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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1III, 44, 1. haryata# sémak. Delicious Soma. II, 21, 1. bhara {indraya s6mam yagataya haryatdm. Bring delicious Soma for the holy Indra. I, 130, 2. mddaya haryataya te tuvi4-tamAya dhayase. That thou mayest drink the delicious and most powerful draught, i. e. the Soma. ‘If, then, we know that vréshan by itself is used in the sense of Soma, haryata vrvéshan can hardly be anything else. Vakasyate also is peculiar to Soma in the sense of murmuring, or as it were talking, and never occurs as a passive. I therefore should prefer to assign the whole verse to Soma, and translate: He indeed, when in the wooden vessel, talks with his worshippers, proclaiming his fair power among men ; the strong Soma is pleasing, the strong Soma is delicious, when the sacrificer safely brings the cow, i.e. the milk to be mixed with the Soma. That Indra was thirsting for Soma had. been said in the second verse, and he is again called the Soma-drinker in the seventh verse. A verse dedicated to Soma therefore scems to come in quite naturally, though the Anukramazt does not sanction it. That the Maruts are called v7/shan, without further explanations, will appear from the following: passages : I, 85, 12. rayim nad dhatta vrishanah su-viram. Give us wealth, ye heroes, consisting of good offspring. VIII, 96, 14, fshyami vah vrishanah yudhyata 4gau. I wish for you, heroes (Maruts), fight in the race! In all the passages which we have hitherto examined, vrishan was always applied to living beings, whether animals, men, or gods. But as, in Greek, dponvy means at last simply strong, and is applied, for instance, to the NOTES. 1, 85, 12. 149 crash of the sea, xrézos dpony névrov, so in the Veda vrishan is applied to the roaring of the storms and similar objects. V, 87, 5. svand& vrisha. Your powerful sound (O Maruts). X, 47, I. gagvtbhma te dakshivam indra hdstam vasuyavak vasu-pate vasindm, vidmd hi tvAa gé-patim sdra gén4m asmabhyam 4itradm vr/shazam ray{m daA. We have taken thy right hand, O Indra, wishing for treasures, treasurer of treasures, for we know thee, O hero, to be the lord of cattle; give us bright and strong wealth. Should &itrd here refer to treasures, and vv¢shan to cattle ? X, 89, 9. nf am{treshu vadhdm indra timram vrfshan vrfshanam arusham sisihi. Whet, O hero, the heavy strong red weapon against the enemies. The long 4 in vréshazam is certainly startling, but it occurs once more, IX, 34, 3, where there can be no doubt that it is the accusative of vv/shan. Professor Roth takes vrtshan here in the sense of bull (s. v. tumra), but he does not translate the whole passage. III, 29, 9. krindta dhQmdm vr/shanam sakhayat. Make a mighty smoke, O friends! Strength itself is called vv/shan, if I am right in translating the phrase vv/shazam sishmam by manly strength. It occurs, IV, 24, 7. tasmin dadhat vr/shazam sishmam {ndrak. Indra may give to him manly strength. VI, 19, 8. & na# bhara vr/shavam stishmam indra.
2Make a mighty smoke, O friends! Strength itself is called vv/shan, if I am right in translating the phrase vv/shazam sishmam by manly strength. It occurs, IV, 24, 7. tasmin dadhat vr/shazam sishmam {ndrak. Indra may give to him manly strength. VI, 19, 8. & na# bhara vr/shavam stishmam indra. Bring to us, O Indra, manly strength. VII, 24, 4. asmé ({ti) dddhat vréshazam sishmam indra. Giving to us, O Indra, manly strength. See also VI, 19, 9, sishma# vrishabha/, used in the same sense. VII. Vréshan, general and empty term of praise. This constant play on the word vr/shan, which we have observed in the passages hitherto examined, and which give by no means a full idea of the real frequency of its 150 VEDIC HYMNS. occurrence in the Veda, has evidently had its influence on the Vedic Rishis, who occasionally seem to delight in the most silly and unmeaning repetitions of this word, and its compounds and derivatives. Here no language can supply any adequate translation; for though we may translate words which express thoughts, it is useless to attempt to render mere idle play with words. I shall give a few instances : I, 177, 3. & tishtha ratham vr/shamvam vrtsha te sutak sémak pari-sikté mddhoni, yuktvé vr/sha-bhy4m vrishabha kshitingm hdri-bhy4m y4hi pra-v4ta ipa madr{k. Mount the strong car, the strong Soma is poured out for thee, sweets are sprinkled round ; come down towards us, thou bull of men, with the strong bays, having yoked