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ANCIENT RELIGION OF INDIA.
255
by the priests bearing burning brands of sacred grass, no immolator could be found [amongst the ministrant Brahmans), when Ajígartta again offered himself, saying, “Give me another hundred cows, and I will immolate him;” accordingly they gave him the cows, and he went forth to sharpen his knife? In this interval Sunaksepha reflected, “These [people) will put me to death as if I were not a man', but an animal; my only hope is the aid of some of the gods, to whom I will have recourse.” So thinking, he prayed to Prajapati, the first of the gods, with the prayer Kasya núnam,' &c. *; but Prajapati said, "Agni is the nearest of the gods, appeal to him.” He did so, saying, 'Agner vayam**:' on which Agni said to him, “Savitri is the lord of all the protecting powers, pray to him;" so Sunaksepha repeated 'Abhi twá deva *** Savitri said, “You are dedicated to the royal Varuna, appeal to him,” which Sunahsepha did in the thirty-one following stanzas, beginning “Na hi te kshatram f.' Varuha said "Agni is the mouth of the gods, and most friendly [to man], praise him, and we will set you free,” which Sunaksepha did in twenty-two stanzas",
Or sword, “asim nihsánáy cyáya." ? Or, “as if I were not a man;" for according to the Veda, in the case of a man, after circumambulating, they let him go, and substitute a goat.
* [Rig-V. I, h. 24, 1.] ** [ib. 2.] *** [ib. 3.] + [h. 24, 6-15 and h. 25.]
3. We have twenty-three in the text; the last is to be omitted, as not addressed to Agui.
