Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Verse 3. Note 1. It is surprising that Agni's birth in the sea and his birth in the waters are distinguished. The poet's meaning is not quite clear. Prof. Max Muller thinks of the rising sun and the lightning in the clouds. Comp. H. O., Religion des Veda, 107. Note 2. We ought to read pradkam ; comp. IV, 29, 3 ; IX, 111,3. Note 3. Comp. X, 85, 18, where it is said of the moon that she ' is born again, determining the seasons.' Thus it is possible that the poet understands here Agni as dwelling in the moon as light. Comp. on this identification Bergaigne, I, 159, and Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythologie, I, 330 seq. But this interpretation of our passage is by no means certain. Verse 4. Note 1. Possibly we should correct kik idam va^ ni/zyam ; comp. VII, 56, 4 ; 61, 5. The translation would be : < Who MAiVDALA I, HYMN 95. I I 7 among you has understood this secret?' — the secret that a calf should give birth to cows. Note 2. In my opinion the mothers are the waters ; the calf is Agni. The meaning must be, consequently, that, as Agni is born from the waters thus the waters are born from Agni. Agni — we may try to interpret the poet's meaning — sends his smoke to the sky. The smoke is changed to clouds ; the clouds send forth water. Exactly the same meaning seems to be expressed in I, 164, 51. Comp. also Manu III, 76. agnau prastahuti^ samyag adityam upatish/^ate, aditya^* ^ayate vrishfir vr/sh/er annam tata^ prqg&k. — Prof. Max Miiller observes: 'The mothers are day and night, or heaven and earth. The calf, the son, Agni, being born of the night gives birth to the day, and being born of the day (in the evening) gives birth to the night Or it may be that Agni, light, makes Dyaus and Przthivi to be visible.' — Prof. Hillebrandt's interpretation of our verse is quite different ; see Vedische Mythologie, I, 335. Note 3. I. e. the fire is born from the waters. Verse 5. Note 1. Comp. Hillebrandt, Ved. Myth., I, 371, 52,3. Note 2. I. e. the son of Tvash^rz (see above, verse 2) considered as identical with his father. Comp. Bergaigne, III, 47, and see also Aufrecht, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, I, 356. Verse 6. Note 1. On daksha and its relation to kratu, comp. Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 267. Note 2. The poet seems to play upon words ; ' power ' is daksha, 'from the right side' dakshkata^ (i.e. approach- ing respectfully, dakshimkrztya). Verse 7. Note 1. Comp. Bergaigne, Rel. Ved., Ill, 46. Note 2. Observe the dual form si£au ending in -au, not in -a. Comp. Lanman, Noun-Inflection, 576. Prof. Max I 1 8 VEDIC HYMNS. Miiller translates here : ( He the terrible tries and stretches out the hems of his sleeves/ This may indeed be the meaning of si£. Note 3. See Geldner, Vedische Studiea, II, 189. Verse 8. Note 1. The cows of course are intended for the sacrificial food coming from the cow, such as milk and butter.
