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1Metre, Trish/ubh ; verse 7 : Cagati. — Verse 9 = TS. Ill, t, h, 2 ; TB. II, 8, 7, 4 ; MS. IV, 14, 8. Verse 11= VS. XVII, 88 ; TA. X, 10, 2. Verse 3. Note 1. The text has i/ita/z. Comp. above, I, 1, 1, note 2. Note 2. Comp. X, $$, 1. ni hf satsat (scil. agni/J) antara^ purva^ asmat. Verse 4. Note 1. It is very probable that the poet intends to dis- tinguish the Vasus, the Visve devas, and the Adityas as three categories of gods. But then we should expect the accent £ditya^. Comp. VII, 51, 3. Mityak visve marital kdi visve devak ka visve; X, 125, 1. aham rudrebhi^ vasubhi^ £arami aham adityaf^ uta vuvadevai/z. Verse 5. Note 1. Comp. the Grihya Mantra addressed to the Mekhala, of which it is said ' varaam pavitram punati na^ agat,' Sankhayana Grihya II, 2, 1, &c. Verse 6. Note 1. The meaning of vayya (comp. IX, 68, 8) is uncertain. Possibly it is derived from vi, ' the bird.' Ac- cording to SayaTza it would mean ' weavers ' (vanaku^ale iva). Vayyeva may be vayye iva (dual feminine), in spite of the artificial theory of the Pragrzhya vowels; see Lanman, p. 361 ; H. O., Hymnen des Rig-veda, I, 456. Or it may be vayya iva, dual masculine or singular femi- nine (comp. VII, 2, 6). Note 2. Comp. VII, 42, 1. adhvarasya pesak. MAiVDALA II, HYMN 3. 201 Verse 7. Note 1. Comp. VIII, 39, 1. agni^ devan anaktu na//. Verse 10. Note 1. With the first hemistich compare especially, III, 4, 10 (see below). Verse 11. Note 1. £ He ' of course is Agni. Note 2. Differing from M. M., vol. xxxii, p. 185, I take ghrztam as an accusative. Note 3. Comp. Ill, 6, 9 (see below). 202 VEDTC HYMNS. MAiVZ?ALA II, HYMN 4. ASH7AKA II, ADHYAYA 5, VARGA 24-25. i. I call for you Agni, shining with beautiful shine, praised with beautiful praise 1, the guest of the clans, the receiver of fine offerings, who is desirable like Mitra (or, like an ally), Gatavedas the god, among godly people. 2. The Bhrzgus worshipping him in the abode of the waters * have verily 2 established him among the clans of Ayu. Let him surpass all worlds, Agni, the steward of the gods 3, the possessor of quick horses. 3. The gods have established beloved Agni among the human clans as (people) going to settle (establish) Mitra1. May he illuminate the nights that are longing (for him), he who should be treated kindly by the liberal (worshipper) in his house. 4. His prosperity is delightful as good pasture (?) 1 ; delightful is his appearance when the burning one is driven forward, he who quickly shaking his tongue among the plants waves2 his tail mightily like a chariot-horse. 5. When they praised 1 to me the monstrous might of the eater of the forests 2, he produced his (shining) colour as (he has done) for the Uslgs 3. With shining splendour he has shone joyously, he who having grown old has suddenly become young (again). 6. He who shines on the forests1 as if he were thirsty, who resounded like water on its path, like (the rattle of the wheels) of a chariot 2 — he whose
2With shining splendour he has shone joyously, he who having grown old has suddenly become young (again). 6. He who shines on the forests1 as if he were thirsty, who resounded like water on its path, like (the rattle of the wheels) of a chariot 2 — he whose MANDALA II, HYMN 4. 203 path is black, the hot, the joyous one has shone, laughing 3 like the sky with its clouds. 7. He who has spread himself burning over the wide (earth), moves about like an animal, free, without a keeper. The flaming Agni, burning down the brushwood, with a black trail 1, has, as it were, tasted the earth. 8. Now in the remembrance of thy former bless- ings this prayer has been recited to thee at the third sacrifice \ Give to us, Agni, mighty strength with a succession of valiant men, with plenty of food ; (give us) wealth with good progeny 2, 9. Give, O Agni, such vigour to thy praiser together with his liberal (lords), that the Grz'tsa- madas, rich in valiant men, victorious over hostile plots, attaining (their aim) in secret, may overcome through thee (their rivals) who get behind 1. NOTES. The Rtshi is Somahuti Bhargava, the metre Trish/ubh. — No verse occurs in the other Sawhitas. Verse 1. Note 1. To me there seems to be no doubt that the meaning of suvrzkti is something like ' beautiful prayer,' * beautiful song/ and then ( a god who is invoked with beau- tiful songs/ Thus suvrzktaya^ or other cases of the same word stand by the side