22. King Soma [is] our over-ruler and favorer (mṛḍitṛ́); let the lords of being favor us.
The verse properly contains 22 syllables (11 + 11), and should therefore be called a sāmnī triṣṭubh. Ppp. reads in b ṛtasya naṣ.
23. Let Bhava-and-Çarva hurl (as) at the evil-doer, the witchcraft-maker, the ill-doer, the missile of the gods, the lightning.
Ppp. reads in a pāpakṛtvane ⌊which is metrically much better⌋. The definition of the verse by the Anukr. is very stupid; it is plainly two triṣṭubh pādas, with an intruded word of three syllables (either duṣkṛ́te or vidyútam; either could be spared). The mss. insert a cesura-mark after kṛtyākṛ́te.
24. If thou camest [as] biped, as quadruped, put together by the witchcraft-maker, all-formed, do thou, becoming octoped, go away again from here, O misfortune!
The verse has the same structure as 20. The pada-text here and in vs. 28 reads ā॰iyátha.
25. Anointed, smeared, well-adorned, bearing all difficulty, go thou away; recognize (jñā), O witchcraft, thy maker, as a daughter her own father.
The definition of this verse appears to be omitted in the Anukr., as we can hardly be meant to take it for an anuṣṭubh. The first pāda is capable of being crowded together into 8 syllables, or expanded into 12 (either procedure being about equally strained), making the verse either an urobṛhatī or a prastārapan̄kti. It is quoted in Kāuç. 39. 18.
26. Go away, O witchcraft; stand not; lead, as it were, the track of one pierced; it is a deer, thou a deer-hunter; it is unable to put thee down.
'Lead,' in b, appears to be used in the sense of 'follow'; the 'track' is doubtless that of the maker: ⌊cf. note to xi. 2. 13⌋. The pada-text divides mṛga॰yúḥ: cf. Prāt. iii. 18.
27. Also the after one (ápara) slays with an arrow, fitting it (?), the one shooting (-āsin) in front; also of the front one, smiting down, the after one smites down in return.
This obscure and probably corrupt verse gets no help from Ppp., which merely reads uto for uta in c. The Pet. Lex. suggests emendation of -dā́ya to -dhā́ya in b, and the translation implies the change.
28. Hear thou, verily, these words of mine; then go whence thou camest, to meet him who made thee.
Ppp. reads at the end punaḥ for prati.
29. The slaying of an innocent person is indeed fearful, O witchcraft; slay thou not our cow, horse, man; wheresoever thou art set down, from there we make thee stand up; become thou lighter than a leaf.