2Note 3. See Geldner, Vedische Studiea, II, 189. Verse 8. Note 1. The cows of course are intended for the sacrificial food coming from the cow, such as milk and butter. Note 2. The two nominatives, kavi^ and dhi7z, can scarcely be right. The subject seems to be the prayer which cleanses, as it were, Agni, and thus augments his splendour (comp. IV, 15, 6 ; VIII, 103, 7). Possibly we should read kave/z budhnam. Comp., however, IX, 47, 4. svayam kavi/t vidhartari vipraya ratnam ikMati yadi marmrz^yate dhiya^. In this difficult verse so much is clear that the seer (kavi^) is subject, and that he is stated to purify the prayers. Note 3. The meaning seems to be that at the sacrificial fire all gods assemble. Verse 0. Note 1. On dhSman, comp. M. M., vol. xxxii, p. 383 seq. — Prof. Max Miiller proposes the following translation : 8 Thy wide effulgence goes round the firmament, the firm seat of the strong one (buffalo).' Verse 10. Note 1. Ludwig takes srota^ as a locative. But it is very improbable that we should have here a survival of the ancient locatives of stems in -s without a case-ending (Joh. Schmidt, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXVII, 306; Brugmann, Grundriss der vergl. Grammatik, vol. ii, p. 611). In Ludwig's opinion * it follows from the corresponding gatum urmim that srotas stands for srotasi as dhanvan for dhan- vani.' But this is not convincing. Note 2. On Agni as inhabiting the sprouting grass, comp. Ill, 5, 8; VII, 9, 3. 'I believe this refers to the blades of grass used as tinder to catch the sparks of fire.' M. M. MAiVDALA I, HYMN 96. I 1 9 MAiVfZ?ALA I, HYMN 96. ASH7AKA I, ADHYAYA 7, VARGA 3-4. i. Being born by strength1 in the ancient way, lo ! he (Agni) has assumed instantly all the qualities of a sage. The Waters and the Dhisha^a2 have furthered the friend (Mitra 3). The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 2. By the ancient Nivid \ by Ayu's 2 wisdom he has' procreated these children of men. With his irradiating look 3 (he has procreated) the Sky and the Waters. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 3. The Aryan clans magnified1 him as the first performer of sacrifices, as receiving offerings, as striving forward, the son of strength, the Bharata 2, the bestower of mighty rain (?) 3. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 4. He, Matarisvan1, the lord of bountiful pros- perity, has found a path for (his ?) offspring, he who has found the sun, the shepherd of the clans, the begetter of the two worlds. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 5. Night and Dawn, who constantly destroy each others appearance, suckle one young calf1 unitedly2. The piece of gold3 shines between Heaven and Earth. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 6. (He is) the base of wealth, the assembler of all goods1, the beacon of sacrifice, the fulfiller of thought, the bird2. In order to guard their immor- I20 VEDIC HYMNS. tality the gods have held him, Agni, as the giver of wealth.
3The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 6. (He is) the base of wealth, the assembler of all goods1, the beacon of sacrifice, the fulfiller of thought, the bird2. In order to guard their immor- I20 VEDIC HYMNS. tality the gods have held him, Agni, as the giver of wealth. 7. Him who is now and who was formerly the abode of wealth, the earth1 (i.e. the dwelling-place or support) of what is born and of what will be born, the shepherd and guardian of what is and of much that comes into being. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 8. May (Agni,) the giver of wealth, present us with quick wealth. May the giver of wealth (pre- sent us with wealth) united with strong men 1. The giver of wealth (should grant us) food together with valiant heroes. The giver of wealth should grant us long life. 9 = 95. 11. NOTES. The same Rhhi and metre. — Verses 1, % = MS. IV, 10, 6. Verse 5 = VS. XII, 2; XVII, 70; TS. IV, 1, 10, 4; 6,5,*; 7,13,3 5 MS. II, 7, 8. Verse 1. Note 1. I. e. by the attrition of the woods, as sahasa^ putra^. Note 2. Two new discussions on dhisha^a have been given by Hillebrandt ( Ved. Mythologie, I, 1 75 seq. ; comp. the criticisms of Ludwig, Ueber die neuesten arbeiten auf dem gebiete der Rgveda-forschung, 85 seq.) and Pischel (Ved. Studien, II, 83 seq.). Hillebrandt arrives at the conclusion that dhisha/za is the Earth (in the dual, Heaven and Earth ; in the plural, Heaven, Air, and Earth), and besides the Vedi, i. e. the excavated spot of ground which serves as a kind of altar for the sacrifice. Similar is MAATDALA I, HYMN 96. 121 Pischel's opinion. He believes that the singular dhisha^a is everywhere to be interpreted as a proper name : the name of a goddess of wealth and prosperity. The dual dhisha/ze means ' Heaven and Earth : ' thus the original meaning of dhisha/za must have been, as Pischel concludes, either Heaven or Earth. He tries to show that it is Earth, and so does Prof. Hillebrandt. The goddess of wealth originally was a goddess of the earth conceived as the liberal giver of wealth. This goddess, Prof. Pischel thinks, was closely related to, or even identical with, the goddess Aditi, whom the same scholar also believes to be a personification of the Earth.
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.
