# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XVIII/Hymn 3

3. ⌊Funeral verses.⌋
*⌊The Anukr. (the text of which is perhaps in disorder at this point) reads añjate vyañjata (vs. 18) indro mā marutvān iti pañca (vss. 25-29) jagatyas: tatrāi ’kādhikā (?) bhurig antyā (vs. 29) virāṭ. See under vss. 18 and 29.⌋
⌊The prose parts are the first pādas (the ūha-pādas) of vss. 25-28 and 30-35, and the yajurmantras, vss. 36-37: see Part III., below.⌋
⌊In Pāipp. (in xx.) is found of this hymn only verse 56.⌋
⌊Ritual uses.—Only eight verses (2, 5, 18, 25, 38, 39, 44, 45: the last two together twice, and both times in the order 45, 44) are used in Vāit., and, of course, in rites other than funeral rites: see under the verses. In Kāuç., about three quarters of the hymn (all but 21 vss.) are used, and used in the chapter (xi.: as noted by Whitney, page 814) on funeral rites: see under the verses. It is of critical interest that two blocks of verses (Parts II. and IV., as divided below, where see) which find no use in the funeral ritual, form each a nearly corresponding block in RV.⌋
⌊The provenience of the material of this hymn.—In this hymn, as compared with hymn 2 (see p. 830), the proportional part of material recurring in the RV. rises again, and is about 33 verses out of 73, or nearly one half.—The "Parts" into which the hymn is here divided are primarily for the convenience of the discussion, although some of them (as II., III., IV., V., VI.) have also a critical significance.
Part II., verses 21-24.—This block of verses corresponds, without changes of order, to the last varga of the second Vāmadeva hymn, more precisely to RV. iv. 2. 16, 17, 18, and 19 a, b, to which is then appended the last half-verse of RV. ii. 23, with the Gṛtsamada refrain. Neither ritual makes any use whatever of any verse or pāda of this part.
Part V., verses 42-48.—Verses from the principal RV. hymn to the Fathers, x. 15, namely its vss. 12, 7, 11, 5, 8, 9, and 10, with much derangement of the RV. order.
Part VI., verses 49-52.—Burial-verses from RV. x. 18, to wit, vss. 10, 11, 12, 13, in strict RV. sequence.
Part VII., verses 53-60.—Eight verses, of which seven are from five of the RV. funeral hymns, x. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 (represented in the order 16, 16, 17, 18: 14, 15, 16), and of which the remaining one (our vs. 54) is without ritual use and plainly intrusive and doubtless put after our 53 on account of its striking surface-resemblances to our 53. Our vs. 60 is widely separated from its fellow, our vs. 6, as is noted under the verses.
Part VIII., verses 61-64.—Verses not elsewhere found, save, in part, in AV.ÇÇS.MB.
Part IX., verses 65-67.—Found in RV. outside the limits, x. 10 and x. 18, between which the funeral verses are massed, to wit, as RV. x. 8. 1; x. 123. 6; and vii. 32. 26.
Part X., verses 68-72.—This is an anuṣṭubh sequence, peculiar to our AV. text, and with only a couple of longer pādas (namely 69 d, jagatī; 71 d, triṣṭubh).
Translated: Weber, Sb. 1896, pages 253-277 (with analysis, etc.); Griffith, ii. 236; verses not taken from the RV. are rendered by Ludwig, pages 484-487.—The RV. verses are translated, of course, by the RV. translators: the verses from RV. x. 18, in particular, by Whitney, Oriental and Linguistic Studies, i. 54, 53 (vs. 44 at p. 60: and so on); RV. x. 18 also by Roth, in Siebenzig Lieder des RV., p. 150.
1. This woman, choosing her husband's world, lies down (ni-pad) by thee that art departed, O mortal, continuing to keep [her] ancient duty (dhárma); to her assign thou here progeny and property.
Verses 1-4 are translated and interpreted (I think, incorrectly) by Hillebrandt in ZDMG. xl. 708 ff. Kāuç. (80. 44) and the comm. declare that with this verse the wife is made to lie down beside her dead husband on the funeral pile. The comm. glosses dharmām with sukṛtam, and understands the sense of the pāda as it is translated above. The sense of d alone seems to indicate that the woman's action is nothing more than a show, expected to be followed by that of the next verse, since "progeny and property" are rewards for this life, not for the other. The comm. says it is meant for her next birth. TA. also has the verse (in vi. 1. 3), but reads for c víçvam purāṇám ánu pāláyantī—a very inferior text. Some of our mss. (O.Op.D.R.K.), and even the majority of SPP's, have in c -pādáyantī, but SPP. rightly accepts -pālá-; ⌊c.f. the phonetic relation of udumbara and ulumbala, above, 2. 13⌋.
2. Go up, O woman, to the world of the living; thou liest by (upa-çī) this one who is deceased: come! to him who grasps thy hand, thy second spouse (didhiṣú), thou hast now entered into the relation of wife to husband.
The verse is RV. x. 18. 8, whose text differs only by reading in c didhiṣós, and this is given also by two of our mss. (R.D.) and the majority of SPP's, so that it certainly ought to be accepted as the true reading, dadh- being only a corruption. TA. (in vi. 1. 3) has didhiṣós, but after it tvám etát, and in b itā́sum, in neither case making any important change in the sense. ⌊TA., both text and comm. in both ed's, reads abhí sámbabhūva: the comm. renders by ābhimukhyena samyak prāpnuhi! which procedure gives a shock even to one who is wonted to the Hindu laxity of ideas about vāiyadhikaraṇya.⌋ The meaning given to abhí sám-bhū in the translation is decidedly the only admissible one; nor need one hesitate to render didhiṣú according to its later accepted meaning. The woman cannot be left free and independent; she can only be relieved of her former wifehood by taking up a new one (even if this be, as is probable enough, nominal only); he who grasps her hand to lead her down from the pile becomes, at least for the nonce, her husband. The direction of Kāuç. (80. 45) in connection with the verse is simply "one makes her rise"; the comm. ⌊vol. iv., p. 129, end⌋ specifies that this is done "if she desires to live in this world again"; neither tells who is to take her hand—as, for example, Āçvalāyana does (AGS. iv. 2. 18): "her husband's brother, a representative of her husband, a pupil [of her husband], or an aged servant." ⌊Whether the levir and the "representative" are the same person or two different ones does not appear from the translation nor from the original of AGS.⌋ Vāit. (38. 3) uses the verse in the puruṣamedha.
3. I saw the maiden being led, being led about, alive, for the dead; as she was enclosed with blind darkness, then I led her off-ward (ápācī) from in front (prāktás).
The translation of b implies, ⌊not the jīvā́m ṛtébhyas of the Berlin text, but rather⌋ the reading jīvā́m mṛtébhyas: his is accepted by SPP. and is supported by the majority of his authorities ⌊including two reciters⌋ and by the comm. and by some of our mss. collated later (O.Op.R.T.), ⌊and especially by the variant of TA., below⌋. ⌊Compare the cases of yame dīrgham, etc., discussed in the note to xviii. 2. 3.⌋ The version in TA. (vi. 12. 1) is better than ours in a, b: ápaçyāma yuvatím ācárantīm mṛtā́ya jīvā́m parṇīyámānām; but not so good in c, d: andhéna yā́ támasā prā́vṛtā́ ’si prā́cīm ávācīm áva yánn áriṣṭyāi. According to Kāuç. (81. 20), vss. 3 and 4 are used as the cow (to serve as anustaraṇī) is led, at the funeral pile, around (the fires) leftwise; the comm. gives a corresponding explanation; and the comment to TA. also understands it of such a cow (rājagavī); ⌊cf. Caland, Todtengebräuche, p. 40⌋. It is very difficult to believe that this was the original meaning of the verse, and that it did not rather refer to some rescue from immolation of a young wife. The comm. paraphrases pāda d by enāṁ gām pūrvadeçāt çavasamīpād apān̄mukhīṁ çavāt parān̄mukhīm asmadabhimukhīm prāpayāmi: this is of no authority. Pāda a can be made full only by the unacceptable resolution ápaçiam; the TA. reading of the word would remove the difficulty.
