Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ("of a hundred paths") 10.1.3

10.1.3.1

prajāpatiḥ prajā asṛjata sa ūrdhvebhya eva prāṇebhyo devānasṛjata ye'vāñcaḥ prāṇāstebhyo martyāḥ prajā athordhvameva mṛtyum prajābhyo'ttāramasṛjata

Pragâpati created living beings. From the out- (and in-) breathings he created the gods, and from the downward breathings the mortal beings; and above the (mortal) beings he created Death as their consumer.

10.1.3.2

tasya ha prajāpateḥ ardhameva martyamāsīdardhamamṛtaṃ tadyadasya martyamāsīttena mṛtyorabibhetsa bibhyādimām prāviśaddvayam bhūtvā mṛccāpaśca

Now, one half of that Pragâpati was mortal, and the other half immortal: with that part of him which was mortal he was afraid of death; and, being afraid, he became twofold, clay and water, and entered this (earth).

10.1.3.3

sa mṛtyurdevānabravīt kva nu so'bhūdyo no'sṛṣṭeti tvadbibhyadimām prāvikṣaditi so'bravīttaṃ vā anvicāma taṃ sambharāma na vā ahaṃ taṃ hiṃsiṣyāmīti taṃ devā asyā adhi samabharanyadasyāpsvāsīttā apaḥ samabharannatha yadasyāṃ tām mṛdaṃ tadubhayaṃ sambhṛtya mṛdaṃ cāpaśceṣṭakāmakurvaṃstasmādetadubhayamiṣṭakā bhavati mṛccāpaśca

Death spake unto the gods saying, 'What has become of him who has created us?'--'Being afraid of thee, he has entered this (earth),' they said. He spake, 'Let us search for him, let us gather him up for I shall not injure him.' The gods gathered him from out of this (earth): that part of him which was in the water, they gathered as water, and that which was in this (earth, they gathered) as clay. Having gathered together both clay and water, they made a brick, whence a brick consists of both clay and water.

10.1.3.4

tadetā vā asya tāḥ pañca martyāstanva āsaṃloma tvaṅmāṃsamasthi majjāthaitā amṛtā mano vākprāṇaścakṣuḥ śrotram

And, indeed, these five forms (bodily parts) of him are mortal--the hair on the mouth, the skin, the flesh, the bone, and the marrow; and these are immortal--the mind, the voice, the vital air; the eye, and the ear.

10.1.3.5

sa yaḥ sa prajāpatiḥ ayameva sa yo'yamagniścīyate'tha yā asya tāḥ pañca martyāstanva āsannetāstāḥ purīṣacitayo'tha yā amṛtā etāstā iṣṭakācitayaḥ

Now, that Pragâpati is no other than the Fire-altar which is here built up, and what five mortal parts there were of him, they are these layers of earth; and those which were immortal they are these layers of bricks.

10.1.3.6

te devā abruvan amṛtamimaṃ karavāmeti tasyaitābhyāmamṛtābhyāṃ tanūbhyāmetām martyāṃ tanūm parigṛhyāmṛtāmakurvanniṣṭakācitibhyām purīṣacitiṃ tathā dvitīyāṃ tathā tṛtīyāṃ tathā caturthīm

The gods spake, 'Let us make him immortal!' Having encompassed that mortal form by those immortal forms of his, they made it immortal--the layer of earth by means of two layers of bricks: in like manner the second, the third, and the fourth (layers of earth).

