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VI, 106. COMMENTARY.
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X, 142, 7, 8; anent this, the Rigvidhana, IV, 11, 1, states that it is also employed against danger from conflagrations (agnibhaye sati); see Oldenberg, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XXXIX, 79, and cf. Shadgurusishya (ed. Macdonell), p. 163.
The practices at Kaus. 52, 5-9 present the hymn in the somewhat general character of a samanam,'quieting force,' operative against danger from fire in the first place, but, further, intended to appease curses (mental fire) and to quiet the pain of one that has been burned by fire : 5. While reciting the present hymn a practice to quiet (fire) is performed within a pond 1. 6. (The same ceremony is performed) in a ditch dug inside of the house. 7. The house is covered with an avaka-plant (a water-plant, blyxa octandra; cf. the article cited above, p. 349). 8. To a person who is being cursed (a stirred drink and porridge ) are offered. A person who has been burned is washed (with water).' The third and second stanzas are employed, along with III, 13, 7 and XVIII, 3, 5 (6), at Vait. Sa. 29, 13, to scatter the fire upon the altar by means of a frog, an avaka-plant, and reed-plants; see our article, p. 345.
The hymn has been treated previously by Grill?, pp. 63, 170. The Anukramani, durvasaládevatyam.
Stanza 1. The důrva-plant, a kind of a millet (panicum dactylon), figures from early times (RV. X, 16, 13, &c.) in these firecharms; see our article, pp. 342-3, and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 70. The stanza is repeated with variants at RV. X, 142, 8.
Stanzas 2, 3. Cf. RV. X, 142, 7; Maitr. S. II, 10, 1; Tait. S. IV, 6, 1, 3; Våg. S. XVII, 7; Åsv. Sr. II, 12, 2. Pada 3 d occurs
According to Kesava water is poured into the pond, as a protection against fire
* Thus if we trust the Paribhâsha-sâtra, Kaus. 7, 7. But Sâyana (after Kesava), taptamashake divye tailâdikam abhimantrya sapathakartre (!) prayakhet.
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