v. 5. 6.
a O Agni, come to enjoy’, he says; verily he summons him.
b ‘Agni we choose as envoy’, he says; verily having called he chooses him.
c ‘By Agni Agni is kindled’, he says; verily he kindles him.
d ‘May Agni slay the foes’, he says; verily he confers power on him when kindled.
e ‘O Agni, we exalt the praise’, he says; verily he exalts him.
These are the forms of the days [1]; verily each day he piles him, and wins the forms of the days. The theologians say, ‘For what reason are other bricks exhausted, the space-filler not?’ ‘Because it is connected with Indra and Agni and with Brhaspati’, he should say, for Indra and Agni and Brhaspati are those among the gods who are not exhausted. It has a follower to avoid monotony. He follows it with an Anustubh; the space filler is the body, the Anustubh the breath; therefore breath comes through all the limbs. ‘They of him, streaming with milk’ [2], he says; therefore there is sap in every joint; ‘the dappled mix the Soma’, he says; the dappled (cow) is food; verily he wins food; Agni is praise, food is praise; verily he wins food; ‘the clans in the birthplace of the gods, in the three realms of sky’, he says; verily he makes these worlds full of light for him. He who knows the support of the bricks finds support. ‘With that deity, in the manner of Angiras, do thou sit firm,’ he says; this is the support of the bricks; he who knows thus finds support.
v. 5. 7.
The fire is piled up for the world of heaven; the set of eleven stakes is a thunderbolt; if he were to set up eleven stakes in the fire, he would shut it off from the world of heaven with the thunderbolt; if he were not to set it up, he would sever the animals from the chips; one stake he sets up; verily he does not shut it off from the world of heaven, nor sever the animals from the chips. He who piling the fire steps down on it is deprived of power and strength; he should, with a verse addressed to Indra [1], put down a brick opposite his step; verily he is not deprived of power and strength. The fire is Rudra, his are three missiles, one that comes straight on, one that strikes transversely, and one that follows up. To them he is cut off who piles the fire; having piled the fire he should give (a bow) with three arrows to a Brahman, unasked; verily to them he pays homage, and also he ransoms himself from them.
The bow of thine, O Rudra, in the east [2], may the wind blow after it for thee, to thee, O Rudra, with the year I pay homage.
The bow of thine, O Rudra, on the south, may the wind blow after it for thee, to thee, O Rudra, with the full year I pay homage.
The bow of thine, O Rudra, on the west, may the wind blow after it for thee, to thee, O Rudra, with the Ida year I pay homage.
The bow of thine, O Rudra, on the north, may the wind blow after it for thee [3], to thee, O Rudra, with the Idu year I pay homage.
The bow of thine, O Rudra, above, may the wind blow after it for thee, to thee, O Rudra, with the year I pay homage.
Agni is Rudra; just as a tiger stands in anger, so he also (stands); when piled with these he reverences him; verily with homage he soothes him.
The fires [4] of the dust
That have entered within the earth,
Of them thou art the highest;
Do thou instigate us to life.
‘Thee, O Agni, with the mind have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the fervour have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the consecration have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the observances have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the pressing-day have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the sacrificial fees have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the concluding bath have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the barren cow have I obtained; thee, O Agni, with the cry of Godspeed I have I obtained’, he says; I this is the obtaining of Agni verily therewith he obtains him.
v. 5. 8.
He pays reverence in front with the Gayatra (Saman); verily he confers breath upon him. (He reverences) the wings with the Brhat and the Rathantara; verily he confers might upon him. (He reverences) the tail with the seasonal Yajñayajñiya; verily he finds support in the seasons. He pays reverence with the Prstha (Stotras); the Prsthas are brilliance; verily he confers brilliance upon him. Prajapati created Agni; he, created, went away from him; him he checked (avarayata) by the Varavantiya, and that is why the Varavantiya has it name. By the Çyaita he congealed him, and that is why the Çyaita has its name [1]. In that he reverences, with the Varavantiya, he restrains him, and by the Çyaita he congeals him. At the joinings of the wings he reverences with the heart of Prajapati; verily he attains his affection.
With the eastern quarter I place thee, with the Gayatri metre, with Agni as the deity; with the head of Agni I put down the head of Agni.
With the southern quarter I place thee, with the Tristubh metre, with Indra as the deity; with the wing of Agni I put down the wing of Agni.
With the western quarter I place thee [2], with the Jagati metre, with Savitr as the deity; with the tail of Agni I put down the tail of Agni.
With the northern quarter I place thee, with the Anustubh metre, with Mitra and Varuna as the deity; with the wing of Agni I put down the wing of Agni.
