1. He puts a Svayam-âtrinnâ (naturally-perforated brick) on (the gold man);--the (first) naturally-perforated one being this earth, he thus puts this earth thereon. He puts it on so as not to be separate from the man; for the naturally-perforated one means food, and the naturally-perforated one means this earth, and this earth is food, since it is on her that all food ripens: he thus places food close to him (the man, Agni). Upon (the man he puts it): he thus places the food upon him 1.
2. And, again, why he puts on a naturally-perforated one;--the naturally-perforated (brick) is the breath (or vital air), for the breath thus bores itself (svayam âtrintte) through the body: it is breath he thus bestows on it. He puts it so as not to be separate from the man; for the naturally-perforated one is the breath, and the naturally-perforated one is this earth, and this earth is the breath, since this earth bears everything that breathes: he thus puts the breath so as not to be separate from him. Upon (the man he places the brick): he thus puts the breath upon him 1.
3. And, again, why he puts thereon the naturally-perforated one. The deities, taking up the disjointed Pragâpati, separated; and, having obtained a resting-place in them, thus separated, he settled down.
4. Now that Pragâpati who became disjointed is this very Agni (fire-altar) that is now being built up; and that resting-place (or, foundation) is this first
5. He puts it on by means of Pragâpati, for Pragâpati thereby took back to himself (that foundation) of his body. [Vâg. S. XIII, 16] 'Steady thou art,' that is, 'Firm thou art, or established thou art;'--'supporting,' for that which supports is a foundation;--'laid down by Visvakarman;' Visvakarman is Pragâpati, thus, 'laid down by that one;'--'May the ocean, may the bird not injure thee!' the ocean doubtless is the gold plate, and the bird is the man: thus, 'May those two not injure thee!'--'Not shaking, steady thou the earth!' as the text, so the meaning.
6. [Vâg. S. XIII, 17] 'May Pragâpati settle thee'--for Pragâpati saw this first layer 2;--'on the back of the waters, on the way of the ocean,' the back of the waters doubtless is this earth, and the way of the ocean is this earth;--'thee, the wide, the broad one!' for this earth is both wide and broad;--'broaden thou: thou art the broad one!' that is, 'broaden thou, and thou art the broad (earth, prithivî).'
7. [Vâg. S. XIII, 18] 'Thou art the earth (bhû),' for this is the earth;--'thou art the ground (bhûmi),' for this is the ground;--'Thou art Aditi,'--Aditi is this earth, for this earth gives (dad)
9. Here now they say, 'How is it that that (gold) man is not held (weighed) down by the naturally-perforated (brick) 4?' Well, the naturally-perforated (brick) is food and breath; and man is not held down either by food or by his breath.
10. He then lays the Darya-brick 5 thereon;--the Dûrvâ-brick being cattle; it is with cattle he
11. And, again, why he lays down the Dûrvâ-brick. The hair of Pragâpati which were lying on the ground when he was disjointed became these herbs. The vital air then went out from within him, and, that having gone out, he fell down.
12. He said, 'Verily, this (vital air) has undone me!' and because he said, 'it has undone (dhûrv) me,' hence (the name) 'dhûrvâ;' 'dhûrvâ' doubtless being what is mystically called 'dûrvâ,' for the gods love the mystic. That (dûrvâ grass) is the ruling power (Kshatra), for it is this vital sap, the breath; and the other plants are the hair: in laying down that (dûrvâ plant) he lays down all (kinds of) plants.
13. When the gods restored him, they put that life-sap, the breath, inside him; and in like manner does this (Sacrificer) now put it into him. He lays it down immediately on the naturally-perforated (brick); the naturally-perforated one being this earth, he thus places the plants immediately on this earth. Upon (the brick he lays it): upon this earth he thus places the plants. It should be with root and top, for completeness' sake. Let him lay it on in such manner that while lying on the naturally-perforated (brick) it touches the ground (with its
14. He lays it on, with (Vâg. S. XIII, 20-21), 'Growing up joint by joint, knot by knot;' for joint by joint, and knot by knot that (grass) does grow up;--'so do thou prolong us, O Dûrvâ (plant), by a thousand, and a hundred (descendants)!' as the text, so its meaning.
15. 'Thou that spreadest by a hundred, and branchest out by a thousand (shoots);' for by a hundred (shoots) it spreads, and by a thousand it branches out;--'to thee, O divine brick, we will do homage by offering;' as the text, so the meaning. With two (verses) he puts it on: the meaning of this has been explained. Having 'settled' it, he pronounces the Sûdadohas upon it: the meaning of this has been explained.
