729
The Meaning of utsannayajna.
By A. Berriedale Keith.
The term utsanna-yajfla occanrs only a few times in the early
Vedic literature, and the meaning of the word in these occurrences
has given rise to some doubt. In the view of the St. Petersburg
Dictionary it denotes a sacrifice which is 'ausgesetzt" or 'ab¬
gebrochen", while Böhtlingk gives instead of the second explanation 6
the meaning "unterbrochen". Monier- Williams accordingly has as
explanation an 'interrupted" or 'suspended" sacrifice. But Egge¬
ling i) feels difficulty, and after hesitating between the meanings
•disused" and "decayed" he finally it seems decides upon "detached"
as the best rendering. On the other hand Priedländer") sees in lo
utsanna the sense "abgekommen".
The facts of the use of the word are these : in the Öathapatha
BrShmana the term is applied (II, 5, 2, 48; 6, 2, 19) to the Cätur-
raäsya rites as compared with the Agnihotra, which as contrasted
with these rites is a regular rite, and (XIII, 3, 3, 6) to the Aäva- is
medha. In the latter passage the Saipkyti tune is prescribed for
use to make up anything deficient in the A^vamedha. The same
expression is used of the A^vamedha in the Taittiriya Samhitä
(V, 4, 12, 3), where likewise it is followed by the statement that
it is difficult to know whether the whole of the rite has been so
performed or not. Again in that Samhitä (V, 3, 1, 1; 7, 8, 1) the
word is applied to the ritual of the Agnicayana and the same
remark is appended. In the Öäökhäyana ^rauta Sütra (XIV, 47, 2)
the Svarjit is called an utsanna-yajlia , while in the Mahävrata
section after prescribing the provision of a Öüdrä woman and an »5
Aryan, banda-khalati , the Sütra (XVII, 6, 2) adds this is old,
utsanna, and is not to be performed (na käryam).
The natural temptation is to accept utsanna in the sense of
"dis-used", "obsolete"*), but there are strong objections to doing so.
It is very improbable that we are to regard the most important so
rites of the sacrificial cult of the Vedic Indian as being obsolete
1) See SBE. XLIV, xvi, note 2, 334, 591.
2) Der mahävrata Absckrutt dee Cänkhäyana Aranyaka p. 28.
3) In BaudhSyana ^rauta Sütra, XV, 36 utsanna is applied to the agnya- bhieeka, presumably meaning "omitted".
730 Keith, The Meaning of uteannayajna.
or obsolescent at the time when the Taittiriya Sarphitä and the
Satapatha were being composed. Moreover the application of the
term to the Cäturmäsyäni is still stranger in this connection. On
the other hand the sense 'detached" which Eggeling finally adopts
5 is not much more sasy. It must be pressed to mean 'what is out
of the usual course", for this description can fairly be given to
the horse sacrifice and the fire ritual, and to the Svarjit and the
forbidden maithuna at the Mahävrata.
It would, however, give much more point to the notices in
10 the Satnhita and the Brahmana if the sense 'extended" , 'lengthy",
'elaborate", could be admitted. Both of the fire ritual and of the
horse sacrifice it is said, immediately followed by a statement that
it is doubtful whether the whole rite has been performed or not.
In the case of the comparison of the Cäturmasya and tbe Agni-
15 hotra the sense would be a contrast between the regularity of the
latter rite where everything is fixed and definite, and the uncer¬
tainty of the lengthy Cäturmasya, which renders those rites no
secure support for the sacrificer such as is accorded by the Agni¬
hotra. In the case of the maithuna of the Mahävrata the refer-
so ence is presumably to two considerations : in the first place the
maithuna no doubt would delay the performance of the rite and
so could be called utsanna: in the second place the handa-khalatl
were probably intended to carry on the samväda which is ascribed
in Äpastamba Srauta Sütra (XXI, 19, 5. 6) and Lätyäyana (IV, 3,
25 9 sq.) to a Brahmaoarin and a pumdcali. This is undoubtedly an
old part of the ritual: it is recognised in the Aitareya Aranyaka
(V, 1, 5), in the Käthaka Samhitä (XXXIV, 5), and the Taittiriya
Samhitä (VII, 5, 9, 4) and of course in the Kätyäyana Srauta Sütra
(XIII , 3, 6. 9), and it is probably the case that the Sänkhäyana,
80 in using the phrase utsanna, had in mind the dialogue which would
no doubt waste time. Even if this were not the case, it must be
remembered that in the Käthaka i) the maithuna is not that of a
single pair but of many, and in the Aitareya Aranyaka the use of
the term bhütänäm shows that in the Rgvedic circles also the
35 pluralty of the maithuna was recognised, a fact »which by itself
would be adequate to justify the use of utsanna as a description
of the rite. The meaning suggested would also fit adequately the
Svarjit, but that passage is too short to render it in any way
of importance in deciding upon the sense. On the other hand the
40 sense would admirably suit the passages of the Käthaka Samhitä
(XIV, 5) and the Maiträyani (I, 11, 6) where the term is used of
the Vajapeya rite , and where again it is pointed out that it is
difficult to know if the whole has been performed duly or not.
