Two or three of our mss., ⌊and (six) half⌋ of SPP's, read tanvā̀ḥ in c, and some of ours have bharasva instead of rabhasva, probably as an only accidental variation, though bharasva would be a very good reading. A little emendation would rid us of the otiose repetition of apsú in the first line. ⌊In d we have to pronounce nāí ‘hi, with double sandhi (as often in Ppp.).⌋
3. What thy heavenly (svargá) greatness is, among the gods, what body of thine entered into the Fathers, what prosperity of thine was spread among men (manuṣyà)—therewith, O Agni, assign wealth to us.
The translation implies at end of a svargás ⌊so SPP.⌋; our text has -gé on the authority of only a single ms., and against the comm. ⌊svargaḥ⌋ and the parallel texts ⌊suvargáḥ⌋ as found in TB. (in i. 2. 21-2) and Āp. (in v. 13. 4). Both these read further, for b, yás ta ātmā́ paçúṣu práviṣṭaḥ, and, for d, táyā no agne juṣámāṇa é ‘hi; while TB. has in c prathé for paprathé ⌊so Calc. ed., text and comm.: but Poona aright, paprathé⌋. The Anukr. takes no notice of the redundant syllable in c.
4. To him of hearing ears, the poet, worthy to be known, I apply for gifts (rātí) with words, with speeches; whence [there is] fear, be there no fear for us; pacify (ava-yaj), O Agni, the wrath (héḍas) of the gods.
The verse is found also in Āp. xiv. 17. 1, but with very different b: namobhir nākam upa yāmi çaṅsan; with tat kṛdkī naḥ at end of c; and, for d, ‘gne devānām ava heḍa iyakṣva: cf. also Āp. v. 5. 8, which is far more different. ⌊In c, asty is a misprint for astv.⌋
4. To various divinities.
[Atharvān̄giras.—caturṛcam. āgneyam ⌊2. mantroktadevatyā⌋. trāiṣṭubham: 1. 5-p. virāḍ atijagatī; 2. jagatī.]
The second, third, and fourth verses are found in Pāipp. xix.
Translated: Griffith, ii. 261.
1. What oblation (ā́huti) Atharvan sacrificed first, with what one Jātavedas made an offering, that same do I first call loudly for thee; gratified with that, let Agni carry the offering: hail to Agni.
This version represents neither of the edited texts, nor the mss., nor the comm., but is a pure make-shift. SPP. reads in a-b átharvā yā́ jātā́ yā́ h-, and at beginning of d tā́bhi ṣṭuptó v- (p. tā́bhiḥ: stuptáḥ; so all the pada-mss. ⌊but Op. and L. have sruptáh⌋; what stuptáḥ ⌊or sruptáḥ, for that matter⌋ should be supposed to be is a complete mystery). The comm. reads in a-b atharvā yā jātāya havyām, and in d tābhi stutaḥ; he explains that Atharvan means the paramātman, who at the beginning of creation made an oblation to please the gods whom he had created; pāda b signifies this: "what (yā being used instead of yām) oblation, given by Atharvan, Jātavedas made worthy to be offered for his progeny ⌊the progeny of Atharvan in the rôle of paramātman?⌋: that is, for the crowd of gods made manifest by him." Our āyejé in a is indefensible, but the translation implies ejé (ā-ījé) or something equivalent; in d it implies táyā tṛptó v-; all the mss. have -pto, except one of ours s.m., which favors the comm. Johavīmi possibly comes from root hu (so BR.) instead of hū. We ought to have in a ā́kūtim, as in the following verses, but it is not easy to reconstruct the verse so as to match that emendation.
