Questions of King Milinda Part 01

SR No.: 007681
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

Page 1404

VII KÂNDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRÂHMANA, 35. 399
fashions', whence the seed injected into the womb is fashioned. He offers with the dipping-spoon, with ‘Hail l' with two Gayatri verses relating to Agni: the significance of this has been explained.
33. [Vag. S. XIII, 36-37; Rik S. VI, 16, 43; VIII, 75,1] O Agni, harness those good steeds of thine: they draw equal to thy mettle!-Like a chariot-fighter, harness thou the steeds, the best callers of the gods, O Agni! take thy seat as the old Hotri!' with two (verses) containing the (verb) 'yug' (to harness, fasten),– he thus settles that seed injected into the womb, whence the seed settled in the womb does not escape.
34. If (the fire in the pan) has been carried about for a year, in that case he should now offer; for (the fire) which has been carried about for a year is everything, and that also whereon he offers is everything. But if it has not been carried about for a year, let him only stand by (worshipping) it; for (the fire) which has not been carried about for a year is not everything; and that by which he stands (worshipping) is not everything. Let him nevertheless offer thereon.
35. Now that Agni is an animal, and even now he is (being) made up whole and complete: the naturally-perforated (brick) is his lower vital air, the
1 The verb.abhi-kri' is here taken in the sense of 'vi-kri' (he gives form to it); and in that sense I would now take it at II, 3. 1, 4, "he fashions (gives human shape to) that embryo,' instead of he benefits that embryo.' The St. Petersburg dictionary proposes the meaning, 'to do something with reference to (or, for the benefit of). The proper German meaning would rather seem to be
bearbeiten.' The preposition 'abhi' is probably used here with reference to the abhi-guhoti.'
* See p. 269, note 3.
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