Yāska's Nirukta 171.6

171.6

“prāyodevatā vā” 'tasmin mantre syāt' iti vākyaśeṣaḥ | prāya iti hyadhikāra ucyate | yaddevatādhikāre hyadhyayanapāṭhānukrame yo'nāviṣkṛtadevatāliṅgo mantro bhavati, sa taddevata eveti boddhavyam | tadyathā,-agnyadhikāre varttamāne āgneya eva mantro bhavati, indrādhikāre caindra eveti || athavā-prāya iti bāhulyamucyate | tadyathā,anṛtaprāyo devadatta ityukte anṛtabahula ityeva gamyate | evamihāpi prāyodevatetyukte bahuladevateti syāt | kiṃ kāraṇam ? “asti hyācāro bahulaṃ loke” asti hīyaṃ loke bahulasya bhūyastvena prasiddhiḥ | nirddiṣṭebhyo dravyebhyo yadanyadavaśiṣyate, tat sādhāraṇaṃ bhavati | tadyathāṃ, kaścit gṛhī nirddiśāti “idaṃ me devadaivatyaṃ dravyam” “idaṃ me ātithidaivatyam” “idaṃ me pitṛdaivatyam”-iti | tatraivaṃ nirddiṣṭe tato rāśeryadanyadavaśiṣyate, taddevapitṛmanuṣyāṇāṃ sādhāraṇaṃ bhavati | tathā carunirvvapaṇakarmaṇi ‘idaṃ devatānām’ iti niruttamabhimṛśya ‘idaṃ naḥ saha ’ iti śeṣamabhimṛśati sarvasādhāraṇatvaprakhyāpanārtham | evamihāpyādiṣṭadevatāliṅgānmantrarāśeryo'nyo'nādiṣṭadevatāliṅgo mantrarāśiḥ syāt, sa sarvasādhāraṇatvād bahudevato vaiśvadevaḥ syāditi || ( 6 ) || “prāyo devatā vā” samānameva pūrveṇa |