Agni that lustre which is now in him. He desired, 'May that lustre be in me!' He saw this graha, and drew it for himself, and henceforth that lustre was in him.
4:5:4:44. And at first there was not in Indra that power which is now in him. He desired, 'May that power be in me!' He saw this graha and drew it for himself, and henceforth that power was in him.
4:5:4:55. And at first there was not in Sûrya that splendour which is now in him. He desired, 'May that splendour be in me!' He saw this graha and drew it for himself, and henceforth that splendour was in him. And verily for whomsoever, knowing this, they draw those cups of Soma, he takes unto himself those same fires (energies), those same powers.
4:5:4:66. Let him draw them at the morning pressing, after drawing the Âgrayana; for the Âgrayana is the self (body), and many parts of this self are one each (and thus) over and above (the others), such as the lung 1 and heart, and others.
4:5:4:77. Or he might draw them from the Pûtabhrit, at the midday pressing, after drawing the Ukthya, or when about to bespeak (the chant), for the Ukthya indeed is the same as that undefined self of his. But this is mere speculation: let him rather draw them at the morning pressing, after drawing the Âgrayana.
4:5:4:88. They are offered after the offering of the Mâhendra graha; for that, the Mâhendra, is Indra's special cup; and so are the (Nishkevalya) stotra and sastra specially his. But the sacrificer is Indra; and for the sacrificer's benefit (these cups) are drawn: therefore they are offered after the offering of the Mâhendra graha.
4:5:4:99. He thus draws them therefrom [the first with
[paragraph continues] Vâg. S. VIII, 38; Rig-veda IX, 66, 21] 1, 'O Agni, skilful in works, become thou pure, bestowing upon us lustre and manly vigour, and upon me health and wealth!--Thou art taken with a support: thee to Agni, for lustre!--This is thy womb: thee to Agni, for lustre!'
4:5:4:1010. [The second with Vâg. S. VIII, 39; Rig-veda VIII, 76, 10], 'Uprising by thy power didst thou move thy jaws, O Indra, drinking the cup-drawn juice!--Thou art taken with a support: thee to Indra for power!--This is thy womb: thee to Indra for power!'
4:5:4:1111. [The third with Vâg. S. VIII, 40; Rig-veda I, 50, 3], 'His beacons have appeared, his beams, wide and far over the people, shining splendidly like fires!--Thou art taken with a support: thee to Sûrya for splendour!--This is thy womb: thee to Sûrya for splendour!'
4:5:4:1212. The drinking of these (cups is performed by the sacrificers with the resp. texts), 'O lustrous Agni, lustrous art thou among the gods: may I be lustrous among men!--Most powerful Indra, most powerful art thou among the gods: may I be the most powerful among men!--Most splendid Sûrya, most splendid art thou among the gods: may I be the most splendid among men!' And, verily, these same splendours, these same powers he takes unto himself for whomsoever, knowing this, they draw these cups.
4:5:4:1313. Let him draw them on the first three days of the Prishthya shadaha 2; namely, the Agni cup on
the first day, the Indra cup on the second, the Sûrya cup on the third--thus one day by day.
4:5:4:1414. Some 1, however, draw them on the last three days; but let him not do so: let him rather draw them on the first three days. But should he intend to draw them on the last three days, let him first draw them on the first three days and let him then draw them on the last three days. In like manner they are drawn (all three) in their proper order, on one and the same day, at the Visvagit 2 with all the Prishthas.
402:2 The Dvâdasâha, or twelve days’ performance, forms the connecting link between the so-called Ahîna sacrifices (consisting of between two and twelve press-days) and the sattras, or sacrificial sessions (of twelve press-days and upwards); since it can be performed as one or the other. As a sattra (which seems to be its usual character) it consists of the Dasarâtra, or ten nights’ (or days’) period, preceded and followed by an Atirâtra, as the prâyanîya (opening) and udayanîya (concluding) days. The Dasarâtra, on its part, consists of three tryahas (or tridua), viz. a Prishthya shadaha (see note 4), and three Ukthya days, the so-called Khandomas (on which see Haug, Ait. Br. Transl. p. 347). These are followed by an Atyagnishtoma day, called Avivâkya (i.e. on which there should be 'no dispute, or quarrel').
