16. Offward, forward goes, seized by svadhā́, the immortal one, of like source with the mortal; the two, constantly going separate apart—the one they noted, the other they noted not.
Haug and Hillebrandt (Ved. Mythol., i. 336, note) both understand svadhā́ here as meaning the offering to the manes, but their conjectural interpretations of the verse are totally discordant. ⌊The vs. is RV. vs. 38 without variant. See the interpretations of Roth and of Böhtlingk as cited under vs. 8 above.—The Kaṭha variant (WZKM. xii. 282) is áprān̄ for ápān̄.—The vs. is found at AA. ii. 1. 8.⌋
17. Seven half-embryos, the seed of existence, stand in front (? pradíçā), in Vishṇu's distribution; they, by thoughts (dhītí), by mind, they, inspired, surround on all sides the surrounders.
Or, 'being surrounders.' As noted above, the verse in RV. ⌊vs. 36⌋ and Ppp. stands before our vs. 15. Both 17 and 18 are defective as jagatīs. ⌊Cf. Oldenberg, IFA. vi. 184; also Henry, Actes du dixième Congrès intern. des Orientalistes, Section I, Inde, p. 45-50, "Cruelle énigme."⌋
18. In the syllable of the verse (ṛ́c) in the highest firmament, on which all the gods sat down: he who knoweth not that, what will he do with the verse? they who know that sit together yonder.
RV. ⌊vs. 39⌋ reads imé instead of amī́ in d. O. combines vidúṣ ṭé just before it. The verse is found also in TB. iii. 10. 914 and TA. ii. 11. 1—in both, with the RV. reading. Its pratīka occurs also in GB. i. 22. Read véda in c.
19. Shaping (kalpay-) with measure the step of the verse, they shaped by the half-verse all that stirs; the bráhman of three feet, many-formed, spread out (vi-sthā); by that do the four quarters live.
The comm. to the Prāt. (ii. 93) quotes ví taṣṭhe at end of c as an example of the s of sthā lingualized after ví even though the reduplication intervenes; and that establishes ví taṣṭhe as the true reading. The majority of the saṁhitā-mss. have it; but W.E.O. give caṣṭe; Ppp. also has parirūpaṁ vi caṣṭe. Only the fourth pāda is found in RV., being i. 164. 42 b (we have 42 a as our 21 e); the same occurs below as xi. 5. 12 d.
20. Mayest thou be well-portioned, feeding in excellent meadows; so also may we be well-portioned; eat thou grass, O inviolable one, at all times; drink clear water, moving hither.
We had this verse ⌊RV. vs. 40⌋ above, as vii. 73. 11.
21. The cow verily lowed, fashioning the seas; one-footed, two-footed [is] she, four-footed; having become eight-footed, nine-footed, thousand-syllabled, a series (pan̄tí) of existence; out from her flow apart the oceans.
The five pādas are vs. 41, and 42 a, of the RV. hymn; which, however, reads gāurī́s for gāúr íd in a, and paramé vyòman for bhúvanasya pan̄tíḥ in d. The RV. vs. 41 occurs also in TB. ii. 4. 611 ⌊and it is there followed by the RV. vs. 42 entire⌋ and TA. i. 9. 4, with the RV. readings, excepting gāurī́ at the beginning ⌊and tásyām in TB. for tásyās⌋. Our pādas b-e, again, are repeated as xiii. 1. 42 below. The verse (12 + 12: 12 + 11 + 11 = 58) lacks two syllables of being a proper atiçakvarī (60 syllables).
