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288
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
art,'—in accordance with the text is (the meaning of) this ;-'a male thou art, well-disposed towards man thou art,'—this is with a view to its (or, his) being supplied with a mate ;-Speedy thou art called, Child thou art called,'-this is the horse's favourite name: by its favourite name he thus addresses it; whence even if two enemies', on meeting together, address one another by name, they get on amicably together.
2. Go thou along the way of the Adityas!' —to the Adityas he thus makes it go.— Ye divine guardians of the quarters, protect this horse, sprinkled for sacrifice to the gods!'-the guardians of the quarters are a hundred princes born in wedlock : to them he commits it;-' here is joy: here let it rejoice !-here is safe keeping, here is its own safe keeping, hail!' For a year he offers the (four Dhriti) oblations 2– (amounting to) sixteen nineties, for they are the horse's chains, and it is therewith alone that he chains it; whence the horse when let loose returns to its chain : (they amount to) sixteen nineties*; for these (oblations of safe keeping) are the horse's chain, and it is therewith alone that he chains it, whence the horse, when let loose, does not (entirely) abandon its chain.
3. Verily, the Asvamedha means royal sway: it is after royal sway that these strive who guard the horse. Those of them who reach the end become
"Harisvâmin, perhaps rightly, takes 'amitrau' in the sense of amitrayoh putrau,' the sons of two enemies.' • See note on XIII, 4, 3, 5.
Or, place of confinement, stable,-'bandhanasthanam.' Harisv. • That is, four times 360.
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