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III KÂnda, 2 ADHYAYA, I BRÂHMANA, 9.
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where the white and black (hair) join, he mutters (Våg. S. IV, 9), 'Ye are the images of the Rik and Saman;'-an image doubtless is what is conformable': Ye are conformable to the riks and sâmans' he thereby means to say.
6. 'I touch you. Now, he who is consecrated becomes an embryo, and enters into the metres : hence he has his hands closed, since embryos have their hands closed.
7. And when he says, 'I touch you,' he means to say, 'I enter into you.' 'Do ye guard me up to the goal of this sacrifice!' whereby he says, • Do ye protect me until the completion of this sacrifice !'
8. He then kneels down with his right knee (on the skin), with the text, “Thou art a refuge: afford me refuge!' for the skin (karma) of the black deer it is indeed among men, but among the gods it is a refuge (sarma): therefore he says, 'Thou art a refuge: afford me refuge.' 'Homage be to thee: injure me not!' Now he who raises himself upon the sacrifice? doubtless raises himself to one that is his better; for the black deer skin is a (means of) sacrifice. Hereby, now, he propitiates that sacrifice, and thus that sacrifice does not injure him: for this reason he says, 'Homage be to thee: injure me not!'
9. He must indeed sit down first on the hind part (of the skin). Were he, on the other hand, to sit down at once in the middle (of the skin), and were
the same time the white hair with his thumb and the black with his fore-finger. Sây. on Tait, S. 1, 2, 3 (vol. 1, P. 297).
· Sreyâmsam va esha upâdhirohati yo manushyah san yagñam upâdhirobati. Kânva recension.
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