7. That thou mayest be superior, free from rivals, rival-slaying—mayest be controler of thy fellows—so may Savitar make thee: let the unsubdued one defend thee.
The mss., and SPP., read in a uttarás (p. ut॰taráḥ); our text makes the necessary emendation to úttaras. In c, the same read asat; we emended to asas, and ought to have gone a step further and accented ásas, since the following táthā shows that the three preceding pādas are all alike under the government of yáthā; Ppp. has in c, with us, asas. Ppp. further combines ‘so ‘sapatnaḥ in a-b, and reads tvā abhi in e.
47. To night: for protection.
[Gopatha.—navakam. mantroktarātridevatyam. ānuṣṭubham: 1. pathyābṛhatī; 2. 5-p. anuṣṭubgarbhā parātijagatī; 6. purastādbṛhatī; 7. 3-av. 6-p. jagatī.]]
Found also in Pāipp. vi. According to the comm., hymns 47 and 48 form a single "sense-hymn" (arthasūkta), and 49 and 50 another; and their use is prescribed in Pariç. 4. 3-5, as of two hymns, in a ceremony of worship of night.
Translated: Ludwig, p. 467; Zimmer, p. 179; Griffith, ii. 303.
1. O night, the earthly space (rájas) hath been filled with the father's orderings (dhā́man); great, thou spreadest thyself (vi-sthā) to the seats of the sky; bright darkness comes on (ā-vṛt).
The verse is VS. xxxiv. 32, and is also found as first verse of a khila (Aufr., p. 682) to RV. x. 127, in both places without variant. ⌊It is quoted in Nirukta, Dāivatakāṇḍa iii. 29.⌋ Ppp. reads in b pitaraṣ prāyu dh-, and in c sudhāṅsi. The comm. holds 'the father' in b to designate the "skyey world" (dyuloka), quoting the commonplace dyāuḥ pitā pṛthivī mātā in support of it; dhāmabhis he glosses with sthānāiḥ saha, and tveṣam with dīpyamānam. ⌊For dhā́mabhis we might perhaps better say 'by or in accordance with the orderings'; but Griffith understands it as 'wondrous works.'⌋
2. She of whom the further limit is not seen, nor what separates; in her everything that stirs goes to rest (ni-viç); uninjured may we, O wide darksome night, attain thy further limit—may we, O excellent one, attain thy further limit.