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SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
toise with its head backward (westward), and the victims' heads turned backward, thereby he is built looking backward; and when he lays down the tortoise with its face downward, and the victims' heads with their faces downward, and the bricks with their faces downward, thereby he is built looking downward; and when he lays down the (gold) man with his face upward, and the two spoons (with their open bowls) turned upward, and the mortar turned upward, and the fire-pan turned upward, thereby he is built looking upward; and when he lays down the bricks whilst moving round (the altar) in every direction, thereby he is built (looking) in all directions.
3
8. Now, the Koshas, whilst driving about, once drove up to an Agni with his head pulled out*. One of them said, 'The head (siras) means excellence (srt): he has pulled out his excellence, he will be deprived of his all!' and so indeed it happened to him.
9. And another said, 'The head means the vital airs he has pulled out his vital airs, he will quickly go to yonder world!' and so, indeed, it happened to him.
1 See VII, 5, I, I.
Ishtakânâm nîtvenopadhânam nâma rigulekhâdakshinapasavyatryâlikhitâ dilekhânâm uparibbâge darsanam. Sây. The broad side of the bricks not marked with lines is thus looked upon as their face.
'That is to say, according to Sâyana, whilst going about officiating at sacrifices, they built the altar in that way at some one's house.
That is, with a head built on to the altar on the front side of the body; see the diagram of the syenakiti in Burnell's Cat. of Vedic MSS. (1870), p. 29.
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