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XIII KANDA, 5 ADHYAYA, I BRAHMANA, 18. 385
order to smite for him whoever is to be smitten.[Rig-veda I, 163, 12. 13], 'The swift racer hath gone forward to the slaying...-'The racer hath gone forward to the highest place...'
18. Having omitted these two (verses), he inserts the hymn (I, 162), 'Never (shall forget us) Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Ayu...,' in the Adhrigu (litany). Some, however, insert this verse (I, 162, 18), Thirty-four (ribs) of the steed, akin to the gods, (doth the knife hit)...,' before the (passage,' twenty-six are its) ribs,' thinking lest they should place the holy syllable 'om' in the wrong place, or lest they should suggest the plural by a singular. Let him not proceed thus, but let him insert the hymn as a whole.-'The swift racer hath gone forward to the slaying...-The racer hath gone forward to the highest place...'
1
On this recitation, consisting of a lengthy set of formulas, addressed to the slaughterers, see part ii, p. 188, note 2. The whole of the formulas are given Ait. Br. II, 6-7. The hymn, according to Âsv. X, 8, 7, is to be inserted either before the last formula of the litany, or somewhat further back-viz. before the formula 'shadvimsatir asya vankrayas,' 'twenty-six are its ribs '—whilst our Brahmana rather allows the alternative of the eighteenth verse of I, 162 being inserted at the latter place,-unless, indeed, the insertion in that case is to be made immediately before the word ' vankrayah' which is scarcely likely.
* Harisvâmin seems to take this to mean that as this verse is of the same nature as the formulas of the Adhrigu litany, he is to treat it as such, as otherwise, in reciting he would have to pronounce 4 om' after that verse, which is not done after those formulas.
Or, the plurality by the individual. Owing to the corrupt state of the MS., the commentator's explanation of this passage is not clear. He seems, however, at any rate, to take the 'plural' to refer to the formula 'shadvimsatir asya vankrayas,' where apparently 'eshâm has to be substituted for asya' on this occasion, as many victims are immolated, and the ribs of a plurality of beasts are thus indicated, whilst in verse eighteen of the hymn, on the
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