Adhyāya 13: Agnicayana, continued

I TiJCE within me Agni first, for increase of my wealth,

Thou art the waters' back, the womb of Agni, around the

Eastward at first was Brahma generated. Vena o'erspread

In the beginning rose Hira^yagarbha, bom Only Lord of all

Homage be paid to Serpents unto all of them that are on

To those that are the demons' darts, to those that liye upon

Or those that are in heaven's bright sphere,, or. those that

Put forth like a Wide-spreading net thy vigour : go like a

Forth go in rapid flight thy whirling weapons: follow them

Send thy spies forward,^ fleetest in thy motion : be, ne'er

Rise up, 0-AgBi, spread thee out before us, burn down our

Bise, Agni, drive off those who fight against us: make

Agni is bead and height of heaveni the Master of the earth

Thou adrt the leader of the rite and region to which^ f ith

He lays on the golden man ^ Svayam^trin^, a naturally perforated or porous brick ; one with g^it and' gravel in its composition. The ooean : t})egoldduic. flur 6irc{ the golden man. Vitwthtrwian : ihe Oowific; Prajapati, the Creator. Steady earik ; ke^ the groaod. on which the altsr is to be built firm and unmoved.

Thee let PrajApati settile on the waters' back, in Ocean's

Tbon ftvt the earth, the groraid, thou art the ali-sustaining

For all breath, out^breath, through-breath, upward-breath-

Upspringing from thine every xoint, upspringing from each

Thy lights, Agni, in the Sun that with their beams o'er-

Lights of yours in the Sun, Gods, or lights that are in

The Far-Refulgent hekl the light. The Self-Helnlgent held

Madhu and Madhava, the two Spring seasonia — thou art^

Thou art Ashidbi, Conquering One^ Conquer our foemen,

The winds waft sweets, the rivers poor siweets for the man who keeps the Law : So may the plants be sweet for ns. ^ Sweet be the night and sweet the dawns, sweet the terres- trial atmosphere : Sweet be our Father Heayen to us.

May the tall tree be full of sweets for us and, and full of

Seat thyself in the deepness of the waters, lest Sorya, lest

Thou spreading with a hundred, thou that hvancheBt irith a. thousand shoots, — Thee, such, with our oblation will we worship, celestial Brick.

May Heaven and Earth, the Mighty Pair, besprinkle this our

Look ye on Vishniu's works whereby the Friend of Indra,

Take thou thine ease for food, for store of riches, for might

radiant Agni, harness thou thy steeds which are most ex-

Toke, Agni, as a charioteer, thy steeds who best invoke the

On the north side of the chief and representatiTe porous brick he plaoee a pestle and mortar of Udumbara wood, reciting the text, repeated

Thee for the praise-verse, thee for sheen, thee for bright

Agni, all-luminous with light, splendid with splendour, golden

Balm thoa with milk the unborn babe Adttya, wearing all

The wind's impetuous rush, Vamna's navel ! the horse that

Unwasting Drop, red, eager, pressing forward, Agni I worship

Her who iaTvashtar's guardian, Vamna's navel, the Ew^

The brilliant presence of the Gods hath risen, the eye of

Injure not, thousand-eyed, while thou art building for sacri-

fiscrm not this animal whose hooves are solid^ the courser

Thousandfold, with a hundred streams, this fountain, ex-

This creature clothed in wool, Varu^a's narel, theskiu of

From Agni's warmth the he goat had his being : he looked

Do thou. Most Youthful God, protect the men who offer,

He lays down the Prinabhritas, or Breath- supporting, bricks, two at A time, with a formula for each sist. Bhuva : a name of Agni ; ' the Exis- tent ' : Eggeltng. Bhauvdyana : sprung from the Existent ; or Mundane. Prdndyana : sprung from breath. Updif^fu : see VI. 80 sq. Trivrit : the nineWerse hymn. Vatithtka: meaning the vital breath, the word signify- ing best, most precious. Taken .* created, or established.

This on the western side, the All-Embracer. His, the All-

This on the north side, heaven. This, heaven's offspring,

He removes the head of the ram. Skin : provider of clothing. Qua- darupeda : horses, cows, mules, etc.

He removes the head of the he-goat. Agni^t warmih : meaning Pra* jApati's. Therd>y : by the goat (or the Birthlesa). See v. 46, note, ^ruhhat a mythiCNl eight-legged animaU supposed to Uve on the Snowy Moontaina avd to . equal or sorpuss the lion iu strength, like our uuicora.

He lays down the thwd set (after the ten of the following verse). TU Omnififi: meaning Vftyu the Wind-God. SvAra: a SAman that has the ioaret, or first rising and then falliog piteh of the final vowel, for its finale. 4ntarydma : %9p90iaX Soma cup and libation. $ee VII. 4, note. PaHchadafar a hymn with fifteen versek. ^Aara(itf(!/a; snother famous Vedio jyUahi, meaning Miod^

He lays down the tortoise on a bed of AvakA plants (Blyza Octandra, growing in marshy places) on the right side of the brick InTiacible, looking towards the golden figure. The cusitom of building living animals, some- times human beings, into the foundations of a house to secure its stability, is of Tery great antiqui^, and was formerly rery widely spread. See S. Baring-Qould, Strange Snrrivals, pp. 1—85 The tortoise may have been

He keeps his hand on the tortoise and shakes it as he recites the text. The Bull: the chief. TU Well-made: Agni whose vesture is said to be cattle whose form the tortoise is supposed to assume. Tkm hrfwt Hue : former tortoises employed in similar ceremonies.

Having first silently placed the Fire-pan on the mortar he pounds the I prepared clay and throws it on the ground before the Fire-pan which is then aet upon it with the two following formulas. Firm art t&ou ; see verse 16.

He offers two oblations on the Fire-pan with two texts taken respec- tively from B. y. YI. 16. 43 and VIII. 64. 1.

The heads of the victims slaughtered for the ceremony were set aside at an early stage of the proceedings, and he now thrusts a sj^nter of gold, the symbol of purity and immortality, into the mouth of each, with the text