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III, 30. COMMENTARY.
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even this does not yield good metre. In Pada d, riphati,
growling,' is not altogether certain. Sayana, upon the basis of the Dhâtupâtha (riph rinph, himsâyâm), renders it by bhakshayantî, eating. In Åpast. Sr. XII, 22, 7 the root occurs in the sense of rikh, likh, 'scratch,' which suits the context quite as well. For the interchange of gutturals and labials, see Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 557 note, and the note on XI, 2, 25.
Stanse 2. Cf. XII, 4, 5. 10–12. In Pada b, vyádvarî, 'devouring,' looks very well by the side of kravyád, 'flesh-eating. In the form vyadvará the word occurs also at Sat. Br. VII, 4, 1, 27, and the scholiast derives it from ad, 'eat. But at II, 31, 4; VI, 50, 3 (twice) we have vyadhvará!, and Sayana reads vyadhvarî in our stanza (causing misfortune, afflicted with an evil way'), duhkhahetur dushtamârgah tadvati. The two words are blended and diversified by popular etymology, and it may be that one of them only is original. Cf. the note on II, 31, 4.
Stansas 5, 6. The mother of twins is invited to enter the world of the blissful which is described in all its attractiveness, and yet, implicitly, is not desired, for the time being, by the owner of the cow. In yaminî, 'mother of twins,' there is a pun
fit for Yama, the god of heaven, and death :' this makes it still more appropriate that she shall go there. The first hemistich is formulaic: see VI, 120, 3. Cf. also XVIII, 2, 24; 3, 9.
III, 30. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 134. In Kaus. 12, 5 this hymn heads a gana or series of seven Atharvan charms (III, 30; V, 1, 5; VI, 64; 73; 74; 94 ; VII, 52), which are designated as sammanasyâni (sc. sûk
· Thus the vulgata. Shankar Pandit's edition with Sâyana and most MSS., vyadvará.
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