4. Pierce thou into his eyes, pierce into his heart, bore into his tongue, destroy (pra-mṛ) his teeth; whatsoever piçācá hath devoured of him, that one, O Agni, youngest [god], do thou crush back.
Ppp. reads for a mokṣāu na viddhi hṛdayaṁ na viddhi and piçāco syatamo in c, and yaviṣṭhaṣ in d. Kāuç. (25. 24) quotes the verse in a remedial ceremony.
5. What of him is taken [or] taken apart, what is borne away, whatsoever of himself is devoured by the piçācás, that, O Agni, do thou, knowing, bring again; into his body we send flesh [and] spirit (ásu).
Ppp. reads for d çarīre prāṇam asum erayā saṁ sṛjema. The Anukr. defines the meter correctly, according to its methods.
6. In raw, in well-cooked, in mixed (? çabála), in ripe, what piçācá hath injured (dambh) me in the partaking—that let the piçācás atone for (? vi-yātay) with self [and] progeny; be this man free from disease.
Ppp. has for a our 8 a (reading tvā for mā), and for 8 a yāme sap. çavale vip.; further, for b odane manthe diva ota lehe; and here and in the verses that follow, it varies between dadambha and didambha.
7. In milk (kṣīrá), in stirabout whoever hath injured me, who in grain growing uncultivated—in the partaking [thereof]—that let the piçācás etc. etc.
Ppp. reads in a kṣīre tvā māṅse, and in b -pāçye.
8. In the drinking of waters whatever flesh-eater hath injured me lying (çī) in the lair (çáyana) of the familiar demons (yātú)—that let the piçācás etc. etc.
We are tempted to emend (with Ludwig) çáyānam to çáyānas at end of b. Ppp. reads here, in a, b, nearly our 6 a, b, a with the three variants given above, and b with imam for yo mā, and with ‘çane; and it adds our 10 c, d instead of the refrain.
9. By day, by night, whatever flesh-eater hath injured me lying in the lair of the familiar demons—that let the piçācás etc. etc.
Ppp. reads tvā for mā in a, and in b ṣkravyād yātuç çayate piçācaḥ: ud agne dvān pṛthak: çṛṇīhy apy enaṁ dehi nirṛter upasthe. In c of the refrain of all these verses is a syllable lacking, unless we make a harsh and unusual resolution.
10. The flesh-eating, bloody (rudhirá), mind-slaying piçācá do thou slay, O Agni, Jātavedas; let the vigorous Indra slay him with the thunderbolt; let bold Soma cut [off] his head.
The Anukr. takes no notice of the lacking syllables in b and c, the latter of which, indeed, is easily made up for by resolving vá-jṛ-e-ṇa.
11. From of old, O Agni, thou killest the sorcerers; the demons have not conquered thee in fights; burn up the flesh-eaters together with their dupes (?); let them not be freed from thy heavenly missile.
This verse is repeated below as viii. 3. 18, in the midst of the RV. hymn of which it forms a part: see the note upon it there.
