Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
129. The heroes went downwards to SaryazAvat, to Sushoma, to Argtka, to PastyAvat. 30. When will you come hither, O Maruts, to the sage who calls you so, with your consolations to the suppliant ? 31. What then now? Where.are your friends, now that you have forsaken Indra? Who is counted in your friendship ? 32. O Ka4zvas, I praise Agni, together with our Maruts, who carry the thunderbolt in their hands, and are armed with golden daggers. 33. Might I succeed in bringing hither the strong hunters, hither with their splendid booty for the newest blessings. MANDALA VIII, HYMN 7. 393 34. The hills even sink low, as if they thought ' themselves valleys, the mountains even bow themselves down, 35- The crossing (horses) bring them hither, flying through the air; they bestow strength on the man who praises them. 36. The old fire! has been born, like the shine? by the splendour of the sun, and the Maruts have spread far and wide with their lights. 394 VEDIC HYMNS. NOTES. Ascribed to Punarvatsa Kanva. Verse 8 occurs MS. IV, 12, 5; verse 11 in TS. I, 5, 11, 4; MS. IV, Io, 4; verse 28 in AV. XIII, 1, 21. Metre, Gayatri. Verse 1. Note 1. Trishfibham is an adjective belonging to isham. The same expression occurs again, VIII, 69,1, as a galita, and is therefore of little help. In IX, 62, 24, the isha# are called parishfibhas, which seems to mean something like parisrut, i.e. standing round about. I therefore take trish¢ubh in our passage simply as threefold, referring probably to the morning, noon, and evening sacrifice. The sacrifice is often called trivrzt, X, 52,4; 124,1. Some scholars ascribe to stubh in trishfubh the meaning of liturgical shouting. Verse 2. Note 1. Besides n{ ahdsata, we find ud ahAsata, I, 9, 4, and dpa ahdsata, IX, 73, 6. On 4i, see verse 14, and V, 55; 7. It is often impossible to say whether the Vedic Aorist should be translated in English by the perfect or the imperfect. If we take the verse as describing an historical fact, it would be, ‘When you saw your way, or, as soon as you had seen your way, the clouds fell.’ If it is meant as a repeated event, it would be, ‘when, i.e. whenever you have seen your way, the clouds have fallen.’ The difficulty lies in English, and though the grammars lay down rules, usage does not conform to them. The difference in the use of tenses in English is so great that in the revised version of the Bible, a number of passages had to be translated differently for the English and for the American public. Thus in Rom. ii. 12, the English edition gives, ‘For as many as have sinned without law, shall perish without law.’ The American edition changes this into ‘As many as sinned without the law.’ Gal. iii, 22, English: ‘The scripture hath shut up;’ American: ‘The scripture shut up.’ It was on account of this and other changes of NOTES. VIII, 7, 10. 395
2iii, 22, English: ‘The scripture hath shut up;’ American: ‘The scripture shut up.’ It was on account of this and other changes of NOTES. VIII, 7, 10. 395 idiom which have sprung up between English and American, that different editions of the revised version had actually to be printed for England and America. No wonder, therefore, that an American critic should in his innocence have charged me with not knowing the difference between the aorist, the imperfect, and the perfect in Vedic Sanskrit! Verse 7. Note 1. Aruzapsu, perhaps reddish-coloured, an epithet of the dawn, here applied to the Maruts. The Maruts are sometimes called vrzshapsu, ahrutapsu, I, 52,4; VIII, 20, 7. Verse 8. Note 1. The relation between the light cast forth by the Maruts and the path of the sun is not quite clear, except that in other places also the Maruts are connected with the morning. The darkness preceding a thunderstorm may be identified with the darkness of the night, preceding the sunrise. See Bergaigne, II, 379 seq. Verse 9. Note 1. The meaning of r#bhukshan is doubtful. It is applied to Indra and the Maruts. See Bergaigne, II, 403 ; 404 note; 412. Verse 10. Note 1. The Présnis in the plural fem. are the clouds, see VIII, 6, 19. Mythologically there is but one Présni, the mother of the Maruts. See also Bergaigne, II, 