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256
ON HUMAN SACRIFICES IN THE
beginning “Vasishthá hi*' Agni said, “Praise the Viswadevas, and then we will liberate you;" so Sunaksepha praised them, saying, ‘Namo mahadbhyah,' &c. **; but the Viswadevas said, “Indra is the mightiest of the gods, the most excellent, and the most able to lead men to happiness; worship him, and we will loose you;” so Sunahấepha praised Indra with the hymn beginning "Yach-chi-dhi satya somapá ***;' and Indra, being pleased by this prayer, gave him a golden chariot'. He nevertheless recommended him to propitiate the Aświns; he did so, and they desired him to praise Ushas, or the personified dawn, which he did in three concluding stanzas, on repeating which his bonds fell off, and he was set free; and the king, the father of Rohita, was cured of his complaint.
Then the priests said to him, “Perform the completion of this our rite to-day;” on which he showed to them the (mode of] offering the libation of the Soma juice, accompanying it by four stanzas, beginning
Yach-chid-dhit;' then having brought the pitcher (drońa kalasa), he directed the remainder to be poured into it, with the stanza "Uchchbishtam chambortt;'
* (h. 26 and 27, 1-12.] ** [h. 27, 13. See also Muir’s Sanskrit Texts II, 195 f.] *** [h. 29.]
It is said, “in his mind;" perhaps meaning that he purposed to give it to him. † [h. 29, 1-4.]
tt [h. 28, 9.]
