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II KÂNDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 4 BRÂHMANA, II.
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whole (argument) as to why one should approach (the fires).
8. Now that (fire) being Pragâpati,—when the Agnihotra is offered, he casts the seed of all that he rules over, of all that is after his manner: and by approaching (the fire) one imitates (him in) all this, one reproduces all this?
9. He begins to prayo with the verse (Vâg. S. III, 11) containing the word 'upon (upa).' Now the word 'upon' means this (earth), and that in a twofold way: for whatever is produced here, that is produced upon (upa-gan) this (earth); and whatever decays, that is buried (upa-vaps) in this (earth): hence there is here imperishable, everincreasing abundance, and with that imperishable abundance he begins.
10. He prays, 'Entering upon the worship worship (adhvara) doubtless means sacrifice : "entering upon the sacrifice' is what he means to say.
—Let us offer prayer to Agni—' for he is indeed about to offer prayer to him; '—to him who hears us even from afar!' thereby he means to say, 'Although thou art afar from us, yet do thou hear this our (prayer), do thou so far think well of it!'
11. [He continues, Våg. S. III, 12), Agni, the head,
1 Or, this All' (idam sarvam). The Kanva text has bhamânam, abundance,' instead.
The mode of approaching and worshipping the fires (agnyupasthân a) detailed in pars. 9-41 is ascribed to Vatsapri (author of Rig-veda IX, 68; X, 45 and 46), and therefore termed vatsapraupasthana. It is, however, also called mahopasthâna (or dirghopasthâna), or great (long) worship, as distinguished from the so-called kshullakopasthâna (or lagh û pasthâna), or little (short) worship, described in II, 4, 1, and ascribed to Âsuri.
* Or 'upa-kiryate,' according to the Kânva text.
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