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IX KÂNDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRÂHMANA, 40.
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Savitri, enjoyed by all men; that great cow of his, the thousand-streamed, teeming with milk, which Kanva was wont to milk;'—for Kanva indeed saw her, and she, the thousand-streamed, milked him all his wishes (objects of desire); and in like manner does the thousand-streamed one now milk to the Sacrificer all his objects of desire.
39. He then puts on one of vikankata (flacourtia sapida) wood—the significance whereof has been explained—with (Vâg. S. XVII, 75), 'To thee give we honour, O Agni, in the highest home;'-- his highest home, doubtless, is the sky ;-'to thee give we honour, in hymns of praise, in the lower abode;'—the lower abode, doubtless, is the air ;-the birth-place whence thou hast arisen do I worship,'—that is, this is his (Agni's) own birth-place: that I worship;'-'on thee, when kindled, offerings are poured forth;'—for when he (the fire) is kindled, they make offerings on him.
40. He then puts on one of udumbara (ficus glomerata) wood;-the Udumbara means strength and sap: with strength and sap he thus gratifies him. It has forking branches',-forking branches mean cattle: with cattle, as food, he thus gratifies him. If he cannot get one with bifurcate branches, let him take up a globule of sour curds and put it on (the wood): that globule of sour curds which supervenes is a form of cattle. With the virag (verse, Vâg. S. XVII, 76; Rig-veda VII, 1, 3),
1 Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 281, takes 'karnakavat' to mean one that has a knot-hole;' but Deva's explanation, 'karnako dvitîyasâkhodbhedah,' probably means nothing else than showing the appearance of a second branch,' or 'one in which a second branch (side branch) has struck out.'
