Section 6.4

6.4.1 The earth is the essence of these beings; water, the essence of the earth; herbs, the essence of water; flowers, the essence of herbs; fruits, the essence of flowers; a man, the essence of fruits; semen, the essence of a man.

6.4.2 Prajapati considered, “Come, let me prepare a resting place for this.” He created a woman. Having created her, he worshiped her below. Therefore one should worship a woman below. He raised up from his own body this pressing stone, thrusting forward, and with it joined himself to her.

6.4.3 Her sexual organ is the altar; the hairs are the sacrificial grass; the skin is the two pressing boards. In the middle, the kindled fire; the two testicles. Whoever practices sexual intercourse knowing this wins a world as great as the world won by one who offers the Vajapeya sacrifice. He takes for himself the merit of these women. But when someone practices sexual intercourse without knowing this, the women take his merit for themselves.

6.4.4 Knowing this, Uddalaka Aruni said it; knowing this, Naka Maudgalya said it; knowing this, Kumaraharita said it: “Many mortals of Brahmin descent leave this world stripped of vigor and merit—those who practice sexual intercourse without knowing this.” Much semen is spilled, whether one is asleep or awake.

6.4.5 He should touch it and utter this over it:

“Whatever semen of mine has spilled on the earth today,whatever has flowed into the herbs or into water,I take that semen back.May vigor return to me, radiance return, good fortune return.May Agni and the hearth fires be restored to their proper places.”

Then, taking it with his ring finger and thumb, he should rub it between his breasts or between his eyebrows.

6.4.6 If he sees himself in water, he should address it: “In me be radiance, vigor, glory, wealth, and merit.” A woman whose clothing is stained by menstruation is the very splendor of women. Therefore he should approach a woman in that stained clothing, radiant with glory, and address her.

6.4.7 If she will not yield to him, he may try to bribe her. If she still will not yield to him, he may strike her with a stick or his hand and force himself on her, saying, “With vigor and glory I take your glory from you.” She becomes inglorious.

6.4.8 But if she yields to him, he says, “With vigor and glory I place glory in you.” They both become glorious.

6.4.9 If he wishes, “May she desire me,” he should place his penis in her, join his mouth to hers, touch her sexual organ, and quietly recite:

“You arise from limb after limb;you are born from the heart.You are the sap of the limbs.Make this woman, this one here, wild with desire for me,as though pierced by a poisoned arrow.”

6.4.10 If he wishes, “May she not conceive,” he should place his penis in her, join his mouth to hers, breathe out toward her, and then draw breath in, saying, “With vigor and semen I take your semen from you.” She becomes without seed.

6.4.11 But if he wishes, “May she conceive,” he should place his penis in her, join his mouth to hers, draw breath in, and then breathe out toward her, saying, “With vigor and semen I place semen in you.” She becomes pregnant.

6.4.12 If a man's wife has a lover and he hates that man, he should lay a fire in an unbaked clay vessel, spread reed grass with its tips reversed, and offer into the fire these reed tips, reversed and smeared with clarified butter:

“You have offered into my kindled fire.I take your inward and downward breaths from you, so-and-so.

“You have offered into my kindled fire.I take your children and livestock from you, so-and-so.

“You have offered into my kindled fire.I take your sacrifices and good deeds from you, so-and-so.

“You have offered into my kindled fire.I take your hopes and prospects from you, so-and-so.”

The man whom a Brahmin who knows this curses in this way leaves this world stripped of vigor and merit. Therefore one should not seek intercourse with the wife of a man learned in the Vedas who knows this, for one who knows this becomes an enemy indeed.

6.4.13 When a man's wife begins to menstruate, she should not drink from a bronze bowl for three days. She should wear an unwashed garment, and no Shudra man or woman should touch her. At the end of three nights, after she has bathed, he should have her pound rice.

6.4.14 If he wishes, “May a fair-skinned son be born to me; may he recite one Veda and live out his full span of life,” they should have rice cooked in milk and eat it with clarified butter. They will be able to beget such a son.

