Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
11 47 MAiVZ?ALA I, HYMN 141. ASH7AKA II, ADHYAYA 2, VARGA 8-9. i. Lo, that beautiful splendour of the god, when he was born of strength, has truly come to be a wondrous sight. Though he slinks away1, the prayer goes straight to him2. They have led forward the flowing streams of Rita.. 2. The powerful one1, rich in food, the true (friend of men) has entered the wondrous (body)2. His second (form of existence) is in the seven kind mothers3. The ten young females4 have brought the third (form) of this bull forth, him the guar- dian, in order to milk him. 3. When the rulers, the liberal lords brought him forth by their power out of the depth, out of the buffalo's shape1, when from of old2 at the purifica- tion of the sweet drink3 M&tarisvan produces the hidden one (i.e. Agni) by attrition — 4. When he is led forward from the highest father1, he climbs up the . . .2, the plants in his (or, in their ?) houses. When3 both (Heaven and Earth or the two Ara/zis ?) promote his birth, then the youngest one became bright by his heat4. 5. Then he entered upon the mothers1 in whom he the bright one grew up far and wide unimpaired2. When he has climbed up to the former (mothers) who from of old incite (him) 3, he runs down in the younger, later (or, nearer) ones. 61. Then in the strivings for the day 2 they choose him Hotri. As if to swell their good fortune they l 2 I48 VEDIC HYMNS. strive towards him 3, when praised by many he moves everywhere with wisdom and power to the gods and to the praise of mortals 4 for (bringing them) refresh- ing drink. 7. When he has scattered himself, the worshipful one, driven by the wind, like . . .*, with the sound (which he produces) (?), he whom it is not possible to drive to a place (like cattle) : on the flight of the burning one who speeds on his black way, whose birth is bright, who strays everywhere to the atmosphere . . .2 8. Like a chariot that goes forward, he goes to Heaven with his ruddy limbs, adorned with his locks of flames1. Then his black (clouds of smoke), O burning one(?), the liberal ones (?) (appear)2. The birds flee as before the fierceness of a hero3. 9. Through thee indeed, O Agni, Varima whose laws are firm, Mitra and Aryaman, the givers of good rain, are glorious, when thou the mighty one hast been born, everywhere encompassing with wisdom (all beings), as the felly encompasses the spokes of a wheel. 10. Thou, O Agni, youngest (god), furtherest treasures and (the friendship of) the gods for him who performs worship, who presses Soma. May we thus establish thee the young one, O young (son) of strength, possessor of great treasures, like the winner in a race \ 11. Make good fortune1 swell for us like well- employed wealth belonging to the house, and like firm ability2 — (fortune) which can hold both races3 like reins : and being full of good-will in (the sphere of) JRzta., (fill our) praise of the gods (with rich reward). MAAT.DALA I, HYMN 141. 1 49
2Make good fortune1 swell for us like well- employed wealth belonging to the house, and like firm ability2 — (fortune) which can hold both races3 like reins : and being full of good-will in (the sphere of) JRzta., (fill our) praise of the gods (with rich reward). MAAT.DALA I, HYMN 141. 1 49 12. And may the brilliant, joyful Hotrz with quick horses, with a shining chariot hear us. May he, the wise Agni, lead us on the best leading (paths) to happy welfare and to bliss. 13. Agni has been praised with powerful1 songs, he who has been brought forward furthermore for sovereignty. May both those our liberal lords and we ourselves spread out 2 (our power over all foes) as the sun (spreads out its light and by it destroys) the mist. NOTES. The same Rzshi. The metre is Gagati ; the two last verses again are TrishAibh. — None of its verses occurs in the other Sa/^hitas. Verse 1. Note 1. The meaning seems to be that if Agni be un- willing to officiate at the sacrifice, the prayer nevertheless reaches its aim and induces him to do his duty as the divine Hotri. 'Note 2. The verb sadh is very frequently connected with substantives such as dhiya^ or the like. Comp. also ma- tinam ka. sadhanam, X, 26, 4. Verse 2. Note 1. It seems probable that przkshik is the nomina- tive of przksha, and not the genitive of przksh. Comp. VI, 8, 1, where it is said of Agni 'przkshasya vrhhnak arushasya.' On the meaning of przkshd, see above, I, 137, 5, note 1. Note 2. The poet seems clearly to describe the second and third form of Agni's existence, his dwelling in the waters and his birth from the fire-sticks. But he is less explicit with regard to the first form. The epithet pitu- I50 VEDIC HYMNS. ma'n would seem to point to Agni as the sacrificial fire and the receiver of offerings. But it is rather strange that this form of the god should be distinguished from the Agni procreated by the ten females, i.e. produced by the ten fingers, by the attrition of the kindling-sticks. — Prof. Max Miiller differs from me in referring the words da\?a- pramatim ^anayanta yosha/za^, not to the third form of Agni, but to Agni in general. He translates: 'The powerful one, rich in food, rests always on that wondrous sight (Agni on the altar, garhapatya Agni). The second rests in the seven kind mothers (vidyudrupa ; Agni in the clouds) ; the third is for milking the powerful one (Agni as the sun, adityarupa) — the ten maidens (the fingers) have brought forth the guardian/ Note 3. Grassmann no doubt is right in proposing to read sapta jivasu. Of course the waters are alluded to. Note 4. Read dcUa pramatim (Boehtlingk-Roth). On Agni as the son of the ten fingers, comp. Bergaigne, II, 7. Verse 3. Note 1. The buffalo Agni was hidden in the depth. Comp. X, 8, 1. apam upa-sthe mahisha/z vavardha ; I, 95, 9. budhnam vi-r6/£amanam mahishasya dhama. Note 2. The preposition anu seems to stand here with an ablative (pra-diva^).
