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40
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
metre, for having hemmed them in with vigour and the metre, he put them into himself, and made them his own; and in like manner does he (the sacrificer) now hem them in with vigour and the metre, and put them into himself, and make them his own.
17. Now that animal is the same as Agni : (as such) he is even now made up whole and entire. Those (bricks) which he places in front are his head; those on the right and left sides are his body, and those behind his tail.
18. He first lays down those in front, for of an animal that is born the head is born first. Having then laid down those on the right (south) side, he lays down those on the left (north) side, thinking,
Together with its sides this body shall be born.' Then those behind, for of (the animal) that is born the tail is born last.
19. The metres which are longest, and the animals which are biggest, he puts in the middle: he thus makes the animal biggest towards the middle; whence the animal is biggest towards the middle. And the animals which are the strongest he puts on the right side: he thus makes the right side of an animal the stronger; whence the right side of an animal is the stronger.
20. The fore and hind parts he makes smallest ; for inasmuch as those (bricks in front) are only four in number, thereby they are the smallest ; and inasmuch as here (at the back) he puts the smallest animals, thereby these are the smallest : he thus makes the fore and hind parts of an animal the smallest, whence the fore and hind parts of an animal
See p. 35, note 3.
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