________________
218
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
went up to heaven; and in like manner does the Sacrificer thereby at the last go up to heaven.
4. He then offers (those relating to) the Even (Stomas)?;-for the metres then said, “The uneven stomas are worn out, by means of the even ones we will go up to heaven!' By means of the even stomas they went up to heaven; and in like manner does the Sacrificer thus, by means of the even stomas, go up to heaven.
5. This (set runs) up to the forty-eight-versed (hymn-form), for the Ashtâkatvârimsa is the last of the even stomas : at the last the metres thus went up to heaven; and in like manner does the Sacrificer thereby at the last go up to heaven.
6. He says, “May the One and the Three (prosper) for me!'-'May the Four and the Eight (prosper) for me!'—even as one climbing a tree would climb up by taking hold of an ever higher branch, so is this. And as to why he offers the Stomas,—the stomas are food: it is with food he thus consecrates him.
7. He then offers (the libations relating to the Age-grades? (of cattle),-age-grades mean cattle: it is by cattle, for his food, that he thus gratifies
1 The formula of this set of libations (XVIII, 25) enumerates the twelve quadruples of 4 (in the feminine gender), from 4 to 48 (again repeating each number, except the first and last), as repiesenting the Stomas consisting of an even number of veises, up to the Ash tâkatvarimsa, or forty-eight-versed hyınn-form.
2 The two formulas relating to these two sets of libations (XVIII, 26; 27) contain respectively five and four pairs of teams of cattle of different ages, beginning with 'tryavi and tryavi,' 'an eighteenmonths bull and an eighteen-months cow;' and ending with a bullock and a milch cow.'
