Earth's Sacred Texts

Hinduism / The Vedas

Yajurveda, Book 30

Chapter 1

1OUR sacrifice, God Savitar! speed onward: speed to his share the sacrifice's patron. May the Celestial Gandharva, cleanser of thought and will, make clean our thoughts and wishes. The Lord of Speech sweeten the words we utter!

2May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God: So may he stimulate our prayers.

3Savitar, God, send far away all troubles and calamities, And send us only what is good.

4We call on him distributer of wondrous bounty and of wealth, On Savitar who looks on men.

5For Brahman (Priesthood) he binds a Brahman to the stake; for Kshatra (Royalty) a Râjanya; for the Maruts a Vaisya; for Penance a Sûdra; for Darkness a robber; for Hell a homicide or a man who has lost his consecrated fire; for Misfortune a eunuch; for Venality an Ayogû; for Kâma a harlot; for Excessive Noise a Mâgadha;

6For Dance a stable-master; for Song a public dancer; for Duty one who attends court; for Pastime a timid man; for Sport a chatterer; for Laughter an artist; for Pleasure a woman-lover; for Desire a damsel's son; for Dexterity a car-builder; for Firmness a carpenter;

7For Trouble a potter's son; for Device an artificer; for Beauty a jeweller; for Welfare a sower; for the Arrow-deity a maker of shafts; for Injury a bowyer; for Action a bowstring-maker; for Fate a rope-maker; for Death a hunter; for the Finisher a dog-leader;

8For Rivers a fisherman; for Rikshîkâs a Nishâda's son; for the Man-tiger a madman; for the Gandharvas and Apsarases a Vrâtya; for Motives one demented; for Serpents and Genii an untrustworthy man; for Dice a gambler; for Excitement a non-gambler; for Pisâchas a woman who splits cane; for Yâtudhânas a woman who works in thorns;

9For Rendezvous a lover; for Homestead a paramour; for Trouble an unmarried elder brother; for Nirriti a younger brother who has married before his elder; for Misfortune the husband of a younger sister whose elder sister has not been married; for Representation a woman who embroiders; for Agreement a woman who deals in love-charms; for Garrulity a by-sitter; for Colour an obstinate man; for Strength a yielding man;

10For Interruptions a hunch-back; for Delight a dwarf, for Doors a blear-eyed man; for Sleep a blind man; for Unrighteousness a deaf man; for Purifying Medium a physician; for Insight an astrologer; for Craving for Knowledge an inquisitive man; for Desire of extra Knowledge an extra-inquisitive man; for Moral Law a question solver;

11For Eye-diseases an elephant-keeper; for Speed a horse-keeper; for Nourishment a cowherd; for Manliness a shepherd; for Keenness a goatherd; for Refreshment a ploughman; for Sweet Beverage a preparer of Surâ; for Weal a house-guard; for Well-being a possessor of wealth; for Supervision a doorkeeper's attendant;

12For Light a wood-bringer; for Brightness a fire-kindler; for the Sun's Station a besprinkler; for Highest Heaven a high steward; for the World of Gods a carver; for the World of Men a distributer; for All-Worlds a pourer-out: for Poverty, Affliction a stirrer-up of strife; for Sacrifice a washerwoman; for Delight a female dyer;

13For Assault a thievish-hearted man; for Homicide a slanderer; for Discrimination a door-keeper; for Inspection a door-keeper's attendant; for Strength a servant; for Plenty a running footman; for the Beloved a sweet speaker; for Safety the rider of a horse; for the World of Svarga a dealer-out of portions; for Highest Heaven a high steward;

14For Passion an iron-smelter; for Anger a remover; for Yoking a yoker; for Pain an assailant; for Quiet an unyoker; for Up-hill and Down-hill one who stands on three legs; for Form a conceited man; for Virtue a female ointment-maker; for Nirriti a female scabbard-maker; for Yama a barren woman;

15For Yama a mother of twins; for the Atharvans a woman who has miscarried; for the First Year a gad-about; for the Parivatsara one who has not borne a child; for the Idâvatsara one who exceeds; for the Idvatsara one who transgresses; for the Vatsara one who is worn out; for the Samvatsara one with grey hair; for the Ribhus a hide-dresser; for the Sâdhyas a currier;

16For Lakes a fisherman; for Standing Waters a fisher; for Tank-waters a Nishâda; for Reed-beds a fish-vender; for the Opposite Bank one who gropes for fish; for This Bank a fish-catcher; for Fords an Âuda; for shallows a Mainâla; for Sounds a Bhilla; for Caverns a Kirâta; for Mountain-heights a destructive savage; for Mountains a wild man;

17For Abhorrence a Paulkasa; for Colour a goldsmith; for Balance a merchant; for Repentance a sluggard; for All Spirits a leper; for Prosperity a watchful man; for Failure a sleepy man; for Mischief a chatterer; for Misfortune a shameless man; for Undoing one who cuts up into small pieces;

18For the Dice-king a gambler; for the die Krita one who contemplates his adversary's ill luck, for the Tretâ a gamble-manager; for the Dvâpara a chief manager; for Askanda one who will not leave the gambling-hall; for Mrityu one who approaches cows; for Antaka a Cow-killer; for Hunger one who goes begging to a man who is cutting up a cow; for Misdeed a leader of the Charakas; for Misery a robber;

19For Echo a reviler; for Noise a snarler; for End a very talkative man; for Endless a mute; for Sound a drummer; for Might a lute-player; for Cry a flute-blower; for Confused Tone a Conch-blower; for the Wood a wood-ranger; for Partly-wooded Land a forest fire guard;

20For Pastime a harlot; for Laughter a jester; for Lust a woman with spotty skin; for Might these, the head-man of a village, an astrologer, and a watchman; a lute-player; a hand-clapper, a flutist, these for Dance; for Pleasure a musician;

21For Fire a fat man; for Earth a cripple; for Wind a Chândâla; for Mid-Air a pole-dancer; for Sky a bald-head; for the Sun a green-eyed man; for Stars a spotty man; for the Moon a leper; for Day a white yellow-eyed man; for Night a black man with yellow eyes.

22Now he ties up the eight following variform men: one too tall, one too short, one too stout, one too thin, one too white, one too black, one too bald, one too airy. These must be neither Sûdras nor Brâhmans, and must be dedicated to Prajâpati. A minstrel, a harlot, a gambler, and a eunuch—neither of Sûdra nor Brâhman caste—are to be dedicated to Prajâpati.