15. The onsets of (Agni) when he attacks his enemies, are like those of the Maruts. (He is) the

first-born (son) of the sacred spell. They know every (fire) . The Kusikas have raised their brilliant spell; they have kindled Agni, every one in his house.

16. After we had chosen thee here to-day, O wise Hotri, while this sacrifice was going on, thou hast firmly sacrificed and firmly laboured. Come to this Soma, expert and knowing!

NOTES.

The same Rishi. The prevalent metre is Trishtubh.--Verses 1, 4, 10, 12 are Anushtubh; verses 6, 11, 14, 15, Gagati.

The Sukta, which belongs to the later additions (see the note on hymn 28), consists of a number of verses and small groups of verses referring to the production of fire by the attrition of the two fire-sticks. The order in which the verses stand does not always agree with the natural order of the ritual acts.--Verse 2 = SV. I, 79. Verse 3 = VS. XXXIV, 14. Verse 4 = VS. XXXIV, 15; TS. III, 5, 11, 1; MS. I, 6, 2. 7; IV, 10, 4; 11, 1. Verse 8 = VS. XI, 35; TS. III, 5, 11, 2; IV, 1, 3, 3; MS. II, 7, 3; IV, 10, 4. Verse 10 = VS. III, 14; XII, 52; XV, 56; TS. I, 5, 5, 2; IV, 2, 4, 3; 7, 13, 5; TB. I, 2, 1, 16; II, 5, 8, 8; MS. I, 5, 1; 6, 1; AV. III, 20, 1. Verse 13 = TB. I, 2, 1, 19. Verse 16 = VS. VIII, 20; TS. I, 4, 44, 2; MS. I, 3, 38; AV. VII, 97, 1.

Verse 1.

Note [3:29:1:1]1. The verses 1-3 a, b have been translated by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, p. 209.

Note [3:29:1:2]2. On the adhimanthanasakala, the piece of wood on which the lower fire-stick is laid, see Satapatha Brahmana

[paragraph continues] III, 4, 1, 20. so'dhimanthanam sakalam adatte agner ganitram asity atra hy agnir gayate. Schwab, Das Altindische Thieropfer, p. 78 seq.

Note [3:29:1:3]3. Praganana seems to be used in the concrete sense as the male organ. As such, the poet may have considered the so-called pramantha in the generation of Agni, which is described as having the shape of the male organ (Schwab, loc. cit., 78; see also Roth, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenl. Gesellschaft, XLIII, 591). It does not seem very probable that the darbhapingula of which Sayana thinks should be meant.

Note [3:29:1:4]4. Sayana explains this as meaning the Arani (fire-stick), i. e. the lower Arani, the receptacle of the upper fire-stick. In the Taittiriya Brahmana I, 2, 1, 13 the two Aranis are addressed as mahi vispatni.

Verse 2.

Note [3:29:2:1]1. The text has i'dyah.

Verse 3.

Note [3:29:3:1]1. The upper fire-stick or, more accurately, the pramantha.

Note [3:29:3:2]2. Comp. above, II, 10, 3. The lower Arani is alluded to, which is considered as a wife and more particularly as the nymph Urvasi (Katyayana V, 1, 30, &c.).