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II KANDA, 3 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMANA, 37. 355
patya, he prays for men: hence the first tristich is in the gayatri metre, since the gâyatri Agni's metre, and he thus approaches him with his own metre.
33. Thereupon (he mutters) the dvipadâ (twofooted) verses. The dvipadâ, doubtless, is man's metre, since man is two-footed, and men are therewith prayed for: and as he now prays for men, therefore (he uses) dvipadâ verses. And whosoever, knowing this, approaches (the two fires), becomes possessed both of cattle and men.
34. He then goes (again) to the cow, with the text (Våg. S. III, 27), 'O Idâ, come hither! O Aditi, come hither!' for both Idâ and Aditi are cows. He touches her with, 'Come hither, ye much-desired!' -for men's wishes are fixed on them, and hence he says, 'come hither, ye much-desired;'-'Let there be for me the fulfilment of wishes from you!' whereby he says, ' may I be dear to you!'
35. Thereupon, while standing between the Âhavaniya and Gârhapatya and looking eastward at the (former) fire, he mutters (Vâg. S. III, 28-30), 'O Lord of prayer, make him sweet-voiced, the offerer of Soma, Kakshivat, Usig's son!-Be he with us, he the opulent, the killer of woe, the bestower of wealth, the increaser of prosperity, he the nimble!— Let not the curse of the evil-doer reach us, nor the guile of the mortal: preserve us, O Lord of prayer!'
36. Now when he approaches the Âhavaniya, he approaches the sky; and when (he approaches) the Gârhapatya, (he approaches) the earth. Hereby now (he approaches) the ether, that being Brihaspati's region; and that region he thereby approaches: this is why he mutters the prayer to Brihaspati.
37. [He continues, Vâg. S. III, 31-33], 'May the
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