5. All vowels are to be pronounced with voice (ghosha) and strength (bala), so that the Udgatri may give strength to Indra. All sibilants are to be pronounced, neither as if swallowed (agrasta) , nor as if thrown out (nirasta) , but well opened (vivrita), so that the Udgatri may give himself to Pragapati. All consonants are to be pronounced slowly, and without crowding them together , so that the Udgatri may withdraw himself from Mrityu.

Footnotes

^33:2 These are lucubrations on the different tones employed in singing the Saman hymns, and their names, such as vinardi, anirukta, nirukta, mridu slakshna, slakshna balavad, kraunka, apadhvanta.

^33:3 It would be better if the first ity agayet could be left out. The commentator ignores these words.

^34:1 Grasa, according to the Rig-veda-pratisakhya 766, is the stiffening of the root of the tongue in pronunciation.

^34:2 Nirasa, according to the Rig-veda-pratisakhya 760, is the withdrawing of the active from the passive organ in pronunciation.

^34:3 The opening, vivrita, may mean two things, either the opening of the vocal chords (kha), which imparts to the ushmans their surd character (Rig. Prat. 709), or the opening of the organs of pronunciation (karana), which for the ushmans is asprishtam sthitam (Rig. Prat. 719), or vivrita (Ath. Prat. I, 31; Taitt. Prat. 5).

^34:4 Anabhinihita, for thus the commentaries give the reading, is explained by anabhinikshipta. On the real abhinidhana, see Rig. Prat. 393. The translation does not follow the commentary. The genitive pragapateh is governed by paridadani.

TWENTY-THIRD KHANDA.

1. There are three branches of the law. Sacrifice, study, and charity are the first ,

2. Austerity the second, and to dwell as a Brahmakarin in the house of a tutor, always mortifying the body in the house of a tutor, is the third. All these obtain the worlds of the blessed; but the Brahmasamstha alone (he who is firmly grounded in Brahman) obtains immortality.

3. Pragapati brooded on the worlds. From them, thus brooded on, the threefold knowledge (sacrifice) issued forth. He brooded on it, and from it, thus brooded on, issued the three syllables, Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah.

4. He brooded on them, and from them, thus brooded on, issued the Om. As all leaves are attached to a stalk, so is all speech (all words) attached to the Om (Brahman). Om is all this, yea, Om is all this.

Footnotes