In VI, 50, 13, however, dâ´nu páprih is doubtful. As an epithet to Apâ´m nápât, it may mean he who wishes for Soma, or he who grants Soma; but in neither case is there any tangible sense, unless Soma is taken as a name of the fertilising rain or dew. Again, VIII, 25, 5, Mitra and Varuna are called sriprá-dânû, which may mean possessed of flowing rain. And in the next verse, sám yâ´ dâ´nûni yemáthuh may be rendered by Mitra and Varuna, who brought together rain.

The fact that Mitra-Varunau and the Asvins are called dâ´nunaspátî does not throw much more light on the subject, and the one passage where dâ´nu occurs as a feminine, I, 54, 7, dâ´nuh asmai úparâ pinvate diváh, may be translated by rain pours forth for him, below the sky, but the translation is by no means certain.

Dâ´nukitra, applied to the dawn, the water of the clouds, and the three worlds (V, 59, 8; 31, 6; I, 174, 7), means most likely bright with dew or rain; and dâ´numat vásu, the treasure conquered by Indra from the clouds, can be translated by the treasure of rain. Taking all the evidence together, we can hardly doubt that dâ´nu existed in the sense of liquid, rain, dew, and also Soma; yet it is equally certain that dâ´nu existed in the sense of giver, if not of gift, and that from this, in certain passages, at all events,

sudâ´nu must be derived, as a synonym of sudâ´van, sudâ´man, &c.

Spiegel admits two words dânu in the Veda and Avesta, the one meaning enemy, the other river. Darmesteter (Ormazd, p. 220) takes dânu as a cloud, water, or river. Ludwig translates sudânu by possessed of excellent gifts.

Note 2. I thought formerly that pinvanti was here construed with two accusatives, in the sense of 'they fill the water (with) fat milk.'

Cf. VI, 63, 8. dhenúm nah ísham pinvatam ásakrâm.

You filled our cow (with) constant food.

Similarly duh, to milk, to extract, is construed with two accusatives: Pan. I, 4, 51. gam dogdhi payah, he milks the cow milk.

RV. IX, 107, 5. duhânáh û´dhah divyám mádhu priyám.

Milking the heavenly udder (and extracting from it) the precious sweet, i. e. the rain.

But I now prefer to translate pinvanti apáh by they pour out water, and I take páyah ghritávat as a description of the water, namely, the fat milk of the clouds. After that parenthesis, vidátheshu âbhúvah is again an epithet of apáh, as it was in the first verse.

Note 3. The leading about of the clouds is intended, like the leading about of horses, to tame them, and make them obedient to the wishes of their riders, the Maruts. Átyah vâgî´ is a strong horse, possibly a stallion; but this horse is here meant to signify the clouds. Thus we read:

V, 83, 6. diváh nah vrishtím marutah rarîdhvam prá pinvata vríshnah ásvasya dhâ´râh.

Give us, O Maruts, the rain of heaven, pour forth the streams of the stallion (the cloud).