Jaiminīya (Talavakāra) Brāhmaṇa 2-8.304

2-8.304

ātmā vai pṛṣṭhyaṣṣaḍaho'nnaṃ mahāvratam
sa madhyata evātmano'nnādyaṃ dhāsye so'nnāda śreṣṭha svānāṃ bhaviṣyāmīti
atho saṃvatsaro vai pṛṣṭhyaṣṣaḍahaḥ
tanmā saṃvatsareṇānnādyaṃ parigṛhītamupasthāsyata iti
viśvajitsarvapṛṣṭho'tirātro bhavati
śrīrvai varṣma pṛṣṭhāni
tadu śriyaṃ varṣma pṛṣṭhānyabhyutkramiṣyāmīti
tamu ha brāhmaṇa uvāca yāvajjīviṣyatyannāda eva śreṣṭha svānāṃ bhaviṣyati
viśīrṣāstveva marteti
śiro vā etadyajñasya yanmahāvratam
tadyathā śiraśchitvā tadupapakṣayorupagūhettadvai na śliṣyati tādṛgakṛditi
hovāca
jānanta evāsya śiraśchettāra iti
taddha tathaivāsa
yāvaddha kratuḥ kārīrādirjijīvānnāda eva śreṣṭha svānāmāsa
viśīrṣāstveva mamāra
jānanto ha tvevāsya śiraścicchidurbhāryakāḥ
sa haiṣa kalyāṇa eva yajñakraturyastvainenānupadraṣṭre yajeta

"The pṛṣṭhya six-day period is indeed the body, [and] the Mahāvrata is food.
I shall place food right in the middle of my body; so I shall be an eater of food, the foremost among my own people," [he thought].
"Moreover, the pṛṣṭhya six-day period is indeed the year;
therefore food, enclosed by the year, will be at my disposal," [he thought].
There is the Viśvajit-Sarvapṛṣṭha Atirātra.
Fortune, indeed, is the summit, the pṛṣṭhas.
"And so I shall step up to fortune, to the summit, to the pṛṣṭhas," [he thought].
To him, however, a Brahmin said: "As long as he lives, he will indeed be an eater of food, the foremost among his own people,
but he will die headless.
For this Mahāvrata is indeed the head of the sacrifice.
Just as if one were to cut off the head and hide it in the armpits, it would not stick—such a deed he has done," he said.
"They who know will cut off his head."
And it happened just like that.
As long as Kratu Kārīrādi lived, he was indeed an eater of food, the foremost among his own people,
but he died headless.
For his own relatives, who knew, cut off his head.
Indeed, this sacrificial rite is auspicious, but one should sacrifice with it under a supervisor.