Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Hillebrandt. 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. I must confess that even this close agreement of these two distinguished scholars has failed to convince me. It is quite true that the dual dhisha/ze means Heaven and Earth, and it is possible that the singular may, at least in some passages, mean the Earth. But I cannot believe that this is the original meaning of the word. Originally, in my opinion, dhisha^A was an implement used at the sacri- fice, more especially at the Soma sacrifice. The adri (Soma-stones) are said to rest in the lap of the dhisha/za (I, 109, 3). In a Ya^us Mantra referring to the sacrificial preparation of Soma (Va^asaneyi Sawhita VI, 26) the dhisha/za, or more exactly the Dhisha^as, as goddesses (dhishaTzls- ks. devi7z), are mentioned together with the sacrificial fire, the waters, and the grava^a^, the stones. In a similar connection we find a Ya^us formula pronounced when the Adhvaryu began to beat the Soma plants with the Upa/^usavana stone (see Weber, Indische Studien, X, 370). There the Soma was addressed first, and then the two DhishaTzas : ' Do not be afraid, do not be terrified, assume sap (O Soma !). O two Dhisha/zas ! Being firm show firm- ness ! ' (Va^asaneyi Sa^hita VI, 35). Here the Satapatha Brahma^a (III, 9, 4, 18) says, that some authorities refer the last words to the two boards (phalake) on which the pressing-stones rest (see Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythologie, I, 149 seq.). But the author of the Brahma/za himself declares that Heaven and Earth are addressed ; for as to the boards 122 VEDIC HYMNS.
2Mythologie, I, 149 seq.). But the author of the Brahma/za himself declares that Heaven and Earth are addressed ; for as to the boards 122 VEDIC HYMNS. used for pressing the Soma, it would be of no consequence if they were broken. — Other passages in which the dhisha^a^ are mentioned in connection with the preparation of the Soma, are Rig-veda IX, 59, 2 ; X, 17, 2. In the last passage ' the lap of the Dh.' is mentioned as in 1, 109, 3 (see above). The dhisha^a was anointed, 1, 102, 1. The dhisha^S, is men- tioned in connection with the waters which were fetched by the Adhvaryus and used at the sacrifice, X, 30, 6, and in connection with the sacrificial fire, III, 2, 1, and in our passage. I have therefore no doubt that according to the original meaning the Dhisha^a was, as stated above, a sacrificial implement used chiefly, though not exclusively, at the pressing of the Soma. I do not venture to determine the exact nature of this implement, but I think that from the passages collected above it will be evident that it was a sort of support on which the pressing-stones rested. A similar support may have been used for the vessel containing the sacrificial water, and for the sacrificial fire. This support was considered as yielding the Soma to Indra, as strengthening Indra, as inciting Indra and the gods to liberality towards men. Thus we have a goddess Dhisha/za who wears the aspect of a goddess of wealth. She is invoked as one of the Gn&s in I, 22, 10 with Hotra Bharati. Finally the Earth, the support of everything, was likened to this support of the pressing-stones and of the Soma; and Heaven and Earth were then considered as the two Dhisha?zas. Note 3. Comp. above, 94, 13, note 1. Verse 2. Note 1. On the solemn formulas of invocation, called Nivids, see Haug's Aitareya Br^Lhma^a, p. 32 seq. ; Weber, Indische Studien, IX, 355 ; H. O., Religion des Veda, 387, note 2. Of course, the Nivids which Sankhayana (Srauta- sutra VIII, 16-25) gives, cannot be those to which the poets of the Rig-veda several times allude. Note 2. On Ayu as one of the mythical ancestors of MA2VDALA I, HYMN 96. 1 23 mankind, nearly related to Manu, see Bergaigne, Religion V^dique, I, 59 seq. Note 3. Ushas is called vivasvati, III, 30, 13 (cf. Bergaigne, I, 86) ; we are justified, consequently, in trans- lating vivasvata Mkshasa, ( with the irradiating look/ But in giving this translation we should not forget that the poet no doubt at the same time intended to allude to the name of Vivasvat, the father of Yama. Verse 3. Note 1. The text has i/ata. Comp. above, I, 1, 1, note 2. Note 2. Agni seems to be called Bharata as belonging to the people of Bharatas. Comp. H. O., ' Buddha, sein Leben, seine Lehre, seine Gemeinde ' (first edition), p. 414 seq. More usually Agni is designated as Bharata.
