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Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ("of a hundred paths") 9.1.2.16

Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 9.1.2.16

Language
Sanskrit

9.1.2.16

sa yatrābhyāpnoti | tadabhimṛśyaitadyajurjapatīmā me agna iṣṭakā dhenavaḥ santvityagnirhaitāsāṃ dhenukaraṇasyeṣṭe tasmādetāvatīnāṃ devatānāmagnimevāmantrayata ekā ca daśa cāntaśca parārdhaścetyeṣa hāvarārdhyo bhūmā yadekā ca daśa cātha haiṣa parārdhyo bhūmā yadantaśca parārdhaścāvarārdhataścaivainā etatparārdhataśca parigṛhya devā dhenūrukurvata tathaivainā ayametadavarārdhataścaiva parārdhataśca parigṛhya dhenūḥ kurute tasmādapi nādriyeta bahvīḥ kartumamutra vā eṣa etā brahmaṇā yajuṣā bahvīḥ kurute 'tha yatsaṃtanoti kāmāneva tatsaṃtanoti

And wherever he reaches (whilst stretching his arms over the altar), there he touches it and mutters this formula (Vâg. S. XVII, 2), 'Let these bricks be mine own milch cows, O Agni!' for Agni rules over this making of cows, whence he addresses Agni out of so many deities;--'One, and ten.... and a hundred thousand millions, and a billion;'--for the one, to wit, one and ten, is the lowest quantity, and the other, to wit, a hundred thousand millions, and a billion, is the highest quantity; thus, having comprehended them by the lowest and the highest quantity, the gods made them their own milch cows; and in like manner does this (Sacrificer), having thus comprehended them by the lowest and the highest quantity, make them his own milch cows. Hence also he need not care to make many (cows) his own, for in yonder world that (Sacrificer), by means of the Brahman (holy writ), the Yagus, will make many (cows) his own. And in that he carries on (the numbers) uninterruptedly, thereby he carries on, without interruption, his objects of desire.

Julius Eggeling 1882, The Satapatha-Brahmana according to the Text of the Mâdhyandina School (SBE 12, 26, 41, 43, 44)

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