Prapathaka 4

Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda 5.4 belongs to the Śrauta stratum that systematizes Agnicayana as a ritual technology for producing a perfected sacrificial body. The chapter’s mantric prose and formulae coordinate physical operations—measuring, placing, and consecrating altar constituents—with a dense network of identifications: altar = Prajāpati, bricks = limbs, fire = breath, and the sacrificer’s prosperity = the altar’s integrity. The text exemplifies the Yajurvedic style in which action and utterance are coextensive: each placement is stabilized by a verbal ‘bandhu’ that transfers cosmic order (ṛta) into the constructed space. The chapter also reflects the pragmatic concerns of Śrauta performance—purity, correct sequence, and protection from ritual fault—while simultaneously advancing a speculative theology of regeneration: by rebuilding Agni, the sacrificer reconstitutes the world and secures continuity of lineage, cattle, and fame. Thus 5.4 functions as both manual and metaphysical charter for altar-making.