1Verse 3. Note 1. It is surprising that Agni's birth in the sea and his birth in the waters are distinguished. The poet's meaning is not quite clear. Prof. Max Muller thinks of the rising sun and the lightning in the clouds. Comp. H. O., Religion des Veda, 107. Note 2. We ought to read pradkam ; comp. IV, 29, 3 ; IX, 111,3. Note 3. Comp. X, 85, 18, where it is said of the moon that she ' is born again, determining the seasons.' Thus it is possible that the poet understands here Agni as dwelling in the moon as light. Comp. on this identification Bergaigne, I, 159, and Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythologie, I, 330 seq. But this interpretation of our passage is by no means certain. Verse 4. Note 1. Possibly we should correct kik idam va^ ni/zyam ; comp. VII, 56, 4 ; 61, 5. The translation would be : < Who MAiVDALA I, HYMN 95. I I 7 among you has understood this secret?' — the secret that a calf should give birth to cows. Note 2. In my opinion the mothers are the waters ; the calf is Agni. The meaning must be, consequently, that, as Agni is born from the waters thus the waters are born from Agni. Agni — we may try to interpret the poet's meaning — sends his smoke to the sky. The smoke is changed to clouds ; the clouds send forth water. Exactly the same meaning seems to be expressed in I, 164, 51. Comp. also Manu III, 76. agnau prastahuti^ samyag adityam upatish/^ate, aditya^* ^ayate vrishfir vr/sh/er annam tata^ prqg&k. — Prof. Max Miiller observes: 'The mothers are day and night, or heaven and earth. The calf, the son, Agni, being born of the night gives birth to the day, and being born of the day (in the evening) gives birth to the night Or it may be that Agni, light, makes Dyaus and Przthivi to be visible.' — Prof. Hillebrandt's interpretation of our verse is quite different ; see Vedische Mythologie, I, 335. Note 3. I. e. the fire is born from the waters. Verse 5. Note 1. Comp. Hillebrandt, Ved. Myth., I, 371, 52,3. Note 2. I. e. the son of Tvash^rz (see above, verse 2) considered as identical with his father. Comp. Bergaigne, III, 47, and see also Aufrecht, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, I, 356. Verse 6. Note 1. On daksha and its relation to kratu, comp. Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 267. Note 2. The poet seems to play upon words ; ' power ' is daksha, 'from the right side' dakshkata^ (i.e. approach- ing respectfully, dakshimkrztya). Verse 7. Note 1. Comp. Bergaigne, Rel. Ved., Ill, 46. Note 2. Observe the dual form si£au ending in -au, not in -a. Comp. Lanman, Noun-Inflection, 576. Prof. Max I 1 8 VEDIC HYMNS. Miiller translates here : ( He the terrible tries and stretches out the hems of his sleeves/ This may indeed be the meaning of si£. Note 3. See Geldner, Vedische Studiea, II, 189. Verse 8. Note 1. The cows of course are intended for the sacrificial food coming from the cow, such as milk and butter.