10.1.3.7

atha pañcamīṃ citimupadhāya purīṣaṃ nivapati tatra vakarṇīṃ ca svayamātṛṇāṃ copadadhāti hiraṇyaśakalaiḥ prokṣatyagnimabhyādadhāti sā saptamī citistadamṛtamevamasyaitābhyāmamṛtābhyāṃ tanūbhyāmetām martyāṃ tanūm parigṛhyāmṛtāmakurvanniṣṭakācitibhyām purīṣacitiṃ tato vai prajāpatiramṛto'bhavattathaivaitadyajamāna etamamṛtamātmānaṃ kṛtvā so'mṛto bhavati

And having laid down the fifth layer (of bricks), he (the Adhvaryu) scatters earth on it; thereon he lays the Vikarnî and the Svayamâtrinnâ, scatters chips of gold, and places the fire: that is the seventh layer, and that (part) is immortal; and in this way, having encompassed that mortal form of his by those two immortal forms, they made it immortal,--the layer of earth by means of two layers of bricks. Thereby, then, Pragâpati became immortal; and in like manner does the Sacrificer become immortal by making that body (of the altar) immortal.

10.1.3.8

te vai devāstaṃ nāviduḥ yadyenaṃ sarvaṃ vākurvanna vā sarvaṃ yadyati vārecayanna vābhyāpayaṃsta etāmṛcamapaśyandhāmacadagnirindro brahmā devo bṛhaspatiḥ sacetaso viśve devā yajñam prāvantu naḥ śubha iti

But the gods knew not whether they had made him complete, or not; whether they had made him too large, or left him defective. They saw this verse (Vâg. S. XVIII, 76), 'The seat-hiding Agni, Indra, god Brahman, Brihaspati, and the wise All-gods may speed our sacrifice unto bliss!'

10.1.3.9

tasyā astyevāgneyam astyaindramasti vaiśvadevaṃ tadyadasyā āgneyaṃ yadevaitasyāgnerāgneyaṃ tadasya tena samaskurvanyadaindraṃ tadaindreṇa yadvaiśvadevaṃ tadvaiśvadevena tamatraiva sarvaṃ kṛtsnaṃ samaskurvan

Of this (verse) one part is Agni's, one part Indra's, and one part the All-gods’;--with that part thereof which is Agni's they made up that part of him (Pragâpati) which is Agni's, and with Indra's (part) that which is Indra's, and with the All-gods’ (part) that which is the All-gods’: in this very (fire-altar) they thus made him up wholly and completely.

10.1.3.10

tadyadetayopatiṣṭhate yadevāsyātra vidvānvāvidvānvāti vā recayati na vābhyāpayati tadevāsyaitayā sarvamāpnoti yadasya kiṃ cānāptamanuṣṭubdhāmacadbhavati vāgvā anuṣṭubvāgdhāmacadvācaivāsya tadāpnoti yadasya kiṃ cānāptam purīṣavatīṃ citiṃ kṛtvopatiṣṭhetetyu haika āhustatra hisā sarvā kṛtsnā bhavatīti

And when he stands by (the altar, worshipping it) with this (verse), he thereby secures (makes good) all that part of him (Pragâpati) which, whether he knows it or not, he either does in excess or insufficiently in this (fire-altar),--whatever has not been secured for him. The 'seat-hiding' (verse) is an Anushtubh, for the Anushtubh is speech, and the seat-hider is speech: it is by speech that he secures for him what was not secured for him. 'Let him approach (the altar with this verse) when he has covered a layer with earth,' say some, 'for then that (layer) becomes whole and complete.'

10.1.3.11

tadu vā āhuḥ yaviṣṭhavatyaivopatiṣṭhetaitaddhāsya priyaṃ dhāma yadyaviṣṭha iti tadyadasya priyaṃ dhāma tenāsya tadāpnoti yadasya kiṃ cānāptamāgneyyāgnikarma hi gāyatryāgāyatro'gniryāvānagniryāvatyasya mātrā tāvataivasya ta dāpnoti yadasya kiṃ cānāptamaniruktayā sarvaṃ vā aniruktaṃ sarveṇaivāsya tadāpnoti yadasya kiṃ cānāptaṃ tvaṃ yaviṣṭha dāśuṣa iti tasyokto bandhuḥ purīṣavatīṃ citiṃ kṛtvopatiṣṭheta tatra hi sā sarvā kṛtsnā bhavati