________________
128
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
the sun: he thus places the seasons on this side of the sky and the sun ; whence the seasons are on this side thereof. But generative power there also is in these seasonal bricks)": he thus places generative power on this side of the sky and the sun; whence procreation takes place only on this side of them, but stationary, indeed, is procreation beyond them, for just as many gods as there were of old, so many there are now.
10. Now, the (first) two seasonal (bricks) he lays down subsequently to the first naturally-perforated one, and to the first Visvagyotis; for the first naturally-perforated one is this (earth), and the first Visvagyotis is Agni : thereupon he places the seasons, whence the seasons are upwards from this (earth). But generative power there also is therein: he thus places generative power above this (earth); whence procreation only takes place above (upon, not under) this (earth).
11. Let him not derange these (seasonal bricks) 2 lest he should derange the seasons, for deranged are
"Or, But these (bricks) also are (or mean) generative power, cf. paragraph 1.
That is, he is not to shift them from their proper place, but place each subsequent pair exactly on those laid down before, As a matter of fact, however, these two bricks (if we determine their site by mere calculation) would seem, in the fifth layer, to lie by half a foot further away from the central point, than the Ritavyás of the other layers do. This is owing to the fact that whilst, in the layers in which a Svayamátrinnâ lies in the middle, only one half of these central bricks lie on the east side of the central point, in the present layer the eastern portion of the Gårhapatya (occupying the central part of the layer) consists of full-sized bricks. This discrepancy of half a foot was probably made good by some space being left, which was afterwards filled up with earth; unless, indeed, the Svayamâtrinnâs, as apparently natural stones, were allowed to somewhat exceed the ordinary size of bricks.
Digitized by Google