397. Note 2. I am doubtful about the three lakes of Madhu, here of rain, poured from their udders by the clouds. The number three is common enough, and Ludwig has pointed out a parallel passage from the AV. X, 10, 10-12, where we read of three pAtras, filled with milk and Soma. Many similar passages have been collected by Bergaigne, I, 177, but again without a definite result. The question is whether the three words utsa, kavandha, and udrin are meant as names of the three pAtras, in our passage, of the three lakes, or whether they should be taken as an apposition, 396 VEDIC HYMNS. the three lakes, namely, the well (of the sky), the skin full of water, and udrin, the watering-pot. Udrin is elsewhere an adjective only, but I think we must here translate, ‘ the well, the water-skin, the watering-pot.’ Verse 12. Note 1. On sudanavaz as vocative, see Delbriick, Syntax, p- 106. Verse 14. Note 1. For adhi with genitive, one expects ati. But Delbriick doubts whether ati can govern the genitive. See Altind. Syntax, p. 440. Verse 15. Note 1. As 4dabhyasya can only refer to et&vata“, I have taken etAvat in the sense of gaza, followed by eshdm. But I am not certain that the rendering is right. Verse 16. Note 1. I have ventured to translate drapsad by torrents. Neither drops nor sparks nor banners seem to yield an appropriate simile, but I feel very doubtful. See VIII, 96, 133 IX, 73, I. Verse 22.
3But I am not certain that the rendering is right. Verse 16. Note 1. I have ventured to translate drapsad by torrents. Neither drops nor sparks nor banners seem to yield an appropriate simile, but I feel very doubtful. See VIII, 96, 133 IX, 73, I. Verse 22. Note 1. I thought at first that by sm parvasd# dadhuh was meant the mixing or confounding together of heaven and earth ; it being impossible, during a storm, to distinguish the two. But there is clearly, as Ludwig points out, an opposition between sdm dadhu/ and vi yayus. I therefore take parvasaé in verse 22 in the sense of piece by piece, as in AV. IV, 12, 7. s4m dadhat padrush4 pdrué, while in verse 23 it means in pieces. Verse 265. Note 1. On sipra%, see note to II, 34, 3. Verse 26. Note 1. Ukshva rdndhram, ‘the hollow of the bull,’ whatever that may be, is not mentioned again. If it is meant for NOTES. VIII, 7, 29. 397 the dark cloud which hides the rain, then the roar of the bull would be the thunder of the cloud, stirred by the Maruts. Aukshzorandhra, however, is the technical name of certain SAmans, so that Ukshzorandhra may have been, like Usana (later Usanas), a proper name. See TAndya Br. XIII, 9, 18; 19. Note 2. If usdna stands for usanaya it might mean, ‘with desire,’ but it seems more likely that it refers to the Rishi, who is called Usana in the Rig-veda, and Usanas in later writings. See Lanman, p. 562, 1. 21; Bergaigne, II, 338, n. 3; Schmidt, K. Z. XXVI, 402, n. 1. Verse 27. Note 1. On makhdsya davane, see note to I, 6, 8, where I accepted the old explanation, ‘Come to the offering of the priest.’ But does makha mean priest? In later Sanskrit it means sacrifice,so that makhasya d4vane has been translated, ‘for the offering of the sacrifice,’ that is, ‘that we may be able to offer you sacrifice.’ If makha means glad and refers to Soma, which is doubtful, the sense would be the same. Possibly davane may here be derived from do, to divide, but this would not help us much. Verse 28. . The AV. reads ydm tva préshatf rathe prdsh¢ir vahati rohita, subh4 yAsi rizdnn apa’, which yields no help. Verse 29. This verse is very difficult. First of all, nfZakraya can hardly mean ‘ without a chariot’ (B.-R.), but seems an adverb, meaning downwards. But the chief difficulty lies in this, that we must decide, once for all, whether words, such as sushoma, saryavdvat, argika, pastyavat, &c., are to be interpreted in their natural sense, as expressing localities, well known to the poet, or in their technical sense, as names of sacrificial vessels. That this decision is by no means easy, may be inferred from the fact that two scholars, Roth and Ludwig, differ completely, the former preferring the technical, the latter the geographical meaning. We must 398 VEDIC HYMNS.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
