A part of this hymn is very obscure. I do not think, as does Prof. Geldner (Festgruss an Roth, 192), that the story of the Satyayanakam (see Sayana's commentary, and compare Pankavimsa Brahmana XIII 3, 12), of the Purohita Vrisa, who drives with the king on the royal chariot and kills a boy, throws any real light on the difficult points of the hymn. Nor does it seem to me that, as is the opinion of Prof. Hillebrandt (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XXXIII, 248 seq.), the first six verses, which Hillebrandt considers as an independent hymn, contain a description of how the fire which they try to produce by the attrition of the Aranis, does not appear. In my opinion the hymn--which is really one hymn as the tradition gives it--is a prayer of a person who suffers, who feels himself bound by the fetters of distress (verse 7) and persecuted by the power of Rakshas (verses 9, 10). Agni, formerly resplendent, has decayed and has forsaken him: may Agni be restored to his former might (verse 6), and may we ourselves be released from all distress (verse 7, &c.). Possibly the hymn is connected with the rite of Punaradheya, where the sacrificial fire which has brought no luck to the sacrificer, is extinguished, and after an interval a new fire is established (H. O., Religion des Veda, p. 353). There may of course be other special points, beyond the reach of our conjectures, which, if known, would elucidate several of the obscure allusions so frequent in the first verses of the hymn.

Verse 1.

Note [5:2:1:1]1. The boy very probably is Agni.--With the words samubdham guha bibharti, cf. I, 158, 5. susamubdham ava-adhuh.

Note [5:2:1:2]2. Not without hesitation I translate minat as if it were the middle minanam. Possibly the word means: 'which violates (the ordinances),' i. e. which does not shine and bring luck to men as it usually does. Na seems, as it

usually does (cf. Delbruck, Altindische Syntax, p. 543), to belong to the whole clause, and not to mina.

Note [5:2:1:3]3. Bohtlingk-Roth and Grassmann conjecture aratnau; Hillebrandt, aratau; Geldner (Festgruss an Roth, 192), aratau. Geldner seems to be right (cf. verse 6), though it will scarcely be possible to determine what concrete being was here thought of. Geldner says, 'Gemeint ist die Pisakika, welche die Gluth des Feuers entfuhrt hat;' but, as has already been observed, I do not think that this traditional story on the meaning of our hymn is of any real value.

Verse 2.

Note [5:2:2:1]1. The meaning of Peshi is unknown. The word seems anyhow to describe the wrong mother as low or contemptible. Agni is degraded by sojourning with her, while his proper nature is glorious, for he is the queen's son.

Verse 3.

Note [5:2:3:1]1. Agni has forsaken his proper dwelling.