6.4.15 If he wishes, “May a tawny son with brown eyes be born to me; may he recite two Vedas and live out his full span of life,” they should have rice cooked with curds and eat it with clarified butter. They will be able to beget such a son.

6.4.16 If he wishes, “May a dark son with red eyes be born to me; may he recite three Vedas and live out his full span of life,” they should have rice cooked in water and eat it with clarified butter. They will be able to beget such a son.

6.4.17 If he wishes, “May a learned daughter be born to me, and may she live out her full span of life,” they should have rice cooked with sesame and eat it with clarified butter. They will be able to beget such a daughter.

6.4.18 If he wishes, “May a learned and renowned son be born to me, one who enters assemblies and speaks words people long to hear; may he recite all the Vedas and live out his full span of life,” they should have rice cooked with meat and eat it with clarified butter. They will be able to beget such a son. The meat should be that of a young bull or a mature bull.

6.4.19 Then, early in the morning, after preparing the cooked-rice offering and clarified butter according to the rite, he offers a portion of the cooked rice: “To Agni, svaha! To Anumati, svaha! To the god Savitar, whose impulse is true, svaha!” Having offered, he takes out some and eats it. After eating, he gives some to his wife. He washes his hands, fills a vessel with water, and sprinkles her three times with it:

“Rise up from here, Vishvavasu;seek another young woman.Unite the wife with her husband.”

6.4.20 Then he approaches her: “I am Ama; you are Sa. You are Sa; I am Ama. I am the Saman chant; you are the Rig verse. I am heaven; you are earth. Come, let us join together; let us place seed together, to gain a male child, a son.”

6.4.21 Then he parts her thighs: “Part, heaven and earth.” Placing his penis in her and joining his mouth to hers, he strokes her three times in the direction of the hair:

“May Vishnu prepare the womb;may Tvashtar shape the forms.May Prajapati pour in the seed;may Dhatar place an embryo in you.Place an embryo, Sinivali;place an embryo, Prithushtuka.May the two divine Ashvins, lotus-garlanded,place an embryo in you.

6.4.22 “Golden are the two fire stickswith which the Ashvins churn.We call that embryo to you,to be delivered in the tenth month.As the earth bears fire within her,as heaven is pregnant with Indra,as wind is the embryo of the directions,so I place an embryo in you, so-and-so.”

6.4.23 When she is about to give birth, he sprinkles her with water:

“As the wind stirs a lotus pondon every side,so may your embryo stirand descend together with the afterbirth.This enclosure of Indra has been madewith a bolt and a surrounding cover.Indra, burst it open,bringing the child and the afterbirth together.”

6.4.24 When the child is born, he lays a fire, places the child in his lap, mixes clarified butter with curds in a metal bowl, and offers a portion of the mixture:

“May I nourish a thousand through this child,prospering in my own house.May his line never be broken,in offspring or in livestock. Svaha!

“The vital powers in me I offer into youwith my mind. Svaha!

“Whatever excess I made in this rite,whatever I left lacking here,may Agni, maker of good offerings, knowing it,make it well offered, well sacrificed for us. Svaha!”

6.4.25 Then, putting his mouth to the child's right ear, he says three times, “Speech! Speech!” Then he mixes curds, honey, and clarified butter and feeds it to him with a piece of uncovered gold: “I place earth in you. I place midair in you. I place heaven in you. Earth, midair, heaven—I place all in you.”

6.4.26 Then he gives him a name: “You are Veda.” This becomes his secret name.

6.4.27 Then he gives him to his mother and offers him her breast:

“That breast of yours, resting, bringing joy,holding treasures, finding wealth, generous in giving,with which you nourish all precious things—Sarasvati, offer it here for him to suck.”

6.4.28 Then he addresses the mother: “You are Ila, daughter of Mitra and Varuna. Heroic woman, you have borne a hero. Be the mother of heroes, you who have made us fathers of heroes.”

Of such a son they say, “You have surpassed your father! You have surpassed your grandfather! He has reached the furthest height of splendor, glory, and the radiance of sacred learning!” So they speak of the son born to a Brahmin who knows this.

