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IV,
6.
COMMENTARY.
375
Brahmana with ten heads. Sâyana identifies the Brahmana with Takshaka, in accordance with the Sûtra, above.
Stanza 2.
Cf. Vâg. S. XXXVIII, 26, and for the seven rivers, Max Müller, Chips from a German Workshop, I, 63; Muir, 1. c., p. 490, note; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 21.
Stanza 3.
The poison is evidently a plant (Sâyana, kandavisha), since the eagle is constantly associated with the origin and functions of medicinal and magic plants; see I, 24, 1; II, 27, 2; IV, 20, 3; V, 14, 1, and especially our note on IV, 20, 3. For amîmadah in Pâda c, cf. madâvati in IV, 7, 4 a.
Stanza 4.
c. The rendering of apaskambhá is mere conjecture. Neither the root skambh nor stambh occurs with the preposition ápa. The Pet. Lexs., and Zimmer, 1. c., p. 300, 'the fastening of the point upon the shaft of the arrow;' Ludwig, 'widerhaken.' Sâyana has two explanations neither of which is satisfactory, apaskabhyate vidhâryate antarikshe iti apaskambhah kramukavrikshah (cf. Kaus. 28, 2, above) tasya sâlyâd sakalât . . . yadvâ avaskabhyate dhanushi dhâryate iti apaskambho bânah. Our own 'tearing (arrow)' is based upon the supposition that apa+ skambh may mean 'uproot,' or the like, as opposite of skambh.
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Stanza 5.
For the parts of the arrow as described here, sec Zimmer, 1. c., p. 300. Sâyana, prâñganât pralepât. apâshthât apakrishtavasthâd etatsamgñâd vishopâdânât. We have translated apâshthak khringât, 'from its barbed horn,' deriving apashtha from the root as in ásri, 'corner;' cf. ashthîvantau,' the knees.'
Sâyana ascends the dizziest height of absurdity in his rendering of kulmalât, to wit: kutsitaprânimalâk ka yad
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