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Viçvakarman, lord of the quarters, may he protect our cattle, may he protect
us, to him homage! Prajapati; Rudra; Varuna; Agni; lord of the quarters; may he
protect our cattle, may he protect us, to him homage!'
These are the deities, overlords of these animals; to them he is cut off who
puts down the heads of the animals. He puts down the gold bricks; verily he
pays honour to these deities. The theologians [1] say, 'In the fire he places
the domesticated animals, with pain he afflicts the wild animals; what then
does he leave?' In that he puts down the golden bricks, and gold is immortality,
by immortality he makes healing for the domesticated animals, he hurts them
not. The first naturally perforated brick is expiration, the second cross
-breathing, the third inspiration. Having put down the first naturally
perforated brick he should breathe out along it; verily he unites expiration
with expiration; having put down the second [2] he should breathe across;
verily he unites cross-breathing with cross-breathing; having put down the
third, he should breathe in; verily he unites inspiration with inspiration;
verily he kindles him with the breaths. 'Bhuh, Bhuvah, Suvar', (with these
words) he puts down the naturally perforated bricks; the naturally perforated
bricks are these worlds; with these exclamations Prajapati was propagated; in that
he puts down the naturally perforated bricks with these exclamations, he puts
down these worlds, and over these [3] worlds he is propagated.
For expiration, for cross-breathing, for inspiration; for speech thee; for
sight thee; with that deity, in the manner of Angiras, do thou sit firm. By
Agni the gods sought to go to the world of heaven, with him they could not fly;
they saw these four naturally perforated bricks, they put them down in the
quarters, with him with eyes on all sides they went to the world of heaven. In
that he puts down four naturally perforated bricks in the quarters, the
sacrificer with Agni with eyes on all sides goes to the world of heaven.
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