I have been searching for material to write on Gautama Rishi.
It is inevitable that one has to have details about Ahalya, His wife.
In the sources on Ahalya I have found some links that seemed to me a misinterpretation of some of the Vedic Rites.
That is the Subrahmanya Formula, a Mantra recited in the Agnishtoma Rite.
In this rite the Mantra,
‘Subramanyom’ is recited thrice.
Subranyam + Aham
One would have noticed ,at Home while performing Homas, and at the temple.Yaagas, the Santhi Mantras conclude with,
Subramanyom chanted thrice.
The meaning is,
May I become the Best Brahman,the Reality.
Brahmin is one who has realized Brahman, the Reality.
Subrahmanya is considered as the Best among Brahmins as He is reported to have explained the meaning of Pranava OM to His Father Lord Shiva.( hence Subrahmanya is called Swaminathan).
But in the hands of the Foreign Scholars(?) with a Mission to destroy Hinduism and half baked pseudo left wing(?) writers,this sentence and the ceremony associated with it takes a beating.
In the same way these scholars have written that the Asvamedha Yaaga performed by King Dasarata was followed by an Orgy with Rama’s Mohter Kousalya copulating with a Horse!
From Max Muller to Ambedkar,..
This Mantra , chanted during the Agnishtoma is accompanied by an Orgy, it is implied in their comments and explanations of the Rite!.
The Procedure explained in the Rig and Sama Veda,Aitreya Brahmana does not say this.
I am posting this article to misspell any misunderstanding that might arise because of not reading the Sanskrit original Text and an objective translation.
Hinduism has two parts in performance of Yaaga.
One is factual and actual.
Another one is allegorical, like the Purusha Suktha which describes the evolution of the Universe and not a mere Yaga/Yangya.
Agnishtoma is a Yaaga as it is performed with a specific purpose, for welfare and begetting progeny.
Oblations are offered to Fire symbolically.
The Subrahmanya Formula Details.
‘
(The Subrahmanyd formula. On its nature. By
whom it is to be repeated. The oblation from th^
Patnivata Graha. The Yajya of the Agnidhrd.)
The Subrahmanya ^ is Vach. Her son is the
* The Subrahmany& formula is contained in the L4ty&yana S'r&uta
St^tras (1, 3), the Aguishtoma Sdma Pravoga, the S'atapatha Br&hm,
(d^ 3,4, 17*90), and the Talttirtya ibranyaka (1, 12, 8*4). Th«
883
king Soma. At the time of buying Soma, they call
the Subrahmanya (thither) just as one calls a cow.
^*»
peculiar ppoQanciation of thjls formula is noted by Pl^ini (1,S, 37-38).
The most complete information on its use being only to be found
ia the Samaveda SiHtras, I here give the* passages from L4ty§iyana
referring to it along with the formula itself: —
^'^f^^'S >i ?T^^ ^^w[^ ^J^T^ ^Tff^mifmTK f%-
After the Atithya Ishti has b^n finished, he (the Subrahmany^)
should stand in the front part of the enclosure made for the wife of
the sacrificer inside the Vedi, and when touching the sacriflcer and
his wife, after having called thrice '' subrahmiinyom," recite the
following formula, '* Come, Indra ! come owner of the yellow horses !
*' ram of Medhatithi ! Men& of Vrishanas'va ! thou bufiiilo (gaura)
" who ascendest the female {avaskandin) ! lover of Ahaly& ! son of
'* Kus'ika ! Br&hmana ! son of Gotama ! (come) thou who art called"
(to appear) at the Soma feast in so and so many days how many
there might intervene (between the day on which the 8abrahmany4
calls him, and that of the Soma festival at which his presence it
requested). The Subrahmany& is required on the second, third^
fourth, and fifth day of the Agnishtoma, and almost on every day of
the other Soma sacrifices.^ On the second day the terms tryahg
tutydm, "three days hence" (i,e, on the fifth); on the thrid day,
dvyahefutydm, t. e. two days hence ; on the fourth, *'rfl#,i. e, to-
nionow ; and on the fifth (the day of the Soma feast) adya^ ue. to day,
are uspd to maik the time when the Soma banquet, to which Indra
is by this formula solemnly invited, is to come off. As far as n-pif
which is followed by the mentioning of the time appointed "VSJ^, 'WJf^
Sec. there is no difference anywhere observable. But the few
sentences which follow, and which conclude the formula, differ accord-
ing to different schools. Some were (according to L^^vayana)
of opinion, that only ^f^Tn^i^ " cotne hither** is to follow; others
recommended 3i)T9*i^ im^cf, "come hither, O Magha van. "Others,
such as Gautama, were of opinion, that either is to be omitted, and
the concluding formula, ^^T ff^VT «nir^^cfTJl''^flT^^?f
" comp, ye divine Brahma priests, come, come !" has to follow
immediately upon ^R^f*
384
Through this son the Subrahmany& priest milks •
(obtains) all desires for the sacrificer. For Vach
? rants all desires of him who has this knowledge,
hey ask, What is the nature of this Subrahmany& ?
The name of the tune (S&man) according^ to which it is chanted
(or rather recited) is Brahmas'ri, the metre is called Sampdtg the
Rishi is Aditya, and India is the deity.
At the 80-called Agni:*htut sacrifices, which open the Chatur-
das'ar&tra Sattras (sacriticial sessions lasting for a fortnight), (Aa'T«
8'r. S. 11, 2) the 8ubrahmany& calln Aq^ni instead of Indra (L&ty&y.
