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284
SATAPATHA-BRÂHMANA.
desire of men; and whatever desire the cattle then obtained in regard to men, that same desire he obtains, in regard to cattle, whosoever, knowing this, sets up his fire under Rohini.
8. He may also set up his fires under (the asterism of) Mrigasfrsha. For Mrigasirsha, indeed, is the head of Pragâpati"; and the head (siras) means excellence (sri), for the head does indeed mean excellence: hence they say of him who is the most excellent (sreshtha) of a community, that he is the head of that community. Excellence therefore he attains whosoever, knowing this, sets up his fire under Mrigasirsha.
9. On the other hand (it is argued) why one should not set up his fire under Mrigasirsha?. The latter, indeed, is Pragâpati's body. Now, when they (the gods) on that occasion pierced him with what is called 'the three-knotted arrow,' he abandoned that
For the mythical allusions in this and the succeeding paragraphs, we have to compare Sat. Br. I, 7, 4, 1; Ait. Br. III, 33. According to the version of the myth given in the latter work, Pragapati transformed himself into a roe-buck (risya) and approached his own daughter (either the sky, or the dawn), who had assumed the shape of a doe (rohit). Out of their most fearful forms the gods then fashioned a divine being called Bhâtavat (i. e. Rudra), in order to punish Pragapati for his incestuous deed. The latter was accordingly pierced by Bhůtavat's arrow and bounded up to the sky, where he became the constellation called Mriga (i.e. Mrigasirsha), while his daughter became the asterism Rohini. The arrow on the other hand, with which Pragâpati was pierced, became the constellation called 'the three-knotted arrow (perhaps the girdle of Orion)
2 The Black Yagus does not recommend this asterism for the performance of agnyâdheya.
: The Kânva text reads, When, on that occasion, that god (viz. Rudra) pierced him with the three-knotted arrow.'
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