Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/411

241 down here in the lair (yóni)—the two heavenly, great, well-shining women, putting on beauty (çrī́) with bright adornment.

The other texts differ from ours only by accenting úpāke. ⌊The comment to Prāt, ii. 91 cites suṣvay as a case of reduplication; and BR. vii. 1142 connect it with su 'impel.' But see Weber.—He renders ā́ by 'Heran.'⌋

7. The (two) invokers of the gods, first, well-voiced, shaping (mā) the sacrifice for man (mánus) to sacrifice, urging forward at the councils (vidátha) the (two) singers (kārú), pointing out forward light through the fore-region.

There are no variants. ⌊Griffith, after Mahīdhara, takes the "light" as the āhavanīya fire.⌋

8. Unto our sacrifice let Bhāratī come quickly, let Iḍā, taking note here in human fashion; let the three goddesses, well-working, sit upon this pleasant barhís—[also] Sarasvatī.

The translation implies in d the reading sárasvatī, given by RV.VS.MS.; TB. ⌊both ed's, Bibl. Ind. and Poona⌋ supports AV. in reading -tīḥ, which, however, can hardly be anything but a blunder. The four other texts have at the end sadantu. All our mss. have manuṣyát in b ⌊and so have all SPP's authorities⌋, and this form is authenticated by Prāt. iv. 65, the comment explaining how it is derived from manuṣyavat. As being, therefore, the indubitable AV. reading, it should not have been altered in our edition to -ṣvát, to conform with the four other texts, even though doubtless a corruption of -ṣvát. ⌊SPP. also alters it.⌋ ⌊In c, correct davī́r to devī́r.⌋

9. To him, god Tvashṭar, who adorned (piç) with forms these two generatresses, heaven-and-earth, [and] all existences, do thou today, O invoker, sent forth, skilled sacrificer, sacrifice here, understanding it.

There are no variants.

10. In thy way (? tmányā) anointing them, pour thou down upon (upa-ava-sṛj) the track of the gods the oblations in due season; let the forest-tree, the queller (çamitár), god Agni, relish (svad) the oblation with honey, with ghee.

'Forest-tree,' doubtless a big name for the sacrificial post. That the 'queller' is a separate personage is shown by the plural number of the following verb. ⌊E. Sieg discusses pā́thas, Gurupūjakaumudī, 97 ff.; later, Oldenberg, ZDMG. liv. 602.⌋

12. At once, when born, he determined (vi-mā) the sacrifice; Agni became foremost of the gods; at the direction of this invoker, at the voice of righteousness (ṛtá), let the gods eat the oblation made with "hail!"

The other texts read in c the nearly equivalent pradíçi.