Note 3. Krívih-datî has been a crux to ancient and modern interpreters. It is mentioned as a difficult word in the Nighantu, and all that Yâska has to say is that it means possessed of cutting teeth (Nir. VI, 30. krivirdatî vikartanadantî). Professor Roth, in his note to this passage, says that krivi can never have the meaning of well, which is ascribed to it in the Nighantu III, 23, but seems rather to mean an animal, perhaps the wild boar, κάπρος, with metathesis of v and r. He translates our passage: 'Where

your lightning with boar-teeth tears.' In his Dictionary, however, he only says, 'krivis, perhaps the name of an animal, and dant, tooth.' Sâyana contents himself with explaining krívirdatî by vikshepanasîladantî, having teeth that scatter about.

My own translation is founded on the supposition that krívis, the first portion of krívirdatî, has nothing to do with krivi, but is a dialectic variety of kravís, raw flesh, the Greek κρέας, Latin caro, cruor. It means what is raw, bloody, or gory. From it the adjective krûra, horrible, cruentus (Curtius, Grundzüge, p. 142; Kuhn, Zeitschrift, vol. ii, p. 235). A name of the goddess Durgâ in later Sanskrit is krûradantî, and with a similar conception the lightning, I believe, is here called krívirdatî, with gory teeth.

Note 4. It should be observed that in rádati the simile of the teeth of the lightning is carried on. For rádati may be supposed to have had in the Veda, too, the original meaning of râdere and rôdere, to scratch, to gnaw. Rada and radana in the later Sanskrit mean tooth. It is curious, however, that there is no other passage in the Rig-veda where rad clearly means to bite. It means to cut, in

I, 61, 12. góh ná párva ví rada tiraskâ´.

Cut his joint through, as the joint of an ox.

But in most passages where rad occurs in the Veda, it has the meaning of giving. It is not the same which we have in the Zend râd, to give, and which Justi rightly identifies with the root râdh. But rad, to divide, may, like the German theilen in zutheilen, have taken the meaning of giving. Greek δαίω means to divide, but yields δαίς, portion, meal, just as Sanskrit day, to divide, yields dâyas, share, i. e. inheritance.

This meaning is evident in the following passages:

VII, 79, 4. tâ´vat ushah râ´dhah asmábhyam râsva yâ´vat stotrí-bhyah áradah grinânâ´.

Grant us, Ushas, so much wealth as thou hast given to the singers, when praised.

I, 116, 7. kakshî´vate aradatam púram-dhim.

You gave wisdom to Kakshîvat.

I, 169, 8. ráda marút-bhih surúdhah gó-agrâh.

Give to the Maruts gifts, rich in cattle.

VII, 62, 3. ví nah sahásram surúdhah radantu.

May they (the gods) give to us a thousand gifts!

I, 117, 11. vâ´gam víprâya—rádantâ.

Giving spoil to the sage!

VI, 61, 6. ráda pûshâ´-iva nah saním.

Give us, Sarasvatî, wealth, like Pûshan!