16. He then puts down a Dviyagus 2 (brick). Indra and Agni desired, 'May we go to the heavenly world!' They saw that dviyagus brick, even this earth, and laid it down; and having laid it down, they went to the heavenly world from that foundation. In like manner when this Sacrificer lays down a dviyagus (brick), (he does so) thinking, 'I want to go to the heavenly world by the same means (rûpa), by performing the same rite by which Indra and Agni went to the heavenly world!' And as to its being called 'dviyagus,' it is because two deities saw it. And as to why he lays down a dviyagus one: the dviyagus doubtless is the Sacrificer.
18. Now were he only to lay down that (golden man), and not to let this dviyagus (brick) remain 1, the Sacrificer surely would quickly pass away from this world; but now that he allows this (brick) to remain, he thereby leaves to him this human form of his; and so he attains with this body the full (measure of) life.
19. And were he not to put it on after (the gold man), he assuredly would not afterwards find out that divine body 2; but now that he puts it on thereafter, he does so afterwards find out that divine body. He lays it down close to the dûrvâ-brick the dûrvâ-brick being cattle, he thus establishes the Sacrificer in (the possession of) cattle.
20. Here now they say, 'How do those two bodies of his come to be connected together by the breath, and not severed?' Well, the naturally-perforated (brick) is the breath, and the dûrvâ-brick is the breath, and the dviyagus (-brick) is the Sacrificer:
22. He then lays down two Retahsik (seed-shedding bricks);--the seed-shedders doubtless are these two worlds, for these two worlds do shed seed;--this (terrestrial world) sheds seed upwards from here (in the form of) smoke; it becomes rain in yonder world, and that rain yonder world (sheds) from above: hence (creatures) are born within these two worlds, and therefore these two worlds are seed-shedders.
23. [He lays them down, with Vâg. S. XIII, 24]
24. And, again, why he lays down two seed-shedders; the seed-shedders are the testicles, for only he who has testicles sheds seed. 'The wide-ruling one contained the light;--the self-ruling one contained the light,' he says; for the wide-ruling and the self-ruling ones are the testicles: they contain that light, the seed, Pragâpati. He lays them down separately, for separate are these testicles. He 'settles' them once: he thereby makes them one and the same, whence they have a common connecting-part. He lays them down close to the dviyagus (brick) 2: the dviyagus being the Sacrificer, he thus puts the testicles together with the Sacrificer.
25. He then lays down a Visvagyotis (all-light brick) 3;--the first 'all-light' (brick) 4 is Agni, for Agni
26. And, again, why he lays down an 'all-light' (brick);--the 'all-light' (brick) is progeny, for progeny is all the light: he thus lays generative power (into Agni). He lays it down so as not to be separated from the seed-shedding (bricks),--the seed-shedders being the testicles, he thus makes the generative power inseparable from the testicles. He lays it down between (those two), for within the testicles progeny is produced.
27. [He lays it down, with Vâg. S. XIII, 24] 'May Pragâpati settle thee'--for Pragâpati saw this first layer 2;--'on the back of the earth, thee the brilliant one!' for on the back of the earth this brilliant Agni indeed is.
28. 'For all breathing, out-breathing, through-breathing,'--the all-light (brick) is breath, and breath is (necessary) for this entire universe;--'give all the light!' that is, 'give the whole light;'--'Agni is thine over-lord,' he thus makes Agni the over-lord of this earth. Having 'settled' it 3, he
30. And as to why he now lays down these two;--this Agni (fire-altar) is the year, and the year is these worlds; the first layer is this (terrestrial) world thereof, and the spring season also is this world thereof; and when he now lays down those two (bricks), he thereby puts back into him (Agni-Pragâpati) what those two (the first layer and the spring) are to that body of his 2: this is why he now lays down those two (bricks).
