The corresponding RV. verse is x. 16. 7; in b it transposes médasā and pī́vasā, and in d it has vidhakṣyán paryan̄kháyāte, which is decidedly better. TA. (in vi. 1. 4) reads dádhad vidhakṣyán paryan̄kháyātāi. Our vidhakṣán, though read by both editions, is only another example of the not infrequent careless omission of y after a ṣ or ç; only one of our mss. (Op.) reads -kṣyán, but five of SPP's authorities give -kṣyan (as against six with -kṣan), and it is much to be wondered at that he has not adopted it in his text; the comm. seems to read -kṣan, but explains as if -kṣyan (viçeṣeṇa dagdhum icchan). At the end we ought to read parin̄kháyātāi, and SPP. gives that, with the majority of his mss., the rest having, with our text, párīn̄khay-; of our mss., only two of the later collated ones (O.Op.) have the proper accent; Bp. has pári॰īn̄khayātāi, which is absurd*; the comm. treats pari as an independent word (as if the reading were párī ”n̄kháyātāi). The comm. glosses dadhṛ́k by pragalbhas; ⌊cf. my Noun-Inflection, JAOS. x. 498⌋. By Kāuç. (81. 25) the verse is taught to be used when the dead man's face is covered with the omentum of the anustaraṇī cow (hence 'of kine') on the pile; the omentum is to be pierced with seven holes. *⌊Cf. the impossible pada-reading ví॰bhāti at xiii. 3. 17, and the other similar ones cited in the note to that verse.⌋
59. Taking the staff from the hand of the deceased man (gatā́su), together with hearing, splendor, strength—thou just there, here may we, rich in heroes, conquer all scorners [and] evil plotters.
60. Taking the bow from the hand of the dead man, together with authority (kṣatrá), splendor, strength—take thou hold upon much prosperous good; come thou hitherward unto the world of the living.
The two verses together correspond to RV. x. 18. 9, our 60 a, b most nearly to 9 a, b, and our 59 c, d to 9 c, d. But RV. has for its b asmé kṣatrā́ya várcase bálāya, and in its d spṛ́dhas for mṛ́dhas. TA. (in vi. 1. 3) has three verses, with a-b respectively as follows: suvárṇaṁ hástād ādádānā mṛtásya çriyāí bráhmaṇe téjase bálāya; dhánur hástād ādádānā mṛtásya çriyāí kṣatrā́yāú ’jase bálāya; and máṇiṁ hástād ādádānā mṛtásya çriyāí viçé púṣṭyāi bálāya; their common second half agrees with RV. except in having suçévās for suvī́rās; they are addressed to Brahman, Kshatriya and Vāiçya respectively, as our two are addressed to Brahman and Kshatriya, and that of RV. to Kshatriya only. 'Hearing' in our 59 b has a special meaning, the hearing or inspired reception of the sacred word ⌊cf. i. 1. 2, and note⌋. Kāuç. 80. 48, 49 explains the two verses as uttered while staff or bow is taken from the dead hand, as the body lies on the pile ready for cremation; and 80. 50 implies a third verse addressed to a Vāiçya, on taking from him a goad (aṣṭrām). Our 60 c, d is evidently addressed to the person (the son) who removes the article. The comm. reads in 59 c (with TA.) suçevās.
⌊Here ends the second anuvāka, with 1 hymn and 60 verses. The quoted Anukr. says ṣaṣṭiç ca: cf. page 814, ¶5.⌋
⌊Here ends also the thirty-third prapāṭhaka.⌋
3. ⌊Funeral verses.⌋
