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300
SATAPATHA-BRAHMANA.
he-goat:mby means of these forms he could not do so. He saw this bird-like body, the fire-altar, and constructed it. He attempted to fly up, without contracting and expanding (the wings), but could not do so. By contracting and expanding (the wings) he did fly up: whence even to this day birds can only fly up when they contract their wings and spread their feathers.
2. He measures it (the fire-altar) by fingerbreadths; for the sacrifice being a man?, it is by means of him that everything is measured here. Now these, to wit, the fingers, are his lowest measure: he thus secures for him (the sacrificial man?) that lowest measure of his, and therewith he thus measures him.
3. He measures by twenty-four finger-breadths 3,the Gayatri (verse) consists of twenty-four syllables, and Agni is of Gâyatra nature * : as great as Agni is, as great as is his measure, by so much he thus measures him.
4. He contracts 0 (the right wing) inside on both
1 The sacrifice, being the substitute of (the sacrificing) man, is represented as identical with the Sacrificer, its measurements being taken from his body and stature; see part 1, p. 78, note I
? Or,-for it, viz. the fire-altar, representing both Agni-Pragapati and the Sacrificer. hence this assumed identity has to be borne in mind to understand the symbolic speculations of the Brâhmana.
3 This measure (24 anguli) is equal to one aratni' or cubit, 12 angult being equal to a vitasti' or span (of thumb and little finger, or from wrist to tip of middle finger).
+ See VI, 1, 1, 15; 1, 3, 19. 5 Or, he draws in, diaws together (upasamdhati).