With the upright quarter I place thee, with the Pankti metre, with Brhaspati as the deity, with the back of Agni I put down the back of Agni.
He who piles the fire without its body is without a body in yonder world; he who piles it with its body is with his body in yonder world. He puts down the body bricks; this is the body of the fire; verily he piles the fire with its body; he has his body in yonder world who knows thus.
v. 5. 9.
a. O Agni, the ocean, thy arrow called the young, with it be gentle
to us; homage to this of thine; may we prosper, living on this of thine.
b. O Agni, the boisterous; c the abysmal; d the strong; e the desirable;
thy arrow called young, with it be gentle to us; homage to this of thine;
may we prosper, living on this of thine.
f. The layers are the five Agnis, the first is the ocean by name, the second the boisterous [1], the third the abysmal, the fourth the strong, the fifth the desirable; if he were not to offer libations to them they would burn the Adhvaryu and the sacrificer; in that he offers these libations, verily he soothes them with their proper portion; neither Adhvaryu nor sacrificer goes to ruin.
g. May speech be mine in the mouth, breath in the nostrils, sight in the eyes, hearing in the ears, might in the arms, force in the thighs, may all my members be uninjured; may thy body [2] be with my body; homage to thee; harm me not.
h. The breaths depart from him who piling the fire steps down on it; ‘May speech be mine in the mouth, breath in the nostrils’, he says; verily he bestows the breaths on himself.
i. The Rudra in the fire, in the waters, in the plants, the Rudra that hath entered all beings, to that Rudra be homage.
k. Some Rudras have shares in the libations (ahuti), others have shares in the oblations (havis) [3]; having offered the Çatarudriya, he should put down on the last brick an oblation of Gavidhuka; verily he soothes him with his portion. ‘For him indeed is the Çatarudriya offered in truth’, they say, ‘for whom this (oblation) is made on the fire.’
l. May the Vasus, with the Rudras, protect thee on the east; may the Pitrs whose lord is Yama, with the Pitrs, protect thee on the south; may the Adityas, with the All-gods, protect thee on the west; may Dyutana Maruta, with the Maruts, protect thee on the north [4]; may the gods, whose chief is Indra, protect thee from below and from above.
m. It is not purified, nor made worthy of sacrifice, nor really anointed, if it is anointed before this point; in that he anoints it with ghee after it has been piled, thereby is it purified, made worthy of sacrifice and really anointed.
v. 5. 10.
a. Thou art the eastern quarter, the favourable by name; of thee as such Agni is the overlord, the black (snake) the guardian; the overlord and the guardian, to them homage; may they be gentle to us; him whom we hate and who hateth us I place within the jaws of you two.
Thou art the southern quarter, the mighty by name; of thee as such Indra is the overlord, the scorpion, &c.
Thou art the western quarter, the forward by name; of thee as such [1] Soma is the overlord, the viper, &c.
Thou art the northern quarter, the stable by name; of thee as such Varuna is overlord, the striped snake, &c.
Thou art the great quarter, the lady paramount by name; of thee as such Brhaspati is overlord, the white, &c.
Thou art this quarter, the powerful by name; of thee as such Yama is the overlord, the spotted necked (snake) the guardian; the overlord and the guardian, to them homage; may they be gentle to us; him whom we hate and [2] who hateth us I place within the jaws of you two.
b. These deities guard the fire when kindled; if he were not to offer libations to them, they would suck the Adhvaryu and the sacrificer; in that he offers these libations he soothes them with their proper portion; neither Adhvaryu nor sacrificer goes to ruin.
c. Ye are missiles by name; your houses are in the east; your arrows are Agni; the water, &c.
Ye are smearers by name [3]; your houses are in the south, your arrows are the fathers; the ocean, &c.
Ye are the bearers of the bolt by name; your houses are in the west, your arrows are sleep; the cleft, &c.
Ye are the stable by name; your houses are in the north; your arrows are the waters; the sea, &c.
Ye are overlords by name; your houses are above; your arrows are the rain; the helper, &c.
Ye are the raw-flesh eaters by name, of the earth; your houses are bore [4]; your arrows are food; winking is the name of the wind; to you homage; be ye gentle to us; him whom we hate and who hateth us I put in your jaws.
d. Some gods eat the offerings, others do not; verily the piler of the fire delights both sets. He offers these libations with curds mixed with honey; verily he delights them with their proper portion. Or rather they say, ‘The gods who eat not the oblations are the bricks’ [5]. He offers going round in order; verily he delights them completely.
e. Suck this mighty breast of the waters,
Filled in the midst of the flood, O Agni;
Rejoice in the spring of sweetness, O ocean,
Enter thy seat of the sea.
f. If one having yoked the fire does not set it free, then just as a horse yoked and not set free in hunger is overcome, so his fire is overcome, and with it being overcome the sacrificer is overcome; he having piled the fire becomes aheat [6]; ‘Suck this mighty breast of the waters’, (with these words) he offers a ladle full of butter; this is the freeing of the fire; verily setting it free he gives it food. Therefore they say, both he who knows and he who knows not. ‘A horse well loaded carries well’; the horse is Agni; verily he delights him, he delighted delights him; he becomes richer.
