14. Ashvamedha commenced as preamble to putrakameshti ritual
कारिताः सर्व एवैते शास्त्रज्ञैः यज्ञकोविदैः |
शोभाअर्थम् तस्य यज्ञस्य कांचन अलंकृत अभवन् || १-१४-२४
शोभाअर्थम् तस्य यज्ञस्य कांचन अलंकृत अभवन् || १-१४-२४
24. shaastraj~naiH yaj~nma kovidaiH kaaritaaH = authorities on scriptures, by ritual, scholars, they are made; te sarve eva = they, all, thus; tasya yaj~nasya= of that, ritual; shobha artham = for elegance, purpose; kaanchana alankR^ita abhavan = gold-pleated, decorated, they are [posts,] became.
All of those the posts are made by the authorities on scriptures and ritual scholars, and they are gold-pleated and decorated for the purpose of elegance to that ritual. [1-14-24]
एक विंशति यूपाः ते एक विंशत् अरत्नयः |
वासोभिः एक विंशद्भिः एकैकम् समलंकृताः || १-१४-२५
वासोभिः एक विंशद्भिः एकैकम् समलंकृताः || १-१४-२५
25. eka vimshat aratnayaH = having one and twenty, cubits - elbow to fingertip measure in height; eka vimshat yuupaaH te = one and twenty [twenty-one,] posts, they are; eka vimshadbhi vaasobhiH = with twenty-one, cloths; eka ekam alankR^itaH sama = one to each post, decorated, they are.
They are altogether twenty-one posts, each post is twenty-one cubits in height, and each is decoratively clothed with each cloth. [1-14-25]
विन्यस्ता विधिवत् सर्वे शिल्पिभिः सुकृता दृढाः |
अष्ट आस्रयः सर्व एव श्लक्ष्ण रूप समन्विताः || १-१४-२६
अष्ट आस्रयः सर्व एव श्लक्ष्ण रूप समन्विताः || १-१४-२६
26. sarve = all of them; shilpibhiH su kR^itaa = by carpenters, well carved; dhR^iDhaa = strongly built; aSTa aasrayaH = are with octahedral surfaces;shlakSNa ruupa samanvitaaH = smoothened, surface shapes, having; sarve eva = all, thus; vinyasthaa vidhivat = implanted, procedurally.
Carpenters have carved all the posts well, and built them strongly with octahedral surfaces that are smoothened, and thereby they are implanted procedurally. [1-14-26]
आच्छादिताः ते वासोभिः पुष्पैः गन्धैः च पूजिताः |
सप्त ऋषयो दीप्तिमन्तो विराजन्ते यथा दिवि || १-१४-२७
सप्त ऋषयो दीप्तिमन्तो विराजन्ते यथा दिवि || १-१४-२७
27. vaasobhiH aacChaaditaaH = with cloths, draped; te = them; pushpaiH gandhaiH cha puujitaaH = with flowers, with perfumery, worshipped; te diiptimantaH = they, having irradiance; divi sapta R^iSayaH yathaa = in sky, Seven Sages, as with; viraajante = they shone forth.
Those posts draped in cloths and worshipped with flowers and perfumery are irradiant, and they shone forth like the constellation of Seven Sages in the sky. [1-14-27]
The Seven Sages is the constellation of stars in the Ursa Major - The Great Bear, and is called sapta R^ishi maNDala . The Indian names of the Seven Sages are 1] atri , 2]angiirasa , 3] pulastya , 4] pulaha , 5] kratu , 6] mariichi , 7] vashiSTha .
इष्टकाः च यथा न्यायम् कारिताः च प्रमाणतः |
चितोऽग्निः ब्राह्मणैः तत्र कुशलैः शिप्लकर्मणि || १-१४-२८
चितोऽग्निः ब्राह्मणैः तत्र कुशलैः शिप्लकर्मणि || १-१४-२८
28. tatra = in that ritual; yathaa nyaayam pramaaNataH cha = according to, rules, according to standard measurements, also; iSTakaaH kaaritaaH = bricks, are made; shilpa karmaNi = by architects [particular priest-architects of Vedic rituals; or sulba karmanai = by those that calculate the area of altar with a single-stranded thread called shulba ]; kushalaiH braahmaNaiH agniH chitaH = by expert, Brahmans, Altar of Fire, layered.
The bricks for Altar of Fire are well designed and made according to rules and standard measurements. The Brahmans who are experts in the architecture of laying Fire Altar, by calculating the ritual field with a one-ply rope and decide where and how the that shall be, the Altar of Fire is layered well with bricks in that ritual. [1-14-28]
The construction of Fire Altar itself is a ritual, called iSTikaa chayana , where each brick is to be consecrated with hymns. On completion of the layering of bricks to the required shape, i.e., that of an eagle-like platform for a garuDa yaj~na vedi etc., then Holy head bath abhiSeka is performed to the brick-work of the Altar by pouring milk and other sacred liquids to the chanting of Vedic hymns.
सचित्यो राज सिंहस्य संचितः कुशलैः द्विजैः |
गरुडो रुक्मपक्षो वै त्रिगुणो अष्टा दशात्मकः || १-१४-२९
गरुडो रुक्मपक्षो वै त्रिगुणो अष्टा दशात्मकः || १-१४-२९
29. kushalaiH dwijaiH = by experts, Brahmans; rukma pakshaH = eagle [shaped,] with golden, wings; tri guNaH = three times more [ than usual] triple sized; aSTa dashaatmakaH = eighteen in number, having eighteen separators; garuDaH = eagle fire altar; saH raaja simhasya = of that, king, the lion's; samchitaH= ever with fire; cityaH = the fire laid on such an altar of fire layered as above.
That Altar of Fire of that King, the Lion, is layered by expert Brahmans in the shape of an eagle with golden wings, with its size being three folds bigger than the altars of other rituals, thus it has eighteen separators, and fire is laid on it. [1-14-29]
The garuDa , the Divine Eagle is the vehicle of Vishnu with an all-pervading vision and fastest wings. He is the only one who once brought amrita, the Divine Elixir, for the release of his mother from slavery. Hence, the Altar of Fire is given the shape of this Divine Eagle, with its wings and tail outstretched, head turned downward, and the eyes looking eastward. yaj~na is also termed as suparNa i.e., su good, parNa winged; carrier of the oblations with his golden wings to heavens. Or its wings are glittering with goldsahasram hiraNya shakalaiH prati dinam agnim prokShati - shruti meaning every day with thousands of gold chips oblate the fire... scriptures say so. So the Altar of fire is glittering with thousands of gold chips sprinkled every day. This altar is laid threefold bigger than the usual one.
नियुक्ताः तत्र पशवः तत् तत् उद्दिश्य दैवतम् |
उरगाः पक्षिणः च एव यथा शास्त्रम् प्रचोदिताः || १-१४-३०
उरगाः पक्षिणः च एव यथा शास्त्रम् प्रचोदिताः || १-१४-३०
30. tatra = in that ritual; yathaa shaastram prachoditam = as per the scriptural, directives; pashavaH uragaaH pakshinaH cha eva = animals, serpents, birds, also, thus; tat tat daivatam uddishya = that and that, deity, designated to; niyuktaaH = are readied.
In that ritual animals, serpents and birds designated to such and such deities are readied according to the scriptural directives. [1-14-30]
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