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interested in the Brahman's cow (implied throughout the hymn), because her milk is mixed with Soma; cf. st. 14. See also Sat. Br. V, 4, 2, 3.
HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Stanza 7.
Cf. RV. X, 85, 34. nikkhídam, lit. 'to throw out.' Professor Roth suggests ni-khídam, 'to get down.' nikkhid is certainly &π. λey. and might be for nishkhid=ni-shkhid, reminding us of the MSS. of the Tait. S. which write khkhid in the interior of words (after augment and prepositions); see Ind. Stud. XIII, 106-7. But the statement, that the oppressor of Brahmans swallows the cow, and that he then cannot get her out again, because she sticks in his throat, is equally suitable.
Stanza 8.
b. The expression nâdîka dántâs tápasâ bhídigdhak seems to me to contain a double entente, 'his windpipe (shaft of the arrow), his teeth (points of the arrow), are bedaubed (like the arrow with poison) with holy fire.' A striking figure of speech, hardly to be misunderstood ! Muir, his windpipe is arrow-points smeared with fire;' Ludwig,' die nadikâ (speiseröre oder luftröre ?) die zähne vom tapak bestrichen;' Zimmer, 'seine luftröhre mit Gluth bestrichne Pfeilspitzen;' Grill, 'die Luftröhr Pfeilspitze, in des Eifers Gluth getauchet.'
Stanza 10.
(
d. vaitahavyá, patronymic from vîtáhavya, a proper name; cf. st. 11, and V, 19, 1. Zimmer, pp. 132, 200−1, translates the word by die aus habsucht opfernden,' and 'die opfergierigen,' but the word per se has no disparaging meaning; cf. vîtíhotra.
Stanza 11.
c, d. Ludwig, 'die der Kesaraprâbandhâ letztgeborene gebraten. This involves the emendation of karamagâm to karamagam (sc. vatsam, 'calf'), and makes Kesaraprâbandha the name of a cow; cf. prathamagâ. That cows
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