4. Foreknowing, O inviolable one, the world of the living, moving together [with him] upon the road of the gods—this is thy herdsman (gópati); enjoy him; make him ascend to the heavenly (svargá) world.
5. Unto sky (div), unto reed, more helpful of streams; O Agni, gall of the waters art thou.
The translation of a and b is purely mechanical. Other texts have a quite different version of them. VS. (xvii. 6 a-c) reads úpa jmánn úpa vetasé ’vatara nadī́ṣv ā́; MS. (in ii. 10. 1; but p. ávataram) the same (and the editor reports K. and Kap.S. as agreeing); TS. (in iv. 6. 1$^2$) the same except ávattaram; VS. and MS. admit a much more intelligible rendering ('close to earth, close to reeds, descend thou in the streams'). In all the other texts, the verse is preceded by our vi. 106. 3 a, b and other similar addresses to Agni, in the agnicayana ceremony; and so also in Vāit. (29. 13), where the verses accompany the drawing of a frog, of the water-plant avakā, and of reeds, across the fire-site in all directions. In Kāúç. (82. 26), this verse and 3. 60 are used in. the ceremony of gathering the bone-relics on the third day after cremation, with the direction iti mantroktāny avadāya. ⌊The authorities differ as to the day: Caland, Todtengebräuche, p. 99.⌋ The comm. explains ⌊vol. iv., p. 132$^{15}$, p. 169$^{20}$⌋ that vss. 5 and 6 ⌊(cf. Ath. Paddhati cited in note to Kāuç. 82. 26)⌋ ⌊and 60⌋ are addressed to the plants mentioned in those verses ⌊and gives a list of plants: cf. SPP's note with extract from Keçava, and Bloomfield's note to 82. 26⌋. The comm. adds that the plants are used by the performer in besprinkling a Brahman's bones with milk. Under this verse the comm. makes dyām mean avakām, because this rises above the water without touching earth! The verse does not need to be scanned as nicṛt.
6. Whom thou, O Agni, didst consume, him do thou extinguish again;, let there grow here the kyā́mbū, the çāṇḍadūrvā́, the vyàlkaçā.
7. Here is one for thee, beyond is one for thee; enter thou into union with the third light; at entrance be thou fair (cā́ru) with [thy] body, loved of the gods in the highest station.
The verse is RV. x. 56. 1, which reads in c tanvàs, and in d janítre (for sadhásthe). It is also found in SV. (i. 65), TB. (in iii. 7. 1$^3$), TA. (vi. 3. 1; 4. 2), and Āp. (ix. i. 17); in a, TB.¯Āp. have u (for ū before te); in c, all have saṁvéçanas, while SV. gives tanvè and the others tanúvāi; in d, TB.Āp. read priyé, and SV.TB.Āp. agree with RV. in janítre. According to Kāuç. (80. 36), the verse accompanies the carrying of the fire at the head of the procession to the funeral pile; as the comm. states it, carrying the three fires, in the case of one who has established sacrificial fires. The three "lights" are thus understood to be the three sacrificial fires; but they are probably, in the original meaning of the verse, rather three regions of light, to the highest of which the deceased is to be translated.
8. Rise thou, go forth, run forth; make thee a home (ókas) in the sea [as] station; there do thou, in concord with the Fathers, revel with soma, with the svadhā́s.
The first half-verse is found also in TA. (in vi. 4. 2) which has the easier ending paramé vyòman; the second half of the TA. verse is our vi. 63. 3 c, d. The majority of our saṁhitā-mss. combine dravó ’kaḥ in a-b, but SPP. reports nothing of the kind from his authorities. The verse can be forced down to forty syllables (as a pan̄kti) by violence in c; ⌊its natural scansion is as 8 + 11: 11 + 11⌋. It is one of the utthāpanī or 'uplifting' verses, which, with the hariṇīs or 'taking' verses, are used more than once in Kāuç., and are cited in Vāit. (37. 23-24) and elsewhere, in connection with lifting and moving the corpse etc. This one accompanies (Kāuç. 80. 31) the raising of the corpse to carry it to the funeral pile, and later (80. 35), with 1. 61 and 3. 9 and others, the lifting on to the cart and removing; and yet later (82. 31) the gathering up and carrying away the bone-relics.
9. Start (cyu) forward, collect (sam-bhṛ) thy body; let not thy limbs (gā́tra) nor thy frame (çárīra) be left out; enter together after thy mind that has entered; wherever in the world thou enjoyest, thither go.
The first half-verse and the last pāda are found also, as parts of different verses, in TA. vi. 4. 2; which, however, reads út tiṣṭhā́ ’tas tanúvaṁ sám bharasva mé ’há gā́tram áva hā mā́ çárīram, and yátra bhū́myāi vṛṇáse tátra gaccha. Some of our mss. (P.M.O.R.T.K.) accent ánu in c; and some (all except O.Op.R.K., also two of SPP's) have bhū́me in d; the comm. reads bhū́māu. According to Kāuç. (80. 32), the dead body, after being raised (utthāpay-) with the preceding verse, is made three times to set forth (? saṁhāpay-; sam-hā means usually simply 'get up': it is added, "as many times as it is raised") with this one; and this verse is used again, with the preceding verse (under which see) and others, in 80. 35 and 82. 31.
10. Let the soma-drinking (somyá) Fathers anoint me with splendor, the gods with honey, with ghee; making me pass further on unto sight, let them increase me, attaining old age, unto old age.
Some of the mss. (including our D.R.p.m.T.) read ájantu in b; possibly it is their way of emending the false accent of áñjantu; doubtless we ought to change this to añjántu rather than to admit the modulated stem áñja. The pratīka (varcasā mām) applies either to this verse or to the next, or probably is used to include both; whatever it applies to is used, according to Kāuç. (81. 47; 87. 4), in connection with rinsing the mouth at the end of the cremation ceremony and at the beginning of the piṇḍapitṛyajña; and also (86. 17), with 3. 61-67, in the ceremony of interring the bones, in connection with supporting the dhruvanas* on the north-west of the fire. The comm. takes notice of only the first of these three applications. *⌊Caland, WZKM. viii. 369, would read dhuvanāny upayachante at 86. 16: I suppose he would render, 'they offer fannings [to the relics].' But are we sure that 86. 17 goes with 86. 16 and forms a part of the dhuvana ceremony?—Cf. my note to vs. 17 below.—The non-lingualization of the first n gives the strongest possible support for dhuvanāni as against dhru-.⌋
11. Let Agni anoint me completely with splendor; let Vishṇu anoint wisdom into my mouth; let all the gods fix wealth upon me; let pleasant waters purify me with purifiers.
The verse is, with resolution of mā́-am, a regular triṣṭubh, and no pan̄kti. As to its ritual application, see under the preceding verse; the comm. regards it as sharing with that verse.
12. Mitra-and-Varuṇa have enclosed (pari-dhā) me; let the sacrificial posts of Aditi increase me; let Indra anoint splendor into my hands; let Savitar make me one attaining old age.
Most of our mss. (all except Op.R.), and half of SPP's, read at the beginning mítrāvaruṇā (Bp. -ṇāu), vocative, which might stand if we altered adhātām to -thām; both editions give mitrā́váruṇā, ours by emendation. A variant for sváravas in b would be very welcome; the comm. gets rid of the difficulty in its characteristic way, by making the word an adjective to ādityās, and signifying either "making a pleasant sound" or "making a distress directed at our enemies"! The third pāda, if properly read, has a redundant syllable; but the Anukr. would apparently have us read nyanaktu in three syllables, as written. The Kāuç. uses the verse with washing the hands, at the end of the cremation ceremony (81. 46), and at the beginning of the piṇḍapitṛyajña (87. 3); the comm. notices only the latter of the two uses.
13. Him who died first of mortals, who went forth first to that world, Vivasvant's son, assembler of people, king Yama honor ye with oblation.
