Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ("of a hundred paths") 9.4.3.9

9.4.3.9

athainānpariśridbhiḥ pariśrayati | āpo vai pariśrito 'dbhirevaināṃstatparitanoti sa vai paryeva nidadhāti kṣatraṃ haitā apāṃ yāḥ khātena yantyatha haitā viśo yānīmāni vṛthodakāni sa yadamuṃ khātena pariśrayati kṣatre tatkṣatraṃ dadhāti kṣatraṃ kṣatreṇa pariśrayatyatha yadimānparyeva nidadhāti viśi tadviśaṃ dadhāti viśā viśam pariśrayati teṣāṃ vai yāvatya eva yajuṣmatyastāvatyaḥ pariśrito yāvatyo hyevāmuṣya yajuṣmatyastāvatyaḥ pariśritaḥ kṣatrāyaiva tadviśaṃ kṛtānukarāmanuvartmānaṃ karoti

He then encloses these (hearths) by enclosing-stones;--the enclosing-stones are the waters: it is thus by water that he surrounds them. He merely lays them down all round, for those of the waters which flow in a hollow (channel) are the chieftain, and these stray waters are the clansmen; thus, when he encloses that (great fire-altar) by a dug-in (row of stones), he thereby adds power to power, and sure rounds (protects) power by power; and when he merely lays down those (enclosing-stones of the hearths) all round, he thereby adds clansman (or clan) to clansman, and surrounds (protects) clansman by clansman. As many bricks with special formulas as there are (in each hearth) so many enclosing-stones there are (in each); for with that (fire-altar) there are as many enclosing-stones as there are such bricks in it: he thus makes the clan obedient and subservient to the chief.