Devotion and consecration, the seers who found the heavenly light;

Thence was born the kingly power, might and force;

May the righteous in unison accord that to us.

Disposer, ordainer, and highest onlooker,

The Creator, supreme lord, the ruler;

The Stomas, the metres, the Nivids, mine they call;

To Him may we secure the kingdom.

Turn towards me, come to me;

May he be your ruler, your overlord;

On his discernment do ye depend;

Upon him henceforth do ye all serve.

He lays down these supporters of the realm; this is the realm-supporting building of the altar; thereby he bestows on him the kingly power, he becomes the kingly power, the kingly power does not fall away from him.

v. 7. 5.

a Just as a son born dies, so dies he whose fire in the pan is extinguished. If he were to make it by friction, he would divide the fire, he would produce opposition for him. It must again be kindled with wood around; thereby he produces it from its own birthplace, he does not produce opposition for him. Darkness seizes on him whose fire in the pan is extinguished, darkness is death; a black garment, a black heifer are the sacrificial fees; thereby with darkness he smites away the darkness which is death. Gold he gives, gold is light; thereby with the light he smites away the darkness; moreover gold is brilliance; thereby he confers brilliance upon himself.

b Like heavenly light, the heat; hail! Like heavenly light, the Arka, hail! Like heavenly light, the bright; hail! Like heavenly light, the light; hail! Like heavenly light, the sun; hail!

The altar is Arka, the horse sacrifice is yonder sun, a sign of God; in that he offers these libations he unites the lights of the Arka and the horse sacrifice; he indeed is an offerer of the Arka and the horse sacrifice, for whom this is done at the altar. c The waters were first this world, the moving; the Creator saw this first layer, it he laid down, it became this earth. To him the Maker of All said, "Let me come to thee"; "There is no space here," he answered. He saw this second layer, he laid it down, it became the atmosphere. The sacrifice said to the Creator, "Let me come to thee"; "There is no space here," he answered. He said to the Maker of All, "Let me come to thee." "In what way wilt thou come to me?" "By the regional bricks," he replied. He came with the regional bricks, he laid them down, they became the regions. The supreme lord said to the Creator, "Let me come to thee"; "There is no space here," he answered. He said to the Maker of All and the sacrifice, "Let me come to you two"; "There is no space here," they answered. He saw this third layer, he laid it down, it became yonder world. The sun said to the Creator, "Let me come to thee"; "There is no space here," he answered. He said to the Maker of All and the sacrifice, "Let me come to you two"; "There is no space here," they answered. He said to the supreme lord, "Let me come to thee." "In what way wilt thou come to me?" "By the space-filler," he replied. He came to him by the space-filler; therefore the space-filler is unexhausted, for yonder sun is unexhausted. To them the seers said, "Let us come to you." "In what way will ye come?" "By greatness," they replied. To them they came with two more layers; the altar became one of five layers. He who knowing thus builds the altar becomes greater, he conquers these worlds, the righteous know him; moreover he attains fellowship with the righteous.

v. 7. 6.

a The altar is a bird; if the builder of the altar were to eat of a bird, he would be eating the altar, he would go to ruin. For a year should he observe the vow, for a vow goes not beyond a year.

b The altar is an animal; now an animal harms him who moves up to it face to face; therefore he should go up to it from behind while it is looking towards the front, to prevent injury to himself.

c "Brilliance art thou, grant me brilliance, restrain earth, guard me from the earth. Light art thou, grant me light, restrain the atmosphere, guard me from the atmosphere. Heavenly light art thou, grant me heavenly light, restrain the heavenly light, guard me from the sky," he says; by these are these worlds supported; in that he lays them down, it is for the support of these worlds. Having laid down the naturally perforated bricks he lays down the gold bricks; the naturally perforated are these worlds, gold is light; in that having laid down the naturally perforated he lays down the gold bricks; thereby he makes these worlds full of light by means of them; thereby also by them these worlds shine forth for him.

d Those flames of thine, O Radiant One, which rising in the sun,

With rays envelop the sky,

With all of them bring us to brilliance, to man.

Those flames of yours in the sun, O believers,

Those flames in cattle, in horses,

O Mighty and Radiant, with all of these

Grant us brilliance, O Lord of Prayer.

Grant us brilliance in our scholars,

Place brilliance in our princes,

Brilliance in the people and the labourers;

With thy flame grant me brilliance.