of stomal . . . gira^, VIII, 8, 22 ; of gira^, I, 64, 1 ; VIII, 96, 10, comp. X, 64, 4; of brahma, VII, 31, 11 ; 97, 9 ; of stomal, VII, 96, 1 ; of dhitibhi/£, VI, 61, 2 ; of a£/£y£oktibhL& matinam, I, 61, 3, and so on. Comp. also VII, 83, 9. havamahe vam vr/sha^a suvrz'ktibhiA ; X, 41, 1. ratham . . . suvrzktibhi/£ vayam vyush/a ushasa/z havamahe ; X. 80, 7. avo^ama suvrzkti'm. 204 VEDIC HYMNS. This being the meaning of the word, I cannot think it probable — and herein I differ from the opinion pronounced by Prof. Max Miiller, vol. xxxii, p. 109 — that it stands in connection with the verb vrig in its well-known use referring to the Barhis. In my opinion (comp. also Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 151) suvrzkti may be connected with another use of vrig, with the meaning of this verb ' to draw a god towards himself, averting him from other sacrificers5 (materials regarding this use of vrig have been collected by Geldner, loc. cit., 144). Or possibly the word may be derived, as Prof, von Roth believes, from rik (comp. suvita derived from i). It is true that the substantive rz'kti does not occur by itself : but, as Prof. Max Miiller remarks (loc. cit.), this would not be fatal to Prof, von Roth's etymology, because many other words in the Veda occur as uttarapadas only. If we accept this theory, we should of course have to separate suvr/ktf from namovr/kti and svavrzkti. Verse 2. Note 1. Comp. X, 46, 3. imam vidhanta^ apam sadhasthe.
3cit.), this would not be fatal to Prof, von Roth's etymology, because many other words in the Veda occur as uttarapadas only. If we accept this theory, we should of course have to separate suvr/ktf from namovr/kti and svavrzkti. Verse 2. Note 1. Comp. X, 46, 3. imam vidhanta^ apam sadhasthe. Note 2. Literally, ' doubly/ ' In two places, in the abode of the waters and among the clans of man.' M. M. Com- pare, however, X, 46, 2 (see last note). Note 3. Devanam aratf^ ; comp. I, 58, 7, note 1. Verse 3. Note 1. The meaning seems to be that people going to settle anywhere, secure safety by ceremonies addressed to Mitra, i. e. possibly by concluding alliances which stand under the special protection of Mitra. Comp. IV, 33, 10 ; H. O., Religion des Veda, 186, note 1. — Mitra is kshetrasadhas, VIII, 31, 14. Verse 4. Note 1. Svasya-iva seems to be corrupt. Possibly we might read suyavasa-iva push/i^. In X, 11, 5 we read, sada asi ranvafi, yavasa-iva pushyate. IV, 16, 15. oka^ na ra^va sudr/^i-iva pushtik. — The translation of the traditional MAiTOALA II, HYMN 4. 205 reading would be, ' His prosperity is delightful, like that of a person belonging to us/ Note 2. Bharibhrat seems to be a participle : but then dodhaviti must be accented (dodhaviti). Verse 5. Note 1. On the verb pan, comp. Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 199 seq. Note 2. Vanad seems to be, as Grassmann has seen, a compound of van, 'the forest ' (comp. the genitive vanam, the locative vawsu), and of ad. Of Agni is said several times ' vanani atti.' Note 3. On the mythical ancestors designated as the Uri^as, see Bergaigne, I, 57 seq. Verse 6. Note 1. The forests, of course, are the fuel. Note 2. To rathya-iva probably kakrd (nom. plur.) is to be supplied. Note 3. The ' laughing ' of the sky is the lightning (Ben- fey, Vedica und Verwandtes, 138). The flames of Agni flash through the smoke as the lightning shines in the clouds. Verse 7. Note 1. See Geldner, Vedische Studien, II, 29 seq. ; Roth, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenland. Gesellschaft, XLVIII, 107. Verse 8. Note 1. The text has trz'tiye vidathe (comp. I, 31, 6, note 2). Does this mean at the tWtiya-savana ? Three vidathas are spoken of also in VI, 51, 2 ; VII, 66, 10. Note 2. On the metrical irregularity, comp. H. O., Die Hymnen des Rig-veda, I, 67. Verse 9. Note 1. ' May prevail, destroying through thee the neighbours lying in ambush.' M. M. To me giiha seems to be connected with vanvanta^. 206 VEDIC HYMNS. MAiVZ^ALA II, HYMN 5. ASH7AKA II, ADHYAYA 5, VARGA 26. i. The brilliant Hotri 1 has been born 2, the father to protect the fathers 3, aspiring after noble wealth. May we be able to bridle the strong (horse) 4. 2. He the leader of the sacrifice towards whom the seven reins (or rays) are stretched, the Fotri promotes, as (he has done) for Manu, the divine eighth (rein) ; all those (reins he promotes) \
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.
