The first three pādas of the verse are RV. ix. 110. 1 (repeated, with īrase for īyase at the end, as SV. i. 428; ii. 714), which reads in a dhanva (without lengthening of the final), and has for c dviṣás tarádhyā ṛṇayā́ na īyase; of this our text appears to be a simple corruption. ⌊In the RV. version, prá dhanva (cf. ix. 109. 1 a) and ṛṇayā́ naḥ seem to be insertions like those in AV. ii. 5.⌋ Ppp. reads sahasraças instead of sanisrasas in d, and in c divas tad, which comes nearer to making sense. The verse, with its prose ending, is most naturally divided as 12 + 8: 12 + 7 + 11 = 50; but the pada-mss. put the pāda division strangely after trayodaçás.
5. Now (not?) hast thou succeeded (rādh) by that, thou yonder (asāú): hail! having sharp weapons, having sharp missiles, very propitious, O Soma and Rudra, do ye be very gracious to us here.
For asāu 'thou yonder' is doubtless to be used the name of the person addressed in practice: = O so-and-so. Ppp. reads for the first division of the verse vītenāvāitenāmāitena rātsthīrar asāu svāhā, which seems intended virtually to contain vss. 5-7; it has in b, c tigmā- and suçevā ’gnīṣomāv iha; and it puts the verse after our vs. 8. The Pet. Lex. makes the pertinent suggestion ⌊s.v. anu + rādh⌋ that nú at the beginning is for ánu; nú is nowhere in AV. found at the beginning of a pāda or clause—nor in RV. except as prolonged to nū́. Unhappily we get no help on the subject from the sense. ⌊Whitney's "(not?)" is not clear to me, unless it is meant to suggest emendation to nāíténa = ná eténa. If we read ánu, we must render, 'Thou hast succeeded by that.' But does not the Ppp. reading suggest rather ví eténa arātsīs?⌋
6. Thou hast failed (ava-rādh) by that, thou yonder: hail! having sharp etc. etc.
7. Thou hast offended (apa-rādh) by that, thou yonder: hail! having sharp etc. etc.
These two variations on vs. 5 are not given by Ppp. save so far as they may be intimated in its beginning of 5.
8. Do ye (two) release us from difficulty, from reproach (avadyá); enjoy ye the offering; put in us immortality (amṛ́ta).
Some of the mss. (Bp.2O.) read asmā́t instead of asmā́n. Ppp. has asmāt, and after it gṛbhīthāt.
9. O missile (hetí) of sight, missile of mind, missile of incantation (bráhman), and missile of penance! weapon's weapon (mení) art thou; weaponless be they who show malice against us.
With this verse and the next is to be compared TB. ii. 4. 21: c. h. m. h. vā́co hete bráhmaṇo hete: yó ma ’ghāyúr abhidā́sati tám agne menyā́ ’meníṁ kṛṇu, etc. ⌊Cf. Geldner, Festgruss an Böhtlingk, p. 32.⌋ The Anukr. omits any metrical definition of the verse. ⌊It seems rather to regard it as included under the general definition "trāiṣṭubham."⌋
10. Whoever with sight, with mind, with intention, and whoever with design, malicious, shall attack us—do thou, O Agni, with weapon make them weaponless: hail!
