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II2
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
37. Here now some people place the two (dhâyyâs) additional kindling verses before (the eighth sâmidheni), arguing, “The two dhâyyâs? mean food : this edible food we place in front (or, in the mouth, mukhatah). But let him not do this: for with him who inserts the additional verses before (the eighth), the latter (the eighth) is clearly out of its place?, since in that case it (and the succeeding verse) become the tenth and eleventh verses. With him, on the other hand, for whom they recite this as the eighth (kindling verse), it is indeed in its proper place : let him therefore insert the two additional verses after (the ninth).
38. (He recites the ninth kindling verse]: 'He who is kindled at the cult'— the cult (adhvara), doubtless, is the sacrifice : 'he who is kindled at the sacrifice' he thereby says ;— Agni, the bright, the laudable,' for he is both bright and laudable ;-'the flaming-locked, him we adore !' for when he is kindled, his locks, as it were, flame. Previously to (the beginning of the tenth verse), 'O Agni, worshipped, thou art lit !' let him (the Adhvaryu) put on
1 Whenever thirteen kindling verses are recited instead of eleven (or counting the repetitions of the first and last verses, seventeen instead of fifteen), the two verses Rig-veda III, 27, 5 and 6 are inserted according to our author after the ninth, and according to others before the eighth, sâmidheni. They are called dhâyyâ, probably derived from dhâ,'to put, add,' whilst those ritualists whose practice is here rejected apparently connect the word with the root dhâ (dhe), 'to suck.'
* According to Sâyana, because it no longer occupies the eighth place for which it is specially appropriate on account of its being, according to our author, 'peculiarly a gâyatrî (eight-syllabled) verse.' This reasoning is far from satisfactory, since the two dhâyyas (Rig-veda III, 27, 5 and 6) are also gâyatri verses.
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