Encouraged by the comm. (anyān api yajamānān somam pāyayanti), the translation mends the repetition in c by violently taking -pāyin as causative to -pā.
65. Agni shines forth with great show (ketú); the bull roars loudly unto the two firmaments (ródasī); ⌊even⌋ from the end of heaven he hath attained unto me (?); in the lap of the waters the buffalo increased.
The verse corresponds to RV. x. 8. 1, and is also found as SV. i. 71 and in TA. vi. 3. 1. RV. and SV. read in a yāti; in b ⌊which occurs again as RV. vi. 73. 1 d also⌋, TA. has āvír víçvāni (for ā́ ródasī); in c, RV. has the far more acceptable reading ántāṅ upamā́ṅ, while SV. gives ántād upamā́m and TA. ántād úpa mā́m; ⌊moreover, TA. accents udā́naḍ⌋. The AV. mss. are at variance in c; all read ántāt save our K., which gives ántām; the saṁhitā-mss. generally have upamā́m (K. -mā́n), and Bp. upa॰mā́m; but some (Op.D., also T.) and two of SPP's pada-mss. have úpa: mā́m, with TA., and with the comm.; and this last is implied by the translation, though both editions adopt upamā́m, with SV. ⌊Pischel, Göttingische Gelehrte Anzeigen, 1897, p. 811, renders the verse.⌋
66. As, longing with the heart, they looked upon thee, flying up* [as] an eagle in the firmament (nā́ka), golden-winged messenger of Varuṇa, busy (bhuraṇyú) bird (çakuná) in the lair of Yama.
The RV. has the verse (x. 123. 6), and it is found also in SV. (i. 320 and ii. 1196), TB. (in ii. 5. 85), and TA. (vi. 3. 1); all read alike throughout, save that the RV. (not the SV.) pada-text has the bad division and accent abhí: ácakṣata. Our P.M.O. have at the end bhuraṇyám. It is noteworthy that vss. 65 and 66, which have no apparent connection with funeral rites, and are not used by Kāuç. save in the group 61-67, are found almost together (separated only by our 3. 7) also in the funeral collection of TA. *⌊W's "up" for úpa may be an oversight: render perhaps 'they looked upon thee, flying onward (úpa) [as] an eagle'? Our comm., taking 'thee' as the dead man, construes, 'flying unto the eagle'; but is not the verse addressed rather to Agni? cf. Griffith and comm. on TA.—Sāyaṇa, commenting on the RV. vs., says he vena; but in his comm. on TB. he says he pravargyasvāmin: an interesting diversity of opinion! Perhaps RV. ix. 85. 11 may throw light on our verse.⌋
67. O Indra, bring us ability (krátu), as a father to his sons; help (çikṣ) us in this course (yā́man), O much-invoked one; may we, living, attain to light.
The verse is RV. vii. 32. 26, found also as SV. i. 259; ii. 806, and TS. vii. 5. 74; the only variant anywhere is that TS. has no as-, unlingualized, in c. The comm. glosses yā́mani with saṁsāragamane, and çíkṣa by anuçādhi.
68. What vessels covered (api-dhā) with cakes the gods maintained for thee, be they for thee rich in svadhā́, rich in honey, dripping with ghee.
The verse is repeated below as 4. 25. Only one of our mss. and one of SPP's accent ádhārayan; ⌊but one of SPP's at 4. 25 also accents ádhā-.⌋
69. What grains I scatter along for thee, mixed with sesame, rich in svadhā́, be they for thee abundant (vibhú), prevailing; them let king Yama approve for thee.