3Bergaigne, II, 7. Verse 3. Note 1. The buffalo Agni was hidden in the depth. Comp. X, 8, 1. apam upa-sthe mahisha/z vavardha ; I, 95, 9. budhnam vi-r6/£amanam mahishasya dhama. Note 2. The preposition anu seems to stand here with an ablative (pra-diva^). Note 3. The literal meaning of madhva^ a-dhave is indicated by passages such as I, 109, 4. a dhavatam ma- dhuna; IX, 11, 5. madhav a dhavata madhu. Comp. also adhavaniya. On the washing of the Soma which is techni- cally designated by the verb a-dhav, see H. O., Gottinger Gelehrte Anzeigen, 1890, p. 426 seq. ; Hillebrandt, Vedische Mythologie, I, 216. — The purification of the sweet drink, at which Agni is produced, was probably achieved by the tempest. Verse 4. Note 1. The highest father is Heaven. Note 2. The meaning of prz'kshudha/z is unknown. M AND ALA I, HYMN I4I. I 5 1 Note 3. Yat is repeated twice, as yasya in X, 121, 2. yasya visve upa-asate pra-^isham yasya deva^. Note 4. On ghr//za, comp. Lanman, Noun-Inflection, 335. Verse 5. Note 1. The mothers are the Waters. Note 2. The reading, very probably, ought to be vi- vavrzdhe. Note 3. Boehtlingk-Roth believe that the reading ought to be sanayuva^ or sana-^ura^. Sana-^ira^ (cf. sana-^iira pitara, IV, 36, 3) seems to me quite possible, although there is no positive necessity for abandoning the traditional reading. — The 'former' mothers may be the heavenly Waters; the mothers in whom Agni runs down are the rivers. Prof. Max Muller adds that the former mothers may possibly be * the burnt pieces of wood. Agni runs up in them, then leaves them to burn new pieces.' Verse 6. Note 1. On the whole verse, compare Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 317. Note 2. Comp. above, I, 45, 7, note 1. Note 3. The second Pada is translated by Pischel : ' Wie in einen Konig drangen sie in ihn, wenn sie (Trank)opfer darbringen.' But verse 1 1 shows that bhagam depends on papr/£anasa^. Note 4. Comp. Ill, 16, 4. a deveshu ... a samse uta nrzVzam. Verse 7. Note 1. The translation of hvara^ is quite uncertain. The same must be said of the rest of this Pada. Note 2. The sentence is incomplete. Verse 8. Note 1. On ^fkvan (or .nkvas), comp. M. M.'s note, vol. xxxii, p. 318; Hubschmann, Vocalsystem, p. 186. The translation is only tentative. — Two syllables are wanting ; 152 VEDIC HYMNS. we may propose a reading like .n'kvabhi^ parishkrzta^ (comp. H. O., Prolegomena, 76, note 3). Note 2. This passage is most obscure. The first words of the Pada are the same as above, 140, 5. The ' black ones ' probably are the dark clouds of smoke that surround Agni. But it is very strange that these clouds should be designated as siiraya/z, ' liberal ones.' And the vocative (?) dakshi (Padapa/^a dhakshi), instead of which we should at least expect daksho or dakshin, is no less strange. The text seems thoroughly corrupt. Note 3. See Lanman, p. 557. Verse 10. Note 1. Comp. Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 121. Verse 11. Note 1. Comp. above, verse 6, Pada 2.
