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VIII KANDA, I ADHYAYA, I BRAHMANA, 4. 3
2. He lays them down by ten and ten, for there are ten vital airs; and even though 'ten-ten' may mean many times, here they mean only ten. Five times he puts on ten (bricks) each time; for it is those five (kinds of sacrificial) animals he bestows, and there are ten vital airs in each animal: upon all of them he thus bestows the vital airs. He lays down (the bricks) so as not to be separated from the animals: he thus bestows vital airs not separated from the animals. He lays them down on every side on every side he thus bestows on them (orifices of) the vital airs.
3. And again why he lays down the Prânabhritak. From Pragâpati, when relaxed (by producing creatures), the vital airs departed. To them, having become deities, he spake, 'Come ye to me, return ye unto me that wherewith ye have gone out of me!''Well then, create thou that food which we will await here looking on!''Well then, let us both create!' So be it!'-So both the final airs and Pragâpati created that food, these Prânabhrit (bricks).
4. In front (of the altar) he lays down (ten bricks,— the first) with (Vâg. S. XIII, 54), This one in front, the Existent,'-in front, doubtless, is Agni; and as to why he speaks of him (as being) 'in front,' it is because they take out the fire (from the Gârhapatya) towards the front, and attend on Agni towards the front 2. And as to why he says 'the
1 Whilst standing in front (east) of the altar, he puts down the first set of ten bricks on the line from the south-west corner (or right shoulder) of the altar towards the centre. The formulas with which each set of ten bricks are deposited are spread over three paragraphs, the first of which gives that of the first brick, the second those for two to eight, the third for the last two
2 Viz in taking out the fire from the Gârhapatya and transferring
B 2
