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II, 8. COMMENTARY.
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Stansa 2. B, b. I have translated ápa ukhatu transitively; cf. III,7,7; RV. I, 48, 8, &c. Weber and Ludwig, contrary to ordinary usage, take it intransitively : 'hinschwinden möge jetzt die nacht,' and 'weg geh mit ihrem liechte diese nacht.' Sayana, in agreement with our version,' the night at the time of dawn (ushalkälînå råtrî) shall chase away (vivâsayatu). In Pada b I read, for the same reason, with one of Shankar Pandit's MSS., ápokhatu for ápokhantu, making it govern abhikrltvarîh. Weber, die zauberspinnerinnen (mögen schwinden) hin;' Ludwig, weg gehn sollen die bezaubernden.' Sayana, retaining the plural, forces, it seems to me, the meaning of abhikrltvarîh in translating it by abhitah rogasåntim kurvânåh, working a cessation of disease all about.' And recognising the futility of the first, he also, alternatively, takes ápokhantu as an intransitive, . . . pisakyah apagakhantu! Cf. the note on III, 7, 7.
Stansa 3. a, b. According to our translation the words babhrór árgunakândasya qualify yavasya ; Kesava (and Såyana who repeats Kesava's substance) make the two words represent an independent plant: argunakashtham yavabusam tilapiñgikám ka ekatra trîni baddhyâ. And Darila also recognises three plants, the first of which he describes as babhruvarnasyå srgunasya tasya kanda sesham (1 for kândavisesham). According to these constructions the first substance is a branch from the tree (Sayana in commenting on the word in our stanza, argunakhyavrikshaviseshakâshthasya) arguna (terminalia arjuna). But the construction renders this extremely unlikely, and we prefer to render the text philologically.
b. The word te, 'thy,' would seem at first sight to refer to a field, and, as stated in the introduction, this would show that the poet here looks upon kshetriya as a derivative of kshetra, 'field,' and that he therefore introduces the paraphernalia of the field in his incantation. But this cannot stand against the ordinary value of the word, nor is it
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