________________
70
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
'the living being is freed, the Trayastrimsastoma!'-by means of the thirty-three-fold hymnform he freed all living beings from evil, from death; and in like manner does the Sacrificer, by means of the thirty-three-fold hymn-form, now free all living beings from evil, from death.
13. These, then, are ten bricks he lays down,-the Virag consists of ten syllables, and Agni is Virag (wide-shining); there are ten regions, and Agni is the regions; there are ten vital airs, and Agni is the vital airs as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, by so much he thus frees all these creatures from evil, from death.
:
14. He then lays down two Ritavyâs1 (seasonal bricks); the seasonal ones being the same as the seasons, it is the seasons he thus lays down ;-with (Våg. S. XIV, 27), 'Saha and Sahasya, the two winter-seasons!' These are the names of those two, it is with their names he thus lays them down. There are two such bricks, for a season consists of two months. Only once he settles them: he thus makes (the two months) one season.
15. And as to why he places these two (bricks) in this (layer), this Agni (fire-altar) is the year, and the year is these worlds: what part thereof is above the air, and below the sky, that is this fourth layer, and that is the winter-season thereof; and when he places these two in this (layer), he thereby restores to him (Pragâpati-Agni, the year and fire-altar) what part of his body these two (constitute). This is why he places these two in this (layer).
1 These are placed over the Ritavyâs of the preceding layers, viz. in the fifth place to the east of the centre, south and north of the spine.
Digitized by
Google