1. Surely no mortal, O Agni, hath attained the cruelty of thy self (tanū́). The ape gnaws (bhas) the shaft (téjana), as a cow her own after-birth.
That is, perhaps (a) hath succeeded in inflicting a wound on thee. Ppp. differs only in reading martyam at end of a. For tanvas in a, TA.Āp. have the equivalent tanúvāi; for ānáṅça in b, TA. cakā́ra, Āp. ānāça; for svám in c, TA. púnar. The comm. has bibhasti in c (also 2 d ⌊which see⌋).
2. Like a ram, thou art bent both together and wide apart, when in the upper wood [the upper] and the lower stone devour; exciting (ard) head with head, breast (ápsas) with breast, he gnaws the soma-stalks (aṅçu) with green mouths.
In a, 'ram' (meṣá) perhaps means something made of ram's wool or skin; or the action of the stones is compared to that of a ram, butting and drawing back. K. (of which I happen to have the readings in this verse) gives meṣa iva yad upa ca vi ca carvati, and Āp. the same, except the blundering carvari for carvati. The comm. has ucyase for acyase. Ppp's a is tveṣāi ’va siñca itaror varṇyate. In b, which is the most hopeless part of the verse, K. reads yad apsaradrūr uparasya khādati, and Āp. doubtless intends the same, but is corrupted in part to apsararūparasya. The comm. has aparas for uparas. In c, K. has vakṣasā vakṣa ejayann, Āp. the same, and also, blunderingly, girāu for çiro. Ppp. has apsarā ’pso. In d, K. begins with aṅçum; Āp. has the same and also gabhasti; the comm. again bibhasti. The comm. has two different conjectures, both worthless, for uttaradrāu. ⌊Pischel discusses ápsas, Ved. Stud. i. 308 ff., and this vs. at p. 312. Aufrecht discusses the roots bhas, KZ. xxxiv. 458. Hillebrandt discusses this vs., Ved. Mythol. i. 154.⌋
3. The eagles have uttered (kṛ) their voice close in the sky; in the lair (ākhará) the black lively ones have danced; when they come down to the removal of the lower [stone], they have assumed much seed, they that resort to the sun.
In c, RV. has nyàn̄ (p. nyàk) ní yanti, for which our reading is evidently a corruption—as is probably also níṣkṛtim for RV. niṣkṛtám, and sūryaçrítas for RV. -çvítas at the end. The comm. has divi instead of dyavi in a. Ppp. has a very original d: puro vāco dadhire sūryasya. There is no reason for reckoning this jagatī as virāj.
50. Against petty destroyers of grain.
[Atharvan (abhayakāmaḥ).—āçvinam. 1. virāḍ jagatī; 2, 3. pathyāpan̄kti.]
Only the second verse is found in Pāipp., in book xix.; and no occurrence of any part of the hymn has been noted elsewhere. Its intent is obvious. In Kāuç. (51. 17) the hymn is applied in a rite for ridding the fields of danger from mice and other pests; one goes about the field scratching lead with iron (? the comm. reads ayaḥsīsaṁ gharṣan); and it is reckoned (note to 16. 8) to the abhaya gaṇa.
Translated: Ludwig, p. 499; Florenz, 312 or 64; Griffith, i. 272; Bloomfield, 142, 485.
1. Smite, O Açvins, the borer, the samān̄ká, the rat; split their head; crush in their ribs; lest they eat the barley, shut up their mouth; then make fearlessness for the grain.