1, 4) according to Gautama, by the following formula :
^V ^TJT^ rif^fiTWlt ^^^HTifT W#1TT «»T?l5^T f%^^
«Ttfif^ ITT^TUflfn^^ ^^TTF? »• «• " Come, O Agni, with (thy)
two red ones (horses), thou brightly shining, thou blazing in smoke,
J&tavedfts, thou wise! Angirus! Bi-ahmana, (come) called," dec
In the concluding formula ^\ Ji^o,^Xi-q fires, is used inatead of
^j^j According to Dh&nanjaya the Subrahmany& formula for Agni
runs as follows ; ^TTT^TTJT^ ^Tf^ff 'T BH^T^ HTITST^T^T ^^^:
^T ^l^^^f»^lR§T srmfir'C^. (the remainder as above) i. e.
'* Come, Agni ! master of the red horses, goat of Bharadvftja, son of
power, thou who ascendest (the female) ; lover of Ushas/' ice The
latter formula is just like that one addressed to Indra. Agni, as weU
as Indra, are in both these formulas, which must be very ancient,
invoked as family deities, the first pre-eminently worshipped by the
Angirasa, the latter by the Kuslkas. Both ffods are here caUed
" Bi&hmans." In later books ludra appears as a Kshattriya, and
as a model of a king.
On the so-called Agnishtomtya day of all sacrifices (in the Agni-
sh^oma it is the fourth and precedes the Soma day), on which day
the animal for Agni and Soma is slain and sacrificed, an extension of
the Subrahmanyi formula takes place. The Subiahmany& priest
has on this day to announce to the gods, that such and such one
(the name of the sacrificer must be mentioned), the son of such and
such one, the grandson of such and such one, offers, as a Dikshita,
(as initiated into the sacrificial rites) a sacrifice. ("^fg^T^lJiS)
The term ' Dtkshita' forms then henceforth part of the name of the
sacrificer, and his descendants down to the seventh degree. In this
part of India there are many Biahmans distinguished by this honorary
epltiiet, which always indicates that either tlie bearer of it or his im-
me«iiate ancestors have performed a Soma sacrifice, and have been
proclaimed dikshita by the Subrahmany4 in all due form. ,
* J^uhe must be a 8rd person singular, as S&y explains it.
385
One should answer, She is Vach. For Vach is
Brahma, and Subrahma (good Brahma).
They ask, Why does one call him (the Subrah-
manya priest) who is a male, a female ? (They answer)
Subrahmanya represents VacH (which is in the
feminine gender).
They further ask, When all the other priests are to
perform their respective duties within the Vedi, and
the Subrah manya outside the Vedi, how is it that
the duty of the Subrah manya (in this particular
case) becomes performed inside the Vedi ? One
should answer. The Vedi has an outlet where things
(which are no more required) are ' thrown ; if the
Subrahmanya priest calls (the Subrahmanya) when
standing in this outlet, then, in this way, (his duty
is performed within the bounds of the Vedi). They
ask. Why does he, standing in the outlet, repeat
the SubrahmanyS, ? (On this they tell the following
story.)
The Rislns held once a sacrificial session. They
said to the most aged man among them, " Call the
Subrahmanya^ Thou shalt call the gods standing
among us (on account of thy age), as it were, nearest
to them." In consequence of this the gods make
him (the Subrahmanya) very aged. In this way he
pleases the whole Vedi.
They ask. Why do they present to him (the Su-
brahmanya) a bull as a reward for his services ? (The
answer is) The bull is a male ( vrlshd)^ the Subrah-
manya is a female, both making thus a ( ouple.
(This is done) for producing offspring from this
pair.
The ^gridhra repeats the YSjya mantra for the
P^tnivata Graha (a Soma vessel), with a low voice.
For the Patnivatais the semen virile, and the effusion
of the semen virile passing on without noise, as it
were, he does cot make the Anuvashatk&m. Foe
33 a
386
the Anuvashatara is a stop. Thinking, I will not
stop the effusion of the semen, he does not make the
Anuvashtkara, for the semen which is not disturbed
in its effusion, beare fruit. Sitting near the N'eshtair,
he then eats, for the Neshtar is in the room of women.
Agni (Agnidhra) pours semen in women, to produce
children. He who has this knowledge provides
through Agni his females with semen, and is blessed
with children and cattle.
The Subrahmanya ends after the distribution of
the Dakshina,* for she is Vach. The Dakshina is
food ; thus they place finally the sacrifice in food,
which is Speech.
SECOND CHAPTER,
(On the Skastras of the minor Hotri-priests at the
Saitras.)
(On the Shastras of minor Hoiri-priests at the morn^
ing and evening libations!)
The Devas spread the sacrifice. When doing so,
the Asuras approached them, thinking, let us ob^
struct their sacrifice. They attacked them from the
right side, thinking this to be the weak point. The
Devas awoke, and posted two of their number, Mitra
and Varuna on the right side. Through the as-
sistance of these two, the Devas drove the Asuras
and Rakshas away from the morning libation. And
thus the sacrificers drive them away (if they have
the Maitravamna Shastra repeated); thence the
Maitra varuna priest repeats the Maitravaruna Shastra
* He represents Agni.
* The Dakshin& is distributed at the midday libation.
387
at the morning libation. The Asuras, defeated on the
right side, attacked the centre of the sacriftce^ The
Devas awoke, posted then Indra, and defeated through
his assistance the enemies. Therefore the Brahma-
nachamsi repeats at the morning libation the Indra
Shastra.
The Asuras, thus defeated, attacked the sacrifice
on the northern side. The Devas posted on this
side Indragni, and defeated thus the Asuras. There-
fore the Achhavaka repeats the Aindragna Shastra
at the morning libation. For by means of In-
dragni the Devas drove the Asutas and Rakshas
away from the northern side.
Posted in Public Interest.
Reference and citation. Excellent source. http://archive.org/stream/aitareyabrahman00unkngoog/aitareyabrahman00unkngoog_djvu.txt
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