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Satapatha Brahmana Part V (SBE44), Julius Eggeling tr. [1900], at sacred-texts.com
13:3:3:11. Inasmuch as there are three Anushtubh verses 3 (on the first day), therefore the horse, when standing, stands on three (feet); and inasmuch as (they are made into) four Gâyatrî verses, therefore the horse, when stepping out, scampers off on all (four) feet. For that Anushtubh, doubtless, is the highest metre, and the horse is the highest of animals; and the Katushtoma is the highest of Stomas: by means of what is highest he thus causes him (the Sacrificer) to reach the highest position.
13:3:3:22. The Sakvarî verses are the (Hotri's) Prishtha (of the second day): there is a different metre for
each (verse), for different Stomas are performed on each (day). And as to the Sakvarî verse being the Prishtha (-stotra), it is for the completeness of the horse (sacrifice).
13:3:3:33. The central day is an Ekavimsa one, for the Ekavimsa is yonder sun, and so is the Asvamedha by means of its own Stoma he thus establishes it in its own deity.
13:3:3:44. The Vâmadevya is the Maitrâvaruna's Sâman 1; for the Vâmadevya is Pragâpati, and the horse is of Pragâpati's nature: he thus supplies it with its own deity.
13:3:3:55. The Pârthurasma is the Brahma-sâman 2; for the horse is restrained by means of reins 3 (rasmi), but when unrestrained, unchecked, and unsteadied, it would be liable to go to the furthest distance: thus when the Pârthurasma is the Brahma-sâman, it is for the safe keeping of the horse.
13:3:3:66. The Samkriti 4 is the Akhâvâka's Sâman;--
that Asvamedha, indeed, is, as it were, a disused sacrifice, for what is performed thereof, and what is not 1? When the Samkriti is the Akhâvâka's Sâman, it is for (bringing about) the completeness of the horse (sacrifice). The last day is an Atirâtra with all the (six) Stomas, in order to his (the Sacrificer's) obtaining everything, for an Atirâtra with all the Stomas is everything, and the Asvamedha is everything.
13:3:3:77. The fire-altar is the twenty-one-fold one 2, the Stoma the twenty-one-fold one, and there are twenty-one sacrificial stakes; even as bulls or stallions 3 would clash together, so do these Stomas 4, the
twenty-one-versed, run counter to one another: were he to bring them together, the Sacrificer would suffer harm, and his sacrifice would be destroyed.
13:3:3:88. There may, indeed, be a twelvefold altar, and eleven stakes. When the altar is a twelvefold one--twelve months being a year--it is the year, the sacrifice, he obtains. When there are eleven stakes, then that Virâg (metre), the Ekâdasinî 1, is contrived; and that which is its eleventh (stake) is its teat: thereby he milks it.
13:3:3:99. As to this they say, 'If there were a twelvefold altar, and eleven stakes, it would be as if one were to drive on a cart drawn by one beast.' There are the twenty-one-fold altar, the twenty-one-fold Stoma, and twenty-one stakes: that is as when one drives with side-horses.
13:3:3:1010. That twenty-one-fold one, indeed, is the head of the sacrifice; and, verily, he who knows three heads on the Asvamedha, becomes the head of kings. There are the twenty-one-fold altar, the twenty-one-fold Stoma, and twenty-one stakes: these are the three heads on the Asvamedha; and, verily, he who thus knows them becomes the head of kings. And, indeed, he who knows the three tops on the Asvamedha, becomes the top of kings;--there are the twenty-one-fold altar, the twenty-one-fold Stoma, and twenty-one stakes: these, indeed, are the three tops on the Asvamedha; and, verily, he who thus knows them becomes the top of kings.
332:3 That is, for the Bahishpavamâna-stotra of the Katushtoma, see p. 329, note.
333:1 That is, the hymn-tune of the second Prishtha-stotra chanted for the Maitrâvaruna (who responds thereto by the recitation of the second Nishkevalya-sastra): the Mahâ-Vâmadevya on the text 'kayâ nas kitra bhuvat' (S. V. II, 32-34; figured for chanting in Bibl. Ind. ed. III, p. 89) is ordinarily used for this stotra both in the Agnishtoma, and in the Ukthya, form of sacrifice.
333:2 That is, the tune of the third, or Brâhmanâkhamsin's, Prishthastotra. For the sâmans commonly used for this stotra see part ii, p. 434, note 1. The Pârthurasma-sâman may be chanted on either of the texts Sâmav. II, 352-4 (figured ed. Bibl. Ind. vol. V, p. 395) or II, 355-7 (figured vol. V, p. 483). It is the latter text which is to be used on the present occasion. On the legendary origin of this sâman (which is said to represent 'strength,' and therefore to be appropriate to a Râganya) see Tândya-Br. XIII, 4, 17.
333:3 Or, is fastened by means of a rope.
333:4 The Samkriti-sâman is used with the texts Sâmav. II, 663-4 (figured ed. Bibl. Ind. V, p. 407), II, 669-70 (ib. p. 482, wrongly p. 334 called Samgati), and II, 679-82 (ib. p. 515). It is probably the second of these texts that is to be used here, as it is also used for the same stotra on the second day of the Garga-trirâtra.
334:1 Cp. the corresponding passage, Taitt. S. V, 4, 12, 3, 'that Asvamedha, indeed, is a disused sacrifice, for, say they, who knows if the whole of it is performed or not?' Perhaps, however, 'utsanna-yagña' rather means 'a decayed sacrifice,' i.e. one which has lost (or in the usual performance is apt to lose) some of its original elements; whence the 'Samkriti' tune is to be used for the purpose of 'making up' the lost parts. Part of the commentary in this passage is not clear to me:--ukkaihkalâpagrâmâdau siddhasthâne satrasthito granthatoऽrthatas ka yat yagña utsannayagña esha yah asvamedhah katham utsanna ity ata âha, kim vâ hîti, yasya dharmâh pûrvayonau (? pûrvayuge) prayugyante teshâm kimkit kalau kriyate kimkin na kriyate, tatas ka samkritir akhâvâkasâma bhavati.
334:2 That is, an altar measuring twenty-one man's lengths on each of the four sides of its body.
334:3 The commentary seems to take both 'rishabha' and 'vrishan' here in the sense of 'bulls,' but cp. Taitt. Br. III, 8, 22, 1, 'yathâ vâ asvâ varshabhâ vâ vrishânah sam sphureran'--'even as if male horses or bulls were to clash together.'
334:4 That is, not only the twenty-one-fold Stoma, but also the other two twenty-one-fold objects, looked upon as Stomas (lit. 'means of praise').
335:1 Viz. the set of eleven (stakes), here represented as a cow; but in order to assimilate it to the Virâg, or metre consisting of ten syllables, the eleventh stake is made the teat or udder of the cow.