Kauṣītaki (Śāṅkhāyana) Brāhmaṇa 9.5.9

9.5.9

savitṛ prasūtatāyai /

ix. 5. Agni is the holy power; Soma the lordly power; in that on the fast day they lead forward Agni and Soma, verily thus by the holy power and by the lordly power, they smite away the evil of the sacrificer. They say ‘Sitting the Hotṛ should recite this first (verse); all beings move forward with the leading forward of Soma, the king; in that sitting the Hotṛ recites this Ṛc, verily thus he restrains all beings in their due place.’ ‘Do thou pour forth, O god, for the first the father’, this verse for Savitṛ he first recites, to secure instigation by Savitṛ; to one instigated by Savitṛ no possible injury happens; (verily it serves) to secure freedom from injury. (With the verse), ‘Rise up, O Brahmaṇaspati’, he causes (the fire) to be removed; (with the verse), ‘Let Brahmaṇaspati move forward’ he leads (it) forward. He recites two appropriate (verses) for Brahmaṇaspati; Brahmaṇaspati is the holy power; verily thus by the holy power he makes the sacrifice successful. ‘The Hotṛ, the god, the immortal’ and ‘To thee, O Agni, day and day’, these sets of three verses for Agni alone he recites, for Agni they take first. These contain (the word) ‘go’, for he praises Agni as he is taken. When he comes to (the words), ‘The embryo of beings I take up’, then he should think of an embryo for one who desires an embryo; she obtains an embryo. In the Agnīdh's altar they put down the fire. When the Adhvaryu offers the libation, then should he repeat this (verse), ‘O Agni, rejoice; be glad in this prayer.’ This is the offering verse for this (libation), being appropriate as containing the words ‘rejoice’ and ‘be glad’.