The second half-verse is identical with 1. 49 c, d, and the first half is analogous with the same, a, b (= RV. x. 14. 1 etc.: see under 1. 49). The verse is redundant by a syllable in ⌊the perfectly good jagatī pāda⌋ d. For its use by Kāuç., with 2. 49, see under the latter; ⌊and especially my note to i. 49⌋. ⌊The verse is discussed by Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythol. i. 491.⌋
14. Go away, ye Fathers, and come; this sacrifice is all anointed with honey for you; both give to us here excellent property, and assign to us wealth having all heroes.
15. Let Kaṇva, Kakshīvant, Purumīḍha, Agastya, Çyāvāçva, Sobharī, Archanānas, Viçvāmitra, Jamadagni here, Atri, Kaçyapa, Vāmadeva, aid us.
The comm. amuses himself with giving etymologies for all these names, only passing over Agastya and Sobharī as "evident" (prasiddha).
16. O Viçvāmitra, Jamadagni, Vasishṭha, Bharadvāja, Gotama, Vāmadeva—Atri hath taken (grabh) our çardís with obeisances; ye Fathers of good report, be gracious to us.
The translation implies in d emendation of sú-saṁçāsas to suçaṅsasas ⌊so W's ms.! it must certainly be a double slip for súçaṅsāsas⌋, for which it seems most probably a corruption, and which is read by the comm. ⌊he reads in fact suçaṅsāsas, and understands it as W. does⌋; the only variants in the mss. are súçaṅçāsas ⌊with palatal ç twice⌋ in some of ours (P.M.I.) and one (C.) of SPP's, and the accentuation on the second syllable, -sáṁç-, in a few (including our O.R.T.).* Pítaras in b ought properly to be without accent. ⌊As to what precedes, see the next ¶.⌋ Some of the mss. read çárdir or çárdír. The comm. first identifies the word with chardis, and pronounces it a name for 'house'; then, as alternative, he gets it from root çard and makes çardayati signify balayati; ⌊and, as a final alternative, he regards the word as the name of a Rishi⌋. Neither Kāuç. nor Vāit. makes any use of these two verses. ⌊Weber, Episches im vedischen Ritual, Sb. 1891, p. 787, suggests a special connection of this book xviii. with the Kāuçikan Viçvāmitras.⌋
*⌊The decision here lies between the well-authenticated su-çáṅsa ('of good wishes, kindly': root çaṅs) and the doubtful su-saṁçās ('kindly admonishing,' presumably oxytone: root çās with sam). The former occurs five times in RV. and also at AV. xix. 10. 6. The latter occurs nowhere, unless here, nor does it seem to be apposite in meaning: yet the authority of the mss. and of the çrotriya V. is decidedly in favor of it. No ms. soever actually gives súçaṅsāsas; but the mss. that have the impossible súçaṅçāsas may well be regarded as intending súçaṅsāsas.—Moreover, if the two vocatives stood in the order pítaraḥ su-, I should leave the second one unaccented (Gram. §314 d), as W. suggests; but with the order sú- pít-, the second seems distinctly more independent of the first (Gram. §314 e) and may properly be accented. I would therefore read súçaṅsāṣaḥ pítaraḥ, and render 'O ye kindly ones, ye Fathers!' As for the meaning of suçáṅsa: note that çáṅsa means 'a wish, good or evil,' i.e. not only 'curse,' but also 'blessing,' and is used in these two opposite senses in two contiguous RV. verses, vii. 25. 2, 3; and that, in its good sense, it is pertinent to the Fathers, as at RV. x. 78. 3, pitṝṇā́ṁ ná çáṅsāḥ surātáyaḥ. Note further that 'kindly' accords well with the character of the Fathers as described in RV. x. 15: they bless and help (vss. 5 d, 4 c), and are harmless (1 c, 6 c) and gracious (3 a, 9 c).—That, in such a "pestilent congregation of" sibilants as súçaṅsāsas, a blunder of the tradition is rather to be expected than not, is my opinion: whoso doubts it, let him attempt "with moderate haste" to repeat aloud three times the simple English sentence "she sells sea-shells."⌋
​17. They overpass defilement (riprá), wiping [it] off in the metal bowl (? kasyá), assuming further on newer life-time, filling themselves up with progeny and riches; then may we be of good odor in the houses.
⌊Pāda c = RV. x. 18. 2 c.⌋ The translation boldly assumes that kasyá is a corruption of, or equivalent to, kaṅsá; the Pet. Lexx. pass the word without notice; the comm. says that kasa means kīkasa 'vertebra,' the kī being dropped by Vedic license (!), and that kasya, as an adjective derived from it, means "the place of cremation"! All authorities read kasyé without variation, ⌊save that SPP's çrotriya K., whose memory of this book was not perfect, recited kásye⌋. ⌊See note* below.⌋ The authorities are divided, however, between mṛjā́nās and mṛ́jānās (among those having the latter are our O.R.); both editions give the former, though it is an isolated accentuation; mṛjāná is regular (and occurs in RV.), while mṛ́jāna is supported (Gram. §619 d) by the analogy of several other such participles; ⌊cf. note to vs. 73⌋. Two of our three pada-mss. (Bp.Kp.) have āyuḥ॰dádhānās in b as compound, and most of our saṁhitā-mss. (all save O.R.) accent accordingly āyur d-; but SPP. acknowledges the reading in only a single ms. (pada), and of course gives in his text (as we in ours by emendation) ā́yur d-. The comm. regards surabháyas in d as figurative, for çlāghyaguṇayuktās. In Kāuç. (84. 10) the verse is directed to be used as the women go three times round (the relics of the funeral pile) leftwise, with disheveled hair and beating the right thigh.
*⌊According to Caland, WZKM. viii. 369, the passage in Kāuç. 84. 8-11 describes the curious rite named dhuvana or 'fanning' of the bone-relics: see his Todtengebräuche, pages 138-9, and cf. my note to vs. 10, above. The dhuvana is part of the procedure called nidhāna or 'laying to rest' (ibidem, p. 129). According to the sūtra next preceding 84. 10, an empty pot, rikta-kumbha, is set down, and beaten with an old shoe. According to our AV. comm. (p. 143$^{17}$ but see SPP's note 5), our verse is repeated by the one who breaks the empty jar, rikta-kalaça, on the night of the day of cremation, that is, at a time a good deal earlier than the nidhāna!—However that may be, it does seem as if our kasyé might well mean the same thing as the kumbha or kalaça of the ritual authorities.⌋
18. They anoint, they anoint out (ví), they anoint together (sám); they lick the rite (? krátu), they smear (abhi-añj) with honey; the bull (ukṣán) flying in the upheaving of the river, the victim (paçú) do the gold-purifiers seize (gṛh) in them ⌊f.⌋.
The verse is RV. ix. 86. 43, the only variant in which is gṛbhṇate at the end (and our I. also has this; also the comm.). SV. (i. 564; ii. 964) has it also and agrees with RV. in this word, but also has before it apsú instead of āsu, and in b mádhvā. The comm. understands sthālīṣu to be intended by the pronoun āsu. The verse is one of the wild utterances of the soma-purifiers in RV., and seems to be introduced here without any proper connection with the funeral ceremonies, simply because there is so much "anoint" in it. In Kāuç. (88. 16), it accompanies an anointing in the piṇḍapitṛyajña; and in Vāit. (10. 4), a smearing of the sacrificial post with butter in the paçubandha. ⌊Pādas b, c, d are good jagatī: but a has no jagatī character whatever, and by count it is virāj rather than bhurij; but perhaps the Anukr. (see note to the excerpts from Anukr.) does not mean to call it bhurij.
19. What of you is joyous, O Fathers, and delectable (somyá), therewith be at hand (sac), for ye are of own splendor; do ye, rapid (? árvan) poets, listen, beneficent, invoked at the council.
Nearly all our mss. (save Op.R.s.m.) accent pitáras in a; SPP. reports only a single pada-ms. as doing so, and of course reads pitaras, as does our text by emendation. Nearly all the authorities, again, give bhūtám at end of b; ⌊but Whitney's Op. has bhūtā́; and his⌋ K. has bhūtá, as have three of SPP's, who reads bhūtá. ⌊The word itself is lost from the comm., but glossed by bhavatha.⌋ We ought to have emended to bhūtá. Once more, all the authorities without exception accent suvidatrā́s, which SPP. accordingly retains, while we have made the necessary emendation to -dátrās. One is tempted to change arvāṇas in c to arvāñcas. The extra syllable in b suggests corruption; ⌊and so, perhaps, does the fact that in O.R. the avasāna is before bhūtám, not after it⌋.
