Instead of vedhásām in d, a much easier reading would be vedhásas nom. (as tacitlyemended by Ludwig); and this is favored by Ppp., which has vedaso retā ”hus; it further gives in e trivṛtāstu te. With bcd compare TB. i. 1. 38. The name atiçakvarī given to the verse by the Anukr. demands 60 syllables, but only 57 (11 + 11 + 12: 11 + 12) can be fairly counted.
7. Triple life-time of Jamadagni, Kaçyapa's triple life-time, sight of the immortal (amṛ́ta) triply, three life-times have I made for thee.
Ppp. reads triyāyuṣam; and, at the end, nas kṛdhi for te ‘karam. JUB. iv. 3. 1 has this version: triyāyuṣaṁ kaçyapasya jamadagnes triyāyuṣam: trīṇy amṛtasya puṣpāṇi trīṇ āyūṅṣi me ‘kṛṇoḥ; and several of the Gṛhya-Sūtras (ÇGS. i. 28; HGS. i. 9. 6; ⌊MP. ii. 7. 2; MGS. i. 1. 24 (cf. p. 150)⌋; MB. i. 6. 8) give the first half-verse, with a different ending; ⌊also VS. iii. 62. GGS. ii. 9. 21 gives the pratīka.⌋ There is no reason for calling the meter kakummatī.
8. When the three eagles (suparṇá) went with the triple one, becoming, mighty ones (çakrá), a single syllable, they bore back death along with (sākám) the immortal, warding off (antar-dhā) all difficulties.
'Warding off,' literally 'interposing [something between] themselves [and]'; 'along with,' doubtless = 'by means of' (cf. vii. 53. 1: xii. 2. 29). 'Single syllable,' or 'the one indissoluble': probably the syllable om is intended.
9. From the sky let the yellow one protect thee; from the midst let the silver one protect thee; from the earth let that made of iron protect [thee]; this [man] hath gone forward to strongholds of the gods.
Ppp. combines at the end -purā ’yam. This verse also is called kakummatī by the Anukr. without any reason.
10. These [are] three strongholds of the gods; let them defend thee on all sides; bearing these, do thou, possessing splendor, become superior to them that hate thee.
It needs only the usual resolution tu-ám in c to make this verse a regular anuṣṭubh.
11. The stronghold of the gods, deathless (amṛ́ta) gold, what god first bound on in the beginning, to him I pay homage, [my] ten extended [fingers]; let him approve my binding-on the triple one.
Ppp. has at the end trivṛtā vadhena. The translation implies in d the reading manyatām, which is given in our edition, though against part of the mss., that read manyantām. ⌊'Let him (or it) assent to my binding-on,' dative infinitive.⌋
12. Let Aryaman fasten (cṛt) thee on, let Pūshan, let Brihaspati; what is the name of the day-born one, therewith we fasten thee over.
For the obscure third pāda compare iii. 14. 1. The verse is a regular anuṣṭubh, if b is properly read, as ā́ pūṣā́ ā́ bṛ́haspátiḥ (so the pada-text). This and the two following verses, which are not found in Ppp., seem to be independent of what precedes.
13. Thee with the seasons, with them of the seasons; thee unto lifetime, unto splendor; with the brilliancy of the year—with that we make [thee] of closed jaw (? sáṁhanu).
