Kauṣītaki (Śāṅkhāyana) Brāhmaṇa 11.8.11

11.8.11

śiro vai yajñasya yadd havir dhāne /

oblation holders are the head of the sacrifice; the metres are the breaths; thus he places breath in the head. In the Sadas the hymns are recited; the Sadas is the stomach; the hymns are food; proper food is suited for the stomach. As is a cart, so is the sacrifice in counterfeit; as the corn, so the morning litany; as the vessels, so the hymns. If a man recites a little just as vessels come together (in a cart) with a little corn only, so his hymns come together, and on account of the coming together of the hymns tottering is liable to befall the sacrificer; therefore should he repeat many; thus he makes strong the hymns. (He says) 'Let the benediction of the sacrifice as successful be obtained for me'; the benediction of the sacrifice as successful is the sacrificer's. Three are these sets of a thousand in the sacrifice, the morning litany, the Açvins' litany, and the great litany. He should begin when night is far advanced, before the emission of speech, before the time when cattle, men, and birds take up speech; speech these creatures make to swell, in that they lie silent (thinking) 'Let us first prosper on speech, swollen, not dissipated.' Between the morning litany and the Upāñçu and Antaryāma cups he should not set free his speech (thinking) 'The Upāñçu and Antaryāma cups are expiration and inspiration; the morning litany is speech; let me not separate expiration and inspiration and speech by any other thing.' Some begin with 'O waters, ye wealthy ones', after muttering (thinking) 'This is a yoking of the metres'; but the rule is 'He should not insert anything before the words 'O waters, ye wealthy ones', to prevent him being laid low.

xi. 8. They say 'Since the hymns are recited in the Sadas, then why does he recite the morning litany at the two oblation holders?' The two