Page:Atharva-Veda samhita volume 2.djvu/406

kavyāíḥ pitṛ́bhis after satyāís; and TB. has in a tātṛpús, and in b hotrāvṛ́dhas. Nearly all our mss., but, according to his account, only one of SPP's, accent ṛṣíbhis in d.* The comm. glosses jéhamānās with prayatamānās; his explanation of the strange compound stómataṣṭa is in part lost; he understands by gharma the pravargya soma-offering; and he paraphrases sahasram by aparimitaṁ dhanaṁ yathā bhavati. This verse and the next are used by Kāuç. (87. 22) as explained under 2. 34. *⌊SPP. plausibly suggests that the madhyodātta of ṛṣíbhis in this vs. and the next is to be accounted for by the madhyodātta of the corresponding word in RV., to wit, pitṛ́bhis. If he is right, the case is very probably similar to that of ṛṣíbhyas at xix. 22. 14 (cf. the çiṣíbhyas of many mss. in the next vs.!) and to those noted under xiv. 2. 59: other cases at xix. 22. 9, 10; 38. 1 d.⌋

48. The true, oblation-eating, oblation-drinking ⌊ones⌋, that [go] in alliance (sarátham) with the gods, with strong (turá) Indra—come hitherward, O Agni, with the beneficent, exalted (pára), ancient seers, sitting at the gharmá.

The RV., in the corresponding verse (x. 15. 10 a, b, d, 9 c) ⌊see under our vs. 47⌋, reads dádhānās in b for turéṇa, and pitṛ́bhis in d for ṛṣibhis—which again all our mss. save one (Op.), but of SPP's only one, accent ṛṣíbhis (as in 47 d) ⌊see my note marked with a * under 47⌋. In c (see under vs. 47), MS. reads arvā́k (but its pada-ms. arvā́n), ⌊while TB. (ii. 6. 16²) reads as AV. RV.⌋. The verse is used in Kāuç. only with its predecessor, which see.

49. Approach (upa-sṛp) thou this mother earth (bhū́mi), the wide-expanded earth (pṛthivī́), the very propitious; the earth (pṛthivī́) [is] soft as wool to him who has sacrificial gifts; let her protect thee on the forward road in front.

The RV., in the corresponding verse (x. 18. 10), reads yuvatís for the repetitious pṛthivī́ in c, and, at the end of d, nírṛter upásthāt; and TA. (in vi. 7. 1) agrees in general with RV., but substitutes the ⌊modernized⌋ equivalent form nírṛtyās; it also has the real variants dákṣiṇāvatī in c ⌊and upásthe in d⌋. SPP. makes no remark on ū́rṇamradās, but three of our pada-mss. ⌊Bp.D.Kp.⌋ have the blundering division ū́rṇam॰mradāḥ, and nearly all our saṁhitā-mss. (not R.) correspondingly ū́rnaṁmradās: the blunder grows, of course, out of the equivalence in grammatical theory of mr and mmr. The verse (according to the comm., vss. 49-51) is used ⌊Kāuç. 86. 10⌋ with 2. 50 (see under that verse) in covering the bones.

50. Swell thou up, O earth; do not press down; be to him easy of access, easy of approach; as a mother her son with her skirt (síc), do thou, O earth (bhū́mi), cover him.

The corresponding verse in RV. (x. 18. 11) has at end of b sūpavañcanā́. TA. (in vi. 7. 1) has in a úchmañcasva and ví bādhithās, in b -vañcanā́, and at end of d bhūmi vṛṇu. We had the latter hall-verse above, as 2. 50 c, d. The comm. paraphrases uchvañcasva with ucchūnāvayavā pulakitā bhava. ⌊W. appears to follow the comm. in rendering úc chvañcasva by 'swell thou up.' I do not see why he quit his old version, 'open thyself.' In my Reader, p. 385, I said "Note the meaning of çvañc ['open itself; receive in open arms (as a maid her lover)'] and its concinnity with the metaphor of yuvatí" [of the vs. which precedes alike in RV. and AV.]. At RV. x. 142. 6,