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254
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
the year: as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, so great is this.
15. Now, some yoke it (the fire-altar) at a Prayaniya ' Atirâtra, and unyoke it at an Udayaniya, saying, 'The unyoking, surely, is a certain form of completion, and why should we perform a form of completion prior to the completion (of the sacrifice) ?' But let him not do this, for day by day this sacrifice is performed, and day by day it comes to completion; day by day he yokes that (altar) for the attainment of the heavenly world, and day by day he thereby attains the heavenly world : let him therefore yoke it day by day, and unyoke it day by day.
16. And, indeed, it would be just as if, at the Prâyaniya Atirâtra, after reciting the kindlingverses, he were to say, 'Hereafter, at the Udayaniya, I shall recite (them again)!' Let him therefore yoke (the altar) day by day, and unyoke it day by day.
17. And on this point, Sandilya, indeed, having enjoined on the Kaňkatlyas the day-by-day per
For the Prayanîya ishti (to five deities) of the ordinary Agnishtoma, see part ii, pp. 47, 48, note. In the present case a special Soma-sacrifice of the Atirâtra type would seem to take its place, just as the Pavitra, an Agnishtoma Sonia-sacrifice, at the Râgasaya, took the place of the ordinary Anvârambhaniya ishti (or opening offering); see part ü, p. 42. In the same way there would apparently be a special Udayanfya Soma-sacrifice; whilst our author would have the ceremonies of yoking and unyoking of the fire-altar performed on the very day (or days) of the Somasacrifice, that is to say, he would have the ordinary Prayanîyeshti and Udayaniyeshfi performed as parts of the principal Soma-day (or days, if there are to be more than one).
* Or, therefore, as Sâyana takes it. If the Udayaniya were a special Soma-sacrifice, the Sâmidhenis (part i, p. 102 seq.; ii, p. 13, note 3) would have to be recited anew.
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