इदं वै तन्मधु दध्यङ्ङाथर्वणोऽस्विभ्यामुवाच । तदेतदृषिः पश्यन्नवोचत् ।
आथर्वणायाश्विना दधीचेऽश्व्यं शिरः प्रत्यरयतम् ।
स वां मधु प्रवोचदृतायन् त्वाष्ट्रं यद् दस्रावपि कक्ष्यं वाम् ॥ इति ॥ १७ ॥idaṃ vai tanmadhu dadhyaṅṅātharvaṇo’svibhyāmuvāca | tadetadṛṣiḥ paśyannavocat |
ātharvaṇāyāśvinā dadhīce’śvyaṃ śiraḥ pratyarayatam |
sa vāṃ madhu pravocadṛtāyan tvāṣṭraṃ yad dasrāvapi kakṣyaṃ vām || iti || 17 ||17. This is that meditation on things mutually helpful which Dadhyac, versed in the Atharva-Veda, taught the Aśvins. Perceiving this the Ṛṣi said, ‘O Aśvins, you set a horse’s head on (the shoulders of) Dadhyac, versed in the Atharva-Veda. O terrible ones, to keep his word he taught you the (ritualistic) meditation on things mutually helpful connected with the sun, as also the secret (spiritual) meditation on them.’
This is that meditation, etc., is to be explained as in the preceding paragraph; it refers to the other Mantra that relates the same story. Dadhyac, versed in the Atharva-Veda, etc. There may be others versed in the Atharva-Veda; so the term is qualified by mention of the name, Dadhyac. ‘O Aśvins,’ etc.—this is spoken by the Ṛṣi[7] who visualised the Mantra. ‘When the Brāhmaṇa’s head was severed, you cut off a horse’s head —O the cruelty of it!—and set it on the Brāhmaṇa’s shoulders. And he taught you the meditation on things mutually helpful that he had promised to teach you.’ Why did he run the risk of his life to do this? To keep his word —desiring to fulfil his promise. This is a hint that keeping one’s solemn promise is more important than even life. What was the meditation on things mutually helpful that he taught? That which was connected with the sun: The head of Yajña,[8] being severed, became the sun. To restore the head the rite called Pravargya was started. The meditation concerning the severing of the head of Yajña, its restoration, and so on, which forms a part of the rite, is the meditation on things mutually helpful connected with the sun. Terrible ones —who destroy their rival forces, or kill their enemies. ‘He taught you not only the ritualistic meditation on things mutually helpful connected with the sun, but also the secret meditation on them relating to the Supreme Self’ which is dealt with in the present section, in fact, throughout this and the preceding chapter. The verb ‘taught’ is to be repeated here from above.