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XI, 9. COMMENTARY.
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difficulties. Såyana says sitipadim gâm, 'a white-footed cow,' but Darila at Kaus. 14, 22 (cf. AV. III, 19) has meshim, a white-footed she-goat.' At AV. XI, 10, 6 (see the note on the passage, and cf. also XI, 10, 20) a white-footed, four-footed arrow is spoken of; this seems to indicate that the white-footed animal is let loose as a symbolic arrow, to find its way into the camp of the enemy (scape-goat?): in this way Sútra 26 obtains sense. Further, the word upasānga is obscure. We have translated tentatively and doubtfully according to Darila's indication, visrâmanârthordhvagadandah; Kesava has simply rågño (Cod. rågñå) dandah ; Sayana, ' rågñas kihnitaketudande rahasyam badhniyât, he shall secretly tie (the cow) to the staff of the characteristic banner of the king.' The Pet. Lex. assumes for upâsanga the meaning 'vicinity,' but the word ordinarily means ' quiver.' Is there a 'staff of the quiver?'
We have no information in the Veda itself regarding Arbudi and Nyarbudi, aside from this and the next hymn. Sâyana says that they were serpents (see st. 5), the sons of that Serpent-Rishi Arbuda (Kådraveya, the son of Kadru), to whom tradition ascribes the composition of RV. X, 94 and 175; cf. Åsv. Sr. V, 12, 9. 23; X, 7. Four words are concerned in the elucidation of this matter, arbudá (arbuda), and nyarbuda, árbudi and nyårbudi, and their manifold meanings do not bridge over to our subject with any degree of firmness. Only one point I would suggest : the forms with the prefix ni are in all probability the result of a verbal misconstruction. Arbuda in the Rig-veda is a demon-serpent whom Indra is bound to slay. At RV. II, 11, 20 we have ny árbudam vâvridhânó astal, 'thou (Indra),having waxed mighty, didst prostrate Arbuda ;' similarly VIII, 32, 3, ny árbudasya vishtápam varshmấnam brihatás tira, pierce the high resting-place of great Arbuda;' cf. also I, 51, 6; II, 14, 4. I believe that nyàrbuda and nyàrbudi owe their intrinsically meaningless prefix ni to such verbal juxtapositions which could be easily misunderstood. A still greater curiosity is the friendly relation of Arbudi and Nyarbudi, as ancillary war-gods, with Indra, notwith
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