vi. 3. 4.

'To earth thee! To atmosphere thee! To sky thee!' he says; verily for these worlds he anoints it. He anoints from the foot upwards, for upwards as it were is the world of heaven. Cruel as it were is that which he does when he digs; he pours water over, for expiation he pours (water) mixed with barley; barley is strength. The post is of the height of the sacrificer. As great as is the sacrificer, so much strength does he put in it [1]. 'Thou art the seat of the Pitrs', (with these words) he spreads the strew, for what is dug in has the Pitrs for its deity.' If he were to set it up without strewing, it would be dug in and have the Pitrs for its deity; he sets it up after strewing; verily he sets it up in this (earth). He throws down the splinter of the post; verily he sets it up with its glory. 'Thee to the plants with fair berries', (with these words) he fixes on the top [2] therefore at the top plants bear fruit. He anoints it, butter is glory. The corner near the fire is of the same height as the sacrificer; in that he anoints the corner near the fire, he anoints with brilliance the sacrificer. He anoints it to the end; verily completely does he anoint the sacrificer with brilliance. He rubs it all around; verily he places brilliance in him completely. 'Support the sky, fill the atmosphere, with thy base make firm the earth', he says, for the separation of these worlds. With a verse addressed to Visnu [3] he arranges it; the post has Visnu for its deity; verily he arranges it with its own deity. He arranges it with two (verses); the sacrificer has two feet; (verily it serves) for support. If he desire of a man, 'May I deprive him of brilliance, of the deities, of power', he should move the corner near the fire to one side or the other of the Ahavaniya; verily he deprives him of brilliance, of the deities, of power. If he desire of a man, 'May I unite him with brilliance, with the deities, with power' [4], he should set up for him the corner (of the post) near the fire in a line with the Ahavaniya; verily he unites him with brilliance, with the deities, with power. Thee that art winner of Brahmans, winner of nobles', he says that is according to the text. He winds round (the grass); the girdle is strength, the post is of the same height as the sacrificer; verily he unites the sacrificer with strength. He winds (it) round at the level of the navel; verily at the level of the navel he bestows upon him strength; therefore at the level of the navel men enjoy strength. If he desire of a man, 'May I deprive him of strength' [5], he should put (it) on either upwards or downwards; verily he deprives him of strength. If he desire, 'May Parjanya rain', he should put it on downwards, verily he brings down rain; if he desire, 'May Parjanya not rain', he should put it on upwards; verily he holds up rain. What is dug in belongs to the Pitrs, what is above the part dug in up to the girdle belongs to men, the girdle belongs to the plants [6], what is above the girdle up to the top to the All-gods, the top to Indra, the rest to the Sadhyas. The post is connected with all the gods; verily in setting up the post he delights all the gods. By means of the sacrifice the gods went to the world of heaven; they reflected, 'Men will equal us'; they blocked the way by the post and went to the world of heaven; the Rsis discerned that (world) by means of the post, and that is why it is called post [7]. In that be sets up the post, (it is) to discern the world of heaven. He puts (it) up to the east (of the fire), for before the sacrifice it is proclaimed, for what is not proclaimed is that of which when it is passed men say, 'This should have been done.' The Sadhya gods despised the sacrifice; the sacrifice touched them not; what was superabundant in the sacrifice touched them. The superabundant part of the sacrifice is the producing of fire and casting it on the fire; the superabundant part [8] of the post is the part above the top; that is their share; verily by it he delights them. The gods when the Soma sacrifice was complete cast the offering-spoons (into the fire) and the post; they reflected, 'Here we are making a disturbance of the sacrifice', they saw a ransom in the bunch of grass for the offering-spoons, in the chip for the post. When the Soma sacrifice is complete he casts (in the fire) the bunch of grass, he offers the chip, to avoid disturbing the sacrifice.