Bhashya
इदं वै तन्मध्वित्यादि पूर्ववत् मन्त्रान्तरप्रदर्शनार्थम् ।तथा अन्यो मन्त्रः तामेव आख्यायिकामनुसरति स्म ।आथर्वणो दध्यङ्नाम- आथर्वणोऽन्यो विद्यत इत्यतो विशिनष्टि- दध्यङ्नाम आथर्वणः, तस्मै दधीचे आथर्वणाय, हे अश्विनाविति मन्त्रदृशो वचनम्; अश्व्यम् अश्वस्य स्वभूतम्, शिरः, ब्राह्मणस्य शिरसि च्छिन्ने अश्वस्य शिरश्छित्त्वा ईदृशमतिक्रूरं कर्म कृत्वा अश्व्यंशिरः ब्राह्मणं प्रति ऐरयतं गमितवन्तौ, युवाम् ; स च आथर्वणः वां युवाभ्याम् तन्मधु प्रवोचत्, यत्पूर्वं प्रतिज्ञातम्- वक्ष्यामीति ।स किमर्थमेवं जीवितसंदेहमारुह्य प्रवोचदित्युच्यते- ऋतायन् यत्पूर्वं प्रतिज्ञातं सत्यं तत्परिपालयितुमिच्छन् ; जीवितादपि हि सत्यधर्मपरिपालना गुरुतरेत्येतस्य लिङ्गमेतत् ।किं तन्मधु प्रवोचदित्युच्यते- त्वाष्ट्रम्, त्वष्टा आदित्यः, तस्य संबन्धि- यज्ञस्य शिरश्छिन्नं त्वष्ट्रा अभवत्, तत्प्रतिसंधानार्थं प्रवर्ग्य कर्म, तत्र प्रवर्ग्यकर्माङ्गभूतं यद्विज्ञानं तन् त्वाष्ट्रं मधु- यज्ञस्य शिरश्छेदनप्रतिसंधानादिविषयं दर्शनं तत्त्वाष्ट्रं यन्मधु; हे दस्त्रौ दस्त्राविति परबलानामुपक्षपयितारौ शत्रूणां हिंसितारौ ; अपि च न केवलं त्वाष्ट्रमेव मधु कर्मसंबन्धि युवाभ्यामवोचत्; अपि च कक्ष्यं गोप्यं रहस्यं परमात्मसंबन्धि यद्विज्ञानं मधु मधुब्राह्मणेनोक्तं अध्यायद्वयप्रकाशितम्, तच्च वां युवाभ्यां प्रवोचदित्यनुवर्तते ॥
In plain words
'This is the honeyed teaching' — that whole line, as before, brings forward a second mantra following the very same story. 'Āthavaṇa named Dadhyañc' — since some other Āthavaṇa might exist, the text narrows it down: this is specifically the one named Dadhyañc. 'To Dadhīca, son of Atharvan' — 'O Aśvins' — these are the seer's own words. 'Equine' means belonging to the horse; and the 'head' — once the brāhmaṇa's own head had been cut off, you two cut off a horse's head instead, and after that terribly cruel act, carried it to the brāhmaṇa. That is what happened, and it was you two who did it. Dadhyañc, son of Atharvan, then told you both the teaching he had promised long before, when he said, 'I will tell it.' Why take such a risk with his own life to keep that promise? Because 'ṛtāyan' means wanting to honor a truth he had already given his word on — keeping faith with truth matters more than life itself, and this very word is the proof of it. And what teaching did he give you? The one that belongs to Tvaṣṭṛ, the sun — because it was Tvaṣṭṛ who once cut off the sacrifice's head, and the Pravargya rite exists to set it right again. The knowledge that forms part of that rite is Tvaṣṭṛ's teaching — the vision concerned with cutting off and restoring the sacrifice's head. 'O Dasras' — destroyers of enemy strength, slayers of foes. But he gave you more than just that ritual teaching. He also gave you the secret one, the hidden, esoteric knowledge of the supreme self — the very teaching the Madhu section reveals across two whole chapters. That too is covered when it says he told it to you both.
Close to the Sanskrit
'This indeed is that madhu' and so on, as before, is for showing another mantra. Thus another mantra follows that same story. 'Āthavaṇa named Dadhyañc' — since another Āthavaṇa might exist, he specifies: 'Āthavaṇa named Dadhyañc'; 'to him, Dadhīca, the descendant of Atharvan' — 'O Aśvins' — this is the seer's own utterance. 'Equine' means belonging to the horse, its own; 'head' — when the brāhmaṇa's head had been cut off, having cut off the horse's head, having done so cruel a deed, you two caused the horse's head to go toward the brāhmaṇa — that is, you two. And that descendant of Atharvan proclaimed to you two that madhu which he had earlier promised, saying 'I shall tell it.' For what reason did he, having mounted such a risk to his life, proclaim it? It is answered: 'ṛtāyan' means desiring to keep faithfully the truth earlier promised; for the keeping of the duty of truth is indeed weightier than even life — this word is the mark of that. What madhu did he proclaim? It is answered: the tvāṣṭra madhu — Tvaṣṭṛ is the sun; belonging to him. The sacrifice's head was cut off by Tvaṣṭṛ; the Pravargya rite exists for restoring it; the knowledge that is a subordinate part of that rite is the tvāṣṭra madhu — the vision concerned with the cutting off and restoring of the sacrifice's head is that tvāṣṭra madhu. 'O Dasrau' means the two destroyers of enemy strength, the slayers of foes. And moreover, he did not tell you two only the tvāṣṭra madhu, connected with ritual action; he also told the secret, hidden, esoteric madhu-knowledge relating to the supreme self — taught by the Madhu-brāhmaṇa and made manifest across two chapters — and to that too the phrase 'he proclaimed to you two' continues to apply.