Aitareya Brahmana

On seeing tears in the eyes of her son, Itara prayed to the earth goddess Bhūmi, her kuladevi (tutelary deity).

Bhūmi then appeared and gifted Mahidasa the knowledge contained in the Aitareya Brahmana.

According to AB Keith, the present redaction of the work may be ascribed to Mahidasa, but even that cannot be said conclusively.

For example, Raghunandana (c. 16th century CE), in his Malamasatattva, quotes a verse from what he calls the Asvalayana Brahmana.

The following is an overview of its contents: Astronomy played a significant role in Vedic rituals, which were conducted at different periods of a year.

[19] According to Jyoti Bhusan Das Gupta, this verse implies that the author "clearly understood that days and nights were local rather than a global phenomenon".

Das Gupta adds that the text's interest in the sun's position appears to be "purely ritualistic", and the verse cannot be conclusively taken as an evidence of the author's recognition of the earth as a sphere.

[23] In section 3.44, among other things, the Aitareya Brahmana states (translation by Haug):[24][25] The sun does never rise or set.