3Verse 3. Note 1. The text has i/ata. Comp. above, I, 1, 1, note 2. Note 2. Agni seems to be called Bharata as belonging to the people of Bharatas. Comp. H. O., ' Buddha, sein Leben, seine Lehre, seine Gemeinde ' (first edition), p. 414 seq. More usually Agni is designated as Bharata. Note 3. Sr/pradanum. On danu, the meaning of which I consider to be ' rain ' or the like, comp. the discussion of Prof. Max Muller, vol. xxxii, 113 seq. The exact meaning of srzpra, which should not be compared with the Greek Xtirapos, cannot be determined. The etymology is a very unsafe guide in such questions, and neither the connection with the root srzp, ' to creep/ ' to crawl/ nor with the noun sarpis, ' butter,' seems to lead to a satisfactory result. The passages in which sr/pra or compounds of this adjective occur, point to a meaning like ' great/ ' mighty/ ' fine/ Thus srzprabhq£*as seems to be something like purubho^as or subhq^as ; Indra's arms (karasna) are called both srz'pra (VIII, 32, 10) and przthu (VI, 19, 3); finally snpradanu, which is used here as an epithet of Agni, and VIII, 25, 5 of Mitra and Varu?za, does not seem to differ very much from sudanu. Verse 4. Note 1. Matarii'van, the messenger of Vivasvat, who car- ried the fire from heaven to earth, was originally distinct from Agni, but is identified with him in several passages. See M. M., Physical Religion, p. 152; Bergaigne, Religion Vedique, I, 52 seq. ; H. O., Religion des Veda, 122. 124 VEDIC HYMNS. Verse 5. Note 1. Comp. above, 95, 1, and I, 113, 2. niyadvatsa. The calf, of course, is Agni. Note 2. Literally, ' turned towards each other/ Note 3. The gold is again Agni. Verse 6. Note 1. The first Pada is identical with X, 139, 3. Note 2. I prefer with Ludwig to take v6k as a nomina- tive (comp. Lanman, Noun-Inflection, $75) instead of a genitive. Verse 7. Note 1. Compare the very obscure verse X, 31, 5. iyam sa bhuya ushasam iva ksha^, * may she be the earth, as it were, of the dawns.' ' She ' may possibly be the earth, which would be designated here as a dwelling-place or support of the dawns. Verse 8. Note 1. Prof. Max Mliller proposes another translation of sanara. He writes : ' One expects an opposition between tura and sanara. Sanara can hardly be the same as vtravat in the next line. I should like to take sanara as a variety of sana and sanatana. Give us fleeting, i. e. daily wealth, and give us old, i. e« lasting wealth ! ' MANDALA I, HYMN 97. 1 25 MAA^ALA I, HYMN 97. ASH7AKA I, ADHYAYA 7, VARGA 5. i. Driving away evil1 with thy light, Agni, shine upon us with wealth — driving away evil with thy light. 2. Longing for rich fields, for a free path, and for wealth, we sacrifice — driving away evil with thy light. 3 *. When he stands forth as the most glorious one among them 2, and when our liberal lords excel — driving away evil with thy light —
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.
1Hillebrandt. 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. I must confess that even this close agreement of these two distinguished scholars has failed to convince me. It is quite true that the dual dhisha/ze means Heaven and Earth, and it is possible that the singular may, at least in some passages, mean the Earth. But I cannot believe that this is the original meaning of the word. Originally, in my opinion, dhisha^A was an implement used at the sacri- fice, more especially at the Soma sacrifice. The adri (Soma-stones) are said to rest in the lap of the dhisha/za (I, 109, 3). In a Ya^us Mantra referring to the sacrificial preparation of Soma (Va^asaneyi Sawhita VI, 26) the dhisha/za, or more exactly the Dhisha^as, as goddesses (dhishaTzls- ks. devi7z), are mentioned together with the sacrificial fire, the waters, and the grava^a^, the stones. In a similar connection we find a Ya^us formula pronounced when the Adhvaryu began to beat the Soma plants with the Upa/^usavana stone (see Weber, Indische Studien, X, 370). There the Soma was addressed first, and then the two DhishaTzas : ' Do not be afraid, do not be terrified, assume sap (O Soma !). O two Dhisha/zas ! Being firm show firm- ness ! ' (Va^asaneyi Sa^hita VI, 35). Here the Satapatha Brahma^a (III, 9, 4, 18) says, that some authorities refer the last words to the two boards (phalake) on which the pressing-stones rest (see Hillebrandt, Ved. Mythologie, I, 149 seq.). But the author of the Brahma/za himself declares that Heaven and Earth are addressed ; for as to the boards 122 VEDIC HYMNS.
