X. 142, 4. yada te vấtah anu-vấti sokíh, váptâ-iva smásru vapasi prá bhuma.

When the wind blows after thy blast, then thou shavest the earth as a barber shaves the beard. Cf. i. 65, 4.

If, as B. and R. suggest, vaptar, barber, is connected with the more modern name for barber in Sanskrit, viz. nâpita, we should have to admit a root svap, in the sense of tearing or pulling, vellere, from which we might derive the Vedic svapu (vii. 56, 3), beak. Corresponding to this we find in Old High German snabul, beak, (schnepfe, snipe,) and in Old Norse nef. The Anglo-Saxon neb means mouth and nose, while in modern English neb or nib is used for the bill or beak of a bird *. Another derivation of nâpita, proposed by Professor Weber (Kuhn's Beiträge, vol. i. p. 505), who takes nâpita as a dialectic form of snâpitar, balneator, or lavator, might be admitted if it could be proved that in India also the barber was at the same time a balneator.

Verse 11, note 1. Ví-bhûtayah is properly a substantive, meaning power, but, like other substantives †, and particularly substantives with prepositions, it can be used as an adjective, and is, in fact, more frequently used as an adjective than as a substantive. It is a substantive,

i. 8, 9. evá hí te ví-bhûtayah ûtáyah indra mẩ-vate sadyáh kit sánti dâsúshe.

For indeed thy powers, O Indra, are at once shelters for a sacrificer, like me.

But it is an adjective,

i. 3o, 5. ví-bhutih astu sunrita.

May the prayer be powerful.

vi. 17, 4. mahẩm ánûnam tavásam ví-bhûtim matsarasah garhrishanta pra-sáham.

* Grimm, Deutsche Grammatik, vol. iii. pp. 400, 409. There is not yet sufficient evidence to show that Sanskrit sv, German sn, and Sanskrit n are interchangeable, but there is at least one case that may be analogous. Sanskrit svang, to embrace, to twist round a person, German slango, Schlange, snake, and Sanskrit nâga, snake. Grimm, Deutsche Grammatik, vol. iii. p. 364.

+ See Benfey, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, vol. ii. p. 216.

The sweet draughts of Soma delighted the great, the perfect, the strong, the powerful, the unyielding Indra. Cf. viii. 49, 6; 50, 6.

Vibhvah, with the Svarita on the last syllable, has to be pronounced vibhúàh. In iii. 6, 9, we find vi-bhávah.

Verse 11, note 2.

Verse 11, note 3.

See i. 87, 1, note 1, page 144.

See i. 6, 5, note 1, page 29.

Verse 12, note 1. Mahi-tvanám, greatness, is formed by the suffix tvaná, which Professor Aufrecht has identified with the Greek σúvn (ovvov); see Kuhn's Zeitschrift, vol. i. p. 482. The origin of this suffix has been explained by Professor Benfey, ibid. vol. vii. p. 120, who traces it back to the suffix tvan, for instance, i-tvan, goer, in prâtah-ítvâ = prâtah-yavâ.

Verse 12, notes 2 and 3. Vratá is one of those words which, though we may perceive their one central idea, and their original purport, we have to translate by various terms in order to make them intelligible in every passage where they occur. Vratá, I believe, meant originally what is enclosed, protected, set apart, the Greek voμós:

v. 46, 7. yẩh parthivâsah yah apẩm ápi vraté tấh nah devîh su-havâh sárma yakkhata.

O ye gracious goddesses, who are on the earth or in the realm of the waters, grant us your protection!

Here vratá is used like vrigána, see i. 165, 15, note 3, page 195.

X. 114, 2. tấsâm ní kikyuh kaváyah ni-dẩnam páreshu yah gúhyeshu vratéshu.

The poets discovered their (the Nirritis') origin, who are in the far hidden chambers.

i. 163, 3. ási tritáh gúhyena vraténa.

Thou art Trita within the hidden place, or with the secret work.

Secondly, vratá means what is fenced off, what is determined, what is settled, and hence, like dhárman, law, ordinance. In this sense vratá occurs very frequently:

i. 25, 1. yát kit hí te vísah yathâ prá deva varuna vratám, minîmási dyávi-dyavi.

Whatever law of thine we break, O Varuna, day by day,

men as we are.

ii. 8, 3. yásya vratám ná míyate.

Whose law is not broken.

iii. 32, 8. índrasya kárma sú-kritâ puruni vratani devah ná minanti vísve.

The deeds of Indra are well done and many, all the gods do not break his laws, or do not injure his ordinances.

ii. 24, I2. vísvam satyám maghavâna yuvóh ít ấpah kana prá minanti vratám vâm.

All that is yours, O powerful gods, is true; even the waters do not break your law.

ii. 38, 7. nákih asya tấni vrata devásya savitúh minanti. No one breaks these laws of this god Savitar. Cf. ii. 38, 9.

i. 92, 12. áminatî daívyâni vratẩni.

Not injuring the divine ordinances. Cf. i. 124, 2.
X. 12, 5. kát asya áti vratám kakrima.

