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310
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
As large as this Vedi 1 of the sevenfold (fire-altar) is, fourteen times as large he measures out the Vedi of the one hundred and one-fold (altar).
8. He now measures off a cord thirty-six steps ? (yards) long, and folds it up into seven (equal) parts: of this he covers (the space of) the three front (eastern) parts (with bricks), and leaves four (parts) 3 free.
9. He then measures (a cord) thirty steps long, and lays it sevenfold : of this he covers three parts (with bricks) behind, and leaves four (parts) free!.
1 That is, of course, the Mahâvedi on which the (ordinary) firealtar is raised, and which is enlarged in proportion to the size of the altar. The intermediate sizes of the fire-altar between the two extremes here alluded to increase each by four square 'man's lengths' (the man being measured with upstretched arms), or by one man's length on each side of the body of the altar; the largest possible altar thus measuring, tot man's lengths on each side.
? A step, or pace (prakrama) is equal to 3 feet (pada), a foot measuring 12 finger-breadths (angula),- these measures being, however (at least theoretically), relative to the Sacrificer's height.
* That is to say, he stretches the cord along the ground from the (western) 'end of the Vedi' eastwards, and marks off on the ground three-sevenths of the cord on the eastern side, that part of the Vedi being afterwards covered by the brick-built altar, whilst the remaining space behind is required for the Sadas and Havirdhana sheds, &c. If we take the Mahâvedi to be 108 feet long (=36 prakramas) this would allow 15$ feet for each part, or some 46 feet for the length of the part to be covered with bricks, and this measure, being equal to seven man's lengths, would allow 64 feet for a man's length (including the upstretched arms). Between the altar and the front (eastern edge of the Vedi a space of one foot is, however, to be left.
+ That is, he stretches the cord across (north to south) and marks off the three central divisions of it as forming the hind side of the altar (leaving two-sevenths of the string free on either side). This gives 12f (out of 90) feet for each part, or 384 feet for the back, or western, side of the altar.
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