13. Go never on thy crooked way to the spirit (which avenges the guilt) of anybody , of a vassal who has trespassed, or of a friend. Require not (of us),a sinful brother's debt . May we not have to suffer under the spirit which avenges a friend's or a (hostile) deceiver's guilt .

14. Protect us, O Agni, with all thy protection, thou who art protected, O martial one , and art gladdened (by us). Sparkle forth, and destroy even strong evil! Slay the Rakshas even though it has grown large.

15. Be gracious, O Agni, through these our hymns. Touch, O hero, this wealth moved by our prayers. And accept, O Angiras, our sacred words. May the praise, beloved by the gods, resound to thee .

16. I, the priest, have rehearsed to thee the omniscient one, O Agni, worshipper (of the gods), all these songs, these inmost words, these recitations and words of wisdom, to thee the wise one, with prayers and hymns.

NOTES.

The same Rishi and metre.--Verse 1 = SV. I, 69; TS. I, 3, 14, 1; TB. II, 8, 6, 9; MS. IV, 11, 4. Verse 6 = MS. IV, 11, 4.

Verse 1.

Note [4:3:1:1]1. On the identification of Agni with Rudra, comp. Bergaigne, Rel. Vedique, III, 36; von Bradke, Dyaus Asura, p. 54 (Rig-veda I, 27, 10; III, 2, 5; VIII, 72, 3).

Note [4:3:1:2]2. The second Pada of this verse is identical with VI, 16, 46.

Verse 2.

Note [4:3:2:1]1. Cf. Hirzel, Gleichnisse and Metaphern im Rigveda, p. 69.

Note [4:3:2:2]2. On parivitah Sayana remarks, yashtavyadevais tegobhir va parivitah. In the commentary on I, 128, 1, on the other hand, he says, ritvigbhih paridhibhir va parito veshtitah.

Note [4:3:2:3]3. I take su-apaka as a compound of su and a-paka (comp. Vag. Samh. XX, 44 = Taitt. Br. II, 6, 8, 4 = Maitr. Samh. III, 11, 1, where Tvashtri is called apakah). In Rig-veda VI, 11, 4 we read: adidyutat su apakah vibha'va; in VI, 12, 2. a' yasmin tve su apake yagatra, &c. Should we not correct in both passages suapakah, suapake?

Verse 3.

Note [4:3:3:1]1. The pressing-stone (gra'van) is frequently considered as speaking, as praising the gods. Cf. Hillebrandt, Vedische Mythologie, I, p. 152 sq.

Verse 4.

Note [4:3:4:1]1. The Padapatha has samyai. I think it should be samyah.

Note [4:3:4:2]2. I. e. to this sacrifice, which is considered as one of the chief manifestations of Rita. See H. O., Religion des Veda, p. 197.

Verse 6.

Note [4:3:6:1]1. At the Soma sacrifice fire burns on eight altars called Dhishnya; see Weber, Indische Studien, X, pp. 366, 375.

Note [4:3:6:2]2. See vol. xxxii, p. 164.

Note [4:3:6:3]3. This is the only passage in the Rig-veda in which nasatya occurs in the singular.

Note [4:3:6:4]4. On parigman, cf. above, I, 79, 3 note.