About half of SPP's mss., and one of ours (Op.), accent at the beginning vívasvān. The comm. explains jīrádānus alternatively by jīvanasya kartā and vayohāner (as if from jṛ 'waste away') dātā. ⌊Pāda a is found (with metrical rectification) as noted under vs. 62.⌋ The third pāda is identical with xii. 2. 21 d. By Kāuç. 81. 48 the verse is used at the end of the cremation ceremony with an oblation on the north; and again (82. 36), vss. 61 and 62 accompany each ⌊separately: see the comm., p. 17613⌋ a sthālīpāka offering to Vivasvant at the gathering of the bone-relics, while a third offering is made with them both together ⌊82. 37⌋. And further (86. 17), vss. 61-67 are used with 3. 10 in the interment of the bones (see under the latter verse); the comm. describes it thus: "in the ceremony of gathering at the cemetery, the manager and all the relatives, standing in the western part of the cemetery, should approach the departed." The comm. adds one or two more minor applications. ⌊Verses 61 and 62 are translated by Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythol. i. 489.⌋
62. Let Vivasvant set us in immortality; let death go away; let what is immortal come to us; let [him] defend these men until old age; let not their life-breaths (ásu) go to Yama.
In ÇÇS. iv. 16. 5, and MB. i. 1. 15 are found as the first two pādas of a verse our 62 b and 61 a. ⌊For the na āitu of our 62 b, both texts have ma ā gāt (the me is incongruent with the following nas); and for the vivasvān of our 61 a, both have vaivasvato,⌋ thus rectifying the meter. The mss. accent vivasvān as in 61 a. We need to resolve mó to mā́ u in d to make a good triṣṭubh pāda; but the Anukr. would apparently read mo and balance the lack of a syllable by the redundancy of one in c. Possibly ā́ is intrusive in c, and the meaning was 'defend from growing old.' The ritual use of the verse was explained above, under vs. 61.
63 . He who maintains himself by his might, like [birds?] in the atmosphere, poet of the Fathers, favorer (? prámati) of prayers (matí)—him praise ye, all-befriended, with oblations; may that Yama give (dhā) us to live further on.
The reading in the first pāda is doubtful; our text has antárikṣeṇa, but the other edition -kṣe ná. Bp. and Op. read antárikṣe: ná, and so, apparently, SPP's pada-mss. but our D.K. have -kṣeṇa, and with it agree our P.M.I., while O.R.T., though they give na, do not accent it; SPP's mss. are somewhat similarly at variance. The commentator's interpretation is an interpretation of antarikṣeṇa; but his text (according to SPP.) reads -kṣe na. Only the sense can decide, and that is quite doubtful; the translation ventured above implies -kṣe ná. The second half-verse occurs again below as 4. 54 c, d. One is tempted to understand viçvámitrās ⌊so accented in both ed's with all the authorities⌋ in c as 'O Viçvāmitras'; but this is so decidedly opposed by the accent and by the short vowel of the second syllable (which is authenticated by the pada-reading viçvá॰mitrāḥ, while viçvā́mitra is never divided: see Prāt. iii. 9 and note) that I have not dared to assume it; ⌊but the comm., ignoring these considerations, takes it as voc. For the verse in general,⌋ the comm., as usual in a trying case, gives no help whatever; he glosses pramati with prakṛṣṭabuddhi, and mati with mantṛ or stotṛ, in apposition with pitṝṇām; and he makes antarikṣeṇa dadhre mean (pitṝn) antarā kṣāntena lokena dhārayati.
64. Ascend ye to the highest heaven; O seers, be not afraid; ye soma-drinkers, soma-drenchers, this oblation is made to you; we have gone to the highest light.