20. Ye who are Atris, An̄girases, Navagvas, having sacrificed, attached to giving (? rātiṣā́c), bestowers (dádhāna), and who are rich in sacrificial fees, well-doing—do ye revel, sitting on this barhís.
The meaning of some of these epithets is not altogether clear. No use is made of the verse in the sūtras.
21. So then as our distant Fathers, the ancient ones, O Agni, sharpening the rite: they went to the bright, they shone,* ⌊should be shining⌋, praising with song; splitting the ground, they uncovered the ruddy ones.
The verse corresponds to RV. iv. 2. 16, found also in VS. (xix. 69) and TS. (in ii. 6. 12$^4$) which read precisely with RV. The variants of our text are no better than corruptions; the others have at end of b āçuṣāṇā́s ⌊p. āçuṣāṇā́ḥ⌋ and in c dī́dhitim. The translation follows our text.* The comm. takes āçaçānā́s (p. ā॰çaç-) from root aç, and glosses it with vyāpnuvantas! The "ruddy ones" are in its opinion the dawns ⌊or else the stolen cows which the An̄girases got back from the Paṇis⌋.—*⌊Whitney's ms. reads "they shone": this is probably an oversight and should be "shining"; his Bp., to be sure, but Bp. alone, has dī́dhyata, not -taḥ.⌋
22. Of good actions, well-shining, pious, heavenly ones (devá), forging the generations as [smiths forge] metal, brightening Agni, increasing Indra, they have made for us a wide conclave (pariṣád), rich in kine.
The corresponding verse in RV. (iv. 2. 17) combines in a-b devayántó ‘yo, has in c vavṛdh-, and for d ūrváṁ gávyam pariṣádanto agman; its pada-text in b reads ⌊jánima like ours⌋. ⌊Weber, Sb. 1896, p. 263-64, takes devā́ (jánimā) as = devā́nām and the whole verse as a parallel to vs. 23, where the phrase devā́nāṁ jánimā occurs in full.⌋
23. As herds at food (kṣúm), the formidable one hath looked over ⌊áti⌋ the cattle, the births of the gods, near by; mortals have lamented the urváçīs, unto the increase of the pious, of the next man.
24. We have made [sacrifices] for thee; we have been very active; the illuminating (vi-bhā) dawns have shone upon [our] rite (ṛtá); all that is excellent which the gods favor; may we talk big at the council, having good heroes.
The first half-verse is, without variant, RV. iv. 2. 19 a, b; the second half is, also without variant, RV. ii. 23. 19 c, d (and VS. xxxiv. 58 c, d). Many of the mss., however, (including our Bs.O.K.) combine in a-b to abhūma rtám. The comm. has in b the strange reading avasvan (voc.: = avanavan or pālaka).
25. Let Indra with the Maruts protect me from the eastern quarter; arm-moved [is] the earth, as it were to the sky above; to the world-makers, the road-makers, do we sacrifice, whoever of you are here, sharing in the oblation of the gods.
26. Let Dhātar protect me from perdition from the southern quarter; arm-moved etc. etc.
27. Let Aditi with the Ādityas protect me from the western quarter; arm-moved etc. etc.
28. Let Soma with all the gods protect me from the northern quarter; arm-moved etc. etc.
29. Dhartar the maintainer shall maintain thee aloft, as Savitar the light (bhānú) to the sky above; to the world-makers etc. etc.
The translation follows the comm. in connecting ūrdhvám with what precedes, instead of (as the meter suggests, and as is perhaps rather to be preferred) with what follows it.* The definition by the Anukr. of the meter of these five verses is not very acceptable; the refrain of 25-28 has 35 syllables (12: 12 + 11); the prefixed variable part varies from 12 to 14; 28 has 46 syllables (11 + 12: 12 + 11). ⌊Cf. note to excerpts from Anukr., above, p. 847, top.⌋
*⌊There is a clear play of words in dhartā dharuṇo dhārayātāi, not without conscious reminiscence, perhaps, of the familiar plays in varaṇo vārayātāi at x. 3. 5 and vi. 85. 1, and in vār idaṁ vārayātāi varaṇāvatyām adhi at iv. 7. 1.† Moreover, I think that these derivatives of root dhṛ make clear reference to dhruvā diç, the 'fixed direction' or 'steadfast region,' and that ūrdhvam makes similar reference to the 'upward region.' Render perhaps: 'Let the Steadier, steadying, steady thee [in the steadfast region], as aloft [that is, in the upward region] Savitar [steadieth or maintaineth] the light, the sky above.' Cf. my note, p. 847, ¶ 8.—†Cf. xix. 36. 6 d.⌋
30. In the eastern quarter, away from approach (?), do I set thee in svadhā́; arm-moved etc. etc.
The phrase purā́ samvṛ́taḥ is very doubtful; perhaps it means rather, with the more literal sense of purā́ and taking -vṛt as from root vṛ, 'before covering up' ⌊so Caland takes it: Todtengebräuche, p. 154-5⌋; the comm., with his ordinary heedlessness of accent, makes it a pple. (as if sáṁvṛtas), rendering it "formerly covered up" (pūrvaṁ saṁchāditaḥ); or else, he says, purā́ is instr. of pur = çarīra 'body,' and it means "along with thy body" (saçarīra eva san). Kāuç. (80. 53) uses the verse (doubtless with the five that follow it) in fixing the body in place on the funeral pile; but he adds in the next rule that Uparibabhrava prohibits it. The comm. takes no notice of any such application.
​31. In the southern quarter, away etc. etc.
32. In the western quarter, away etc. etc.
33. In the northern quarter, away etc. etc.
34. In the fixed quarter, away etc. etc.
35. In the upward quarter, away etc. etc.
These six verses, 30-35, have the same refrain of 35 syllables as vss. 25-28; and the prefixed part, variable only in its first word, ranges from 17 to 19 syllables; the definition of the Anukr. is approximately accurate.
36. Dhartar ('maintainer') art thou; maintaining art thou; bull (váṅsaga) art thou.
37. Water-purifying art thou; honey-purifying art thou; wind-purifying art thou.
⌊Verses 38 and 39 are addressed to the oblation-carts. The rearrangement of the RV. pādas in the AV. text is of such critical interest that it is worth a little space to exhibit the method to the eye.—The yuje vām etc. of the RV. seems to be clearly prefatory, and probably few will deny that the RV. order is the more nearly original, and that the AV. order and readings are secondary.
| RV. x. 13. 1 and 2. | | AV. xviii. 3. 38 and 39. |
| yujé vām bráhma pūrvyáṁ námobhir | $\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,$☟ |
| ví çlóka etu pathyèva sūréḥ। | $\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,$☟ |
| çṛṇvántu víçve amṛ́tasya putrā́ | $\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,$☟ |
| ā́ yé dhā́māni divyā́ni tasthúḥ॥$^1$ | | itáç ca mā amútaç cāvātām [mā?] |
| yamé iva yátamāne yád āitam | | yamé iva yátamāne yád āitám। |
| prá vām bharan mā́nuṣā devayántaḥ। | | prá vām bharan mā́nuṣā devayánta |
| ā́ sīdataṁ svám u lokáṁ vídāne | | ā́ sīdataṁ svám u lokáṁ vídāne॥$^{38}$ |
| svāsasthé bhavatam índave naḥ॥$^2$ | | svā́sasthe bhavatam índave no |
| | ☝$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | yujé vām bráhma pūrvyáṁ námobhiḥ। |
| | ☝$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | ví çlóka eti pathyèva sūriḥ |
| | ☝$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | çṛṇvántu víçve amṛ́tāsa etát॥$^{39}$⌋ |
38. Both from here and from yonder let them (du.) aid me.
As ye (du.) ⌊neut.⌋ went pressing on (root yat) like two twins, god-loving men (mā́nuṣa) bring you forward; sit ye, [each] on thine own place, knowing [it];—
39. Be ye comfortable (? svā́sastha) for our soma.
I yoke for you ancient worship (bráhman) with obeisances; the song (çlóka) goes forth like a patron (sūrí) on his road; let all the immortals hear that.
