1. Pragâpati desired, 'Would that I might gain both worlds, the world of the gods, and the world of men.' He saw those beasts, the tame and the wild ones; he seized them, and by means of them took possession of these two worlds: by means of the tame beasts he took possession of this (terrestrial) world, and by means of the wild beasts of yonder (world); for this world is the world of men, and yonder world is the world of the gods. Thus when he seizes tame beasts he thereby takes possession of this world, and when wild beasts, he thereby (takes possession) of yonder (world).
2. Were he to complete (the sacrifice) with tame ones, the roads would run together 3, the village-boundaries
3. As to this they say, 'Surely that--to wit, the forest (beast)--is not a beast (or cattle), and offering should not be made thereof: were he to make offering thereof, they would ere long carry away the Sacrificer dead to the woods, for forest (or wild) beasts have the forest for their share; and were he not to make offering thereof, it would be a violation of the sacrifice.' Well, they dismiss them after fire has been carried around them 5: thus, indeed, it is
306:3 The commentary remarks that by 'roads' here is meant those walking on them--as, in that case, peace and security would reign, men would range all the lands:--adhvabhir atrâdhvasthâ lakshyante; ksheme sati manushyâh sarvân desân samkareyur ity abhiprâyah.
307:1 Harisvâmin takes 'samantikam' in the sense of 'near' and construes it with 'grâmayoh' (as he does 'vidûram' in the next paragraph)--'the two village-boundaries would be near (far from) the two villages;' but see I, 4, 1, 22, where samantikam (and IX, 3, 1, 11, where 'samantikataram') is likewise used without a complement; as is 'vidûram' in I, 4, 1, 23.
307:2 Harisvâmin takes 'rikshîkâ' to 'mean 'a bear;'--rikshâ eva rikshîkâh.
307:3 Hardly as the commentary takes it, 'they would become blocked up,' and people would have to stay in their own country:--adhvânah pûrvadesâdayo vikrameyur, viruddham krâmayeyuh (!), svadesa eva manushyâh samkareyur na desântare
307:5 On the 'paryagnikaranam' or circumambulation of an oblation in accordance with the course of the sun, whilst holding a firebrand in one's hand, see part i, p. 45, note; part ii, p, 187, note.
308:1 Or, they exert themselves in different directions,--that is, as the commentator explains, because in peace they would not be forced to keep together, as they would have to do in troublous times. He, however, seems somehow to connect 'vy avasyatah' with the root 'vas':--ksheme hi sati pitâputrâv atra vi prithag vasatah; aksheme tu sambaddhâv apy etâv atra vasatah.--Whilst in this passage the verb would hardly suggest an estrangement between father and son, this is distinctly the case in the parallel passage, Taitt. Br. III, 9, I, 2, where, however, this contingency is connected with the completion of the sacrifice, not, as here, with tame, but with wild beasts.
