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Bloomfield, Maurice, 1855-1928

"Cerberus, The Dog of Hades The History of an Idea"

"
(ii. 7. 2.)

THE TWO DOGS OF YAMA EXPLAIN THEMSELVES.
There are not many things in heaven that can be represented as a pair,
coursing across the sky, looking down upon the sea, and having other
related properties. My readers will make a shrewd guess, but I prefer to
let the texts themselves unfold the transparent mystery. The Veda of the
_Katha_ school (xxxvii. 14) says: "These two dogs of Yama, verily, are
day and night," and the Br[=a]hmana of the _K[=a]ush[=i]takins_ (ii. 9)
argues in Talmudic strain: "At eve, when the sun has gone down, before
darkness has set in, one should sacrifice the _agnihotra_-sacrifice; in
the morning before sunrise, when darkness is dispelled, at that time,
one should sacrifice the _agnihotra_-sacrifice; at that time the gods
arrive. Therefore (the two dogs of Yama) Cy[=a]ma and Cabala (the dark
and the spotted) tear to pieces the _agnihotra_ of him that sacrifices
otherwise. Cabala is the day; Cy[=a]ma is the night. He who sacrifices
in the night, his _agnihotra_ Cy[=a]ma tears asunder; he who sacrifices
in broad daylight, his _agnihotra_ Cabala tears asunder.


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