The Horse Sacrifce (continued)
v. 5. 11.
To Indra, the king, a boar; to Varuna, the king, a black (antelope); to Yama, the king, a deer; to the bull, the king, a Gayal; to the tiger, the king, a Bos Gavaeus; to the king of men a monkey; for the swift falcon a quail; for the Nilangu (snake) a worm; for Soma, the king, a gazelle; for the ocean a crocodile; for the snowy mountain an elephant.
v. 5. 12.
The ape is for Prajapati; the owl, the Haliksna the cat, are for Dhatr; to Sarasvati the white starling, of human speech; the wild goat, the ichneumon, the Çaka, these are for Pusan; the curlew to speech.
v. 5. 13.
To the offspring of waters a fish; the crocodile, the dolphin, the Kulikaya are for the ocean; to speech the Paingaraja; to Bhaga the sea-crow; the swan, the Vahasa, the woodpecker, these are for Vayu; to the quarters the Cakravaka.
v. 5. 14.
To might, a boa-constrictor; the mole, the Srjaya, the lizard, these are for Mitra; to death the dark (serpent); to wrath the viper; the pot-nosed, the lotus-sitter, the copper snake, these are for Tvastr; to the echo the Vahasa.
v. 5. 15.
The human beast to the moon; the lizard, the Kalaka, the woodpecker, these are for the trees; the dappled (deer) to day; the black (antelope) to night; the cuckoo, the Ksvinka, the black-headed, these are (to be offered) to Aryaman; the crab for Dhatr.
v. 5. 16.
For the sun the crane; the deer, the peacock, the hawk, these are for the Gandharvas; for the Vasus the francolin partridge; for the Rudras the partridge; the red doe, the Kundrnaci, the Golattika, these are for the Apsarases; to the wood the Srmara.
v. 5. 17.
The dappled (deer) is for the All-gods; the Pitva, Nyanku, the Kaça, these are (to be offered) to Anumati; the cuckoo is for the half months; the tortoise for the months; the Kvayi, the Kutaru, the gallinule, these are (to be offered) to Sinivali; to Brhaspati the cat.
v. 5. 18.
The Çaka, is for earth; the field-rat, the Kaça, the flying fox, these are for the fathers; the pole-cat for the seasons; the quail to the year; the pigeon, the owl, the hare, these are for Nirrti; the cock for Savitr.
v. 5. 19.
The deer for Rudra; the chameleon, the bird, the Pippaka, these are (to be offered) to the arrow shot; the gazelle for the Maruts; the Çarga to the Brahman; the hyena, the black (deer), the dog of four eyes, the ass, these are for other men; to Agni the crow.
v.5.20.
The Alaja is for the atmosphere; the otter, the diver, the swimmer, these for the waters; to Aditi the Hansasaci; to Indrani the Kirça; the vulture, the white-breasted, the Vardhranasa, these are for the sky; the hedgehog is for sky and earth.
v. 5. 21.
The eagle for Parjanya; the swan, the wolf, the cat, these are for Indra; the otter for the waters; the jackal is (to be offered) to Aryaman; the lion, the ichneumon, the tiger, these are (to be offered) to great Indra; the rhinoceros to desire.
v. 5. 22.
For Agni the black-necked; for Sarasvati the ewe; the brown one for Soma; the dark for Pusan; the white-backed for Brhaspati; the variegated for the All-gods; the ruddy one for Indra; the speckled one for the Maruts; the mixed one for Indra and Agni; the one spotted below for Savitr; the ram for Varuna.
v. 5. 23.
The horse, the hornless one, the Gayal, these are for Prajapati; for Agni the two with black necks; for Tvastr the two with hairy thighs; the two white-backed for Brhaspati; to Dhatr the speckled bellied one; for the sun the white ram.
v. 5. 24.
To Agni of the front the red-limbed ox; the two spotted below for Savitr; the two red-navelled for Pusan; the two hornless tawny ones for the All-gods; the speckled for the Maruts; the black goat for Agni the ewe for Sarasvati; the black ram with one white foot for Varun
