15. That one he attains completely (sam-āp) with his swiftnesses; that he desires not to neglect (? apa-cikits); by that [men] do not appropriate the gods' draught of immortality (amṛ́ta).
Apa-cikits, lit. 'desire to think away from,' with abl.; the expression is found only here. The logic of d is not obvious; Henry supplies 'the demons' as subject of áva rundhate; Ludwig renders it as a singular. Ppp. reads jigitsati in b; and, in c etc., bhakṣaṇaṁ devānān naṁ va ru-; bhakṣaṇam is an improvement; the meter of c halts badly without it.
16. This heavenly Jātavedas the lights (ketú) draw (vah) up, for every one to see the sun.
Or sū́ryam may be in apposition with jātávedasam. 'Draw,' i.e. as horses do. This verse, with the eight that follow, constitute RV. i. 50. 1-9, in the same order of verses, and with few variants; they are also all found in one or more other Vedic texts: this one in SV. (i. 31), VS. (7. 41; 8. 41; 33. 31), TS. (i. 2. 82; 4. 431), and MS. (i. 3. 37)—in all, without a variant. The whole hymn ⌊i.e. vss. 16-24⌋ is repeated further in xx. 47. 13-21. This verse is used three times in Vāit.: at 21. 23; at 33. 5 (with the following five verses); and at 39. 16 (with the following two verses). ⌊The pratīka is cited at MGS. i. 2. 4. The frequency of the citation or occurrence of the verse may be judged by consulting MGS. Index, p. 148.⌋
17. Away go, like thieves, these asterisms with their rays (aktú), for the all-beholding sun.
Or c may possibly mean 'for all to behold the sun.' The remaining verses (17-24) of the RV. hymn ⌊i.e. i. 50. 1-9⌋ are found in SV. only in the Nāigeya appendix to the first book; this one (i. 634) has no variant. Henry renders aktúbhis 'with the night.'
18. The lights (ketú), the rays of him have been seen abroad among the peoples, like shining fires.
Of the other texts, only VS. (viii. 40) follows RV. in reading at the beginning ádṛçram; the others (SV. i. 635; MS. i. 3. 33) agree with our text.
19. Speedy, conspicuous to all, light-making art thou, O sun; thou shinest unto everything, O bright space (rocaná).
All our mss. read at the end rocana, save Bs., which has rocanam, and M., rocanám and the translation follows them, although the word is a senseless variant of rocanám, which is given by RV., and by all the other texts: SV. (i. 636), VS. (xxxiii. 36), TS. (i. 4. 311), TA. (iii. 16. 1), and MS. (iv. 10. 6). Ppp. has rocanā.
20. In front of the clans of the gods, in front of those of men thou risest; in front of every one, for seeing the sky (svàr).
RV. reads at end of b mā́nuṣān, and SV. (i. 637) has the same.
21. With whom [as] eye thou, O purifying Varuṇa, seest him that busies himself among the people (jánān).
SV. (i. 638) reads at the beginning yéna; VS. (xxxiii. 32) agrees with RV. and our text.