them. But this is nothing yet compared to other passages, when the poet cannot get enough of vv/shan and vrishabha. II, 16, 6. vrésha te vagrah uta te vrésh4 rathak vrtshana hart ({ti) vrishabhawi &yudha, vréshnak madasya vrishabha tvam isishe {ndra sémasya vrishabhasya tripzuhi. Thy thunderbolt is strong, and thy car is strong, strong are the bays, the weapons are powerful, thou, bull, art lord of the strong draught, Indra rejoice in the powerful Soma! V, 36, 5. veish&a tva vrishavam vardhatu dyaih vrésha vrésha-bhyam vahase hari-bhyam, sd% nak vrésha vrtsharatha&é su-sipra vr/sha-krato ({ti) vrésha vagrin bhdre dha. May the strong sky increase thee, the strong; a strong one thou art, carried by two strong bays; do thou who art strong, with a strong car, O thou of strong might, strong holder of the thunderbolt, keep us in battle! V, 40, 2-3. vrtshA gréva vrfshA mddak vrfsha sémak ayam sutdd4, vrfshan indra vrésha-bhié vritrahan-tama, vrisha tva vréshazam huve. The stone is strong, the draught is strong, this Soma that has been poured out is strong, O thou strong Indra, who killest Vritra with the strong ones (the Maruts), I, the strong, call thee, the strong. VIII, 13, 31-33. vrfsha aydm indra te ratha/ utd (iti) te NOTES. I, 85, 12. ISI vrtshana hart (iti), veésha tvam sata-krato ({ti) vrésha havad. vrtsha gréva v7fsha mada vr/shé sémak aydm sutd/, vrtsha yagniah yam invasi vv/sha hdva#. verfsha tva vrishanam huve vagrin AitrébhiA Oti-bhiZ, vavdntha h{ prdti-stutim vrésha hava.
3I, 85, 12. ISI vrtshana hart (iti), veésha tvam sata-krato ({ti) vrésha havad. vrtsha gréva v7fsha mada vr/shé sémak aydm sutd/, vrtsha yagniah yam invasi vv/sha hdva#. verfsha tva vrishanam huve vagrin AitrébhiA Oti-bhiZ, vavdntha h{ prdti-stutim vrésha hava. This thy car is strong, O Indra, and thy bays are strong; thou art strong, O omnipotent, our call is strong. The stone is strong, the draught is strong, the Soma is strong, which is here poured out; the sacrifice which thou orderest is strong, our call is strong. I, the strong, call thee, the strong, thou holder of the thunderbolt, with manifold blessings ; for thou hast desired our praise ; our call is strong. There are other passages of the same kind, but they are too tedious to be here repeated. The commentator, throughout, gives to each vréshan its full meaning either of showering down or bounteous, or male or bull ; but a word which can thus be used at random has clearly lost its definite power, and cannot call forth any definite ideas in the mind of the listener. It cannot be denied that here and there the original meaning of vr/shan would be appropriate even where the poet is only pouring out a stream of majestic sound, but we are not called upon to impart sense to what are verba et praeterquam nihil. When we read, I, 122, 3, vatak apém vrisham-v4n, we are justified, no doubt, in translating, ‘the wind who pours forth water;’ and X, 93, 5, apm vvishaz-vas0 ({ti) siry4masa, means ‘Sun and Moon, givers of water.’ But even in some passages where vréshan is followed by the word vrish, it is curious to observe that vvésh is not necessarily used in the sense of raining or pouring forth, but rather in the sense of drinking. VI, 68, 11. {ndravaruz4 mddhumat-tamasya v7/shnak sdmasya vrishana® & vrisheth4m. ® The dual vrishanau occurs only when the next word begins with a vowel. Before an initial a, 4, i, the au is always changed into 4v in the Samhita (I, 108, 7-12; 116, 21; 117,19; 153, 23 157,53 158, 1; 180, 7; VII, 61, 5). Before u the preceding au becomes 4 in the Samhit4, but the Pada gives au, in order to show that no Sandhi can take place between the two vowels (VII, 60, 9; 152 VEDIC HYMNS, Indra and Varuza, you strong ones, may you drink of the sweetest strong Soma. That 4-vrish means to drink or to eat, was known to Sayaza and to the author of the Satapatha-brahmama, who paraphrases 4 vrzsha4yadhvam by asnita, eat. The same phrase occurs I, 108, 3. I, 104, 9. uru-vydkah gathare & vrishasva. Thou of vast extent, drink (the Soma) in thy stomach. The same phrase occurs X, 96, 13. VIII, 61, 3. & vrishasva—sutdsya indra dndhasa. Drink, Indra, of the Soma that is poured. out. In conclusion, a few passages may be pointed out in which vr/shan seems to be the proper name of a pious worshipper : I, 36, 10. yam tvA devdsak mdnave dadhud ihd ydgishtham havya-vahana, yam kdavak médhya-atithizZ dhanasprftam yam vrtsh& yam upa-stuta’.
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.
