1. They now take the Nirriti (bricks) from there. For, having built the Gârhapatya, the gods then ascended it,--the Gârhapatya being this (earth-) world, it is this world they ascended after completing it. They saw nothing but darkness not to be seen through.
2. They said, 'Think ye upon this, how we may dispel that darkness, evil!' They said, 'Meditate ye (ketay)!'--whereby indeed they said, 'Seek ye to build an altar (kitim)!'--'Seek ye so that we may dispel that darkness, evil!'
3. Whilst meditating, they saw those Nirriti bricks; they piled them up, and by them dispelled that darkness, evil; for Nirriti (corruption, or destruction) is evil; and inasmuch as by them they dispelled Nirriti, evil, these are Nirriti's (bricks).
4. Now that same thing which the gods did, is done here: even now that darkness, that evil, has indeed been dispelled by the gods themselves; but when he now does this, it is because he thinks, 'I must do what the gods did.' And, besides, he removes, by means of these (bricks), whatever evil, whatever corruption there is; and because he removes by them evil, corruption (nirriti), therefore these are Nirriti's (bricks).
5. And, again, why they take these (bricks) of Nirriti;--when the gods restored the relaxed Pragâpati, they cast him as seed into the fire-pan, the
7. They measure a foot (square): he thus treads evil, corruption, under foot. They are unmarked; for whatever is not, that is unmarked (by characteristics): he thus makes evil, corruption to be non-existent. They get baked by (rice) husks, for husks belong to Nirriti: by Nirriti's own (objects) he thus performs Nirriti's rite. They are black, for black was that darkness; and black in truth is Nirriti (corruption).
8. With them they proceed towards that (southwestern) quarter, for that is Nirriti's quarter: he thus places Nirriti (corruption) in Nirriti's quarter.
9. [He lays them down, with Vâg. S. XII, 62-64] 'Seek thou him that offereth not Soma, nor other offering!' him who neither presses Soma nor makes offering Nirriti indeed visits;--'Of the thief do thou follow the way, of the robber!' that is, 'follow the way both of the thief and the robber, and even as a thief or a robber remains concealed, so do thou remain concealed!'--'Seek thou some one other than us: this is thy way;' that is, 'seek him who is ignorant of this (sacred work);'--'Homage be to thee, O divine Nirriti!' he thus turns Nirriti aside by rendering homage to her.
10. 'Homage be unto thee full well, O sharp-edged Nirriti!' for Nirriti is indeed sharp-edged: to her he thereby renders homage;--'loose thou
12. He does not touch (the bricks),--Nirriti being evil,--lest he put himself in contact with evil. He does not 'settle' them,--settlement being a firm footing--lest he give a firm footing to evil. He does not pronounce the Sûdadohas verse upon them,--the Sûdadohas being the vital air,--lest he should join Nirriti (corruption) together, and restore her.
13. Now some lay (the bricks) down from the farther end towards themselves,--Nirriti (corruption) being evil,--lest they themselves should go the way
15. The seat, the netting, the sling of the gold plate, and the two pads he throws down on the farther side (of the bricks),--the sling 1 is sacred to Nirriti: from Nirriti's sling he is thus freed. [He throws them down, with Vâg. S. XII, 65] 'The indissoluble bond which the divine Nirriti hath fastened upon thy neck,'--indissoluble indeed for him who does not know this;--'that (bond) of thine I unloose, as from the middle of Âyus,'--Âyus 2 doubtless is Agni, and his middle (body) is that Gârhapatya which has been built;--not yet built is the Âhavanîya: hence whether a youth builds the altar, or an old man, he says 'as from the middle of Âyus;'--'now, being urged forward, eat thou this nourishment!' nourishment means food: thus, 'now, set free, eat thou this food.' With Trishtubh verses (he performs this rite), for the Trishtubh is a thunderbolt: it is thus with a thunderbolt that he repels evil, corruption.
16. There are three bricks, the seat, the netting, the sling of the gold plate, and the two pads; that makes eight;--the Gâyatrî consists of eight syllables,
18. Having returned, he stands worshipping by the fire; for when he goes into that (south-western) direction whilst Agni is only half built up, he does what is improper: he now makes amends to him to prevent his doing any harm.
19. And again, why he stands by (the fire). The Gârhapatya (hearth) is this (terrestrial) world; for the Gârhapatya is a foundation, and the foundation doubtless is this (earth). Now when he goes into that direction, he goes where there is no path; and when he stands by (the fire), he thereby returns to this (earth), the foundation, and establishes himself upon this foundation.
20. [He worships, with Vâg. S. XII, 66] 'The harbourer and gatherer of riches,' for a harbourer this world indeed is, a gatherer of riches;--'all form he watches over with his favours,'--that is, 'all forms (of being) he watches over with
320:1 Or (Pragâpati's), Agni's self, or body.
321:1 Or probably, a barren spot, see p. 43, note 2.
321:2 That is, whilst himself remaining north of the place, and facing the south, he puts them down in the direction from north to south.
321:3 That is, he performs the formal ceremony of 'laying down (upadhâna)' whilst muttering the respective verses. In the present case the 'laying down' of the bricks is to be performed by him whilst muttering the formulas, but without touching the bricks themselves. The direction that the bricks are to be deposited in a direction 'away from him' perhaps refers to the 'laying down' instead of to the actual placing them.
323:1 According to Sâyana the sling of the gold plate is here singled out, because the other objects have necessarily been damaged by the hot fire-pan and are consequently thrown away as a matter of course.
323:2 See III, 4, 1, 22. In the formula 'âyus' may rather have to be taken in the sense of 'life,' or 'vital power.' Mahîdhara takes 'na' in the sense of 'now (samprati),' instead of 'as.'
325:1 Mahîdhara takes 'samare pathînâm' in the sense of 'in the battle of (i.e. with) the waylayers (paripanthibhih saha).'
