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X KÂNDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMANA, 2.
381
Fourth BRÂHMANA. 1. Verily, this (brick-)built Fire-altar (Agni) is this (terrestrial) world :—the waters (of the encircling ocean) are its (circle of) enclosing-stones; the men its Yagushmatis (bricks with special formulas); the cattle its Sadadohas?; the plants and trees its earth-fillings (between the layers of bricks), its oblations and fire-logs ? ; Agni (the terrestrial fire) its Lokamprina (space-filling brick);—thus this comes to make up the whole Agni, and the whole Agni comes to be the space-filler 3; and, verily, whosoever knows this, thus comes to be that whole (Agni) who is the space-filler *.
2. But, indeed, that Fire-altar also is the air :the junction of heaven and earth (the horizon) is its (circle of) enclosing-stones, for it is beyond the air that heaven and earth meet, and that (junction) is the (circle of) enclosing-stones; the birds are its Yagushmati bricks, the rain its Sadadohas, the rays
1 That is, either the food obtained by the milking of the drink of immortality (amritadohânnam), or the verse Rig-veda VIII, 69, 3 (tà asya sûdadohasah, &c.) pronounced over the 'settled' brick, and supposed to supply vital air to the different parts of AgniPragapati's body (whence it is also repeated in the Brihad Uktham between the different parts of the bird-like body; cf. p. 112, note I). Sây.
· Sâyana seems to interpret this in two different ways,- oshadhivanaspataya eva purishâhutisamittrayarâpâ etasya purîshahutisamittrayarūpatvam uttaratra spash/ikarishyate; atha (vâ) yad dikshu ka rasmishu kânnam tat purîsham ta ahutayas lâh samidhah.
3 See X, 5, 2, 8. Viz. 'inasmuch as all become fit for their work by being provided with fire.' Sây.
• Or, the word-filler, the ruler of the world (lokadhishthátri). Sáy.
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