[person] shall dare attack their track (?); with whom he both sacrifices to the gods and gives, long verily with them does the kine-lord go in company.
Both the other texts* accent vyáthis in b, as does one of our mss. (O.), and one of SPP's. Before this word TB. has nāí ’nā amitró. The comm. explains vyathis as vyathājanakam āyudham. The pāda is very obscure as it stands. ⌊An earlier draft of the translator's ms. reads: "Naçanti, by its association, and its difference from naçyanti, must be meant as subjunctive (aor.), notwithstanding its ending." I am tempted to suggest ná tā́ naçan; tā́ (acc. pl. fem.) ná dabhāti táskaras.—BR., vi. 1438, take vyáthis as 'unbemerkt von,' with genitive, āsām. But see Geldner's discussion of the combinations of vyáthis with ā-dhṛṣ, Ved. Stud. ii. 29.—Note that TB's ămitró (both ed's read so in the text and both have ă- in the comm.) is neither amítro nor āmitró. *⌊In TB., the pratīkas of vss. 3 and 4 stand in RV. order at ii. 8. 811; but the vss. are given in full at ii. 4. 69.⌋
4. No dust-raising horseman (? árvan) reaches them; not unto the slaughter-house (?) do they go; those kine of that sacrificing mortal roam over wide-going fearlessness.
RV. differs only by retaining the a of açnute in a, as do one or two of our mss. (O.K.) and half of SPP's; and its pada-text divides saṁskṛta॰tra in b, while the AV. pada-mss. (except our Op.) leave the word undivided (by an oversight, the AV. Index Verborum gives the RV. form). The comm. explains arvā by hiṅsako vyāghrādiḥ, and -kakāṭa by udbhedaka; also saṁskṛtatra by māṅsapācaka (because viçasitaṁ trāyate pālayati), quoting from an unknown source the line saṁskṛtaḥ syād viçasitaḥ saṁskṛtatraç ca pācakaḥ. The comment to Prāt. ⌊iv. 58⌋ makes the word come from the root kṛ. TB. ⌊also retains the a of açnute and it⌋ has in d mártyasya. In our printed text, the upper accent-mark in reṇúkakāṭo is over the wrong k.
5. The kine [are] Bhaga; Indra has seemed to me the kine; the kine [are] the draught of first soma; these kine—that, O people, [is] Indra; with whatever heart [and] mind I seek Indra.
The translation implies in a the RV. reading achān, of which our ichāt seems merely an unintelligent and unintelligible corruption; TB. has instead acchāt, and our O.K. give the same. Both the other texts add íd after ichā́mi in d. The comm. translates in a "may Indra desire that there be kine for me." ⌊The latter part of c is of course the well-known refrain of RV. ii. 12.⌋
6. Ye, O kine, fatten whoever is lean; the unlovely (açrīrá) one ye make of good aspect; ye make the house excellent, O ye of excellent voice; great is your vigor (váyas) called in the assemblies (sabhā́).
The RV. version agrees at all points with ours; TB. accents kṛ́çam in a and has açlīlā́m in b (its kṛṇuthāt is a misprint, as its commentary shows). The comm. reads kṛṇuta in c; sabhāsu in d he paraphrases with janasamūheṣu.
7. Rich in progeny, shining in good pasture, drinking clear waters at a good watering-place—let not the thief master you, nor the evil-plotter; let Rudra's weapon avoid you.
