water or drink or rain,' yâsîshta being the aorist without the augment and with the intermediate vowel lengthened. The indicative occurs in

V, 58, 6. yát prá áyâsishta príshatîbhih ásvaih.

When you Maruts came forth with your fallow deer and your horses.

But what is the meaning of vayâ´m? Vayâ´ means a germ, a sprout, an offshoot, a branch, as may be seen from the following passages:

II, 5, 4. vidvâ´n asya vratâ´ dhruvâ´ vayâ´h-iva ánu rohate.

He who knows his eternal laws, springs up like young sprouts. (Better vayâ´-iva.)

VI, 7, 6. tásya ít ûm (íti) vísvâ bhúvanâ ádhi mûrdháni vayâ´h-iva ruruhuh.

From above the head of Vaisvanara all worlds have grown; like young sprouts.

VIII, 13, 6. stotâ´—vayâ´h-iva ánu rohate. (Better vayâ´-iva.)

The worshipper grows up like young sprouts.

VIII, 13, 17. índram kshonî´h avardhayan vayâ´h-iva.

The people made Indra to grow like young sprouts.

VIII, 19, 33. yásya te agne anyé agnáyah upa-kshítah vayâ´h-iva.

Agni, of whom the other fires are like parasitical shoots.

I, 59, 1. vayâ´h ít agne agnáyah te anyé.

O Agni, the other fires are indeed offshoots of thee.

II, 35, 8. vayâ´h ít anyâ´ bhúvanâni asya.

The other worlds are indeed his (the rising sun's) offshoots.

VI, 13, 1. tvát vísvâ—saúbhagâni ágne ví yanti vanínah ná vayâ´h.

From thee O Agni, spring all happinesses, as the sprouts of a tree.

VI, 24, 3. vrikshásya nú (ná?) te—vayâ´h ví ûtáyah ruruhuh.

Succours sprang from thee, like the branches of a tree.

V, 1, 1. yahvâ´h-iva prá vayâ´m ut-gíhânâh prá bhânávah sisrate nâ´kam ákkha.

Like birds (?) flying up to a branch, the flames of Agni went up to heaven; (or like strong men reaching up to.)

VI, 57, 5. tâ´m pûshnáh su-matím vayám vrikshásya prá vayâ´m-iva índrasya ka â´ rabhâmahe.

Let us reach this favour of Pûshan and of Indra, as one reaches forth to the branch of a tree.

There remain some doubtful passages in which vayâ´ occurs, VII, 40, 5, and X, 92, 3; 134, 6. In the first passage, as in our own, vayâ´h is trisyllabic.