2Note 3. See Geldner, Vedische Studiea, II, 189. Verse 8. Note 1. The cows of course are intended for the sacrificial food coming from the cow, such as milk and butter. Note 2. The two nominatives, kavi^ and dhi7z, can scarcely be right. The subject seems to be the prayer which cleanses, as it were, Agni, and thus augments his splendour (comp. IV, 15, 6 ; VIII, 103, 7). Possibly we should read kave/z budhnam. Comp., however, IX, 47, 4. svayam kavi/t vidhartari vipraya ratnam ikMati yadi marmrz^yate dhiya^. In this difficult verse so much is clear that the seer (kavi^) is subject, and that he is stated to purify the prayers. Note 3. The meaning seems to be that at the sacrificial fire all gods assemble. Verse 0. Note 1. On dhSman, comp. M. M., vol. xxxii, p. 383 seq. — Prof. Max Miiller proposes the following translation : 8 Thy wide effulgence goes round the firmament, the firm seat of the strong one (buffalo).' Verse 10. Note 1. Ludwig takes srota^ as a locative. But it is very improbable that we should have here a survival of the ancient locatives of stems in -s without a case-ending (Joh. Schmidt, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXVII, 306; Brugmann, Grundriss der vergl. Grammatik, vol. ii, p. 611). In Ludwig's opinion * it follows from the corresponding gatum urmim that srotas stands for srotasi as dhanvan for dhan- vani.' But this is not convincing. Note 2. On Agni as inhabiting the sprouting grass, comp. Ill, 5, 8; VII, 9, 3. 'I believe this refers to the blades of grass used as tinder to catch the sparks of fire.' M. M. MAiVDALA I, HYMN 96. I 1 9 MAiVfZ?ALA I, HYMN 96. ASH7AKA I, ADHYAYA 7, VARGA 3-4. i. Being born by strength1 in the ancient way, lo ! he (Agni) has assumed instantly all the qualities of a sage. The Waters and the Dhisha^a2 have furthered the friend (Mitra 3). The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 2. By the ancient Nivid \ by Ayu's 2 wisdom he has' procreated these children of men. With his irradiating look 3 (he has procreated) the Sky and the Waters. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 3. The Aryan clans magnified1 him as the first performer of sacrifices, as receiving offerings, as striving forward, the son of strength, the Bharata 2, the bestower of mighty rain (?) 3. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 4. He, Matarisvan1, the lord of bountiful pros- perity, has found a path for (his ?) offspring, he who has found the sun, the shepherd of the clans, the begetter of the two worlds. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 5. Night and Dawn, who constantly destroy each others appearance, suckle one young calf1 unitedly2. The piece of gold3 shines between Heaven and Earth. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 6. (He is) the base of wealth, the assembler of all goods1, the beacon of sacrifice, the fulfiller of thought, the bird2. In order to guard their immor- I20 VEDIC HYMNS. tality the gods have held him, Agni, as the giver of wealth.
3The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 6. (He is) the base of wealth, the assembler of all goods1, the beacon of sacrifice, the fulfiller of thought, the bird2. In order to guard their immor- I20 VEDIC HYMNS. tality the gods have held him, Agni, as the giver of wealth. 7. Him who is now and who was formerly the abode of wealth, the earth1 (i.e. the dwelling-place or support) of what is born and of what will be born, the shepherd and guardian of what is and of much that comes into being. The gods have held Agni as the giver of wealth. 8. May (Agni,) the giver of wealth, present us with quick wealth. May the giver of wealth (pre- sent us with wealth) united with strong men 1. The giver of wealth (should grant us) food together with valiant heroes. The giver of wealth should grant us long life. 9 = 95. 11. NOTES. The same Rhhi and metre. — Verses 1, % = MS. IV, 10, 6. Verse 5 = VS. XII, 2; XVII, 70; TS. IV, 1, 10, 4; 6,5,*; 7,13,3 5 MS. II, 7, 8. Verse 1. Note 1. I. e. by the attrition of the woods, as sahasa^ putra^. Note 2. Two new discussions on dhisha^a have been given by Hillebrandt ( Ved. Mythologie, I, 1 75 seq. ; comp. the criticisms of Ludwig, Ueber die neuesten arbeiten auf dem gebiete der Rgveda-forschung, 85 seq.) and Pischel (Ved. Studien, II, 83 seq.). Hillebrandt arrives at the conclusion that dhisha/za is the Earth (in the dual, Heaven and Earth ; in the plural, Heaven, Air, and Earth), and besides the Vedi, i. e. the excavated spot of ground which serves as a kind of altar for the sacrifice. Similar is MAATDALA I, HYMN 96. 121 Pischel's opinion. He believes that the singular dhisha^a is everywhere to be interpreted as a proper name : the name of a goddess of wealth and prosperity. The dual dhisha/ze means ' Heaven and Earth : ' thus the original meaning of dhisha/za must have been, as Pischel concludes, either Heaven or Earth. He tries to show that it is Earth, and so does Prof. Hillebrandt. The goddess of wealth originally was a goddess of the earth conceived as the liberal giver of wealth. This goddess, Prof. Pischel thinks, was closely related to, or even identical with, the goddess Aditi, whom the same scholar also believes to be a personification of the Earth.
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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