The glory and power of him who has built the altar go apart twofold, either to the altar which he has built or to the man who has sacrificed. In that he offers these libations, he places in himself power and fame. e He who having built the altar steps on it is liable to go to ruin. "To thee I come praising with holy power"; with this verse addressed to the All-Seeing should he offer; that is the soothing of the altar and the protection of himself. f He who builds the altar is made into an offering; just as an offering spills, so he spills who having built the altar approaches a woman unlawfully; with clotted curds for the Friend and the All-Seeing he should sacrifice; thereby he approaches nearness to God the Friend and the All-Seeing, to avoid his spilling. g He who knows the altar to rest on the seasons, for him the seasons go in order; he finds support. The altar resting on the seasons is the year; the head is the spring, the right side summer, the tail the rains, the left side autumn, the middle winter, the layers the first half-months, the mortar the second half-months, the bricks the days and nights; this is the altar resting on the seasons; he who knows thus, for him the seasons go in order; he finds support. h The Creator, desirous of supremacy, laid down the altar; then did he attain supremacy; he who knowing thus builds the altar attains thus supremacy.

v. 7. 7.

a What has flowed from purpose, or heart,

Or what is gathered from mind or sight,

Follow to the world of good deed,

Where are the seers, the first-born, the ancient ones.

b This I place around thee, O abode, the treasure

Whom the all-knower has brought here;

After you the lord of the sacrifice will follow;

Know ye him in the highest firmament.

c Know ye him in the highest firmament,

O companions of the righteous, ye know his form;

When he shall come by the paths, travelled by the righteous,

Do ye reveal to him what is sacrificed and bestowed.

d Move ye forward; go ye along together,

Make ye the paths, travelled by the righteous, O Radiant One,

In this highest abode,

O all ye angels, sit ye with the sacrificer.

e With the strew, the encircling-stick,

The offering-ladle, the altar, the grass,

With the Re, bear this sacrifice for us

To go to heaven, to the righteous.

f What is offered, what is handed over,

What is given, the sacrificial fee,

That may God, the Sustainer of All Men,

Place in the sky among the righteous for us.

g That by which thou bearest a thousand,

Thou, O Radiant One, all wealth,

By that path do thou bear the sacrifice of ours,

To go to the righteous in heaven.

h By that path by which, O Radiant One, the officiants, busy,

Bear the fees, the sacrifice,

By that do thou bear this sacrifice of ours,

To go to the righteous in heaven.

i By that path by which, O Radiant One, the doers of good deeds,

Obtain the streams of honey,

By that do thou bear this sacrifice of ours,

To go to the righteous in heaven.

k Where are the streams that fail not

Of honey and of ghee,

May God, the Sustainer of All Men, place us

In heaven among the righteous.

v. 7. 8.

a Thy kindling-sticks, O Radiant One, thine abodes,

Thy tongues, O all-knower, thy light,

Thy cracklings, thy drops,

With these build thyself, well knowing.

The altar is an extended sacrifice; what of it is performed, what not? What the officiant in building the altar omits, that of himself he omits. "Thy kindling-sticks, O Radiant One, thine abodes," he says; this is the self-building of the altar; thereby the fire builds the altar, the officiant omits nothing from himself.

b To the four quarters let the lights advance;

May he bear this sacrifice for us, well knowing;

Making rich the ghee, immortal, full of heroes,

The holy power is the kindling-stick of the libations.

The tortoise is laid down for the world of heaven; "To the four quarters let the lights advance," he says; thereby he recognizes the quarters; "May he bear this sacrifice for us, well knowing," he says, for guidance to the world of heaven; "The holy power is the kindling-stick of the libations," he says. By means of the holy power the righteous went to the world of heaven; in that he lays down the tortoise with a verse containing the word "holy power," by the holy power the sacrificer goes to the world of heaven. c The altar is of the Creator's gift here; cattle are the offspring; the form the metres; all colours of bricks should he make; thereby by the form he wins offspring, cattle, the metres; thereby also he builds it winning it for offspring, cattle, the metres.

v. 7. 9.

a In me I take first the Radiant,

For increase of wealth, for good offspring with noble heroes;

In me offspring, in me radiance I place;

May we be unharmed in our body with good heroes.

b The abiding light which has entered

Into us mortals within the heart, O forefathers,

May we hold it in ourselves;

May it not abandon us and go afar.

If the officiant without taking the fire in himself were to build the altar, he would build his own fire also for the sacrificer. Now cattle depend upon the fire; cattle would be likely to depart from him. "In me I take first the Radiant," he says; thereby in himself he supports his own fire, cattle depart not from him. b The theologians say, "Since clay and water are not food for the fire, then why is the altar built with clay and water?" In that he joins with water, and all the blessings are in the waters, thereby he unites it with the waters. In that he builds with clay, and the Sustainer of All Men is this earth, thereby he builds the altar from the earth. c The theologians say, "Since the altar is built with clay and water, then why is it called the fire?" In that he builds with the metres and the metres are fires, therefore is it called fire. Moreover the Sustainer of All Men is this earth; in that he builds with clay, therefore is it called the fire. d He lays down golden bricks; gold is light; thereby he confers light upon him; again gold is brilliance; thereby he confers radiance upon himself. He who builds the altar with faces on all sides, eats food in all his offspring, conquers all the quarters. In the east he lays down a Gayatri, a Tristubh on the south, a Jagati on the west, an Anustubh on the north, a Pankti in the middle; this is the altar with faces on all sides: he who knowing thus builds it, eats food in all his offspring, conquers all the quarters; thereby also he weaves quarter in quarter; therefore quarter is woven in quarter.

v. 7. 10.

