18. Whose head [was] Vāiçvānara, [whose] eye the An̄girases were, whose members the familiar demons (yatú)—that Skambha tell [me]: which forsooth is he?
19. Of whom they call bráhman the mouth, the honey-whip the tongue also, of whom they call virā́j the udder—that Skambha etc. etc.
Ppp. reads for c virājaṁ yasyo ”dhā ”hus.
20. From whom they fashioned off the verses, from whom they scraped off the sacrificial formula, of whom the chants [are] the hairs (lóman), the Atharvans-and-An̄girases the mouth—that Skambha etc. etc.
⌊Ppp. combines ṛco ‘pāt- in a, and has charidāṅsy asya for sāmāni yasya in c.⌋
21. The branch of the non-existent, standing forth, people know as in a manner the highest thing; also the lower ones who worship (upa-ās) thy branch think [it?] the existent thing.
The translation of .this highly obscure verse is only mechanical, and as literal as possible. Ppp. has only the first half. The definition of the Anukr. is a strange one; the verse is only a bhurig anuṣṭubh (in virtue of the iva, which properly is to be reduced to va, making a regular anuṣṭubh).
22. Where both the Ādityas and the Rudras and the Vasus are set together; where both what is and what is to be, [and] all the worlds are established—that Skambha tell [me]: which forsooth is he?
23. Of whom the thirty-three gods always defend the treasure (nidhí): that treasure, which, O gods, ye defend, who at present knoweth?
24. Where the bráhman-knowing gods worship the chief bráhman—whoso verily knoweth them eye to eye (pratyákṣam), he may be a Brahman (brahmán), a knower.
Perhaps an acceptable emendation in d would be bráhma: i.e. 'he may be (may be regarded as) one knowing the bráhman': cf. ÇB. xiv. 6. 911. Ppp. reads, for c, d, yo vāi tad brahmaṇo veda taṁ vāi brahmavido viduḥ. Read in a devā́ (an accent-sign dropped out).
25. Great (bṛhánt) by name [are] those gods who were born out of the non-existent; that one member of Skambha people call non-existent beyond.
The second half-verse is capable of other interpretations; Ludwig emends parás to purā́; Muir, tacitly, to páram; Scherman translates it 'afterwards' (nachher); Ppp. reads instead puras. One of our mss. reads in b ‘satas p-; ⌊and so does SPP. without report of variant⌋.
26. Where the skambhá, generating forth, rolled out the ancient one, that one member of the skambhá they know also accordingly [as] the ancient one.
Or, 'know etc. that ancient one as one member of the skambha.' Ppp. again (as in 17 b, f) arasaṁ viduḥ in d. Read in our edition prajanáyan in a.
