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396
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
the birth-place of all breaths; and the birth-place of the breaths being the head
23. It (the mortar) is of the measure of a span, for the head is, as it were, of the measure of a span ;four-cornered, for the head is, as it were, fourcornered ;-contracted in the middle, for the head is, as it were, contracted in the middle.
24. Now when the gods restored him (PragâpatiAgni), they put all that inside him-breath, food, strength; and in like manner this (Sacrificer) now puts that into him. At the distance of the two retahsik (he places it),—the retaksik being the ribs, and the ribs the middle, it is thus in the middle of (or, inside) him that he puts all that.
25. [He sets them down 1, with Vâg. S. XIII, 33; Rik S. I, 22, 19] 'See ye the deeds of Vishnu'deed doubtless means power: thus, see ye the powers of Vishnu;-'whereby he beheld the sacred ordinances,'-ordinance means food: thus, whereby he did behold the food;-'Indra's allied friend,' for he is indeed Indra's allied friend. With a (verse) relating to two deities he sets them down, for the mortar and pestle are two. Once he 'settles' them he thereby makes them one and the same; for one and the same is that food. Having 'settled' it, he pronounces the Sûdadohas on it: the significance of this has been explained.
26. He then places the fire-pan thereon, the firepan is a womb: a womb (birth-place) he thus gives to him (Agni). He places it on the mortar,-the mortar is the air, and everything that is above this
1 The mortar, according to the commentaries to Kâty., is partly dug into the ground, with the open part upwards; the pestle being then placed to the right (south) of it.
Digitized by Google
| SR No. | 007681 |
| Book Title | Questions of King Milinda Part 01 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | T W Rhys Davids |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1890 |
| Total Pages | 2695 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 47 MB |