ii. 6. 9.

He takes a portion for the Agnidh; verily he delights the seasons whose mouth is Agni. He takes a kindling-stick, for the support of the subsequent offerings; verily he pours on that which has a kindling stick. He rubs the enclosing-sticks; verily he purifies them. He rubs each once, for the sacrifice there is as it were turned away. It makes up four, cattle are four-footed; verily he wins cattle. 'O Brahman, will we set out?' he says; there indeed is the sacrifice placed [1], where the Brahman is; where the sacrifice is placed, thence does he commence it. If he were to instigate him with his hand, he would shiver; if with his head, he would have a headache; if he were to sit in silence, the sacrifice would not proceed; he should say, 'Set out! In speech the sacrifice is placed; where the sacrifice is placed, thence does he bestow it. 'O god Savitr, that he [2] hath proclaimed to thee', he says, for impelling. 'Brhaspati is the (priest) Brahman', he says, for he is fullest of the holy power (Brahman). 'Do thou guard the sacrifice, guard the lord of the sacrifice, guard me', he says; for the sacrifice, the sacrificer, and himself, for these he thus invokes a blessing, to prevent misfortune, Having caused (him) to call out, he says, 'Utter the verse for sacrifice to the gods.' The theologians say, 'The gods have been sacrificed to; what gods are they?' 'The metres', he should reply, 'Gayatri Tristubh [3], and Jagati.' Then they say, 'The metres are the Brahmans'; verily he sacrifices to them. The deities were sacrificed to by the gods; then Agni did not burn forth; the gods found him by the offerings in the after-sacrifices; in that he offers the after-sacrifices verily thus one kindles Agni. There was an Asura, named Etadu. He then appropriated the blessing of the sacrifice. If one were to say, 'That indeed (etád u) hath been glorious, O sky and earth' [4], one would cause Etadu to attain the blessing of the sacrifice. 'This (idám) has been glorious, sky and earth', he should say; verily he makes the sacrificer attain the blessing of the sacrifice. 'We have won the utterance of prayer and homage', he says; 'we have won this', he says in effect. 'It resteth on sky and earth', he says, for the sacrifice rests on the sky and earth. 'Helpful for thee in this sacrifice, O sacrificer, be sky and earth' [5], he says; verily he invokes this blessing. If he were to say, 'easy of access and easy to dwell on', the sacrificer would be likely to perish, for when he perishes he has recourse to this (earth). 'Easy of approach, and easy to move on', he should say; verily he invokes for him a wider sphere, and he is not likely to perish. 'In the knowledge of these two Agni hath rejoiced in this offering', he says; 'the gods we have sacrificed to [6], we have made them to prosper', he says in effect. If he were not to indicate (the sacrificer), the blessing of the sacrifice would go to his neighbour. 'This sacrificer imploreth (a blessing) N. N.', he says; verily by indicating him he makes him attain the world of heaven. 'He imploreth length of days, he imploreth a noble offspring, he says; verily he invokes this blessing. 'He imploreth superiority over his equals', he says; his equals are the breaths; verily he does not obstruct his breaths [7]. 'Agni shall win, god, from the gods, we men from Agni', he says, 'Agni wins from the gods, we from men', he says in effect. 'Here is the path of favour, and this our homage to the gods', he says; to both the gods whom he sacrifices to and those to whom he does not sacrifice, he pays homage, for his own security.