The comm. explains araṇī as ārtikāriṇī rākṣasī 'a pain-causing she-demon'; by its form it should be a fem. to áraṇa 'strange.' Again (as at iv. 16. 1) SPP. unaccountably reads (with the comm., who explains it as an antarhitanāman) in a nas tāyát (instead of na stāyát), and in pada-text tāyát, although every known pada-ms. ⌊begins the word with s- and⌋ stāyát alone has etymological justification. Some of the saṁhitā-mss. (including our W.I.) read āví sv- in a-b. The mss. also vary between tā́n and tā́m (our Bp. and all our saṁhitā-mss. have the latter; both editions give the former). ⌊One does not easily see how the Anukr. justifies its definition.⌋
2. Whoever shall assail us asleep or waking, standing or moving, O Jātavedas, in accord with Vāiçvānara as ally, do thou meet and burn them out, O Jātavedas.
All SPP's pada-mss., and one of ours (D.), read suptā́m in a, by a frequent error. Ludwig suggests vāivasvatena for vāiçvānareṇa in c; it would certainly be an improvement to the sense.
109 (114). ⌊For success with the dice.⌋
[Bādarāyaṇi.*—saptarcam. āgneyam uta mantroktadāivatam. ānuṣṭubham: 1. virāṭ purastādbṛhatī; 2, 3, 5, 6. triṣṭubh.]
Found also in Pāipp. iv. (in the verse-order 6, 1, 2, 5, 3, 7, 4). Used by Kāuç. (41. 13), with hymn 50 etc., in a rite for success in gambling: see under 50; and by Vāit. (6. 10), in the agnyādheya ceremony, when the sacrificer hands the adhvaryu the anointed dice, for winning at play the somakrayaṇī cow. ⌊The decad division cuts the hymn between vss. 3 and 4: cf. p. 389.⌋ *⌊Note that iv. 38 is for luck in gambling and is ascribed to the same rishi. Cf. introd. to iv. 38 and 40.⌋
Translated: Muir, v. 429 (vss. 1-4); Ludwig, p. 456; Henry, 42, 118; Griffith, i. 380.—Cf. Zimmer, p. 285, 284.
1. This homage to the formidable brown one, who among the dice is self-controller; with ghee do I aid (?) Kali; may he be gracious to us in such plight.
⌊In a, Henry would suppress either idám or else námo.⌋ Ppp. combines yo ‘kṣeṣu in b, and reads kalyam in c. The comm. explains babhráve as babhruvarṇāyāi ’tatsaṁjñakāya dyūtajayakāriṇe devāya; of Kali he says parājayahetuḥ pañcasaṁkhyāyukto ‘kṣaviṣayo ‘yaḥ kalir ity ucyate, and quotes TB. i. 5. 111; çikṣāmi is either tāḍayāmi or samarthaṁ kartum icchāmi.
2. Do thou, O Agni, carry ghee for the Apsarases, dust for the dice, gravel and waters; enjoying in their respective shares the oblation-giving, the gods revel in both kinds of oblations.
Ppp. puts agne after ghṛtam in a ⌊a great improvement of the meter⌋, reads nakhebhyas in b, makes c refer to Agni by giving yathābhāgas and juṣāṇas, and has madantu in d. Some of the mss. (including our D.K.) also read madantu, and it gives the preferable sense; but both editions have -ti, as being better supported. Half SPP's mss., and at least one (D.) of ours, give pāṅçū́n in b. The comm. boldly declares akṣebhyas in b to mean pratikitavebhyas: they are to have dust etc. flung at them, that they may be beaten.