⌊See my added note just preceding the translation of verse 38.⌋
The verse is pāda d of the RV. vs. x. 13. 2 ⌊of which pādas a, b, c immediately precede in our AV. text⌋, followed by pādas a, b, c of the RV. vs. 1. RV. accents in a svāsasthé; ⌊the AV. accent seems wrong;⌋ both pada-texts divide su॰ās-. RV. further reads in ⌊its b, our⌋ c, etu and sūrés, and at the end amṛ́tasya putrā́ḥ. The RV. verse is found also in VS. (xi. 5) and MS. (in ii. 7. 1) with the same readings throughout as in RV.; and in TS. (iv. 1. 1$^2$), which reads for our c ví çlókā yanti pathyè ’va sū́rāḥ, and in d varies from RV. etc. only by having çṛṇvánti. The comm. glosses svā́sasthe with sukhāsanasthe; he takes yujé as 1st sing., as it is translated above; the form might, of course, be 3d sing., like duhé, çáye, etc. ⌊In d, çṛṇváttu is a misprint for çṛṇvántu.⌋
40. Three steps the form (?) ascended, it went (?) after the four-footed one (f.) with its course (vratá); it matches the song (arká) with the syllable; in the navel of right it purifies.
41. For the gods he chose death; for his progeny did he not choose immortality (amṛ́ta)? Brihaspati [as] seer extended the sacrifice; Yama left (ā-ric) his dear self (?).
Or, 'the dear body (tanū́).' Here too the variations from the RV. version (x. 13. 4) seem to be corruptions only. RV. has kám in b, correlative to that in a; for c it gives bṛ́haspátiṁ yajñám akṛṇvata ṛ́ṣim, and at the end prā́ ’rirecīt. The comm. explains ā rireca by samantād riktaṁ niḥsāram mṛtaṁ kṛtavān. ⌊See Ludwig's discussion of the verse, Ueber die kritik des RV.-textes, Abh. der k. böhmischen Gesellschaft der Wiss., 1889, no. 5, p. 46.⌋
42. Thou, O Agni, Jātavedas, being praised, hast carried the offerings, having made them fragrant; thou hast given to the Fathers; they have eaten after their wont (? svadháyā); eat thou, O god, the presented oblations.
The verse corresponds to RV. x. 15. 12, found also in VS. (xix. 66) and TS. (in ii. 6. 12$^5$). ⌊Disregarding īlitó,⌋ RV. differs only by reading kṛtvī́ at end of b; and VS. agrees with it in this, but has kavyavāhana for jātavedas in a; ⌊TS. agrees with AV. throughout⌋. Āp. (in i. 10. 14) and MB. (ii. 3. 17) have a verse that agrees with this in b and c, save that MB. has prā ’dāt for prā ’dās in c: but their a is abhūn no dūto haviṣo jātavedāḥ; and for d, Āp. has prajānann agne punar apy ehi devān, while MB. reads p, a. p. ehi yonim. The second half-verse occurs again below as 4. 65 c, d. Kāuç. (89. 13) makes the verse, with 4. 88, and with two verses not found elsewhere, accompany the feeding of the fire at the end of the piṇḍapitṛyajña. ⌊The forms ávāṭ and akṣan are treated, Gram. §890 a and §833 a. As for the sandhi ḍhḍh of the mss., see note to Prāt. i. 94.⌋
43. Sitting in the lap of the ruddy ones (f.), assign ye wealth to your mortal worshiper (dāçvā́ṅs); of that good, O Fathers, present ye to your sons; do ye bestow (dhā) refreshment here.
The verse is found, without variant, as RV. x. 15. 7 and VS. xix. 63. The comm. glosses aruṇīnām in a as aruṇavarṇānām mātṝṇām, without further explanation. Kāuç. does not quote the verse.
​44. Ye fire-sweetened Fathers, come hither; sit on each seat, well-conducting ones; eat on the barhís the presented oblations, and assign to us wealth having all heroes.
The verse is RV. x. 15. 11 through three pādas, RV. having for d: áthā rayíṁ sárvavīraṁ dadhātana; it also reads attā́ ⌊p. attá⌋ in c; and three other texts (VS. xix. 59; TS. in ii. 6. 12$^2$; MS. in iv. 10. 6) agree throughout with it. The comm., too, gives atta and dadhātana. The Anukr. does not heed that we need at the end dadhātana to make a full jagatī. For the use of the verse by Kāuç., with 45 and 46 and other verses, see under 1. 51; for its use by Vāit., with 45 and other verses, see under 1. 44 and 51.
45. Called unto [are] our delectable (somyá) Fathers, to dear deposits on the barhís; let them come; let them listen here; let them bless, let them aid us.
The verse is RV. x. 15. 5, which differs only by omitting the meter-disturbing nas in a. Other texts (VS. xix. 57; TS. ii. 6. 12$^3$; MS. iv. 10. 6) agree with RV.; but TS. combines té avantu in d. ⌊Our d recurs at TB. ii. 6. 16$^2$.⌋ The use of the verse in Kāuç. and Vāit. is the same as that of vs. 44. The comm. glosses nidhíṣu by nidhīyamāneṣu haviḥṣu.
46. They who, our father's fathers, who [his] grandfathers, followed after (? anu-hā) the soma-drinking, best ones—with them let Yama, sharing his gift of oblations, he eager with them eager, eat at pleasure.
The verse is RV. x. 15. 8 (and VS. xix. 51, which has the same text with RV.); this, however, reads for a: yé naḥ pū́rve pitáraḥ somyā́saḥ. In b our text gives, with RV. VS. anūhiré (RV. p. anu॰ūhiré), but it is by emendation, for all our mss. have anujahiré or anūjahiré, p. anu॰jahīré; ⌊the actual details seem to be as follows: anujahiré is given by Bp.P.D., while O.Op.R. have anujahīré; and anūjahiré is given by Bs.M.T., while K. has anūjahīré.⌋ ⌊SPP's authorities show the same four varying forms of the word:⌋ he reads anūjahiré, p. anu॰jahiré, although the majority ⌊five⌋ of his saṁhitā-authorities and the comm. have the preferable anujah- ⌊as against three with anūjah-⌋. Our translation implies the manuscript reading, though it is plainly a corruption of what RV. gives. ⌊Whether we read anujahiré (from anu-hā) or anūhiré (from anu-vah: Sāyaṇa, ānupūrvyeṇa...dattavantaḥ; Mahīdhara, anuvahanti; Weber, 'welche nachgezogen sind'), in either case the sense is about the same.⌋ The comm. treats the word as if it came from root hṛ: anukrameṇa haranty ātmasāt kurvanti. It looks a little as if the text-makers had in mind the root jeh, found in the next verse. The use of the verse with its two predecessors in Kāuç. was noted under vs. 44. It is very unsuitably reckoned by the Anukr. a jagatī, having only one real jagatī pāda; ⌊it scans perfectly as 12 + 11: 11 + 11; the corruption anujahire gives b 12 syllables, but no true jagatī character⌋. ⌊W's version of c accords with Geldner's at Ved. Stud. i. 170 note.⌋
47. They who thirsted panting among the gods, knowers of offering, praise-fashioned, with songs (arká)—come, O Agni, with the thousand god-revering true poets, seers sitting at the gharmá.
48. The true, oblation-eating, oblation-drinking ⌊ones⌋, that [go] in alliance (sarátham) with the gods, with strong (turá) Indra—come hitherward, O Agni, with the beneficent, exalted (pára), ancient seers, sitting at the gharmá.