1III, 44, 1. haryata# sémak. Delicious Soma. II, 21, 1. bhara {indraya s6mam yagataya haryatdm. Bring delicious Soma for the holy Indra. I, 130, 2. mddaya haryataya te tuvi4-tamAya dhayase. That thou mayest drink the delicious and most powerful draught, i. e. the Soma. ‘If, then, we know that vréshan by itself is used in the sense of Soma, haryata vrvéshan can hardly be anything else. Vakasyate also is peculiar to Soma in the sense of murmuring, or as it were talking, and never occurs as a passive. I therefore should prefer to assign the whole verse to Soma, and translate: He indeed, when in the wooden vessel, talks with his worshippers, proclaiming his fair power among men ; the strong Soma is pleasing, the strong Soma is delicious, when the sacrificer safely brings the cow, i.e. the milk to be mixed with the Soma. That Indra was thirsting for Soma had. been said in the second verse, and he is again called the Soma-drinker in the seventh verse. A verse dedicated to Soma therefore scems to come in quite naturally, though the Anukramazt does not sanction it. That the Maruts are called v7/shan, without further explanations, will appear from the following: passages : I, 85, 12. rayim nad dhatta vrishanah su-viram. Give us wealth, ye heroes, consisting of good offspring. VIII, 96, 14, fshyami vah vrishanah yudhyata 4gau. I wish for you, heroes (Maruts), fight in the race! In all the passages which we have hitherto examined, vrishan was always applied to living beings, whether animals, men, or gods. But as, in Greek, dponvy means at last simply strong, and is applied, for instance, to the NOTES. 1, 85, 12. 149 crash of the sea, xrézos dpony névrov, so in the Veda vrishan is applied to the roaring of the storms and similar objects. V, 87, 5. svand& vrisha. Your powerful sound (O Maruts). X, 47, I. gagvtbhma te dakshivam indra hdstam vasuyavak vasu-pate vasindm, vidmd hi tvAa gé-patim sdra gén4m asmabhyam 4itradm vr/shazam ray{m daA. We have taken thy right hand, O Indra, wishing for treasures, treasurer of treasures, for we know thee, O hero, to be the lord of cattle; give us bright and strong wealth. Should &itrd here refer to treasures, and vv¢shan to cattle ? X, 89, 9. nf am{treshu vadhdm indra timram vrfshan vrfshanam arusham sisihi. Whet, O hero, the heavy strong red weapon against the enemies. The long 4 in vréshazam is certainly startling, but it occurs once more, IX, 34, 3, where there can be no doubt that it is the accusative of vv/shan. Professor Roth takes vrtshan here in the sense of bull (s. v. tumra), but he does not translate the whole passage. III, 29, 9. krindta dhQmdm vr/shanam sakhayat. Make a mighty smoke, O friends! Strength itself is called vv/shan, if I am right in translating the phrase vv/shazam sishmam by manly strength. It occurs, IV, 24, 7. tasmin dadhat vr/shazam sishmam {ndrak. Indra may give to him manly strength. VI, 19, 8. & na# bhara vr/shavam stishmam indra.
2Make a mighty smoke, O friends! Strength itself is called vv/shan, if I am right in translating the phrase vv/shazam sishmam by manly strength. It occurs, IV, 24, 7. tasmin dadhat vr/shazam sishmam {ndrak. Indra may give to him manly strength. VI, 19, 8. & na# bhara vr/shavam stishmam indra. Bring to us, O Indra, manly strength. VII, 24, 4. asmé ({ti) dddhat vréshazam sishmam indra. Giving to us, O Indra, manly strength. See also VI, 19, 9, sishma# vrishabha/, used in the same sense. VII. Vréshan, general and empty term of praise. This constant play on the word vr/shan, which we have observed in the passages hitherto examined, and which give by no means a full idea of the real frequency of its 150 VEDIC HYMNS. occurrence in the Veda, has evidently had its influence on the Vedic Rishis, who occasionally seem to delight in the most silly and unmeaning repetitions of this word, and its compounds and derivatives. Here no language can supply any adequate translation; for though we may translate words which express thoughts, it is useless to attempt to render mere idle play with words. I shall give a few instances : I, 177, 3. & tishtha ratham vr/shamvam vrtsha te sutak sémak pari-sikté mddhoni, yuktvé vr/sha-bhy4m vrishabha kshitingm hdri-bhy4m y4hi pra-v4ta ipa madr{k. Mount the strong car, the strong Soma is poured out for thee, sweets are sprinkled round ; come down towards us, thou bull of men, with the strong bays, having yoked them. But this is nothing yet compared to other passages, when the poet cannot