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X KÂNDA, 5 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMANA, 5.
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the fire-logs; and that which is called both 'regions' and 'rays' is the space-filling (brick) :—thus this comes to make up the whole Agni; and the whole Agni comes to be the space-filler; and, verily, whosoever knows this, thus comes to be that whole (Agni) who is the space-filler.
5. But, indeed, that Fire-altar also is the Nakshatras :—for there are twenty-seven of these Nakshatras, and twenty-seven secondary stars accompany each Nakshatra,—this makes seven hundred and twentył, and thirty-six in addition thereto. Now what seven hundred and twenty bricks there are of these, they are the three hundred and sixty enclosing-stones and the three hundred and sixty Yagushmati bricks; and what thirty-six there are in addition, they are the thirteenth (intercalary) month, the body of the altar); the trunk 8 (consisting of) thirty, the feet of two, the channels of the) vital airs of two 4, and the head itself being the (thirty-fifth and) thirty-sixth,—and as to there being two of these, it is because 'siras' (head) consists of two syllables; -and what (space) there is between (each) two
:1 7.
.
On this inaccurate calculation (the real product being 729), resorted to in order to get a total amount equal to the number of Yagushmatî bricks (756), see A. Weber, Nakshatra, II, p. 298.
* That is, Nakshatras considered as the bricks of which the firealtar is constructed. The latter being identical with the year, the 720 bricks represent the days and nights of the year.
• Thus Sâyana (madhyadeha),—the atman (in that case, however, the whole body) is usually represented as consisting of twentyfive parts. Here the thirty parts would probably be the trunk, the head, the upper and fore-arms, the thighs and shanks, and the fingers and toes.
• Viz. inasmuch as eyes, ears, and nostrils are in pairs. Sây.
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