129. The heroes went downwards to SaryazAvat, to Sushoma, to Argtka, to PastyAvat. 30. When will you come hither, O Maruts, to the sage who calls you so, with your consolations to the suppliant ? 31. What then now? Where.are your friends, now that you have forsaken Indra? Who is counted in your friendship ? 32. O Ka4zvas, I praise Agni, together with our Maruts, who carry the thunderbolt in their hands, and are armed with golden daggers. 33. Might I succeed in bringing hither the strong hunters, hither with their splendid booty for the newest blessings. MANDALA VIII, HYMN 7. 393 34. The hills even sink low, as if they thought ' themselves valleys, the mountains even bow themselves down, 35- The crossing (horses) bring them hither, flying through the air; they bestow strength on the man who praises them. 36. The old fire! has been born, like the shine? by the splendour of the sun, and the Maruts have spread far and wide with their lights. 394 VEDIC HYMNS. NOTES. Ascribed to Punarvatsa Kanva. Verse 8 occurs MS. IV, 12, 5; verse 11 in TS. I, 5, 11, 4; MS. IV, Io, 4; verse 28 in AV. XIII, 1, 21. Metre, Gayatri. Verse 1. Note 1. Trishfibham is an adjective belonging to isham. The same expression occurs again, VIII, 69,1, as a galita, and is therefore of little help. In IX, 62, 24, the isha# are called parishfibhas, which seems to mean something like parisrut, i.e. standing round about. I therefore take trish¢ubh in our passage simply as threefold, referring probably to the morning, noon, and evening sacrifice. The sacrifice is often called trivrzt, X, 52,4; 124,1. Some scholars ascribe to stubh in trishfubh the meaning of liturgical shouting. Verse 2. Note 1. Besides n{ ahdsata, we find ud ahAsata, I, 9, 4, and dpa ahdsata, IX, 73, 6. On 4i, see verse 14, and V, 55; 7. It is often impossible to say whether the Vedic Aorist should be translated in English by the perfect or the imperfect. If we take the verse as describing an historical fact, it would be, ‘When you saw your way, or, as soon as you had seen your way, the clouds fell.’ If it is meant as a repeated event, it would be, ‘when, i.e. whenever you have seen your way, the clouds have fallen.’ The difficulty lies in English, and though the grammars lay down rules, usage does not conform to them. The difference in the use of tenses in English is so great that in the revised version of the Bible, a number of passages had to be translated differently for the English and for the American public. Thus in Rom. ii. 12, the English edition gives, ‘For as many as have sinned without law, shall perish without law.’ The American edition changes this into ‘As many as sinned without the law.’ Gal. iii, 22, English: ‘The scripture hath shut up;’ American: ‘The scripture shut up.’ It was on account of this and other changes of NOTES. VIII, 7, 10. 395
2iii, 22, English: ‘The scripture hath shut up;’ American: ‘The scripture shut up.’ It was on account of this and other changes of NOTES. VIII, 7, 10. 395 idiom which have sprung up between English and American, that different editions of the revised version had actually to be printed for England and America. No wonder, therefore, that an American critic should in his innocence have charged me with not knowing the difference between the aorist, the imperfect, and the perfect in Vedic Sanskrit! Verse 7. Note 1. Aruzapsu, perhaps reddish-coloured, an epithet of the dawn, here applied to the Maruts. The Maruts are sometimes called vrzshapsu, ahrutapsu, I, 52,4; VIII, 20, 7. Verse 8. Note 1. The relation between the light cast forth by the Maruts and the path of the sun is not quite clear, except that in other places also the Maruts are connected with the morning. The darkness preceding a thunderstorm may be identified with the darkness of the night, preceding the sunrise. See Bergaigne, II, 379 seq. Verse 9. Note 1. The meaning of r#bhukshan is doubtful. It is applied to Indra and the Maruts. See Bergaigne, II, 403 ; 404 note; 412. Verse 10. Note 1. The Présnis in the plural fem. are the clouds, see VIII, 6, 19. Mythologically there is but one Présni, the mother of the Maruts. See also Bergaigne, II, 397. Note 2. I am doubtful about the three