fold worlds. Therefore they serve for the conquest of the worlds.
6. These (the Trish/ubh and Vir&g' verses of the hymn) form two metres, which form a support (pra- tish/M). Verily, man is supported by two (feet), cattle by four feet. Therefore this hymn places the sacrificer who stands on two feet among cattle which stand on four. . By saying them straight on there are twenty- five verses in this hymn. Man also consists of twenty-five. There are ten fingers on his hands, ten toes on his feet, two legs, two arms, and the trunk (dtman) the twenty-fifth. He adorns that trunk, the twenty-fifth, by this hymn. . And then this day (of the sacrifice) consists of twenty-five, and the Stoma hymn of that day con- sists of twenty-five 1 (verses); it becomes the same through the same. Therefore these two, the day and the hymn, are twenty-five 2 . . These twenty-five verses, by repeating the first thrice and the last thrice, become thirty less one. This is a Vird^* verse (consisting of thirty syllables), too small by one. Into the small (heart) the vital spirits are placed, into the small stomach food is placed 3 , therefore this Vir&£*, small by one, serves for the obtainment of those desires. . He who knows this, obtains those desires. . The verses (contained in the hymn agnim naro dldhitibhi/*) become the Brzhati 4 metre and
Cf. Ait. Ar. I, 1, 4, 21; II, 3, 4, 2. The plural after the dual is explained by the fact that the
hymn means the twenty- five verses.
Cf. I, 3, 7, 5. The hymn consists of eighteen Vii% and seven Trish/ubh
Digitized byLjOOQlC
