31. Pass forward [over a stream] rich in horses, which is very propitious, or, further on, an ṛkṣā́ka, more new; he who slew thee, be he one to be killed; let him not find any other portion.
The first half-verse is extremely obscure, and its translation only mechanical; we may conjecture that its text is corrupt. Such a combination as -vā: ṛkṣ- (so all the pada-texts read) into -vā rkṣ- is contrary to grammatical rule, unauthorized by the Prāt., and unsupported, so far as I know, by any second case. Part of our saṁhitā-mss. (P.M.E.I.) have -vā ṛkṣ-, but that is equally abnormal; SPP. makes no mention of any such reading among his authorities. "Stream" is supplied to açvāvatīm because Kāuç. (82. 10) prescribes the verse to be used, in the ceremonies of the first day after cremation, on crossing a stream, and prá tara naturally suggests it. Āçvāvatīm is unquestionably the AV. text; it is quoted as an example of long ā in such a position under Prāt. iii. 17. One may conjecture as a plausible emendation áçmanvatīm prá tarayā suçévām (cf. for áçmanvatī xii. 2. 26, 27; and our comm. reads here taraya for tara yā́). Then ṛkṣā́ka might possibly be a region or road ⌊beyond the river⌋ 'infested by bears' (ṛ́kṣa: so the comm.); the word ṛkṣā́ka is ignored by both Pet. Lexx. ⌊save in so far as this vs. is cited by the Major Lex. under ṛkṣī́kā⌋. ⌊Weber takes it as 'the milky way': Festgruss an Roth, p. 138.⌋ But it is of little use to speculate in such a case. SPP. reads in c vadhyas, with (as he reports) all his authorities save two; we also have both va- and ba- among our mss., but I cannot specify all that favor the one reading or the other. The lacking syllable in b, not noticed by the Anukr., helps in its degree to indicate corruption of text.
32. Yama beyond, below Vivasvant—beyond that do I see nothing whatever; into Yama has entered my sacrifice; Vivasvant stretched after the worlds (bhū́).
SPP. accents páras in a, and vívasvān in a and d, though the majority of his authorities have parás, and, in a, vivásvān; of our mss., only Op. has páras and in a vívasvān; but O.Op.R.T.K. have vívasvān in d. The Anukr. takes no notice of the metrical irregularities (10 + 12: 11 + 11 = 44).
33. They hid away the immortal one (f.) from mortals; having made one of like color, they gave her to Vivasvant; what that was carried also the two Açvins; and Saraṇyū deserted two twins.
Whether 'two pairs of twins' is meant is not altogether certain; but that would be strictly dvé mithuné; ⌊but see BR. v. 777, line 3⌋. The verb abharat does not mean 'bore,' in the sense of 'gave birth to,' though it might mean 'carried [in her womb],' and so might have a nearly equivalent value; our comm. renders it by samabharat or udapādayat. The third pāda means 'that substitute, whatever it really was,' though the usual version "when that was" (for yát tád ā́sīt) is not altogether impossible. The verse is RV. x. 17. 2, which differs only by reading in b kṛtvī́ and adadus (for which our -dhus is a common corruption). It is properly inseparable from 1. 53 above; ⌊for bibliographical references, see under that vs.⌋. Kāuç. and Vāit. pass it unused, as they did 1. 53. ⌊The comm., with one or two of SPP's mss., reads amṛtān in a.⌋
34. They that are buried, and they that are scattered (vap) away, they that are burned and they that are set up (úddhita)—all those Fathers, O Agni, bring thou to eat the oblation.