2Mythologie, I, 149 seq.). But the author of the Brahma/za himself declares that Heaven and Earth are addressed ; for as to the boards 122 VEDIC HYMNS. used for pressing the Soma, it would be of no consequence if they were broken. — Other passages in which the dhisha^a^ are mentioned in connection with the preparation of the Soma, are Rig-veda IX, 59, 2 ; X, 17, 2. In the last passage ' the lap of the Dh.' is mentioned as in 1, 109, 3 (see above). The dhisha^a was anointed, 1, 102, 1. The dhisha^S, is men- tioned in connection with the waters which were fetched by the Adhvaryus and used at the sacrifice, X, 30, 6, and in connection with the sacrificial fire, III, 2, 1, and in our passage. I have therefore no doubt that according to the original meaning the Dhisha^a was, as stated above, a sacrificial implement used chiefly, though not exclusively, at the pressing of the Soma. I do not venture to determine the exact nature of this implement, but I think that from the passages collected above it will be evident that it was a sort of support on which the pressing-stones rested. A similar support may have been used for the vessel containing the sacrificial water, and for the sacrificial fire. This support was considered as yielding the Soma to Indra, as strengthening Indra, as inciting Indra and the gods to liberality towards men. Thus we have a goddess Dhisha/za who wears the aspect of a goddess of wealth. She is invoked as one of the Gn&s in I, 22, 10 with Hotra Bharati. Finally the Earth, the support of everything, was likened to this support of the pressing-stones and of the Soma; and Heaven and Earth were then considered as the two Dhisha?zas. Note 3. Comp. above, 94, 13, note 1. Verse 2. Note 1. On the solemn formulas of invocation, called Nivids, see Haug's Aitareya Br^Lhma^a, p. 32 seq. ; Weber, Indische Studien, IX, 355 ; H. O., Religion des Veda, 387, note 2. Of course, the Nivids which Sankhayana (Srauta- sutra VIII, 16-25) gives, cannot be those to which the poets of the Rig-veda several times allude. Note 2. On Ayu as one of the mythical ancestors of MA2VDALA I, HYMN 96. 1 23 mankind, nearly related to Manu, see Bergaigne, Religion V^dique, I, 59 seq. Note 3. Ushas is called vivasvati, III, 30, 13 (cf. Bergaigne, I, 86) ; we are justified, consequently, in trans- lating vivasvata Mkshasa, ( with the irradiating look/ But in giving this translation we should not forget that the poet no doubt at the same time intended to allude to the name of Vivasvat, the father of Yama. Verse 3. Note 1. The text has i/ata. Comp. above, I, 1, 1, note 2. Note 2. Agni seems to be called Bharata as belonging to the people of Bharatas. Comp. H. O., ' Buddha, sein Leben, seine Lehre, seine Gemeinde ' (first edition), p. 414 seq. More usually Agni is designated as Bharata.
3Verse 3. Note 1. The text has i/ata. Comp. above, I, 1, 1, note 2. Note 2. Agni seems to be called Bharata as belonging to the people of Bharatas. Comp. H. O., ' Buddha, sein Leben, seine Lehre, seine Gemeinde ' (first edition), p. 414 seq. More usually Agni is designated as Bharata. Note 3. Sr/pradanum. On danu, the meaning of which I consider to be ' rain ' or the like, comp. the discussion of Prof. Max Muller, vol. xxxii, 113 seq. The exact meaning of srzpra, which should not be compared with the Greek Xtirapos, cannot be determined. The etymology is a very unsafe guide in such questions, and neither the connection with the root srzp, ' to creep/ ' to crawl/ nor with the noun sarpis, ' butter,' seems to lead to a satisfactory result. The passages in which sr/pra or compounds of this adjective occur, point to a meaning like ' great/ ' mighty/ ' fine/ Thus srzprabhq£*as seems to be something like purubho^as or subhq^as ; Indra's arms (karasna) are called both srz'pra (VIII, 32, 10) and przthu (VI, 19, 3); finally snpradanu, which is used here as an epithet of Agni, and VIII, 25, 5 of Mitra and Varu?za, does not seem to differ very much from sudanu. Verse 4. Note 1. Matarii'van, the messenger of Vivasvat, who car- ried the fire from heaven to earth, was originally distinct from Agni, but is identified with him in several passages. See M. M., Physical Religion, p. 152; Bergaigne, Religion Vedique, I, 52 seq. ; H. O., Religion des Veda, 122. 124 VEDIC HYMNS. Verse 5. Note 1. Comp. above, 95, 1, and I, 113, 2. niyadvatsa. The calf, of course, is Agni. Note 2. Literally, ' turned towards each other/ Note 3. The gold is again Agni. Verse 6. Note 1. The first Pada is identical with X, 139, 3. Note 2. I prefer with Ludwig to take v6k as a nomina- tive (comp. Lanman, Noun-Inflection, $75) instead of a genitive. Verse 7. Note 1. Compare the very obscure verse X, 31, 5. iyam sa bhuya ushasam iva ksha^, * may she be the earth, as it were, of the dawns.' ' She ' may possibly be the earth, which would be designated here as a dwelling-place or support of the dawns. Verse 8. Note 1. Prof. Max Mliller proposes another translation of sanara. He writes : ' One expects an opposition between tura and sanara. Sanara can hardly be the same as vtravat in the next line. I should like to take sanara as a variety of sana and sanatana. Give us fleeting, i. e. daily wealth, and give us old, i. e« lasting wealth ! ' MANDALA I, HYMN 97. 1 25 MAA^ALA I, HYMN 97. ASH7AKA I, ADHYAYA 7, VARGA 5. i. Driving away evil1 with thy light, Agni, shine upon us with wealth — driving away evil with thy light. 2. Longing for rich fields, for a free path, and for wealth, we sacrifice — driving away evil with thy light. 3 *. When he stands forth as the most glorious one among them 2, and when our liberal lords excel — driving away evil with thy light —
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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