The RV., in the corresponding verse (x. 15. 10 a, b, d, 9 c) ⌊see under our vs. 47⌋, reads dádhānās in b for turéṇa, and pitṛ́bhis in d for ṛṣibhis—which again all our mss. save one (Op.), but of SPP's only one, accent ṛṣíbhis (as in 47 d) ⌊see my note marked with a * under 47⌋. In c (see under vs. 47), MS. reads arvā́k (but its pada-ms. arvā́n), ⌊while TB. (ii. 6. 16$^2$) reads as AV. RV.⌋. The verse is used in Kāuç. only with its predecessor, which see.
49. Approach (upa-sṛp) thou this mother earth (bhū́mi), the wide-expanded earth (pṛthivī́), the very propitious; the earth (pṛthivī́) [is] soft as wool to him who has sacrificial gifts; let her protect thee on the forward road in front.
The RV., in the corresponding verse (x. 18. 10), reads yuvatís for the repetitious pṛthivī́ in c, and, at the end of d, nírṛter upásthāt; and TA. (in vi. 7. 1) agrees in general with RV., but substitutes the ⌊modernized⌋ equivalent form nírṛtyās; it also has the real variants dákṣiṇāvatī in c ⌊and upásthe in d⌋. SPP. makes no remark on ū́rṇamradās, but three of our pada-mss. ⌊Bp.D.Kp.⌋ have the blundering division ū́rṇam॰mradāḥ, and nearly all our saṁhitā-mss. (not R.) correspondingly ū́rnaṁmradās: the blunder grows, of course, out of the equivalence in grammatical theory of mr and mmr. The verse (according to the comm., vss. 49-51) is used ⌊Kāuç. 86. 10⌋ with 2. 50 (see under that verse) in covering the bones.
50. Swell thou up, O earth; do not press down; be to him easy of access, easy of approach; as a mother her son with her skirt (síc), do thou, O earth (bhū́mi), cover him.
51. Let the earth kindly remain swelling up, for let a thousand props support (upa-çri) it; let these houses, dripping with ghee, pleasant, be forever a refuge for him there (átra).
⌊As to uchváñc-, see note to vs. 50.⌋ The verse is RV. x. 18. 12, which in c reads bhavantu for syonā́s. TA. (in vi. 7. 1) has in a úchmáñc- ⌊so Calc. ed.: Poona has ucchmáñc-⌋ and hí ⌊tíṣṭhasi⌋ for sú ⌊tiṣṭhatu⌋; in b it leaves çrayantām unaccented (if it be not a misprint); ⌊so Calc.: Poona has it rightly çráy-;⌋ in c it ⌊has madhuçcúto for ghṛtaçcúto, and⌋ omits syonā́s (or bhavantu); ⌊and begins d with víçvā́hā: so accented in both ed's, as if it were two words, as in RV. i. 52. 11; 130. 2 (áhā víçvā); iii. 54. 22⌋. The comm. reads in b mithas, but explains it as if mitas (mīyamānā oṣadhayaḥ). The Anukr. takes no notice of the extra syllable in a.
52. I brace up (ut-stabh) the earth from about thee; setting down this clod (? logá), let me take no harm; this pillar do the Fathers maintain for thee; let Yama there make seats for thee.
The corresponding RV. verse (x. 18. 13) reads in c-d dhārayantu té ‘trā ⌊p. te átra⌋, and ends with minotu. The TA. (in vi. 7. 1) reads tabhnomi in a ⌊despite the interposition of te: an interesting variant; cf. Gram. §185 c, aty aṣṭhāt etc.⌋; in b, it substitutes, as do two or three mss. (including our O.) and the comm., lokám ⌊surd⌋ for logám ⌊sonant: cf. note to ii. 13. 3⌋; at the juncture of c and d it agrees with RV. ⌊-yantu té ‘trā⌋; and ends with sā́danāt te minotu. ⌊As to sā́danāt te, cf. the contrary blunders at xv. 10. 2; xviii. 2. 3, note.⌋ Nearly all the mss. (all save our R. and one of SPP's) have riṣan at end of b; but both editions emend to riṣam ⌊as RV. reads⌋. Our mss. vary in accent between sthūṇā́m and sthū́ṇāṁ; in explanation of etāṁ sthūṇām, the comm. says etām prasiddhāṁ sthūṇāṁ tava gṛhanirmāṇāya. As a triṣṭubh, the verse has really three syllables in excess instead of one. Kāuç. quotes it (86. 8) in the ceremony of interment of the bones, with the direction logān yathāparu, doubtless '[laying] clods for each several joint'; the comm. does not notice this.
53. This bowl, O Agni, do not warp (vi-hvṛ); [it is] dear to the gods and the delectable [Fathers]; this bowl here for the gods to drink from—in it let the immortal gods revel.
The RV. has in the corresponding verse (x. 16. 8) eṣá for ayám in c, and at the end mādayante; TA. (in vi. 1. 4) reads in a jīhvaras, and, like RV., eṣá in c. The Kāuç. (81. 9) makes it accompany the laying of the iḍā-bowl on the head of the corpse on the funeral pile, when the deceased's sacrificial implements are disposed about him to be burned with him. The irregularity of the verse (12 + 11: 10 + 11 = 44) is unnoticed by the Anukr.
54. The bowl that Atharvan bore full to Indra the vigorous, in that he makes a draught of what is well done; in that, soma (índu) ever purifies itself.
The comm. supplies yajñasya to sukṛtasya, and, as subject of kṛṇoti, ṛtvijāṁ gaṇaḥ. ⌊The verse scans as 8 + 12: 11 + 11.⌋—⌊See my note on Part VII., above, p. 848.⌋
​55. What of thee the black bird (çakuná) thrust at, the ant, the serpent, or also the beast of prey (çvā́pada), let the all-eating ⌊viçva-ád⌋ Agni make that free from disease, and the soma that hath entered the Brahmans.
The verse is RV. x. 16. 6 without variant. TA. has it also, in vi. 4. 2. TA. reads in c ⌊for viçvā́d ('all-consuming') agadám, the curiously perverted⌋ víçvād ('from every') anṛṇám ⌊which is glossed by sarvasmād upadravād ṛṇarahitam upadravarahitam⌋. In d it has brāhmaṇám (also, in the printed ⌊Calc.⌋ text, āvivíçeṣa; but its comm. ⌊Calc.⌋ explains brāhmaṇe and āviveça); ⌊in the Poona ed. the comm. seems to show an alternative reading, either brāhmaṇe or brāhmaṇam, glossed by etadīye brāhmaṇaçarīre; and it reads of course āviveça⌋. ⌊Our pratīka is cited by Keçava, p. 368$^{10}$, as yat te kṛṣṇaḥ çakunīty ṛcā: is çakunī a blunder? cf. idáṁ yát kṛṣṇáḥ çakúnis, vii. 64. 1, 2.⌋
In Kāuç. the verse is used (80. 5) in the very introduction of the adhyāya, before the handling of the corpse begins; and Keçava says it is in case the man dies of the bite of a crow or ant or the like; the comm. makes the same condition, and adds that the wounded place is to be burned with fire; this is then probably the meaning of Kāuçika's direction ity avadīpayati. The verse appears again (83. 20) in connection with the strewing and covering of the bone-relics.
56. Rich in milk are the herbs; rich in milk is my milk; what is the milk of the milk of the waters, therewith let one beautify (çubh) me.
⌊The translation implies (instead of the çumbhantu of the Berlin text) the reading çumbhatu, which is read by most of SPP's authorities and some of W's and adopted by SPP. Two or three of SPP's, and W's Op., have çumbhata (a blend of AV. çumbhatu and RV. çundhata?). For the misuse of çumbh for çundh, see note to vi. 115. 3.⌋ The corresponding verse in RV. is x. 17. 14, which has vácas instead of páyas at end of b; for c, the less repetitious apā́m páyasvad ít páyaḥ, and at the end çundhata. TS. (in i. 5. 10$^2$) and TB. (in iii. 7. 4$^7$) have again a quite different version: namely, for b, páyasvad vīrudhām páyaḥ; for c, our c; for d, téna mā́m indra sáṁ sṛja. Ppp. also has the verse ⌊in xx.⌋ with vacas in b. Its former half appeared above, as iii. 24. 1 a, b, likewise with vácas. In Kāuç. (82. 9), it is used in the ceremonies of the first day after cremation, with strewing tufts of kuça-grass; the comm., however, says instead that it accompanies a bath taken immediately after the cremation of the dead body. The comm. supplies Varuṇa, as god of the waters, for subject of the concluding verb.
