Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/538

vi. 118- our knowledge of the ancient Hindu game of dice is not sufficient to enable us to translate the pāda intelligently. The verse is found also in several Yajus texts, TB. (iii. 7. 12$3$), TA. (ii. 4. 1), and MS. (iv. 14. 17); all read cakára in a, and vagnúm (MS. vagmúm) for gatnúm in b, and TB.TA. end b with upajíghnamānaḥ (while MS. has the corrupt reading ávajighram ā́paḥ); in c, d, TB.TA. have the version dūrepaçyā́ (TA. ugrampaçyā́) ca rāṣṭrabhṛ́c ca tā́ny apsarásāv ánu dattām ṛṇā́ni, and MS., very corruptly, ugrám paçyā́c ca rāṣṭrabhṛ́c ca tā ny apsarásām ánu dattā́ ’nṛṇāni. The comm., heedless of the accent, takes the first two words in c as vocatives. Ppp. reads, in a, b, kilviṣam akṣam aktam avilipsamānāḥ.

2. O fierce-seeing one! realm-bearing one! [our] offenses, what happened at the dice—forgive ye that to us; may there not come in Yama's world one having a rope on, desiring to win from us debt (ṛṇá) from debt.

3. To whom [I owe] debt, whose wife I approach, to whom I go begging (yāc), O gods—let them not speak words superior to me; ye (two) Apsarases, wives of gods, take notice!