6.4.1 The earth is the essence of these beings.Water is the essence of the earth.Plants are the essence of water.Flowers are the essence of plants.Fruits are the essence of flowers.A man is the essence of fruits.Semen is the essence of a man.

6.4.2 Prajapati thought, "I must provide a place for this," and created a woman.Having created her, he had sex with her below.That is why a person should approach a woman below.He raised this forward-pointing pressing stone from his own bodyand joined with her through it.

6.4.3 Her sexual organ is the altar.Her hair is the sacrificial grass.Her skin is the pair of pressing boards.The fire is kindled in the middle; there are the two testicles.The world gained by a man who performs the Vajapeya sacrifice is also gained by himwhen he has sex with this knowledge. He takes the merit of these women.But when a man has sex without this knowledge, the women take his merit.

6.4.4 Knowing this, Uddalaka Aruni used to say this.Knowing this, Naka Maudgalya used to say this.Knowing this, Kumaraharita used to say, "Many mortal men from Brahmin families leave this world without strength or merit because they have sex without knowing this."A great deal of semen may be spilled while a man is asleep or awake.

6.4.5 He should touch it and recite over it: "Whatever semen of mine has spilled onto the earth today, or has gone into plants or water,I now take that semen back.Let strength return to me, and heat, and good fortune.Let the fires and their seats be put back in their proper places."He should take it with his ring finger and thumb and rub it between his breasts or between his eyebrows.

6.4.6 If he sees his reflection in water, he should recite over it: "Let heat, strength, glory, wealth, and merit be in me."A woman with menstrual stains on her clothes is the beauty of women.So he should approach a woman in stained clothes who has that beauty, and invite her.

6.4.7 If she will not give herself to him, he may try to bribe her.If she still will not give herself to him, he should strike her with a stick or his hand and force himself on her,saying, "With my strength and glory, I take your glory away."She becomes without glory.

6.4.8 If she gives herself to him, he should say, "With my strength and glory, I give you glory."Both become glorious.

6.4.9 If he wants a woman to desire him, he should put his organ into her, join his mouth to hers, touch her sexual organ, and quietly recite:"You come from limb after limb. You are born from the heart.You are the essence of the limbs. Drive this woman into longing for me, as though she had been struck by a poisoned arrow."

6.4.10 If he wants her not to conceive, he should put his organ into her, join his mouth to hers, breathe out, and then breathe in,saying, "With my strength and semen, I take your semen away."She becomes without seed.

6.4.11 If he wants her to conceive, he should put his organ into her, join his mouth to hers, breathe in, and then breathe out,saying, "With my strength and semen, I place semen in you."She becomes pregnant.

6.4.12 If his wife has a lover whom he hates, he should build a fire in an unbaked clay vessel, spread reed grass with its tips turned backward, and offer into it reed tips smeared with clarified butter, also turned backward:"You have offered into my kindled fire.I take your inward and downward breaths away, so-and-so.You have offered into my kindled fire.I take your children and livestock away, so-and-so.You have offered into my kindled fire.I take the benefit of your sacrifices and good deeds away, so-and-so.You have offered into my kindled fire.I take your hopes and expectations away, so-and-so."Anyone whom a Brahmin with this knowledge curses leaves this world without strength or merit.That is why a person should not want to have sex with the wife of a Vedic scholar who knows this.For someone with this knowledge becomes an enemy.

6.4.13 When his wife begins to menstruate, she should not drink from a metal vessel for three days.She should wear new clothes.A man or woman of the Shudra class should not touch her.At the end of the three nights, she should bathe; then he should have her pound rice.

6.4.14 If someone desires, "Let a fair-skinned son be born to me, who will recite one Veda and live out his full lifespan," the couple should have rice cooked with milk and eat it with clarified butter.They can produce such a child.

6.4.15 If someone desires, "Let a tawny son with brown eyes be born to me, who will recite two Vedas and live out his full lifespan," the couple should have rice cooked with yogurt and eat it with clarified butter.They can produce such a child.

