Aitareyabrahmana 1.17

1.17

samidhāgniṃ duvasyat, ā pyāyasva sam etu ta ity ājyabhāgayoḥ
puronuvākye bhavata ātithyavatyau rūpasamṛddhe
etad vai yajñasya samṛddhaṃ yad rūpasamṛddhaṃ,
yat karma kriyamāṇam ṛg abhivadati
saiṣāgneyy atithimatī, na saumyātithimaty asti.
yat saumyātithimatī syāc, chaśvat sā syād
etat tv evaiṣātithimati yad āpīnavatī
yadā vā atithim pariveviṣaty āpīna iva vai sa tarhi bhavati
tayor juṣāṇenaiva yajatī/daṃ
viṣṇur vi cakrame, tad asya priyam abhi pātho aśyām iti vaiṣṇavyau
tripadām anūcya catuṣpadayā yajati
sapta padāni bhavanti.
śiro va etad yajñasya yad ātithyaṃ, sapta vai śīrṣan prāṇāḥ,
śīrṣann eva tat prāṇān dadhāti
hotāraṃ citraratham adhvarasya, pra-prāyam agnir bharatasya śṛṇva
iti sviṣṭakṛtaḥ saṃyājye bhavata ātithyavatyau rūpasamṛddhe.
etad vai yajñasya samṛddhaṃ yad rūpasamṛddhaṃ,
yat karma kriyamāṇam ṛg abhivadati
triṣṭubhau bhavataḥ sendriyatvāye
ḷāntam bhavatīḷāntena vā etena devā arādhnuvan yad ātithyaṃ,
tasmād iḷāntam eva kartavyam
prayājān evātra yajanti nānuyājān
prāṇā vai prayājānuyājās, te ya ime śīrṣan prāṇās te prayājā,
ye 'vāñcas te 'nuyājāḥ. sa yo 'trānuyājān yajed,
yathemān prāṇān ālupya śīrṣan dhitset tādṛk tad
atiriktaṃ tat, sam u vā ime prāṇā vidre ye ceme ye ceme
tad yad evātra prayājān yajanti nānuyājāṃs,
tatra sa kāma upāpto yo 'nuyājeṣu yo 'nuyājeṣu

i. 17 (iii. 6). ‘With the kindling-stick honour Agni’ and ‘Swell up; be there gathered for thee’ are the invitatory verses of the two butter portions, referring to the guest reception and perfect in form; that in the sacrifice is perfect which is perfect in form, that rite which as it is being performed the verse describes. (The verse) to Agni contains (the word) ‘guest’, not that to Soma; if (the verse) to Soma contained (the word) ‘guest’, it would clearly be (the verse to be used); but it does contain (the word) ‘guest’ as it contains (the word) ‘made fat’; when they serve him with food, then does he become fat. For them he says as offering verses ‘Delighting’. ‘Over this Viṣṇu strode’ and ‘To his beloved place may I win’ are (two verses) to Viṣṇu. Having used (a verse) of three Padas as invitatory verse, he says one of four as offering verse, there are seven Padas; the guest reception is the head of the sacrifice; there are seven breaths in the head; verily thus he places breaths in the head. ‘The Hotṛ of the sacrifice with brilliant car’ and ‘Famed far is the Agni of Bharata’ are the invitatory and offering verses of the Sviṣṭakṛt, referring to the guest reception and perfect in form; that in the sacrifice is perfect which is. perfect in form, that rite which as it is being performed the verse describes. They are Triṣṭubh verses, to secure power. (The sacrifice) ends with the sacrificial food; the gods prospered by means of the guest reception ending with the sacrificial food; therefore should it be performed ending with the sacrificial food. In this case they offer the fore-offerings, not the after-offerings. The fore-offerings and the after-offerings are the breaths; the fore-offerings are those breaths in the head, the after-offerings those below. If in the case one were to offer the after-offerings, that would be as if one were to break off those breaths and seek to place them in the head. That would be superfluous; these breaths, both those and those, are united together; verily thus in that they offer the fore-offerings, not the after-offerings, they obtain their desires in the fore-offerings and in the after-offerings.