402:3 Ati-tishthâvânah, lit. 'standing forth over (all others,' see IV, 5, 3, 2). In this, as in the preceding Brâhmana, the prefix ati has to do service repeatedly for etymological and symbolical purposes.
402:4 I.e. cups of Soma 'to be drawn over and above' (Weber, Ind. Stud. IX, 235; for a different explanation see Haug, Ait. Br. Transl. p. 490). These three grahas are required at the Prishthya shadaha, which forms part of the Dvâdasâha (see note 2), and of sacrificial sessions generally. The shadaha, or period of six Soma days, which (though itself consisting of two tryaha, or p. 403 tridua) may be considered as forming a kind of unit in sattras, or sacrificial sessions, is of two kinds, viz. the Abhiplava shadaha and the Prishthya shadaha. Both require (for the Hotri's prishtha-stotra at the midday pressing) the use of the Rathantara-sâman on uneven, and that of the Brihat-sâman on even days. The chief difference between them is that while the prishtha-stotras of the Abhiplava are performed in the ordinary (Agnishtoma) way, the Prishthya shadaha requires their performance in the proper prishtha form, see p. 339, note 2. Besides, while the Abhiplava shadaha consists of four Ukthya days, preceded and followed by one Agnishtoma day; the first day of the Prishthya shadaha is an Agnishtoma, the fourth a Shodasin, the remaining four days being Ukthyas. There is also a difference between the two in regard to the stomas, or forms of chanting, used; for while the Prishthya requires successively one of the six principal stomas (from the Trivrit up to the Trayastrimsa, as given p. 308, note 2) for each day, the Abhiplava requires the first four stomas (Trivrit to Ekavimsa) for each day, though in a different order. In this respect, three groups or forms are assumed for the performance of the stotras at the Agnishtoma and Ukthya, viz. the Gyotishtoma [a. Bahishpavavamâna in the Trivrit; b. Âgyastotras and c. Mâdhyandina-pavamâna in the Pañkadasa; d. the Prishtha-stotras and e. Ârbhava-pavavamâna in the Saptadasa; and f. the Agnishtoma sâman in the Ekavimsa stoma]; the Goshtoma [a. Pañkadasa; b. Trivrit; c. Saptadasa; e. f. (and g. Ukthastotras) Ekavimsa]; and Âyushtoma [a. Trivrit; b. Pañkadasa; c. d. Saptadasa; e. f. g. Ekavimsa]. These forms are distributed over the two tridua of the Abhiplava in the order: Gyotishtoma, Goshtoma, Âyushtoma; Goshtoma, Âyushtoma, Gyotishtoma.
403:1 Lit. even as they are now the superiority, i.e. a superior power.
404:1 That is, the right lung (kloman), the left lung being called by a different name. See St. Petersb. Dict. s. v.
405:1 The Kânvas use a different formula, viz. Rig-veda IX, 66, 19. See Vâg. S. ed. Weber, p. 254 (XII).
405:2 See page 402, note 4. In conjunction with the Rathantara p. 406 (Sâma-veda II, 30-31) and Brihat (II, 159-60) sâmans, the other four principal prishtha sâmans--viz. the Vairûpa (II, 212-13), Vairâga (II, 277-9), Sâkvara (II, 1151-3; or Mahânâmnî, 1-3), and Raivata (II, 434-6)--are used respectively by the Hotri on the last four days of the shadaha. As regards the Hotri's assistants, while the Maitrâvaruna always uses the same sâman, as at the Agnishtoma, viz. the Vâmadevya (II, 32-34), the sâmans used by the other Hotrakas are given in the Sâma-veda immediately after the respective sâman of the Hotri, mentioned above.
406:1 The Kânva text ascribes this practice to the Karakas.
406:2 Regarding the sacrificial session, called Gavâm ayana, of which the Visvagit forms part, see p. 426, note 3.