lakes of Madhu, here of rain, poured from their udders by the clouds. The number three is common enough, and Ludwig has pointed out a parallel passage from the AV. X, 10, 10-12, where we read of three pAtras, filled with milk and Soma. Many similar passages have been collected by Bergaigne, I, 177, but again without a definite result. The question is whether the three words utsa, kavandha, and udrin are meant as names of the three pAtras, in our passage, of the three lakes, or whether they should be taken as an apposition, 396 VEDIC HYMNS. the three lakes, namely, the well (of the sky), the skin full of water, and udrin, the watering-pot. Udrin is elsewhere an adjective only, but I think we must here translate, ‘ the well, the water-skin, the watering-pot.’ Verse 12. Note 1. On sudanavaz as vocative, see Delbriick, Syntax, p- 106. Verse 14. Note 1. For adhi with genitive, one expects ati. But Delbriick doubts whether ati can govern the genitive. See Altind. Syntax, p. 440. Verse 15. Note 1. As 4dabhyasya can only refer to et&vata“, I have taken etAvat in the sense of gaza, followed by eshdm. But I am not certain that the rendering is right. Verse 16. Note 1. I have ventured to translate drapsad by torrents. Neither drops nor sparks nor banners seem to yield an appropriate simile, but I feel very doubtful. See VIII, 96, 133 IX, 73, I. Verse 22.
3But I am not certain that the rendering is right. Verse 16. Note 1. I have ventured to translate drapsad by torrents. Neither drops nor sparks nor banners seem to yield an appropriate simile, but I feel very doubtful. See VIII, 96, 133 IX, 73, I. Verse 22. Note 1. I thought at first that by sm parvasd# dadhuh was meant the mixing or confounding together of heaven and earth ; it being impossible, during a storm, to distinguish the two. But there is clearly, as Ludwig points out, an opposition between sdm dadhu/ and vi yayus. I therefore take parvasaé in verse 22 in the sense of piece by piece, as in AV. IV, 12, 7. s4m dadhat padrush4 pdrué, while in verse 23 it means in pieces. Verse 265. Note 1. On sipra%, see note to II, 34, 3. Verse 26. Note 1. Ukshva rdndhram, ‘the hollow of the bull,’ whatever that may be, is not mentioned again. If it is meant for NOTES. VIII, 7, 29. 397 the dark cloud which hides the rain, then the roar of the bull would be the thunder of the cloud, stirred by the Maruts. Aukshzorandhra, however, is the technical name of certain SAmans, so that Ukshzorandhra may have been, like Usana (later Usanas), a proper name. See TAndya Br. XIII, 9, 18; 19. Note 2. If usdna stands for usanaya it might mean, ‘with desire,’ but it seems more likely that it refers to the Rishi, who is called Usana in the Rig-veda, and Usanas in later writings. See Lanman, p. 562, 1. 21; Bergaigne, II, 338, n. 3; Schmidt, K. Z. XXVI, 402, n. 1. Verse 27. Note 1. On makhdsya davane, see note to I, 6, 8, where I accepted the old explanation, ‘Come to the offering of the priest.’ But does makha mean priest? In later Sanskrit it means sacrifice,so that makhasya d4vane has been translated, ‘for the offering of the sacrifice,’ that is, ‘that we may be able to offer you sacrifice.’ If makha means glad and refers to Soma, which is doubtful, the sense would be the same. Possibly davane may here be derived from do, to divide, but this would not help us much. Verse 28. . The AV. reads ydm tva préshatf rathe prdsh¢ir vahati rohita, subh4 yAsi rizdnn apa’, which yields no help. Verse 29. This verse is very difficult. First of all, nfZakraya can hardly mean ‘ without a chariot’ (B.-R.), but seems an adverb, meaning downwards. But the chief difficulty lies in this, that we must decide, once for all, whether words, such as sushoma, saryavdvat, argika, pastyavat, &c., are to be interpreted in their natural sense, as expressing localities, well known to the poet, or in their technical sense, as names of sacrificial vessels. That this decision is by no means easy, may be inferred from the fact that two scholars, Roth and Ludwig, differ completely, the former preferring the technical, the latter the geographical meaning. We must 398 VEDIC HYMNS.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
No commentary for this page.