31. And, again, why he now lays down these two;--this Agni is Pragâpati, and Pragâpati is the year; the first layer is his foundation, and the spring season also is his foundation;--thus when he now lays down these two (bricks), he thereby puts back into him what those two are to that body of his: this is why he now lays down those two (bricks). He lays them down close to the 'all-light' brick: the 'all-light' brick being progeny, he thus lays progeny close together with the seasons; whence progeny is produced in accordance with the seasons, for by seasons people compute (the age of man)
33. And as to its being called Ashâdhâ. The gods and the Asuras, both of them sprung from Pragâpati, strove together. The gods saw this invincible brick, even this earth; they put it on (the altar); and having put it on, they conquered (and drove) the Asuras, the enemies, the rivals, from this universe; and inasmuch as (thereby) they conquered (asahanta), it is called Ashâdhâ. In like manner the Sacrificer, after putting on that (brick), conquers (and drives) his spiteful rival from this universe (or, from everything here).
34. And, again, why he lays down the Ashâdhâ. The Ashâdhâ is speech, and by speech 2 the gods then indeed conquered (and drove) the Asuras, the enemies, the rivals, from this universe; and in like manner the Sacrificer, by means of speech, conquers (and drives) his spiteful rival from this universe: it was speech the gods then laid down (or bestowed on Agni), and in like manner the Sacrificer now lays down speech.
35. This earth is the bearer of what is desirable; for--the desirable being the vital airs--this earth bears everything that breathes, and for that reason this earth is the bearer of what is desirable. But
37. And as to why he lays down in front five Apasyâs 1,--water (ap) is food, and by food (the organs of) the vital airs are not closed up. He lays down (the Ashâdhâ) close to the two seasonal ones: he thereby establishes speech in the seasons, and hence speech (the mouth) speaks here, firmly established in the seasons.
38. Here now they say, 'If the Visvagyotis (brick) is progeny, and the Ashâdhâ speech, why does he put the two seasonal ones between them?' Well, the seasonal ones being the year, he thus separates speech from progeny by the year, and hence children utter speech at the time (or age) of a year.
39. [He lays down the Ashâdhâ, with Vâg. S. XIII, 26] 'Thou art Ashâdhâ, the conquering,' for the gods thereby conquered the Asuras,--'conquer the enemies! conquer the hostile!' as the text, so the meaning;--'thou hast a thousand energies: do thou speed me!' a thousand means
377:1 ? Viz. inasmuch as the food is introduced into the body from above. It might also mean, he makes the food superior to the body, inasmuch as the body cannot exist without it. Similarly as regards the breath in the next paragraph.
378:1 The 'pratishthâ' (basis) of the bird-shaped Agni includes the parts on which the bird stands or sits, viz. the feet, and the hind-part of the body. Sâyana, on the other hand, takes it to mean the 'pumliṅga,' which seems very improbable.
378:2 See VI, 2, 3, 1.
379:2. That is, by adding the formula, 'By that deity, Aṅgiras-like, lie thou steady!'
379:4 That is to say, How will he (the Sacrificer) be able to rise upwards to heaven, when that brick is lying on him?
380:1 See VI, 2, 3, 2.
381:1 The root is to lie on the brick from which (as representing the earth) it is supposed to have sprung; the tops then spreading along the ground.
381:2 This brick is placed close beside the svayamâtrinnâ (naturally-perforated one) in front (east) of it, on the 'anûka' or spine.
382:1 The verb 'apa-sish' is taken similarly by Sâyana (avaseshayet); whilst the St. Petersburg dictionary assigns to it the meaning 'to omit, leave out' (weglassen), which can hardly be correct (? misprint for übriglassen). It might, however, possibly be taken in the sense of 'vi-sish,' to specify, to single out.
382:2 That is to say, he would not, after quitting his mortal body, know or find out that divine body with which he wishes to invest himself.
384:1 Or, the wide-shining . . . the self-shining one.
384:2 The two Retahsik bricks are laid down immediately in front (east) of the Dviyagus one, one on each side of the 'spine,' which thus coincides with their line of separation.
384:3 See VI, 5, 3, 3.
384:4 As in the case of the Svayamâtrinnâs (naturally-perforated bricks, see pp. 155, note 8; 187, note 2), so there are three Visvagyotis or 'all-light' bricks, placed in the first, third, and fifth layers
385:2 He 'saw' the first naturally-perforated brick, which, as the central brick of the first layer, represents the latter, as well as the lowest of the three worlds, the earth. See VI, 2, 3, 1.
385:3 Viz. by adding, 'by that deity, Aṅgiras-like, lie thou steady!'
386:1 That is, he pronounces the sâdana-formula once only.
386:2 Viz. its foundation.
387:1 See VI, 5, 3, 1-2.
387:2 Viz. by threats, vituperation, &c., Sây.
388:1 See VII, 5, 2, 40 seq.
