NOTES.
This hymn, as well as the whole collection to which it belongs, is ascribed to Sunahsepa Âgîgarti (comp. 24, 12.13). The metre is Gâyatrî. Bergaigne (Recherches sur l’histoire de la Samhitâ, II, 7) divides this hymn into Trikas, with one single verse added at the end. I cannot find sufficient evidence for this; the appearance in the Sâma-veda (II, 967–9) of a Trika composed of the verses 10. 6. 7 of our hymn is rather against Bergaigne's opinion.
Verse 2.
Note 1. Mánmabhih may possibly mean, 'with thy (wise) thoughts;' comp., for instance, III, 11, 8. pári vísvâni súdhitâ agnéh asyâma mánmabhih, 'may we obtain every bliss through Agni's (wise) thoughts,' or 'may we obtain all the blessings of Agni for our prayers.'
Note 2. Vákas stands for vákasâ. See the passages collected by Lanman, Noun-Inflection, 562, and comp. Roth, Ueber gewisse Kürzungen des Wortendes im Veda, 5; Joh. Schmidt, Die Pluralbildungen der indogermanischen Neutra, 304 seq. Ludwig also takes vákas as instrumental.
Verse 3.
Note 1. Agni is the father, the mortal whose sacrifice he performs, the son.
Verse 4.
Note 1. Can risâdas be explained as a compound of ri (Tiefstufe of rai, as gu is the Tiefstufe of gau) and *sâ´das, from the root sad, 'to be triumphant'? Prof. Aufrecht (Bezzenberger's Beiträge, XIV, 83; see also Neisser, Bezz. Beitr. XIX, 143) connects ri- with the Greek ἐρι- (ἐρικυδής) &c.); our hypothesis has the advantage of not leaving the limits of Sanskrit.—Comp. M. M.’s note on V, 60, 7; Ludwig, Ueber die neuesten Arbeiten auf dem Gebiete der Rig-veda-Forschung (1893), p. 7.
