Śāṅkhāyana (Kauṣītaki) Āraṇyaka 2.16

2.16

ŚĀ 2,16
athaitaṃ triṣṭupchataṃ śaṃsati | +indrasyaivaitac chando yat triṣṭup tad enaṃ svena chandasā samardhayati | hairaṇyastūpīyaṃ ca yātaūtīyaṃ ca bārhatarāthantare bṛhadrathantare hi purastāt kṛte bhavataḥ | sajanīyaṃ cādhvaryavo bharatendrāya somam iti ca tāḥ saptaviṃśatir ṛco bhavanti | saptaviṃśatir vai nakṣatrāṇi | tan nakṣatriyāṃ virājaṃ āpnoti | viśvāmitrasya śaṃset | viśvāmitro hyenad apaśyat | vāmadevasya śaṃsed vāmaṃ hyetad devānām | vasiṣṭhasya śaṃsed vasiṣṭhaṃ hyetad devānām | tatra purastād udbrahmīyasya padānuṣaṅgāñ chaṃsati | sarve vai kāmā etasmin antarukthe | tad yathā vraje paśūn avasṛjyārgaleṣīke parivyayet | evam evaitaiḥ padānuṣaṅgaiḥ sarvān kāmān ubhayataḥ parigṛhyātman dhatte | atho udbrahmīyasyārkavatyuttamā | tad etasyāhno rūpam | triḥ śastayā paridadhāti | paridhāyokthavīryaṃ japati | aikāhikaṃ pūrvaṃ | pratiṣṭhā vā evāhaḥ pratiṣṭhityā eva | māhāvratikam uttaram | mahad asīti mahadvat |
mahadvad dhyetad ahaḥ ||

ŚĀ 2.16
Then he recites this century of Triṣṭubh [verses]. Triṣṭubh is indeed Indra's own metre; thus he makes him prosper through his own metre. The hymn of Hiraṇyastūpa and the hymn beginning 'With thy aids' are connected with the Bṛhat and Rathantara [sāmans], for the Bṛhat and Rathantara have been made beforehand. The Sajanīya hymn and 'O Adhvaryus, bring soma to Indra'—these are twenty-seven verses. Twenty-seven indeed are the asterisms (nakṣatras). Thus he obtains the asterismal Virāj metre. He should recite [the hymns] of Viśvāmitra, for Viśvāmitra saw this. He should recite [the hymns] of Vāmadeva, for this is dear (vāma) to the gods. He should recite [the hymns] of Vasiṣṭha, for this is best (vasiṣṭha) among the gods. There, beforehand, he recites the verse-line insertions of the Udbrahmīya hymn. All desires are indeed in this inner recitation. Just as, having released cattle into an enclosure, one would bind it around with a cross-bar and peg, even so, with these verse-line insertions, having enclosed all desires on both sides, he places them in himself. And the final [verse] of the Udbrahmīya hymn contains [the word] 'arka.' That is the characteristic of this day. He concludes [the recitation] with [a verse] recited thrice. Having concluded, he mutters the verse-potency of the recitation (okthavīrya). The former belongs to the one-day soma rite. For the day is indeed a firm foundation, precisely for the sake of a firm foundation. The latter belongs to the Mahāvrata rite. 'Great art thou' contains [the word] 'great.' For great indeed is this day.