Dear John,

JK> Dimitry - one comment on your feedback. You said:

>> da.n.dako.tiya.m - maybe a misprint
>> 'a.n.dakotiya.m'?
>> Can you check other editions of
>> Dhammapada-atthakatha?

JK> What's the problem here? PED lists ko.ti as "end,
JK> tip", da.n.da is "stick", and the -iya.m ending is an
JK> alternative form of the locative for feminine -i stem
JK> nouns. Hence "on the end of a stick" makes sense,
JK> right?

It doesn't make much sense in the sentence. From where the eggs were
taken - they were on the end of the stick? Why?
Or do bees lay eggs?

a.n.dakotiya.m would make sense as a great number (mass) of (ants') eggs.

Metta,
Dimitry