Which of his laws have we overstepped?

viii. 25, 16. tásya vratấni ánu vah karâmasi.

His ordinances we follow.

x. 33, 9. ná devẩnâm áti vratám satá-âtmâ kaná gîvati. No one lives beyond the statute of the gods, even if he had a hundred lives.

vii. 5, 4. táva tri-dhấtu prithivï utá dyaúh vaísvânara vratám agne sakanta.

The earth and the sky followed thy threefold law, O Agni Vaisvânara.

vii. 87, 7. yáh mriláyâti kakrúshe kit agah vayám syâma várune ánâgâh, ánu vratẩni áditeh ridhántah.

Let us be sinless before Varuna, who is gracious even to him who has committed sin, let us perform the laws of Aditi !

ii. 28, 8. námah pura te varuna utá nûnám utá aparám tuvi-gâta bravâma, tvé hí kam párvate ná sritẩni áprakyutâni duh-dabha vratani.

Formerly, and now, and also in future let us give praise to thee, O Varuna; for in thee, O unconquerable, all laws are grounded, immovable as on a rock.

A very frequent expression is ánu vratám, according to

the command of a god, ii. 38, 3; 6; viii. 40, 8; or simply ánu vratám, according to law and order:

i. 136, 5. tám aryama abhí rakshati rigu-yántam ánu

vratám.

Aryaman protects him who acts uprightly according to law. Cf. iii. 61, 1; iv. 13, 2; v. 69, 1.

The laws or ordinances or institutions of the gods are sometimes taken for the sacrifices which are supposed to be enjoined by the gods, and the performance of which is, in a certain sense, the performance of the divine will.

i. 93, 8. yáh agnîshómâ havíshâ saparyất devadrîkâ mánasâ yáh ghriténa, tásya vratám rakshatam pâtám ámhasah.

He who worships Agni and Soma with oblations, with a godly mind, or with an offering, protect his sacrifice, shield him from evil!

i. 31, 2. tvám agne prathamáh ángirah-tamah kavíh devanâm pári bhûshasi vratám.

Agni, the first and wisest of poets, thou performest the sacrifice of the gods.

iii. 3, 9. tásya vratẩni bhûri-poshínah vayám úpa bhûshema dáme a suvriktí-bhih.

Let us, who possess much wealth, perform with prayers the sacrifices of Agni within our house.

In another acceptation the vratas of the gods are what they perform and establish themselves, their own deeds:

iii. 6, 5. vrata te agne mahatáh mahẩni táva krátvâ ródasî (íti) a tatantha.

The deeds of thee, the great Agni, are great, by thy power thou hast stretched out heaven and earth.

viii. 42, 1. ástabhnât dyẩm ásurah visvá-vedâh ámimîta varimanam prithivyah, a asidat ví và bhúvanâni sam-rất vísvâ ít tấni várunasya vratani.

The wise spirit established the sky, and made the width of the earth, as king he approached all beings,—all these are the works of Varuna.

vi. 14, 3. turvantah dásyum âyávah vrataíh sîkshantah avratám.

Men fight the fiend, trying to overcome by their deeds him who performs no sacrifices; or, the lawless enemy.

Lastly, vratá comes to mean sway or power, and the expression vraté táva signifies, at thy command, under thy auspices:

i. 24, 15. átha vayám âditya vraté táva ánâgasah áditaye syâma.

Then, O Âditya, under thy auspices may we be guiltless before Aditi.

vi. 54, 9. pushan táva vraté vayám ná rishyema kádâ kaná.

O Pûshan, may we never fail under thy protection.

x. 36, 13. yé savitúh satyá-savasya vísve mitrásya vraté várunasya devah.

All the gods who are in the power of Savitar, Mitra, and Varuna.

v. 83, 5. yásya vraté prithivĩ námnamîti yásya vraté saphá-vat gárbhurîti, yásya vraté óshadhîh visvá-rûpâh sáh nah parganya máhi sárma yakkha.

At whose command the earth bows down, at whose command the earth is as lively as a hoof (?), at whose command the plants assume all shapes, mayest thou, O Parganya, yield us great protection!

In our passage I take vratá in this last sense.

Dâtrá, if derived from dâ, would mean gift, and that meaning is certainly the most applicable in some passages where it occurs:

ix. 97, 55. ási bhágah ási dâtrásya dâtấ.

Thou art Bhaga, thou art the giver of the gift.

In other passages, too, particularly in those where the verb dâ or some similar verb occurs in the same verse, it can hardly be doubted that the poet took dâtrá, like dátra or dáttra, in the sense of gift, bounty, largess :

i. 116, 6. yám asvinâ dadáthuh svetám ásvam—tát vâm dâtrám máhi kîrtényam bhût.

The white horse, O Asvins, which you gave, that your gift was great and to be praised.

i. 185, 3. aneháh dâtrám áditeh anarvám huvé.

I call for the unrivalled, the uninjured bounty of Aditi.

vii. 56, 21. ma vah dâtrất marutah níh arâma.

May we not fall away from your bounty, O Maruts!