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.
11 47 MAiVZ?ALA I, HYMN 141. ASH7AKA II, ADHYAYA 2, VARGA 8-9. i. Lo, that beautiful splendour of the god, when he was born of strength, has truly come to be a wondrous sight. Though he slinks away1, the prayer goes straight to him2. They have led forward the flowing streams of Rita.. 2. The powerful one1, rich in food, the true (friend of men) has entered the wondrous (body)2. His second (form of existence) is in the seven kind mothers3. The ten young females4 have brought the third (form) of this bull forth, him the guar- dian, in order to milk him. 3. When the rulers, the liberal lords brought him forth by their power out of the depth, out of the buffalo's shape1, when from of old2 at the purifica- tion of the sweet drink3 M&tarisvan produces the hidden one (i.e. Agni) by attrition — 4. When he is led forward from the highest father1, he climbs up the . . .2, the plants in his (or, in their ?) houses. When3 both (Heaven and Earth or the two Ara/zis ?) promote his birth, then the youngest one became bright by his heat4. 5. Then he entered upon the mothers1 in whom he the bright one grew up far and wide unimpaired2. When he has climbed up to the former (mothers) who from of old incite (him) 3, he runs down in the younger, later (or, nearer) ones. 61. Then in the strivings for the day 2 they choose him Hotri. As if to swell their good fortune they l 2 I48 VEDIC HYMNS. strive towards him 3, when praised by many he moves everywhere with wisdom and power to the gods and to the praise of mortals 4 for (bringing them) refresh- ing drink. 7. When he has scattered himself, the worshipful one, driven by the wind, like . . .*, with the sound (which he produces) (?), he whom it is not possible to drive to a place (like cattle) : on the flight of the burning one who speeds on his black way, whose birth is bright, who strays everywhere to the atmosphere . . .2 8. Like a chariot that goes forward, he goes to Heaven with his ruddy limbs, adorned with his locks of flames1. Then his black (clouds of smoke), O burning one(?), the liberal ones (?) (appear)2. The birds flee as before the fierceness of a hero3. 9. Through thee indeed, O Agni, Varima whose laws are firm, Mitra and Aryaman, the givers of good rain, are glorious, when thou the mighty one hast been born, everywhere encompassing with wisdom (all beings), as the felly encompasses the spokes of a wheel. 10. Thou, O Agni, youngest (god), furtherest treasures and (the friendship of) the gods for him who performs worship, who presses Soma. May we thus establish thee the young one, O young (son) of strength, possessor of great treasures, like the winner in a race \ 11. Make good fortune1 swell for us like well- employed wealth belonging to the house, and like firm ability2 — (fortune) which can hold both races3 like reins : and being full of good-will in (the sphere of) JRzta., (fill our) praise of the gods (with rich reward). MAAT.DALA I, HYMN 141. 1 49
2Make good fortune1 swell for us like well- employed wealth belonging to the house, and like firm ability2 — (fortune) which can hold both races3 like reins : and being full of good-will in (the sphere of) JRzta., (fill our) praise of the gods (with rich reward). MAAT.DALA I, HYMN 141. 1 49 12. And may the brilliant, joyful Hotrz with quick horses, with a shining chariot hear us. May he, the wise Agni, lead us on the best leading (paths) to happy welfare and to bliss. 13. Agni has been praised with powerful1 songs, he who has been brought forward furthermore for sovereignty. May both those our liberal lords and we ourselves spread out 2 (our power over all foes) as the sun (spreads out its light and by it destroys) the mist. NOTES. The same Rzshi. The metre is Gagati ; the two last verses again are TrishAibh. — None of its verses occurs in the other Sa/^hitas. Verse 1. Note 1. The meaning seems to be that if Agni be un- willing to officiate at the sacrifice, the prayer nevertheless reaches its aim and induces him to do his duty as the divine Hotri. 'Note 2. The verb sadh is very frequently connected with substantives such as dhiya^ or the like. Comp. also ma- tinam ka. sadhanam, X, 26, 4. Verse 2. Note 1. It seems probable that przkshik is the nomina- tive of przksha, and not the genitive of przksh. Comp. VI, 8, 1, where it is said of Agni 'przkshasya vrhhnak arushasya.' On the meaning of przkshd, see above, I, 137, 5, note 1. Note 2. The poet seems clearly to describe the second and third form of Agni's existence, his dwelling in the waters and his birth from the fire-sticks. But he is less explicit with regard to the first form. The epithet pitu- I50 VEDIC HYMNS. ma'n would seem to point to Agni as the sacrificial fire and the receiver of offerings. But it is rather strange that this form of the god should be distinguished from the Agni procreated by the ten females, i.e. produced by the ten fingers, by the attrition of the kindling-sticks. — Prof. Max Miiller differs from me in referring the words da\?a- pramatim ^anayanta yosha/za^, not to the third form of Agni, but to Agni in general. He translates: 'The powerful one, rich in food, rests always on that wondrous sight (Agni on the altar, garhapatya Agni). The second rests in the seven kind mothers (vidyudrupa ; Agni in the clouds) ; the third is for milking the powerful one (Agni as the sun, adityarupa) — the ten maidens (the fingers) have brought forth the guardian/ Note 3. Grassmann no doubt is right in proposing to read sapta jivasu. Of course the waters are alluded to. Note 4. Read dcUa pramatim (Boehtlingk-Roth). On Agni as the son of the ten fingers, comp. Bergaigne, II, 7. Verse 3. Note 1. The buffalo Agni was hidden in the depth. Comp. X, 8, 1. apam upa-sthe mahisha/z vavardha ; I, 95, 9. budhnam vi-r6/£amanam mahishasya dhama. Note 2. The preposition anu seems to stand here with an ablative (pra-diva^).
