The comm. reads in c nirāuham; SPP. follows grammatical rule and reads -haṅ jīv- this time ⌊cf. note to 1. 19. 4⌋ because all his saṁhitā-mss. happen to agree in doing so; some of ours, however, do not. The comm. explains rájasas in b as mūrchālakṣaṇād āvaraṇāt. ⌊At 97. 6, Kāuç. gives in full, for use in case of a family quarrel (cf. above, introd.), a verse whose first half agrees entirely with the second half of this.⌋
10. The down-going in the welkin, not to be ventured down upon, which is thine, O death—from that road defending this man, we make bráhman a covering (varman) for him.
The comm. reads in b anavadhṛṣyam; root dhṛṣ+ ava is found only in these two derivatives. For rajasám ⌊cf. Gram. §1209 b⌋ Ppp. has rajasas; the comm. simply paraphrases the former by rajomayam. One or two of the pada-mss. (including our Bp.) leave mṛtyo unaccented in b; Ppp. elides ‘nav- after it; and, in c, combines pathāi ’maṁ (satisfying the meter).
11. I make for thee breath-and-expiration, old age as [mode of] death, long life-time, welfare; all the messengers of Yama, sent forth by Vivasvant's son, moving about, I drive away.
Ppp. reads in b jarāmṛtyum, and, in d, caratā ”rān (i.e. carata ārād?) apa.
12. Afar niggardliness, perdition, away seizure (grā́hi), the flesh-eating piçācás, every demon that is of evil nature—that we smite away, as it were into darkness.
Or 'like darkness.' The comm. reads in b purogrāhim, and, in d, eva for iva. Ppp. has tavāi ’va for tat tama iva. 'Afar' and 'away' in a, b anticipate as it were the 'we smite away' of d.
13. Thy breath I win from immortal Agni, from long-lived Jātavedas, that thou mayest take no harm, mayest be immortal in alliance [with him]: that I make for thee; let that prove successful for thee.
A number of the mss. (including our Bp.E.D.) read ṛ́ṣyās in c. Ppp. has vanave for vanve in b, and yatrā at beginning of c.
14. Let heaven-and-earth be propitious to thee, not distressing, conferring fortune (? abhiçrī́); let the sun burn weal unto thee; let the wind blow weal to thy heart; let the heavenly waters, rich in fatness (páyas), flow propitious upon thee.
Ppp. combines sūryā ”tapatu in c, reads kṣaranti in e, and adds further at the end çivās te santv oṣadhīḥ. The comm. gives adhiçriyāu in b, glossing it with prāptaçrīke çrīprade.
15. Propitious to thee be the herbs; I have caught thee up from the lower unto the upper earth; there let both the Ādityas, sun and moon, defend thee.
Ppp. reads ā ’hāriṣam in b, and ati for abhi in c, and combines -masā ubhā at the end.
