Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ("of a hundred paths") 8.6.2

He lays down Khandasyâs (bricks pertaining to the metres). Completed now was the entire Agni (fire-altar). He now wished for distinction; for, indeed, heretofore he was not equal thereto, that he should sustain distinction; whence people here say even to this day, 'This one is not equal to sustain distinction, either in regard to kingship or to headmanship.' The gods bestowed on him this distinction, these Khandasyâs; for the metres (Khandas) are cattle, and cattle are food, and (a position of) distinction is food.

He lays down triplets, for the beast is threefold--father, mother, son; and, embryo, amnion, chorion; and food also is threefold--ploughing, rain, seed. One of them is an Atikhandas (excessive metre); for even whilst being one, that one is beyond all the metres. And as to that distinction, it is this great hymn of praise; and as to this great hymn of praise, it is these Khandasyâs.

Gâyatrî verses are the head thereof, Trishtubh verses the body, Gagatî verses the spine, and Paṅkti verses the wings; and of each of those Kakubh verses he takes four syllables, and adds them to the Atikhandas: that is just (what makes) that Atikhandas (excessive metre). The others result in Gâyatrîs: this is just that fourscore of Gâyatrîs, the Brihatîs (make up) the Bârhata one, and the Ushnihs the Aushniha one. And as to the Vasa hymn, the two half-verses, the Aindrâgna (hymn), and the insertion, they are Atikhandas; and as to the Nada-verse, the Sûdadohas, the pâda-appendages, and whatever Anushtubh matter there is, they make up the Anushtubhs.

Dvipadâ verses are the feet. Thus much is the great hymn of praise, and the great hymn of praise means distinction: the gods bestowed upon him (Agni) all that distinction, and so does this (Sacrificer) bestow upon him all that distinction.

And, again, as to why he lays down the Khandasyâs. The gods at that time saw that firmament, the world of heaven, to wit, those Stomabhâgâs, and entered it. Of those entering, Pragâpati entered last; and thus Pragâpati is the same as these Khandasyâs.

Gâyatrîs are his head; and as to its being Gâyatrîs, it is because the head is of Gâyatrî nature. There are three, for the head is threefold. He places them on the forepart (of the altar), for the head (of the animal or bird) is in front.

Trishtubhs are the chest: he places them on the range of the two Retahsik; for the Retahsik are the ribs, and the ribs lie against the chest.

Gagatîs are the hips; at whatever distance from the naturally-perforated (central) brick he places the Trishtubhs in front, at the same distance from it he places the Gagatîs behind; for that naturally-perforated brick is this vital air in the middle (of the body), and as far from that vital air as the chest is in front, so far are the hips behind.

Anushtubhs are the thighs: he places them close to the Gagatîs, and thereby places the thighs close to the hips.

Brihatîs are the ribs, Kakubhs the breast-bone. The Brihatîs he places between the Trishtubhs and Kakubhs, whence these ribs are fastened on both sides, on the breast-bone and the costal cartilages.

Ushnihs are the neck: he places them close to the Gâyatrîs, and thereby places the neck close to the head.

Paṅktis are the wings: and as to their being Paṅktis, it is because the wings are of Paṅkti (fivefold) nature. He places them sideways, for these wings are sideways. Whatever metre is larger that he places on the right side: he thus makes the right half of the animal the stronger, and hence the right side of an animal is the stronger.

An Atikhandas is the belly; for the metres are cattle, and cattle are food, and food is (what fills) the belly, because it is the belly that eats the food: hence when the belly gets the food, it becomes eaten and used up. And inasmuch as this (brick) eats (atti) the metres (khandas), the cattle, it is called Attikhandas, for Attikhandas is really what is mystically called Atikhandas; for the gods love the mystic.

A (brick) covered with loose soil is the womb. These two he lays close to each other, for the belly and the womb are close to each other. They are connected with loose soil, for loose soil means flesh, and both the belly and the womb are connected with flesh. The former is an Atikhandas, the latter a soil-bedded one (purîshavatî), for the belly is higher, and the womb lower.

He places them so as to extend eastwards, for in an easterly direction this Agni (fire-altar) is built; and, moreover, in one moving forward, both the belly and the womb are moving forward. Outside the Stomabhâgâs (he places them), for the Stomabhâgâs are the heart, and the heart is highest, then (comes) the belly, then the womb.

He places them south of the naturally-perforated (brick). Now, in the first layer, he places both the belly and the womb north of the naturally-perforated one; for that naturally-perforated one, indeed, is what this vital air in the middle (of the body) is: he thus places the belly and the womb on both sides of that (central) vital air, and hence the belly and the womb are on both sides of that central vital air.

The Dvipadâs are the feet (the stand);--and as to its being Dvipadâs (verses of two feet), it is because the feet are a pair. There are three (such verses), for a stand (tripod) is threefold. He lays them down at the back, for the feet are at the back (of the body).

That body of his (Agni) is well-made;--and, indeed, for whomsoever they thus make that body of his so as to be well-made, he becomes possessed of that body of his as a well-made one; but for whomsoever they make it otherwise than that, for him they make that body of his so as to be ill-made, and he becomes possessed of an ill-made body.

It is with reference to this that these two sâma-nidhanas (finales of sâman-hymns) are uttered,--'The light (is) in the highest heaven of the gods,' and, 'The gods (are) in the highest heaven of the light;'--for when on that occasion the gods were entering (heaven), Pragâpati was the last to enter: that is why he says, 'The light (is) in the highest heaven of the gods.' And as to why he says, 'The gods (are) in the highest heaven of light,'--the light, doubtless, is this Agni (the fire-altar), and it is on his highest layer that all the gods have thus entered: this is why he says, 'The gods are in the highest heaven of light.'