mâ´nena-iva tasthi-vâ´n antárikshe ví yáh mamé prithivî´m sû´ryena.

He (Varuna) who standing in the welkin has measured the earth with the sun, as with a measure.

In this passage, as well as in ours, we must take measure, not in the abstract sense, but as a measuring line, which is cast forward to measure the distance of an object,—a simile, perfectly applicable to the Maruts, who seem with their weapons to strike the trees and mountains when they them, selves are still far off. Another explanation might be given, if mâ´na could be taken in the sense of measure, i. e. shape or form, but this is doubtful.

Note 2. Várpas, which has generally been translated by body or form, is here explained by praise. Benfey puts Werk (i. e. Gesang, Gebet); Langlois, maison. Várpas, which, without much reason, has been compared to Latin corpus, must here be taken in a more general sense. Thus VI, 44, 14, asyá máde purú várpâmsi vidvâ´n, is applied to Indra as knowing many schemes, many thoughts, many things, when he is inspired by the Soma-juice; see I, 19, 5.

Verse 3.

Note 1. Benfey takes ví yâthana in a causative sense, you destroy, you cause the trees to go asunder. But even without assigning to yâ a causative meaning, to go through, to pierce, would convey the idea of destruction. In some passages, however, vi-yâ is certainly used in the simple sense of passing through, without involving the idea of destruction:

VIII, 73, 13. ráthah viyâ´ti ródasî (íti).

Your chariot which passes through or between heaven and earth.

In other passages the mere passing across implies conquest and destruction:

I, 116, 20. vi-bhindúnâ … ráthena vi párvatân … ayâtam.

On your dissevering chariot you went across, or, you rent, the mountains (the clouds).

In other passages, however, a causative meaning seems equally, and even more applicable:

VIII, 7, 23. ví vritrám parva-sáh yayuh vi párvatân.

They passed through Vritra piecemeal, they passed through the mountains (the clouds); or, they destroyed Vritra, cutting him to pieces, they destroyed the clouds.

Likewise I, 86, 10. ví yâta vísvam atrínam.

Walk athwart every evil spirit, or destroy every evil spirit! See before, I, 19, 7; 37, 7.

We must scan vĭ ȳâ̆thănă vănĭnah prĭth̄ivy̆â̄h.

Note 2. It might seem preferable to translate â´sâh párvatânâm by the spaces of the clouds, for párvata means clouds in many places. Yet here, and still more clearly in verse 5, where párvata occurs again, the object of the poet