Nor will 'decayed" or 'detached" well suit the line in the Carana-
1) See Oldenberg, GGA. 1909, p. 77, note 1. In BaudhSyana (XVI, 21
and 22) tbe dialogue is attributed to tbe mithunau.
Keith, The Meaning of utsannayajna. 731
vyüha {Indische Studien, III, 270) sesam adhyayanam utsannam
kalpagrämesu pathyate. The commentavy on the Öäükhäyana
(XIV, 47, 2) says that ^resthayajfia is intended, and this sense is
a possible extension of utsanna as "lengthy", "eleborate".
It is of course true that to give the vrord the meaning pro- 5
posed is contrary to the ordinary usage of the term. This is true,
but fortunately the source of this sense is preserved for us by the
medical usage of Su^ruta, for it is not necessary to insist that the
medical literature has from the first been of weight in the deve¬
lopment of the language of the Vedic Indians and that we can lo
readily accept usages which can be traced in early medicine as
legitimate explanations of meanings of words. In Susruta as the
St. Petersburg Dictionary shows the term utsanna refers to wounds
that are swollen and require to be reduced or to swellings caused
by insect bites and so forth. Here therefore we have the real 16
origin of utsanna in this phrase utsanna-yajrua: it means a sacri¬
fice which has swollen to great lengths and which therefore is not
easy to check so that provision is necessary to make good possible
defects.
732
Zu Brockelmann's Bemerkung über syr. gurttsa.
ZDMG. 66, 332.
Von
Immanuel Löw.
JtÄ^iOjO BS bei DBB 1750. 1752 Jioi^j |)QC^. Zum pl.
JflJ^^Voo: ^3J^ J-<^ BA bei PSm. 3568. Dafür ^gao^jiaO
3561 und jl^aj Ji«.J»ao 3732. Das ist weder y,ovqr\-ctg
(Duval) noch eines der griechischen Wörter für Hündchen Kvvaqiov,
5 xrv/ffxog, KvvlSiov (PSm.), okvIAkiov, catullus, aber auch nicht etwa
kastorischer Hund (Keller, Antike Tiervfelt I, 120. 151).
Gibson, Isho'dad III, 141,8 jjQoa^^OO, junger Hund, LA.
Ji f\on.^rr> «pip>. Brockelmann, ZDMG. 66, 332 meint also, es sei Demi¬
nutiv von )<v%.^ «r»p> zu Jfc^^oOj _bji „Pleischklumpen", mit dem
10 das junge blinde Hündchen sehr wohl verglichen werden kann.
Jb^fOO bedeutet nicht ,Pleischklumpen" sondern ein kleines
Stückchen [einen Petzen (Fleisches) bei PSm. aus BHChron. 120
belegt, aber das andere Zitat 314 ist falsch. Nöldeke.], wie talm.
Nnanp (so lies für NnuTip Hg. 538,6 aus Hull 77», Nniu^ip LA.
16 '"ip) ein Splitterchen vom Knochen (RGerSöm u. Ra§i z. St. aJW,
wenig*)).
Mischnisch u-np von den Körnern des Weihrauchs (bir tSnp
naiab Sifra Vaj IO*» Weiß. Men. 1, 2 TV. 519, n neben nbw "iJ-ia.
TMen. I, 513,85, b 11», Sota 14*", Snh. 43». Bei n-nop jJoma
20 II, 39 "ä, 41. 0013 bis 'p jSabb. III, 6", 44) und des Asants, Asa
foetida in granis (Az. 2, 6, b 35''; pl. Hull 58"). Vom Blute 01 'p
THull III, 504, SS, b 50", Az. 32»; aram. Hull 43"). pu-ip Sabb. 47», Geonica ll, 324. Aram. v. Salz (Erub. 17», Hull 105"), Erde (Nunp NPffl-'a'iaT Nidd. 20»).
25 Ein Verbum aip will Kohut aus TanchBKoralj 1 belegen, das
1) Fleischer zu LyTWB. II, 575.
