the juice of the Soma plant is offered for the purpose of obtaining
Swarga or heaven." GOLDSTUeCKER'S DICTIONARY. "The _Agnishtoma_ is
Agni. It is called so because they (the gods) praised him with this
Stoma. They called it so to hide the proper meaning of the word: for
the gods like to hide the proper meaning of words."

"On account of four classes of gods having praised Agni with four
Stomas, the whole was called _Chatushtoma_ (containing four
Stomas)."

"It (the Agnishtoma) is called _Jyotishtoma_, for they praised Agni
when he had risen up (to the sky) in the shape of a light
(_jyotis_)."

"This (Agnishtoma) is a sacrificial performance which has no
beginning and no end." HAUG'S _Aitareya Brahmanam_.

The Atiratra, literally _lasting through the night_, is a division
of the service of the Jyotishtoma.

The Abhijit, _the everywhere victorious_, is the name of a
sub-division of the great sacrifice of the Gavamanaya.

The Visvajit, or _the all-conquering_, is a similar sub-division.

Ayus is the name of a service forming a division of the Abhiplava
sacrifice.

The _Aptoryam_, is the seventh or last part of the Jyotishtoma, for
the performance of which it is not essentially necessary, but a
voluntary sacrifice instituted for the attainment of a specific
desire. The literal meaning of the word would be in conformity with
the _Praudhamanorama_, "a sacrifice which procures the attainment of
the desired object." GOLDSTUeCKER'S DICTIONARY.

"The _Ukthya_ is a slight modification of the Agnishtoma sacrifice.
The noun to be supplied to it is _kratu_. It is a Soma sacrifice
also, and one of the seven Sansthas or component parts of the
Jyotishtoma. Its name indicates its nature. For _Ukthya_ means 'what
refers to the Uktha,' which is an older name for Shastra, _i.e._
recitation of one of the Hotri priests at the time of the Soma
libations. Thus this sacrifice is only a kind of supplement to the
Agnishtoma." HAUG. _Ai. B._

104 "Four classes of priests were required in India at the most solemn
sacrifices. 1. The officiating priests, manual labourers, and
acolytes, who had chiefly to prepare the sacrificial ground, to
dress the altar, slay the victims, and pour out the libations. 2.
The chorist