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II KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMANA, 20. 307
17. All these sacrificial cakes (for Agni) are on eight potsherds; for of eight syllables consists the (pâda of the) gâyatri, and the gâyatri is Agni's metre1: with its own metre he accordingly establishes that fire. In all, these potsherds amount to twentyfour; for of twenty-four syllables consists the gâyatri (stanza), and the gâyatri is Agni's metre: with its own metre he accordingly establishes that fire.
18. He then offers a potful of boiled rice to Aditi. For he who performs those (preceding) oblations moves away, as it were, from this world, since he moves in the ascent of these worlds 2.
19. Now when he offers a potful of boiled rice to Aditi,-Aditi being this earth, and this earth being a firm resting-place, -he thereby again takes his stand on this firm resting-place. This is why he offers a potful of boiled rice to Aditi.
20. For her, they say, the two samyâgyâs should be virâg verses; for the virâg is this (earth); or
1 The Kânva text remarks that the anuvâkyâs (invitatory prayers) and yâgyâs (offering prayers) at the three offerings of cake are in the gâyatrî metre; and such indeed is the case. The anuvâkyâs of the oblations to Agni Pavamâna, Agni Pâvaka, and Agni Suki are Rig-veda IX, 66, 19; I, 12, 10; and VIII, 44, 21 respectively and the yâgyâs are IX, 66, 21; V, 26, 1; and VIII, 44, 17 respectively; all of which are gâyatrî stanzas. See Asv. Sr. II, 1, 20-25. Cf. also I, 7, 2, 15, with note. At the Svish/akrit of these two ishfis also both formulas are in the gâyatrî metre: the puro 'nuvâkyâs being Rig-veda III, 11, 2, and III, 11, 6; and the yâgyâs III, 11, 1, and I, I, I respectively.
Prakyavata iva vâ esho 'smâl lokât... imân hi lokân samârohann eti. The Kânva text has: For he who takes out these oblations makes his self, as it were, depart from this world of men for the world of the gods, since he, as it were, moves rising upwards (ûrdhva iva hi samârohann eti).' Cf. paragraphs 14-16.
For these (virâg) samyâgye, or invitatory and offering prayers at the Svish/akrit, see p. 164, note 2.-Âsv. Sr. II, 1, 29.
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