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X KANDA, 6 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMANA, II. 397
eminence repels death, and attains all life. But, indeed, this is only the head of Vaisvânara, and thy head would have failed thee, hadst thou not come hither; or the head would have been unknown to thee, hadst thou not come hither.'
10. He said to them, 'Ye then, knowing different Vaisvânaras, have been feeding on different kinds of food; but verily, the well-beknown gods have attained, as it were, the measure of a span1; but I will so tell them unto you that I shall make them attain no more nor less than the measure of a span.'
II. Pointing at the head he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Pre-eminence ;'-pointing at the eyes he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara of Soma's splendour;'-pointing at the nostrils he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara of divers courses; pointing at the space in the mouth he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Plenteous ;'-pointing at the water in the mouth he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Wealth ;'-pointing at the chin he said, 'This, indeed, is the Vaisvânara Foundation.'
1 Sâyana apparently takes this thus: but the gods, knowing well that (essential element) which is merely of the space of a span, have become successful,-yat tv evam yathoktâvayavaih prithivîpâdâdıbhir dyumûrdhântair avayavair visishtam ekam vastu tat prâdesamâtram piâdesapramânam iva devâh suviditah samyag gñâtavanto - bhisampannâh prâptaphalâ babhûvur ity arthah Though this interpretation looks very plausible, the accent of súvidita' would scarcely admit of the word being taken as a bahuvrîhi compound. In the words which follow, Sâyana takes them (enân)' to refer to the bodily parts of Vaisvânara, identified with the imperfect doctrines of the king's disciples. It is, indeed, quite possible that the gods ale here identified with the special Vaisvânaras, the unity of whom, in the one Purusha, or Atman (self), the Brahmana endeavours to
inculcate.