57. Let these women, not widows, well-spoused, touch themselves with ointment, with butter; tearless, without disease, with good treasures, let the wives ascend first to the place of union.
This verse (= RV. x. 18. 7; TA. vi. 10. 2) was found above, as xii. 2. 31, where see: it is not used by Kāuç. in the book of funeral and ancestral ceremonies.
58. Unite thyself (sam-gam) with the Fathers, with Yama, with thy sacred and charitable works in the highest firmament; abandoning what is reproachful, come again home;—let him unite himself with a body, very splendid.
The corresponding verse in RV. (x. 14. 8) reads in c hitvā́ya, and in d gachasva, continuing the general construction of the verse. The first half is found also in TA. (in vi. 4. 2), which has svadhā́bhis for yaména, and adds after it another sám. We had the last pāda above, as 2. 10 d. The mss. are divided between ávadyam and avadyám in c; both editions give avadyám ⌊with RV.⌋.
59. They that are our father's fathers, that are [his] grandfathers, that entered the wide atmosphere—for them may the autocratic (svarā́j) second life today shape our bodies as he will.
The first half-verse we had above as 2. 49 a, b ⌊and its prior pāda also at 3. 46⌋; the second half-verse corresponds to the second half of RV. x. 15. 14 (and VS. xix. 60), but is much corrupted, even to unintelligibility, so that the translation is only mechanical. RV. reads tébhiḥ svarā́ḍ ásunītim etā́ṁ yathāvaçáṁ tanvàṁ kalpayasva; VS. has tébhyas and kalpayāti, but the rest like RV. The last pāda is identical with vii. 104. 1 d above.
60. Let the mist be weal for thee; let the frost fall down [as] weal for thee; O cool one, possessing cool ones; O refreshing one, possessing refreshing ones; mayest thou be with weal a she-frog in the waters; kindly pacify thou this fire.
Or, 'this Agni.'—Of the ritual use of this verse, the comm. simply says that with it one is to sprinkle the bones of a Brahman with the plants referred to, dipped in water and milk; Kāuç. (82. 26) combines it with 3. 5 ⌊doubtless rather 3. 5 and 6: see under 3. 5⌋, in the manner explained under that verse. ⌊Partly because W. overlooked some TA. variants, it seemed necessary for me to rewrite the next paragraph; but I could not easily indicate my changes and additions by the usual ell-brackets.⌋
The main stock of this verse (pādas c-f) is RV. x. 16. 14 and is the third verse of TA. vi. 4. 1: in both these texts it stands next after the verse which corresponds to our 3. 6 above, namely after RV. x. 16. 13 = TA. vi. 4. 1$^2$: see note to 3. 6. Considering how closely it is connected with our 3. 6 in sense and in position in those texts, it is strange that it should be so removed from 3. 6 in AV.—In d part of the mss. (including our Bp.P.M.I.: also the comm.) read hlā́dake hlā́dak-; TA. has hlā́duke hlā́duk-. For e, RV. has maṇḍūkyà sú sáṁ gamaḥ (of which our version, p. maṇḍūkī́: ap॰sú: çám: bhuvaḥ, is no better than a corruption), and TA., again differently, maṇḍūkyàsu (as an adjective, supplying apsu) saṁgamáya; and the comm., finally, maṇḍūkyā ’sya çam bhava: moreover, for the çám of both ed's, some of our mss. (O.Op.R.) and one of SPP's have sám. In e, at the end, RV. has harṣaya and TA. çamáya: our çamaya is better than either.—To the main stock of the AV. verse are prefixed two pādas which agree nearly with the second half of the next verse but one in TA. (vs. 5: interposed as vs. 4 is matter that corresponds to our i. 6. 4 and xix. 2. 1, 2): but for our bhavatu the TA. has varṣatu; and for our çáṁ te pruṣvā́, it has çám u pṛ́ṣṭhā (so Calc.: the Poona ed. accepts pṛ́ṣvā but gives pṛṣṭhā as variant): the comm. glosses pṛṣvā with jalabinduḥ,—For Bloomfield's discussion, see under vs. 6. Bergaigne comments on the verse, Rel. Véd. i. 84, note, ii. 472.
61. Let Vivasvant make for us freedom from fear, he who is well-preserving, quick-giving (? -dā́nu), well-giving; let these heroes be many here; let there be in me prosperity (puṣṭá) rich in kine, rich in horses.
About half of SPP's mss., and one of ours (Op.), accent at the beginning vívasvān. The comm. explains jīrádānus alternatively by jīvanasya kartā and vayohāner (as if from jṛ 'waste away') dātā. ⌊Pāda a is found (with metrical rectification) as noted under vs. 62.⌋ The third pāda is identical with xii. 2. 21 d. By Kāuç. 81. 48 the verse is used at the end of the cremation ceremony with an oblation on the north; and again (82. 36), vss. 61 and 62 accompany each ⌊separately: see the comm., p. 176$^{13}$⌋ a sthālīpāka offering to Vivasvant at the gathering of the bone-relics, while a third offering is made with them both together ⌊82. 37⌋. And further (86. 17), vss. 61-67 are used with 3. 10 in the interment of the bones (see under the latter verse); the comm. describes it thus: "in the ceremony of gathering at the cemetery, the manager and all the relatives, standing in the western part of the cemetery, should approach the departed." The comm. adds one or two more minor applications. ⌊Verses 61 and 62 are translated by Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythol. i. 489.⌋
62. Let Vivasvant set us in immortality; let death go away; let what is immortal come to us; let [him] defend these men until old age; let not their life-breaths (ásu) go to Yama.
In ÇÇS. iv. 16. 5, and MB. i. 1. 15 are found as the first two pādas of a verse our 62 b and 61 a. ⌊For the na āitu of our 62 b, both texts have ma ā gāt (the me is incongruent with the following nas); and for the vivasvān of our 61 a, both have vaivasvato,⌋ thus rectifying the meter. The mss. accent vivasvān as in 61 a. We need to resolve mó to mā́ u in d to make a good triṣṭubh pāda; but the Anukr. would apparently read mo and balance the lack of a syllable by the redundancy of one in c. Possibly ā́ is intrusive in c, and the meaning was 'defend from growing old.' The ritual use of the verse was explained above, under vs. 61.
63 . He who maintains himself by his might, like [birds?] in the atmosphere, poet of the Fathers, favorer (? prámati) of prayers (matí)—him praise ye, all-befriended, with oblations; may that Yama give (dhā) us to live further on.
The reading in the first pāda is doubtful; our text has antárikṣeṇa, but the other edition -kṣe ná. Bp. and Op. read antárikṣe: ná, and so, apparently, SPP's pada-mss. but our D.K. have -kṣeṇa, and with it agree our P.M.I., while O.R.T., though they give na, do not accent it; SPP's mss. are somewhat similarly at variance. The commentator's interpretation is an interpretation of antarikṣeṇa; but his text (according to SPP.) reads -kṣe na. Only the sense can decide, and that is quite doubtful; the translation ventured above implies -kṣe ná. The second half-verse occurs again below as 4. 54 c, d. One is tempted to understand viçvámitrās ⌊so accented in both ed's with all the authorities⌋ in c as 'O Viçvāmitras'; but this is so decidedly opposed by the accent and by the short vowel of the second syllable (which is authenticated by the pada-reading viçvá॰mitrāḥ, while viçvā́mitra is never divided: see Prāt. iii. 9 and note) that I have not dared to assume it; ⌊but the comm., ignoring these considerations, takes it as voc. For the verse in general,⌋ the comm., as usual in a trying case, gives no help whatever; he glosses pramati with prakṛṣṭabuddhi, and mati with mantṛ or stotṛ, in apposition with pitṝṇām; and he makes antarikṣeṇa dadhre mean (pitṝn) antarā kṣāntena lokena dhārayati.
