Vedic Hymns, Part I — SBE Vol. 32 (trans. F. Max Müller, 1891)

Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.

1BENFEY: Ihn, der ob allen Menschen ragt, sollen héren die Labungen, und nahn, die irgend Weisen nahn. LupDwic: Hoéren sollen von ihm, der iiber allen menschen ist, die erden, seine bis zur sonne gelangten krafte. In his NOTES. I, 86, 9. 157 notes he would prefer: Von ihm sollen sie gegenwartig héren, von ihm der alle menschen iibertrift (und die in die sonne wegegangenen), die darbringungen. Sroshantu does not occur again; but we find sréshan, I, 68, 5; sréshamaza, III, 8, 10; VII, 51,1; VII, 7, 6. Verse 6, | Note 1. The expression dvobhiz, with the help, the blessings, the mercies, is generally used with reference to divine assistance ; (I, 117, 19; 167, 2; 185, 10; 11; IV, 22,7; 41,6; V, 74,6; VI, 47,12; VII, 20,1; 35,1, &c.) It seems best therefore to take Aarsham{ as a name or epithet of the Maruts, although, after the invocation of the Maruts by name, this repetition is somewhat unusual. I should have preferred, ‘ with the help of our men, of our active and busy companions,’ for darsha#{ is used in that sense also. Only dvobhi# would not be in its right place then. The same applies to the various reading in TS. IV, 3, 13, 5, where instead of dvobhiz we find mahobhifZ. This too is used with reference to gods, and particularly to the Maruts ; see I, 165, 5, note. Verse 7. Note 1. Par, with ati, means to carry over (I, 97, 8; 99, 1; 174,93 III, 15, 3; 20, 4; IV, 39,13; V, 25, 95 73, 8; VII, 40, 4; 97, 4; VIII, 26, 5; 67, 2, &c.); with apa, to .remove (I, 129, 5); with ni#, to throw down. Hence, if used by itself, unless it means to overrun, as frequently, it can only have the general sense of carrying, taking, accepting, or accomplishing. Verse 8. Note 1. Vidd as second pers. plur. perf. is frequent, generally with the final ‘a’ long in the Samhita, I, 156, 3; V, 41,133; 55, 2. . Verse 9. Note 1. Observe the long penultimate in raksha, instead of the usual short syllable. Cf. I, 12, 5, and see Kuhn, Beitrige, vol. iii, p. 456. 158 VEDIC HYMNS. Verse 10. Note 1. See note 1 to I, 39, 3. Note 2. Atrin, which stands for attrin, is one of the many names assigned to the powers of darkness and mischief. It is derived from atrd, which means tooth or jaw, and therefore meant originally an ogre with large teeth or jaws, a devourer. Besides atra, we also find in- the Veda dtra, with the accent on the first syllable, and meaning what serves for eating, or food : X, 79, 2. atrani asmai pat-bhiA sm bharanti. They bring together food for him (Agni) with their feet. With the accent on the last syllable, atra in one passage means an eater or an ogre, like atrin : V, 32, 8. apidam atram—m~ridhrd-vakam. Indra killed the footless ogre, the babbler. It means tooth or jaw: I, 129, 8. svaydm s@ rishayddhyai y& na# upa-ishé atrat{h. May she herself go to destruction who attacks us with her teeth.

