Book Title: Dhammapada
Author(s): Max Muller
Publisher: Oxford

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Page 2520
________________ VI PRAPATHAKA, 33. 331 33. This fire (the Gârhapatya-fire) with five bricks is the year. And its five bricks are spring, summer, rainy season, autumn, winter; and by them the fire has a head, two sides, a centre, and a tail. This earth (the Gârhapatya-fire) here is the first sacrificial pile for Pragâpati, who knows the Purusha (the Virâg). It presented the sacrificer to Vâyu (the wind) by lifting him with the hands to the sky. That Vâyu is Prâna (Hiranyagarbha). Prâna is Agni (the Dakshinâgni-fire), and its bricks are the five vital breaths, Prâna, Vyâna, Apâna, Samâna, U dâna; and by them the fire has a head, two sides, a centre, and a tail. This sky (the Dakshinagni-fire) here is the second sacrificial pile for Pragâpati, who knows the Purusha. It presented the sacrificer to Indra, by lifting him with the hands to heaven.. That Indra' is Aditya, the sun. That (Indra) is the Agni (the Ahavaniya-fire), and its bricks are the Rik, the Yagush, the Sâman, the Atharvângirasas, the. Itihasa, and the Purâna ; and by them the fire has a head, two sides, a tail, and a centre. This heaven (Ahavaniya-fire) is the third sacrificial pile for Pragâpati, who knows the titles are on the whole the same as those we had before in similar passages. What is peculiar to Râmatîrtha is that he explains Upanishad by such passages as we had just now, viz. its Upanishad is that it is the true of the true. The Slokas are explained as verses like those in VI, 19, akittam kittamadhyastham. The Sätras are explained as comprehensive sentences, such as II, 2, ayam vâva khalv âtmâ te. Anuvyâkhyânas are taken as explanations following on the Sätra in II, 2, beginning with atha ya eshokkhvâsâvishtambhanena. The Vyakhyanas are taken as fuller statements of the meaning contained in the Satra, such as the dialogue between the Valakhilyas and Kratu. Digitized by Google

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