64. Ascend ye to the highest heaven; O seers, be not afraid; ye soma-drinkers, soma-drenchers, this oblation is made to you; we have gone to the highest light.
Encouraged by the comm. (anyān api yajamānān somam pāyayanti), the translation mends the repetition in c by violently taking -pāyin as causative to -pā.
65. Agni shines forth with great show (ketú); the bull roars loudly unto the two firmaments (ródasī); ⌊even⌋ from the end of heaven he hath attained unto me (?); in the lap of the waters the buffalo increased.
The verse corresponds to RV. x. 8. 1, and is also found as SV. i. 71 and in TA. vi. 3. 1. RV. and SV. read in a yāti; in b ⌊which occurs again as RV. vi. 73. 1 d also⌋, TA. has āvír víçvāni (for ā́ ródasī); in c, RV. has the far more acceptable reading ántāṅ upamā́ṅ, while SV. gives ántād upamā́m and TA. ántād úpa mā́m; ⌊moreover, TA. accents udā́naḍ⌋. The AV. mss. are at variance in c; all read ántāt save our K., which gives ántām; the saṁhitā-mss. generally have upamā́m (K. -mā́n), and Bp. upa॰mā́m; but some (Op.D., also T.) and two of SPP's pada-mss. have úpa: mā́m, with TA., and with the comm.; and this last is implied by the translation, though both editions adopt upamā́m, with SV. ⌊Pischel, Göttingische Gelehrte Anzeigen, 1897, p. 811, renders the verse.⌋
66. As, longing with the heart, they looked upon thee, flying up* [as] an eagle in the firmament (nā́ka), golden-winged messenger of Varuṇa, busy (bhuraṇyú) bird (çakuná) in the lair of Yama.
The RV. has the verse (x. 123. 6), and it is found also in SV. (i. 320 and ii. 1196), TB. (in ii. 5. 8$^5$), and TA. (vi. 3. 1); all read alike throughout, save that the RV. (not the SV.) pada-text has the bad division and accent abhí: ácakṣata. Our P.M.O. have at the end bhuraṇyám. It is noteworthy that vss. 65 and 66, which have no apparent connection with funeral rites, and are not used by Kāuç. save in the group 61-67, are found almost together (separated only by our 3. 7) also in the funeral collection of TA. *⌊W's "up" for úpa may be an oversight: render perhaps 'they looked upon thee, flying onward (úpa) [as] an eagle'? Our comm., taking 'thee' as the dead man, construes, 'flying unto the eagle'; but is not the verse addressed rather to Agni? cf. Griffith and comm. on TA.—Sāyaṇa, commenting on the RV. vs., says he vena; but in his comm. on TB. he says he pravargyasvāmin: an interesting diversity of opinion! Perhaps RV. ix. 85. 11 may throw light on our verse.⌋
67. O Indra, bring us ability (krátu), as a father to his sons; help (çikṣ) us in this course (yā́man), O much-invoked one; may we, living, attain to light.
The verse is RV. vii. 32. 26, found also as SV. i. 259; ii. 806, and TS. vii. 5. 7$^4$; the only variant anywhere is that TS. has no as-, unlingualized, in c. The comm. glosses yā́mani with saṁsāragamane, and çíkṣa by anuçādhi.
68. What vessels covered (api-dhā) with cakes the gods maintained for thee, be they for thee rich in svadhā́, rich in honey, dripping with ghee.
The verse is repeated below as 4. 25. Only one of our mss. and one of SPP's accent ádhārayan; ⌊but one of SPP's at 4. 25 also accents ádhā-.⌋
69. What grains I scatter along for thee, mixed with sesame, rich in svadhā́, be they for thee abundant (vibhú), prevailing; them let king Yama approve for thee.
According to the comm., the grains are roasted barley; and anu manyatām means 'assent to thine enjoying'; ⌊at 4. 26 he says tā dhānās tava bhogāya...anujānātu. It depends on Yama's favor, says Weber, Sb., 1896, p. 276, whether the dead man may have the benefit of his viaticum, or not.⌋ The verse is nearly identical with 4. 26, and is precisely identical with 4. 43. Its meter is (9 + 8: 8 + 10 = 35) rather irregular, and lacks a syllable of being full measure. ⌊With an easy double sandhi in a (dhānānu-) and the resolutions taās and rājā anu in d, it scans very well as 8 + 8: 8 + 12.⌋ Kāuç. (85. 27) directs that grains be scattered 'with verses that have the sign (salin̄ga)'; and Keçava states these verses to be the two that begin yās te dhānās (doubtless 3. 69 ⌊= 4. 43⌋ and 4. 26, since 3. 70 is evidently not salin̄ga), also 4. 32 and 33, and another not found in the text; the comm. says that such grains are to be put upon the bones with the two vss. that begin with yās te dhānas, ⌊by which he seems to mean 3. 69 (= 4. 43) and 4. 26 rather than 3. 69 and 70: at any rate, he immediately cites 3. 70 for another use⌋.
⌊It is hardly doubtful that the black variety of sesame (kṛṣṇatila) is meant here, and that it is used, like the black rice and black victim, on account of its color: Pischel, GGA., 1897, p. 813. Pischel's view is confirmed by the fact that, if an offering to the Manes is performed apropos of some joyful occurrence in the family, barley is substituted for sesame: so Çrāddhakalpa, iv. 5, as cited by Caland, Totenverehrung, p. 37.⌋
70. Give back, O forest tree, him who is deposited here with thee, that in Yama's seat he may sit speaking counsels.
Two of our pada-mss. (Bp.Kp.) read vidátha in d. The verse is repeated, according to Kāuç. (83. 19), when the bone-relics are removed from the root of a tree, at which they had been for some time deposited: the comm. adds "provided they have been previously so deposited." It reads more as if it were originally addressed to the (hollowed) tree in which a corpse is buried (in which case, tváyi ought to be rendered 'in thee'). ⌊With regard to vanaspate, see my note to 2. 25, above: and as to vidáthā, see Geldner, ZDMG. lii. 735.⌋
71. Take hold, O Jātavedas; let thy seizure (háras) be with sharpness (téjas-); his body do thou consume; then set him in the world of the well-doing.
Or (in b) 'let thy flame be brilliant.' The verse is used ⌊Kāuç. 81. 33⌋ with 2.4 and others (see under 2. 4) at the lighting of the funeral pile.
72. What Fathers of thine went away earlier and what later, for them let there go a brook of ghee, hundred-streamed, overflowing.
The second half of the verse is nearly identical with 4. 57 c, d below. The mss. are not agreed about kulyāì ’tu ⌊so both ed's⌋: some (including our R. and ⌊one or⌋ two of SPP's) read kulyè ’ta. Our Bp. has kulyā̀: etu; but Op. accents -yā́, and Kp. has kulya॰etu. The noun is elsewhere accented kulyā́, and hence our text ought doubtless to he kulyāí ’tu ⌊so SPP's B.⌋. The verse is twice used with 4. 57 in Kāuç.: once (86. 2) in the ceremony of interment of the bones, on filling a dish (caru) with butter and honey and depositing it by the head ⌊see note to 4. 16⌋; and again (88. 17), in the piṇḍapitṛyajña, on smearing the piṇḍas with sacrificial butter.
73. Ascend thou this, gaining (ud-mṛj) vigor (váyas); thine own [people] shine here greatly; go forth, unto [them],—be not left behind midway—unto the world of the Fathers that is first there.
Nearly all the mss. (all save our I.O.R., and one or two of SPP's) accent in a unmṛjā́nas, -which our edition accordingly reads; SPP. makes the proper emendation to -jānás (cf. mṛjānās, vs. 17, note). The comm. glosses váyas with antarikṣam, because viyanti gacchanty asmin! and then of course makes it the object of ā roha, explaining unmṛjānas as çarīrād utkramaṇena svātmānaṁ çodhayan. For the use of the verse in Kāuç. 85. 24, with 2. 37, see under the latter. ⌊Cf. p. 848, ¶8.⌋
⌊Here ends the third anuvāka, with 1 hymn and 73 verses. The quoted Anukr. says saptatis tryadhikā paraḥ: cf. page 814.⌋