get enough of vv/shan and vrishabha. II, 16, 6. vrésha te vagrah uta te vrésh4 rathak vrtshana hart ({ti) vrishabhawi &yudha, vréshnak madasya vrishabha tvam isishe {ndra sémasya vrishabhasya tripzuhi. Thy thunderbolt is strong, and thy car is strong, strong are the bays, the weapons are powerful, thou, bull, art lord of the strong draught, Indra rejoice in the powerful Soma! V, 36, 5. veish&a tva vrishavam vardhatu dyaih vrésha vrésha-bhyam vahase hari-bhyam, sd% nak vrésha vrtsharatha&é su-sipra vr/sha-krato ({ti) vrésha vagrin bhdre dha. May the strong sky increase thee, the strong; a strong one thou art, carried by two strong bays; do thou who art strong, with a strong car, O thou of strong might, strong holder of the thunderbolt, keep us in battle! V, 40, 2-3. vrtshA gréva vrfshA mddak vrfsha sémak ayam sutdd4, vrfshan indra vrésha-bhié vritrahan-tama, vrisha tva vréshazam huve. The stone is strong, the draught is strong, this Soma that has been poured out is strong, O thou strong Indra, who killest Vritra with the strong ones (the Maruts), I, the strong, call thee, the strong. VIII, 13, 31-33. vrfsha aydm indra te ratha/ utd (iti) te NOTES. I, 85, 12. ISI vrtshana hart (iti), veésha tvam sata-krato ({ti) vrésha havad. vrtsha gréva v7fsha mada vr/shé sémak aydm sutd/, vrtsha yagniah yam invasi vv/sha hdva#. verfsha tva vrishanam huve vagrin AitrébhiA Oti-bhiZ, vavdntha h{ prdti-stutim vrésha hava.
3I, 85, 12. ISI vrtshana hart (iti), veésha tvam sata-krato ({ti) vrésha havad. vrtsha gréva v7fsha mada vr/shé sémak aydm sutd/, vrtsha yagniah yam invasi vv/sha hdva#. verfsha tva vrishanam huve vagrin AitrébhiA Oti-bhiZ, vavdntha h{ prdti-stutim vrésha hava. This thy car is strong, O Indra, and thy bays are strong; thou art strong, O omnipotent, our call is strong. The stone is strong, the draught is strong, the Soma is strong, which is here poured out; the sacrifice which thou orderest is strong, our call is strong. I, the strong, call thee, the strong, thou holder of the thunderbolt, with manifold blessings ; for thou hast desired our praise ; our call is strong. There are other passages of the same kind, but they are too tedious to be here repeated. The commentator, throughout, gives to each vréshan its full meaning either of showering down or bounteous, or male or bull ; but a word which can thus be used at random has clearly lost its definite power, and cannot call forth any definite ideas in the mind of the listener. It cannot be denied that here and there the original meaning of vr/shan would be appropriate even where the poet is only pouring out a stream of majestic sound, but we are not called upon to impart sense to what are verba et praeterquam nihil. When we read, I, 122, 3, vatak apém vrisham-v4n, we are justified, no doubt, in translating, ‘the wind who pours forth water;’ and X, 93, 5, apm vvishaz-vas0 ({ti) siry4masa, means ‘Sun and Moon, givers of water.’ But even in some passages where vréshan is followed by the word vrish, it is curious to observe that vvésh is not necessarily used in the sense of raining or pouring forth, but rather in the sense of drinking. VI, 68, 11. {ndravaruz4 mddhumat-tamasya v7/shnak sdmasya vrishana® & vrisheth4m. ® The dual vrishanau occurs only when the next word begins with a vowel. Before an initial a, 4, i, the au is always changed into 4v in the Samhita (I, 108, 7-12; 116, 21; 117,19; 153, 23 157,53 158, 1; 180, 7; VII, 61, 5). Before u the preceding au becomes 4 in the Samhit4, but the Pada gives au, in order to show that no Sandhi can take place between the two vowels (VII, 60, 9; 152 VEDIC HYMNS, Indra and Varuza, you strong ones, may you drink of the sweetest strong Soma. That 4-vrish means to drink or to eat, was known to Sayaza and to the author of the Satapatha-brahmama, who paraphrases 4 vrzsha4yadhvam by asnita, eat. The same phrase occurs I, 108, 3. I, 104, 9. uru-vydkah gathare & vrishasva. Thou of vast extent, drink (the Soma) in thy stomach. The same phrase occurs X, 96, 13. VIII, 61, 3. & vrishasva—sutdsya indra dndhasa. Drink, Indra, of the Soma that is poured. out. In conclusion, a few passages may be pointed out in which vr/shan seems to be the proper name of a pious worshipper : I, 36, 10. yam tvA devdsak mdnave dadhud ihd ydgishtham havya-vahana, yam kdavak médhya-atithizZ dhanasprftam yam vrtsh& yam upa-stuta’.
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.
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