24. Since the heifer milked solely (kévalī) for Indra [his] will (váça), the beestings, [when] first milked, then [she] gratified in four ways the four—gods, men, Asuras, and seers.
Ppp. reads at the end atha rṣīn; all our mss. save O. make the combination utá ṛ́ṣin as in the printed text.
25. What now [is] the ox (gó), who the sole seer, what the abode (dhā́man), what the blessings (āçís)? the monster on the earth [is] simple (ekavṛ́t); the sole season—which now is that?
Ppp. reads sāma for dhāma in b. All our mss. combine ekaṛṣís in a, but all ekartús (also Ppp.) in d. It is necessary here and in the next verse to render gāús 'ox,' because the accompanying adjectives are masculine. 'Which' in d is the superlative katamá. ⌊Over "simple" W. has interlined "single."⌋
26. One [is] the ox, one the sole seer, one the abode, singly the blessings; the monster on the earth [is] single; the sole season is not in excess.
Again Ppp. reads sāma for dhāma, and all the mss. (with Ppp.) have ekaṛṣís but ekartús.
⌊Here ends the ninth artha-sūkta. It begins with kútaḥ. The quoted Anukr. here says kutaḥ.⌋
10. Extolling the virā́j.
[Atharvācārya.—ṣaṭ paryāyā virāḍdevatyās.]
This curious piece of prose is (with the exception of paragraphs here and there) found also in Pāipp. xvi. ⌊Pāipp. has the order 22, 24, 23, 26, 25.⌋ ⌊This is the first of the paryāya-sūktas. For the paryāya-hymns in general, see introduction to book viii., pages 471-2, above.⌋
⌊Neither Kāuç. nor Vāit. makes use of the hymn; but one of the "committals" in the upanayana (Kāuç. 56. 13) is to mārtyuṁjaya mārtyava: cf. vs. 23.⌋
Translated: Henry, 29, 71; Griffith, i. 421.—See also Muir, v. 370.
1. Virā́j verily was this [universe] in the beginning; of her when born everything was afraid, [thinking] "this one indeed will become this [universe]."
Ppp. reads ‘jāyata for āsīt, and, after tasyās, jātāyā ’bibhed eka sarvam: yam eve ’dam bhaviṣyati na vayam iti.
2. She ascended (ut-kram); she descended (ni-kram) in the householder's fire (gā́rhapatya); house-sacrificing (gṛhamedhín) house-holder ⌊gṛhápati⌋ becometh he who knoweth thus.
This paragraph and the one following are wanting in Ppp.
3. She ascended; she descended in the fire of offering (āhavanī́ya): to his god-invocation the gods go, dear to the gods becometh he who knoweth thus.