The Creator made the altar; it, made, ran away east from him; he cast the horse at it, it turned to the south; he cast the ram at it, it turned to the west; he cast the bull at it, it turned to the north; he cast the goat at it, it ran upwards. In that he lays down the heads of animals, he builds it winning it on every side. The heads of animals are bricks, breath-supporting, full of sight; in that he lays down the heads of animals, the sacrificer breathes with them in yonder world; thereby also these worlds shine forth for him by them. He lays them down after smearing with mud, for purity. The altar is an animal, animals are food, the heads of animals are this altar; if he desire of a man, "May his food be less," he should lay down for him the heads of animals more closely together; his food becomes less; if he desire of a man, "May his food be similar to what he has now," he should lay them down for him at a mean distance; thereby his food becomes the same; if he desire of a man, "May his food become more," he should lay them down separating them at the ends of the pile; thereby at the ends also he wins food for him; his food becomes more.

The Horse Sacrifice (continued)

v. 7. 11.

Flies with the teeth, frogs with the grinders; the eater with the gnawer; strength with the digester; the wild with the knee-cap; clay with the gums; Avaka grass with pieces of gravel; with the Avakas gravel; with the hump the tongue; with the shouter the palate, the Giver of Speech with the tongue tip.

v. 7. 12.

Strength with the jaws; the waters with the mouth; the Boundless Ones with the hair; support with the lower lip; the existent with the upper; the clearness with what is between; by the gloss the external radiance; by the knob the thundering; by the eyes the sun and the light; by the two pupils the two lightnings; the lightning-stroke by the brain; might by the marrow parts.

v. 7. 13.

Tortoises with the hooves; with the flesh of the hooves francolin partridges; the Saman with the dewclaws; speed with the legs; health with the two knees; strength with the two Kuhas; fear with the two movers; the secret with the two sides; the two healers with the two shoulders; the Boundless with the head; calamity with the bald head.

v. 7. 14.

The yoke-thong with the pits of the legs; the yoke with the bent part; thought with the neck; sounds with the breaths; with the gloss skin; with the Parakasa the interior; with hair the flies; the Mighty with the hard-working bearing part; the Lord of Prayer with the seat of the birds; the chariot with the cervical vertebrae.

v. 7. 15.

The Mighty and the All-Seeing with the two buttocks; the Mighty and the Radiant with the flesh below the buttocks; the Mighty and the Lord of Prayer with the two thighs; the Mighty and the All-Pervading with the knees; the Light-giver with the tail; the singers of the heavenly realm with the Potras; the going with the two Sthuras; the going to with the two centres of the loins.

v. 7. 16.

For the Mighty the breast, for the Boundless the flanks, for the quarters the cervical cartilages; the clouds with the heart and its covering; atmosphere with the pericardium; the mist with the flesh of the stomach; the lungs with the Mighty's consort-name; ants with the liver, the hills with the intestines; the ocean with the stomach.

v. 7. 17.

For the Nourisher the rectum; seasons with the transverse processes; sky with the back; for the Bountiful the first vertebra; for the Healers the second; for the Boundless Ones the third; for the Angirases the fourth; for the Sadhyas the fifth; for all the angels the sixth.

v. 7. 18.

Force with the neck; calamity with the bones; the Mighty with the hard-working bearing part; for the Healer the moving shoulder; for day and night the second part; for the half-months the third; for the months the fourth; for the seasons the fifth; for the year the sixth.

v. 7. 19.

Joy with the delighter; love with the two Pratyasas; fear with the two Sitimans; command with the two Prasasas; sun and moon with the two kidney parts; the dark and the light with the two kidneys; the dawning with the form; the setting with the formless.

v. 7. 20.

Day with the flesh; night with the fat; the waters with the juice; ghee with the sap; ice with the fat; hail with the rheum of the eyes; with tears hoar-frost; sky with the form; the constellations with the shadow; earth with the hide; the skin with the skin; to it brought up hail! To it slaughtered hail! To it offered hail!

v. 7. 21.

For the Radiant the first rib; for the Giver of Speech the second; for the gift of God the third; for the waters the fourth; for the plants the fifth; for the year the sixth; for the winds the seventh; for the Lord of Prayer the eighth; for the Friend the ninth; for the All-Seeing the tenth; for the Mighty the eleventh; for all the angels the twelfth; for sky and earth the side; for the Restrainer the side bone.

v. 7. 22.