6.4.16 If someone desires, "Let a dark son with red eyes be born to me, who will recite three Vedas and live out his full lifespan," the couple should have rice cooked with water and eat it with clarified butter.They can produce such a child.

6.4.17 If someone desires, "Let a learned daughter be born to me, who will live out her full lifespan," the couple should have rice cooked with sesame and eat it with clarified butter.They can produce such a child.

6.4.18 If someone desires, "Let a learned and renowned son be born to me, who will attend assemblies, speak words that people want to hear, recite all the Vedas, and live out his full lifespan," the couple should have rice cooked with meat and eat it with clarified butter.They can produce such a child.The meat should be from a young bull or a grown bull.

6.4.19 Early in the morning, he should prepare the cooked-rice offering and clarified butter in the prescribed way and make offerings from the rice, saying, "To Agni, svaha. To Anumati, svaha. To the god Savitar, who brings things forth without fail, svaha."After making the offerings, he should take out some rice and eat it.After eating, he should give some to her.He should wash his hands, fill a vessel with water, and sprinkle her three times with it, saying:"Rise from here, Vishvavasu. Seek another young woman.Unite the wife with her husband."

6.4.20 Then he approaches her, saying, "I am ama; you are sa.You are sa; I am ama.I am the Saman chant; you are the Rig verse.I am heaven; you are earth.Come, let us join together and place our seed togetherto obtain a male child."

6.4.21 Then he parts her thighs, saying, "Heaven and earth, open apart."He puts his organ into her, joins his mouth to hers, and strokes her three times in the direction of her hair:"Let Vishnu prepare the womb. Let Tvashtar shape the forms.Let Prajapati pour the seed. Let Dhatar place a child in your womb.Place a child in the womb, Sinivali. Place a child in the womb, Prithushtuka.Let the two gods, the Ashvins with lotus garlands, place a child in your womb.

6.4.22 "The two golden fire sticks with which the Ashvins churned—We call that child into your womb, to be born in the tenth month.As the earth carries fire in its womb, as heaven is pregnant with Indra,as wind is the child in the womb of the directions, so I place a child in your womb, so-and-so."

6.4.23 When she is about to give birth, he sprinkles her with water:"As wind stirs a lotus pond on every side,so let the child in your womb move and come down with the afterbirth.This enclosure has been made for Indra, with a bar and a surrounding cover.Indra, break it open and let the child and its coverings come out together."

6.4.24 When the child is born, he builds a fire, puts the child on his lap, mixes clarified butter and yogurt in a metal vessel, and offers portions of this mixture:"Growing in my own home, may I nourish a thousand through this child.Let his line not be cut off, in children or livestock. Svaha.With my mind I offer the vital breaths that are in me into you. Svaha.Whatever I did too much of in this rite, or whatever I did too little of,let Agni, the maker of good offerings, knowing it, make our sacrifice good and our offering well offered. Svaha."

6.4.25 Then he puts his mouth to the child's right ear and says, "Speech, speech," three times.Then he mixes yogurt, honey, and clarified butter and feeds the child with gold, with nothing between the gold and the food,saying, "I place earth in you. I place the space between heaven and earth in you. I place heaven in you. I place earth, the space between heaven and earth, heaven—everything—in you."

6.4.26 Then he gives the child a name, saying, "You are Veda."This becomes the child's secret name.

6.4.27 Then he gives the child to the mother and offers her breast, saying, "Your breast that rests and brings joy, that holds treasures, finds wealth, and gives generously—Sarasvati, with that breast you nourish all precious things. Make it available here for the child to suck."

6.4.28 Then he recites over the child's mother: "You are Ila, daughter of Mitra and Varuna. Brave woman, you have given birth to a hero.May you have heroic sons, you who have given us heroic sons."People say of a son born to a Brahmin who knows this, "You have surpassed your father!You have surpassed your grandfather!You have reached the highest point in prosperity, glory, and the radiance of sacred knowledge."This is what they say when a son is born to a Brahmin who knows this.