"Stones": i.e. probably, blocks of wood used instead of stones ⌊see Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythol. i. 162, 161⌋; or the wooden mortar and pestle (so the comm.). Ppp. reads for c ekāṣṭakayī (= -kāyāi) haviṣā vidhema. Some of the mss. combine havíḥ kṛ- in b; the comment to Prāt. ii. 63 requires havíṣ k-, which both editions accept. Some of our mss. (P.M.W.Op.) give in c suprajāsas. HGS. (ii. 14. 4) and MB. (ii. 2. 13) have a corresponding verse: HGS. begins with ulūkhalās, combines haviḥ k- and reads -rīṇām in b, and has suprajā vīravantas in c; MB. gives for a āulūkhalāḥ sampravadanti grāvāṇas, ends b with -rīṇām, and has for d jyog jīvema balihṛto vayaṁ te. ⌊It recurs also at MP. ii. 20. 34 and MGS. ii. 8. 4b.⌋ The first pāda is jagatī, unnoted in the Anukr. ⌊As to aṣṭakā, cf. Zimmer, p. 365.⌋
6. The track (padá) of Idā [is] full of ghee, greatly trickling; O Jātavedas, accept thou the oblations. The cattle of the village that are of all forms—of those seven let the willing stay (ráṁti) be with me.
Versions are found in AÇS. (ii. 2. 17), ĀpÇS. (vi. 5. 7), HGS. (ii. 17. 2), and MB. (ii. 2. 14), and of the latter half in TA. (iii. 11. 12, vs. 31 a, c). MB. agrees with our text throughout; the three others have carācaram at end of a, and all three havir idaṁ juṣasva (for prati etc.) in b; HGS. begins with iḍāyāi sṛptam, and ĀpÇS. combines iḍāyāḥ p-; then, in d, ĀpÇS., HGS., and TA. read ihá instead of máyi; and AÇS. puṣṭis for raṁtis; HGS. ends with raṁtir asiu puṣṭiḥ. The comm. reads ilāyās in a; he renders sarīsṛpam by atyarthaṁ sarpat, raṁtis by prītis, and specifies the seven village (i.e. domestic) animals as cow, horse, goat, sheep, man, ass, camel; but the number seven is doubtless used only as an indefinite sacred one. Pada a is again jagatī, as in vs. 5. ⌊Pāda c is our ii. 34. 4 a; between viçvarūpās and teṣām ĀpÇS. inserts virūpās (a fragment of our ii. 34. 4 b!).—Prāt. ii. 72 requires iḍāyās p-.⌋
7. [Set] thou me in both prosperity and abundance; O night, may we be in the favor of the gods.
O spoon, fly away full; fly back hither well-filled; jointly enjoying all sacrifices, bring to us food (íṣ), refreshment (ū́rj).
The first two pādas, which seem to have nothing to do with the rest of the verse, are wanting in Ppp. What follows them is a complete anuṣṭubh, and quoted by its pratīka in Vāit. (see above); its first half is found in several other texts: VS. (iii. 49), TS. (i. 8. 41), MS. (i. 10. 2), K. (ix. 5), AÇS. (ii. 18. 13); of these, VS. TS. AÇS. read darvi for darve, as does also the comm., with a few of SPP's mss. Ppp. has saṁpṛñcatī iṣam in the last half-verse. The comm. understands ā sthāpaya in a, as in the translation; bhaja would answer an equally good purpose. He explains that the spoon is to go forth with oblation and to return with the answering blessings. Sambhuñjatī he renders by haviṣā samyak pālayantī prīņayantī. Finally, he points out that, as c is quoted as a pratīka, a and b have a right to the character of a separate verse; but that in the pañcapaṭalikā the whole is made a verse, with three avasānas; the statement, but not the title, appears to fit our Anukr.; this scans as 8 + 10; 8 + 8: 8 + 8 = 50, needlessly counting only 10 syllables in b. In our ed., read mā for me. ⌊Cf. iv. 15. 12 n.⌋
8. Hither hath come the year, thy spouse, O sole áṣṭakā; do thou unite our long-lived progeny with abundance of wealth.
Instead of repeating the second half-verse of vs. 3, Ppp. gives for c, d tasmāi juhomi: haviṣā ghṛtena çāu naç çarma yacchatu. Against his usual habit, the comm. explains c, d anew, but quite in accordance with his former explanation.