2apidam atram—m~ridhrd-vakam. Indra killed the footless ogre, the babbler. It means tooth or jaw: I, 129, 8. svaydm s@ rishayddhyai y& na# upa-ishé atrat{h. May she herself go to destruction who attacks us with her teeth. It is probably from atra in the sense of tooth (cf. d3évres= éd3dvres) that atrin is derived, meaning ogre or a devouring devil. In the later Sanskrit, too, the Asuras are represented as having large tusks, Mahabh. V, 3572, damshérizo bhimavegas fa. Thus we read I, 21, 5, that Indra and Agni destroy the Rakshas, and the poet continues : apragah santu atrinah. May the ogres be without offspring ! IX, 86, 48. gah{ visvan rakshdsat indo (iti) atrizah. Kill, O Soma, all the tusky Rakshas. Cf. 1X,104,6; 105, 6. VI, 51, 14. gahf nf atrizam pamim. Kill, O Soma, the tusky Pazi. I, 94, 9. vadhafZ duk-sdmsan dpa duk-dhyas gahi daré va yé anti va ké Ait atrinak. Strike with thy blows, O Agni, the evil-spoken, evilminded (spirits), the ogres, those who are far or who are near. See also I, 36, 14; 20; VI, 16, 28; VII, 104, 1; 53 VIII, 12, 1; 19,153 X, 36,4; 118, 1. MANDALA I, HYMN 87. 159 MANDALA I, HYMN 87. ASHTAKA I, ADHYAYA 6, VARGA 13. To THE Maruts (THE STORM-GODS). 1. Endowed with exceeding vigour and power, the singers, the never flinching, the immovable, the impetuous, the most beloved and most manly, have decked themselves with their glittering ornaments, a few only’, like the heavens with the stars, 2. When you have seen your way through the clefts, like birds, O Maruts, on whatever road it be!, then the casks (clouds) on your chariots trickle everywhere, and you pour out the honey-like fatness (the rain) for him who praises you. 3. At their racings the earth shakes, as if broken?, when on the (heavenly) paths they harness (their deer) for victory?. They the sportive, the roaring, with bright spears, the shakers (of the clouds) have themselves glorified their greatness. 4. That youthful company (of the Maruts), with their spotted horses}, moves by itself; hence? it exercises lordship, invested with powers. Thou indeed art true, thou searchest out sin’, thou art without blemish. Therefore the manly host will help this prayer. 5. We speak after the kind of our old father, our tongue goes forth at the sight! of the Soma: when the singers (the Maruts) had joined’ Indra in deed 3, then only they took their holy names ;— 6. These Maruts, armed with beautiful rings, obtained splendours for their glory!, they obtained? rays, and men to celebrate them; nay, armed with daggers, speeding along, and fearless, they found the beloved domain of the Maruts ’, 160 VEDIC HYMNS. NOTES. This hymn is ascribed to Gotama. No verse in SV., VS., AV. Verse 2=TS. IV, 3, 13, 7. Verse 3=TS. IV, 3, 13, 7. Verse 6=TS. II, 1, 11, 2; IV, 2, 11, 2. Verse 1.

3NOTES. This hymn is ascribed to Gotama. No verse in SV., VS., AV. Verse 2=TS. IV, 3, 13, 7. Verse 3=TS. IV, 3, 13, 7. Verse 6=TS. II, 1, 11, 2; IV, 2, 11, 2. Verse 1. Note 1, Ké Zit refers to the Maruts, who are represented as gradually rising or just showing themselves, as yet only few in number, like the first stars in the sky. Ké it, some, is opposed to sarve, all. The same expression occurs again, V, 52, 12, where the Maruts are compared to a few thieves. B. and R., and those who follow them, translate usra iva st7t-bhii by ‘like cows marked with stars on their foreheads.’ Such cows no doubt exist, but they can hardly be said to become visible by these frontal stars, as the Maruts by their ornaments. We must take usr&/ here in the same sense as dyfvaz ; II, 34, 2, it is said that the Maruts were perceived dy&vah na strd-bhif, like the heavens with the stars. I, 166, 11. ddre-drtsah yé divy&h-iva str¢-bhik. Who are visible far away, like the heavens (or heavenly beings) by the stars. And the same is said of Agni, II, 2, 5. dyau# na strtbhiz Aitayat rédast (iti) d4nu. St/¢bhi# occurs I, 68, 5; IV, 7, 33 VI, 49, 3; 12. It always means stars, and the meaning of rays (strahl) rests, as yet, on etymological authority only. The evening sky would, no doubt, be more appropriate than usr&4, which applies chiefly to the dawn. But in the Indian mind, the two dawns, i. e. the dawn and the gloaming, are so closely united and identified, that their names, too, are frequently interchangeable. Verse 2. Note 1. I translate yay{ not by a goer, a traveller, i.e. the NOTES. I, 87, 3. 161 cloud (this is the explanation proposed by Sdyama, and adopted by Professor Benfey), but by path. Sdyaza (TS. IV, 3, 13, 7) renders yayim by gatim. Etymologically yay{ may mean either, and in some passages I feel doubtful as to which is the more appropriate meaning. But in parallel passages yay/ is clearly replaced by yima. Thus: VIII, 7, 2. yAt—y&mam subhrak dkidhvam. When you, bright Maruts, have seen your way. See also VIII, 7, 4. yat yamam yanti vayu-bhit. When they (the Maruts) go on their path with the winds. VIII, 7, 14. adhi-iva ydt girizim yamam subhrah akidhvam. When you, bright Maruts, had seen your way, as it were, from above the mountains. The same phrase occurs, even without yama or yay{, in V, 55. 7. na& parvaték na nadya# varanta vahk yatra akidhvam marutas gdkkhata {t u tat. Not mountains, not rivers, keep you back; where you have seen (your way), there you go. Though yay{ does not occur frequently in the Rig-veda, the meaning of path seems throughout more applicable than that of traveller. V, 87, 5. tveshdk yayth. Your path, O Maruts, is blazing. V, 73, 7. ugrak vam kakuhas yayih. Fearful is your pass on high. I, 51, 11. ugradk yay{m nik apah srotasa asrigat. The fearful Indra sent the waters forth on their way streaming. X, 92, 5. pra—yayina yanti sindhavas. The waters go forth on their path.

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.