25. He verily [is] death, he immortality (amṛ́ta), he the monster (abhvà), he the demon.
The verse is probably quoted under Prāt. iii. 65 (see the note there). In order to make out the fifteen syllables of the Anukr., we have to read só amṛ́taṁ só abhvàm.
26. He [is] Rudra, winner of good, in the giving of good; in the expression of homage, [he is] the utterance váṣaṭ, put together after.
The connection here is very doubtful. Henry understands it as above; Muir (iv. 338) quite differently. The verse is very peculiarly treated by the Anukr.; first it is quoted in its proper place thus: sa rudra ity ārṣī (so the Berlin ms., but the London ms. has āsurī) gāyatrī; and then, after the definition of vss. 27, 28, the London ms. says again sa rudro vasuvanir ārcy anuṣṭup. The descriptions ārṣī gāyatrī and ārcy anuṣṭubh (each implying 24 syllables) both apply equally well, if we restore -kāró ánu.
27. All these familiar demons (yātú) wait upon his direction (praçís).
28. In his control are all yon asterisms, together with the moon.
29. He verily was born of the day; of him the day was born.
The Anukr. unaccountably ratifies the elision áhno ‘j-, instead of restoring aj- and recognizing the pāda for what it is, eight syllables.
30. He verily was born of the night; of him the night was born.
31. He verily was born of the atmosphere; of him the atmosphere was born.
The verse lacks four syllables, instead of two, of the twenty-four that make a gāyatrī.
32. He verily was born of Vāyu (wind); of him Vāyu was born.
33. He verily was born of the sky; out of him the sky was born.
Here again the Anukr. requires us to read divò ‘j-.
34. He verily was born of the quarters; of him the quarters were born.
Here we are to make both elisions, in a and b.
35. He verily was born of the earth; of him the earth was born.
Nearly all our mss. (all save Bp.D.R.) accent bhūmés and bhūmís.
36. He verily was born of fire; of him fire was born.
37. He verily was born of the waters; of him the waters were born.
The metrical description is the same as that of vs. 34, and with the same lack of good reason (the mss. read sa vā adbhya ṛgbhyaḥ sāmnyuṣṇiganuṣṭubhāu, which is senseless, and should doubtless be emended to -uṣṇihāu).
38. He verily was born of the verses (ṛ́c); of him the verses were born.
As to the meter, see the note to the preceding verse.
