That is (b), made of wood and bound and headed with cowhide. The mss. make awkward work of writing kṣṇuvānás; nearly all have kṣuṇu-, only Bp.2 kṛṇuv-, and E. kṣuv-; but there cannot well be any question as to the true reading. In d, also, most of the mss. have the obviously wrong jyeṣyán, only H.E. jeṣ-. The Anukr. strangely reckons the verse (though it is a perfectly regular triṣṭubh) as a jagatī, apparently only on account of the unnecessary full reading iva (for ’va) in d: or can it perhaps count also kṣuṇuvāno as four syllables? Ppp. has khaṇvāno; in d it reads siṁha iva dveṣaṁn (= hreṣann?) abhi taṅstanayati.
2. Like a lion hath thundered the wooden one, stretched (vi-bandh), like a bull roaring at a longing cow; virile (vṛ́ṣan) [art] thou, impotent thy rivals; Indra-like [is] thy vehemence (çúṣma), overpowering hostile plotters.
The translation implies emendation to vāçitā́m in b, as made in our edition; the mss. vāsitā́m. All the saṁhitā-mss. (after their usual custom: see my Skt. Gr. §232) abbreviate in a to -nīdruv-, and many of them (P.M.W.E.H.O.) have the misreading -nīdhruv-. The pada-text does not divide druváyah, but the case is quoted in the comment to Prāt. iv. 18 as an exceptional one, vaya being regarded as a suffix added to dru. Ppp. reads at the beginning siṅhāivāttānīdruvayo, and combines çuṣmo ‘bhi- in d. The Anukr. notes no irregularity in the verse—as if it abbreviated iva to ’va in both a and b.
3. Found (vidāná) suddenly (sáhasā) like a bull in a herd, do thou, seeking kine, bellow (ru) at [them], winning booty; pierce thou with pain the heart of our adversaries; let our foes, leaving their villages, go urged forth (pra-cyu).
Ppp. reads in a yūthaṁ saha sa-, and in c viddhi. The Anukr. notes no irregularity in the verse, although d is clearly jagatī-pada, and to resolve vidhia in c is contrary to all analogy.
4. Wholly conquering the fighters, shrill-crying, do thou, seizing those that are to be seized, look abroad on many sides; respond (? ā-gur), O drum, devout, to the voice of the gods; bring the possession of our foes.
Vedhā́s is as superfluous to the sense in c as it is redundant in meter. The Anukr. takes no notice of the irregularity, nor of the deficiency in a (ūrdhua- being very harsh, and not found in RV.). The pada-text reads gṛ́hyāḥ in b; pṛ́tanās is apparently to be understood with it. The voice of the gods (or of heaven, dāívī) is apparently the thunder.
5. Hearing the uttered (pra-yam) voice of the drum speaking, let the woman, suppliant, noise-wakened, run to her son, seizing his hand—our enemy, frightened in the conflict of deadly weapons.
One might conjecture in a prayatā́m 'of [us] advancing.' This verse and 6 and 9 are really the only regular triṣṭubhs of the hymn.
6. Mayest thou first (pū́rva), O drum, speak forth thy voice; on the back of earth speak thou, shining (ruc); opening wide the jaws (jabh) on the army of our enemies, speak thou clearly, O drum, pleasantly (sūnṛ́tāvat).