3Bergaigne, II, 7. Verse 3. Note 1. The buffalo Agni was hidden in the depth. Comp. X, 8, 1. apam upa-sthe mahisha/z vavardha ; I, 95, 9. budhnam vi-r6/£amanam mahishasya dhama. Note 2. The preposition anu seems to stand here with an ablative (pra-diva^). Note 3. The literal meaning of madhva^ a-dhave is indicated by passages such as I, 109, 4. a dhavatam ma- dhuna; IX, 11, 5. madhav a dhavata madhu. Comp. also adhavaniya. On the washing of the Soma which is techni- cally designated by the verb a-dhav, see H. O., Gottinger Gelehrte Anzeigen, 1890, p. 426 seq. ; Hillebrandt, Vedische Mythologie, I, 216. — The purification of the sweet drink, at which Agni is produced, was probably achieved by the tempest. Verse 4. Note 1. The highest father is Heaven. Note 2. The meaning of prz'kshudha/z is unknown. M AND ALA I, HYMN I4I. I 5 1 Note 3. Yat is repeated twice, as yasya in X, 121, 2. yasya visve upa-asate pra-^isham yasya deva^. Note 4. On ghr//za, comp. Lanman, Noun-Inflection, 335. Verse 5. Note 1. The mothers are the Waters. Note 2. The reading, very probably, ought to be vi- vavrzdhe. Note 3. Boehtlingk-Roth believe that the reading ought to be sanayuva^ or sana-^ura^. Sana-^ira^ (cf. sana-^iira pitara, IV, 36, 3) seems to me quite possible, although there is no positive necessity for abandoning the traditional reading. — The 'former' mothers may be the heavenly Waters; the mothers in whom Agni runs down are the rivers. Prof. Max Muller adds that the former mothers may possibly be * the burnt pieces of wood. Agni runs up in them, then leaves them to burn new pieces.' Verse 6. Note 1. On the whole verse, compare Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 317. Note 2. Comp. above, I, 45, 7, note 1. Note 3. The second Pada is translated by Pischel : ' Wie in einen Konig drangen sie in ihn, wenn sie (Trank)opfer darbringen.' But verse 1 1 shows that bhagam depends on papr/£anasa^. Note 4. Comp. Ill, 16, 4. a deveshu ... a samse uta nrzVzam. Verse 7. Note 1. The translation of hvara^ is quite uncertain. The same must be said of the rest of this Pada. Note 2. The sentence is incomplete. Verse 8. Note 1. On ^fkvan (or .nkvas), comp. M. M.'s note, vol. xxxii, p. 318; Hubschmann, Vocalsystem, p. 186. The translation is only tentative. — Two syllables are wanting ; 152 VEDIC HYMNS. we may propose a reading like .n'kvabhi^ parishkrzta^ (comp. H. O., Prolegomena, 76, note 3). Note 2. This passage is most obscure. The first words of the Pada are the same as above, 140, 5. The ' black ones ' probably are the dark clouds of smoke that surround Agni. But it is very strange that these clouds should be designated as siiraya/z, ' liberal ones.' And the vocative (?) dakshi (Padapa/^a dhakshi), instead of which we should at least expect daksho or dakshin, is no less strange. The text seems thoroughly corrupt. Note 3. See Lanman, p. 557. Verse 10. Note 1. Comp. Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 121. Verse 11. Note 1. Comp. above, verse 6, Pada 2.
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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