16. As with a club smite the niggards in all directions, and him who deceives us, O god with fiery jaws. The mortal who makes (his weapons) very sharp by night, may that impostor not rule over us.

17. Agni has won abundance in heroes, Agni prosperity (for Kanva). Agni and the two Mitras (i. e. Mitra and Varuna) have blessed Medhyatithi, Agni (has blessed) Upastuta in the acquirement (of wealth) .

18. Through Agni we call hither from afar Turvasa, Yadu, and Ugradeva. May Agni, our strength against the Dasyu, conduct Navavastva, Brihadratha, and Turviti .

19. Manu has established thee, O Agni, as a light for all people. Thou hast shone forth with Kanva, born from Rita, grown strong, thou whom the human races worship.

20. Agni's flames are impetuous and violent; they are terrible and not to be withstood. Always burn down the sorcerers, and the allies of the Yatus, every ghoul .

NOTES.

The authorship of this hymn, and of the whole collection to which it belongs (I, 36-43), is ascribed to Kanva Ghaura. Numerous passages show indeed that it was the family of the Kanvas, or rather, to speak more accurately, a branch of that family, among which this group of hymns has been composed. But it is as great a mistake in this as in

a number of similar cases to accept the founder of one of the great Brahmanical families as an author of Vedic poems. Comp. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morg. Gesellschaft, XLII, 215 seq.

The metre is alternately Brihati and Satobrihati, so that the hymn consists of strophes (Pragatha) of two verses. Verse 1 = SV. I, 59. Verse 9 = VS. XI, 37; TS. IV, 1, 3, 3 (V, 1, 4, 5); TAr. IV, 5, 2 (V, 4, 6); MS. II, 7, 3; IV, 9, 3. Verse 13 = SV. I, 57; VS. XI, 42; TS. IV, 1, 4, 2 (V, 1, 5, 3); MS. II, 7, 4. Verses 13, 14 = TB. III, 6, 1, 2; TAr. IV, 20, 1; MS. IV, 13, 1. Verse 19 = SV. I, 54.

Verse 1.

Note [1:36:1:1]1. Literally, we entreat for you. Comp. on this use of the pronoun vah, Delbruck, Altindische Syntax, 206. See also Neisser, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XX, 64.

Note [1:36:1:2]2. The meaning of yahva cannot be determined with full certainty.

Note [1:36:1:3]3. There is no sufficient reason to change with Ludwig (IV, 254) puruna'm to Puruna'm, and thus to convert the metrically correct Pada into an irregular one.--Comp. Bollensen, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenl. Gesellschaft, XXII, 593.

Note [1:36:1:4]4. On devayati'nam, comp. Lanman, p. 399.

Verse 5.

Note [1:36:5:1]1. 'On thee all the eternal works are united, i. e. depend, which the gods have wrought; such as sun, stars, lightning.' M. M.

Verse 6.

Note [1:36:6:1]1. With the third Pada compare the third Pada of verse 2. It is a galita.

Verse 8.

Note [1:36:8:1]1. The word 'the foe' (vritra) alludes to the name of the demon conquered by Indra; see H. O., Religion des Veda, 135, note 2.