IV, 6, 7. ádha mitráh ná sú-dhitah pâvakáh agníh dîdâya mâ´nushîshu vikshú.

Then, like a kind friend, Agni shone among the children of man.

V, 3, 2. mitrám sú-dhitam.

VI, 15, 2. mitrám ná yám sú-dhitam.

VIII, 23, 8. mitrám ná gáne sú-dhitam ritá-vani.

X, 115, 7. mitrâ´sah ná yé sú-dhitâh.

At last sú-dhita, without reference to human beings, takes the general sense of kind, good:

III, 11, 8. pári vísvâni sú-dhitâ agnéh asyâma mánma-bhih.

May we obtain through our prayers all the goods of Agni.

Here, however, práyâmsi may have to be supplied, and in that case this passage, too, should be classed with those mentioned above, VIII, 60, 4, &c.

If then we consider that súdhita, as applied to weapons, means well held or well aimed, we can hardly doubt that barhánâ is here, as Sâyana says, some kind of weapon. I should derive it from barhayati, to crush, which we have, for instance,

I, 133, 5. pisáṅga-bhrishtim ambhrinám pisâ´kim indra sám mrina, sárvam rákshah ní barhaya.

Pound together the fearful Pisâki with his fiery weapons, strike down every Rakshas.

II, 23, 8. bríhaspate deva-nídah ní barhaya.

Brihaspati strike down the scoffers of the gods. Cf. VI, 61, 3.

Barhánâ would therefore mean a weapon intended to crush an enemy, a block of stone, it may be, or a heavy club, and in that sense barhánâ occurs at least once more:

VIII, 63, 7. yát pâ´ñka-ganyayâ visâ´ índre ghóshâh ásrikshata, ástrinât barhánâ vipáh.

When shouts have been sent up to Indra by the people of the five clans, then the club scattered the spears; or, then he scattered the spears with his club.

In other passages Professor Roth is no doubt right when he assigns to barhánâ an adverbial meaning, but I do not think that this meaning would be appropriate in our verse. Grassmann also translates, 'ein wohlgezielter Pfeil.'

Verse 7.

Note 1. Alâtrinâ´sah, a word which occurs but once more, and which had evidently become unintelligible even at the