world for the sacrificer, when they arranged the quarters, the creatures (bhūtá).
⌊Or, 'By crossings (tīrthá) they cross (tṛ).'⌋ The comm. explains praváto mahī́r íti by prakṛṣṭā mahatīr āpadaḥ...evam; it also makes díças and bhūtā́ni in d the joint subject of ákalpayanta, having before taken adadhus as an imperative (vidadhatu)! Though the verse is obscure, the probabilities are doubtless in favor of the translation as given. ⌊Pāda a seems to be a reminiscence of 1. 49, above, or RV. x. 14. 1. Pischel renders the vs., Ved. Stud. ii. 74.⌋
8. The track (áyana) of the An̄girases is the eastern fire; the Ādityas' track is the householder's fire; the track of the sacrificial gifts is the southern fire; do thou, with thy limbs, whole (sárva), powerful (? çagmá), go unto the greatness of Agni [as] disposed by bráhman.
Both in this verse and in the next, most of our mss. accent falsely dákṣiṇāgnis; SPP. reports it of only one of his, and only in vs. 9. The comm. glosses çagma with sukhita. The verse (11 + 11 + 11: 13 + 11 = 57) counts short of what the Anukr. describes it (atiçakvarī = 60 syll.).
9. Let the eastern fire burn (tap) thee happily (çám) in front; let the householder's fire burn happily behind; let the southern fire burn refuge, defense for thee; from the north, from the midst, from the atmosphere, from each quarter, O Agni, protect him round about from what is terrible.
⌊Cf. vs. 11.⌋ As to the accent of dakṣiṇāgnis in c, see under vs. 8. The funeral pile is separately, but simultaneously, kindled from each of the sacrificial fires. To make the verse bhurij, we have to commit the violence of scanning agne instead of ‘gne in the last pāda (so 12 + 10: 12 + 11 + 12 = 57). ⌊The a of agnís in a and that of agne in e are of course to be elided. The insertion of another tvā in b after çám paçcā́t rectifies the meter. In c we have perhaps to tolerate 5 pre-cesural syllables; but with this reservation and the rectification in b, all 5 pādas are faultless triṣṭubhs.⌋
10. Ye, O Agni, having become back-carrying (? pṛṣṭiváh) horses, shall with most healthful forms (tanū́) carry him that has sacrificed unto the heavenly (svargá) world, where they revel in common revelry with the gods.
The doubtful word in this verse is pṛṣṭivā́has (as both editions read). All our mss. save one (Op.), and the majority of SPP's, accent pṛṣṭivāhás, as if nom. sing, of -vāhá, apparently by an error the opposite of that committed in vs. 1. Two of our later collated mss. (Op.R.),and one of SPP's by correction ⌊as if to correspond with -vāhás, have áçvas before it; and the comm. also reads açvas, with praṣṭivāhas, explaining that praṣṭi is a chariot of the gods, harnessed with three horses, of which one is in front and two behind; and a praṣṭivāha horse is, of course, one that draws such a chariot. ⌊Cf. vi. 102. 2 and note.⌋ ⌊Four⌋ of our mss. ⌊Bs.M.I.T.⌋, but only one of SPP's, leave madanti unaccented at the end; ⌊Whitney's Bp.O.Op.R.K. accent it, as it should be⌋; the comm. reads instead madema. The Anukr. passes without notice the deficiency of a syllable in b.
11. Burn (tap), O Agni, happily behind, happily in front; burn him happily above, happily below; being one, O Jātavedas, triply disposed, set him collectedly (samyák) in the world of the well-doers.
