to (úpa) for thee the very powerful one; after me let thy mind run forth as a cow after her calf, run as water on its track.
RV. reads úpa for abhí in a, and has for b abhí tvā ’dhāṁ sáhīyasā. The application of a and b as made by Kāuç. (see above) would suit the prepositions as found in RV. decidedly better than as in our text; but much more appropriate is the use made by MP., elements of the root being secretly bound on the arms of the wife, with which she embraces the husband below and above ⌊so that one arm is under him and the other over him⌋; then in abhy adhām is further implied (as elsewhere ⌊e.g. iii. 11. 8⌋) the value of abhidhānī, the halter or bridle with which a horse is controlled. The Anukr. does not sanction the resolution ma-ā́m in c.
19. To help friends against enemies.
[Vasiṣṭha.—aṣṭarcam. vāiçvadevam uta cāndramasam utāi ”ndram. ānuṣṭubham: 1. pathyābṛhatī; 3. bhurigbṛhatī; 6. 3-av. 6-p. triṣṭupkakummatīgarbhā ’tijagatī; 7. virāḑāstārapan̄kti; 8. pathyāpan̄kti.]
The verses are found in Pāipp. iii. (in the verse-order 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8). The hymn is applied by Kāuç. (14. 22-24) in a rite for gaining victory over a hostile army, and reckoned (14. 7, note) to the aparājita gaṇa. The Vāit. uses vs. 1 in the agnicayana (28. 15) in connection with lifting the ukhya fire, and vss. 6-8 in a sattra sacrifice (34. 16, 17), with mounting a chariot and discharging an arrow.
Translated: John Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, i.2 283; Ludwig, p. 234; Weber, xvii. 269; Griffith, i. 109.
1. Sharpened up is this incantation (? bráhman) of mine; sharpened up [my] heroism, strength; sharpened up, victorious, be the unwasting authority (kṣatrá) [of them] of whom I am the household priest (puróhita).
Or bráhman and kṣatrám may signify respectively the Brāhman and Kṣatriya quality or dignity of the puróhita and his constituency. The verse is found also in VS. (xi. 81), TS. (iv. 1. 103), TA. (ii. 5. 2, vs. 15), MS. (ii. 7. 7), and K. (xvi. 7, Weber). The first two of these agree in all their readings, omitting idám in a and ajáram astu in c, and reading in c, d jiṣṇú yásyā ’hám ásmi; and TA.MS. differ from them only by adding me before jiṣṇú; Ppp. has kṣatraṁ me jiṣṇu, but agrees with our text in d. The comm. moreover has jiṣṇu, and the translation implies it; jiṣṇús can only be regarded as a blunder. Ppp. further gives mayī ’dam for ma idam in a, and mama for balam in b. Our original c has apparently got itself mixed up with vs. 5 c.
2. Up I sharpen the royalty of them, up their force, heroism, strength; I hew [off] the arms of the foes with this oblation.
The translation implies emendation of the syāmi of all the mss. and of both editions to çyāmi; it is obviously called for (suggested first by the Pet. Lex.), and the comm., reads çyāmi; Ppp. probably intends it by paçyāmi. The latter half-verse is found again below as vi. 65. 2 c, d; its text is confused here in Ppp. (vṛçcāmi çatrūṇāṁ bāhū sam açvām açvān aham). The Anukr. ignores the redundant syllable in a.
3. Downward let them fall, let them become inferior, who shall fight against (pṛtany-) our bounteous patron (sūrí); I destroy the enemies by my incantation; I lead up our own men.