1Metre, Trish/ubh ; verse 7 : Cagati. — Verse 9 = TS. Ill, t, h, 2 ; TB. II, 8, 7, 4 ; MS. IV, 14, 8. Verse 11= VS. XVII, 88 ; TA. X, 10, 2. Verse 3. Note 1. The text has i/ita/z. Comp. above, I, 1, 1, note 2. Note 2. Comp. X, $$, 1. ni hf satsat (scil. agni/J) antara^ purva^ asmat. Verse 4. Note 1. It is very probable that the poet intends to dis- tinguish the Vasus, the Visve devas, and the Adityas as three categories of gods. But then we should expect the accent £ditya^. Comp. VII, 51, 3. Mityak visve marital kdi visve devak ka visve; X, 125, 1. aham rudrebhi^ vasubhi^ £arami aham adityaf^ uta vuvadevai/z. Verse 5. Note 1. Comp. the Grihya Mantra addressed to the Mekhala, of which it is said ' varaam pavitram punati na^ agat,' Sankhayana Grihya II, 2, 1, &c. Verse 6. Note 1. The meaning of vayya (comp. IX, 68, 8) is uncertain. Possibly it is derived from vi, ' the bird.' Ac- cording to SayaTza it would mean ' weavers ' (vanaku^ale iva). Vayyeva may be vayye iva (dual feminine), in spite of the artificial theory of the Pragrzhya vowels; see Lanman, p. 361 ; H. O., Hymnen des Rig-veda, I, 456. Or it may be vayya iva, dual masculine or singular femi- nine (comp. VII, 2, 6). Note 2. Comp. VII, 42, 1. adhvarasya pesak. MAiVDALA II, HYMN 3. 201 Verse 7. Note 1. Comp. VIII, 39, 1. agni^ devan anaktu na//. Verse 10. Note 1. With the first hemistich compare especially, III, 4, 10 (see below). Verse 11. Note 1. £ He ' of course is Agni. Note 2. Differing from M. M., vol. xxxii, p. 185, I take ghrztam as an accusative. Note 3. Comp. Ill, 6, 9 (see below). 202 VEDTC HYMNS. MAiVZ?ALA II, HYMN 4. ASH7AKA II, ADHYAYA 5, VARGA 24-25. i. I call for you Agni, shining with beautiful shine, praised with beautiful praise 1, the guest of the clans, the receiver of fine offerings, who is desirable like Mitra (or, like an ally), Gatavedas the god, among godly people. 2. The Bhrzgus worshipping him in the abode of the waters * have verily 2 established him among the clans of Ayu. Let him surpass all worlds, Agni, the steward of the gods 3, the possessor of quick horses. 3. The gods have established beloved Agni among the human clans as (people) going to settle (establish) Mitra1. May he illuminate the nights that are longing (for him), he who should be treated kindly by the liberal (worshipper) in his house. 4. His prosperity is delightful as good pasture (?) 1 ; delightful is his appearance when the burning one is driven forward, he who quickly shaking his tongue among the plants waves2 his tail mightily like a chariot-horse. 5. When they praised 1 to me the monstrous might of the eater of the forests 2, he produced his (shining) colour as (he has done) for the Uslgs 3. With shining splendour he has shone joyously, he who having grown old has suddenly become young (again). 6. He who shines on the forests1 as if he were thirsty, who resounded like water on its path, like (the rattle of the wheels) of a chariot 2 — he whose
2With shining splendour he has shone joyously, he who having grown old has suddenly become young (again). 6. He who shines on the forests1 as if he were thirsty, who resounded like water on its path, like (the rattle of the wheels) of a chariot 2 — he whose MANDALA II, HYMN 4. 203 path is black, the hot, the joyous one has shone, laughing 3 like the sky with its clouds. 7. He who has spread himself burning over the wide (earth), moves about like an animal, free, without a keeper. The flaming Agni, burning down the brushwood, with a black trail 1, has, as it were, tasted the earth. 8. Now in the remembrance of thy former bless- ings this prayer has been recited to thee at the third sacrifice \ Give to us, Agni, mighty strength with a succession of valiant men, with plenty of food ; (give us) wealth with good progeny 2, 9. Give, O Agni, such vigour to thy praiser together with his liberal (lords), that the Grz'tsa- madas, rich in valiant men, victorious over hostile plots, attaining (their aim) in secret, may overcome through thee (their rivals) who get behind 1. NOTES. The Rtshi is Somahuti Bhargava, the metre Trish/ubh. — No verse occurs in the other Sawhitas. Verse 1. Note 1. To me there seems to be no doubt that the meaning of suvrzkti is something like ' beautiful prayer,' * beautiful song/ and then ( a god who is invoked with beau- tiful songs/ Thus suvrzktaya^ or other cases of the same word stand by the side of stomal . . . gira^, VIII, 8, 22 ; of gira^, I, 64, 1 ; VIII, 96, 10, comp. X, 64, 4; of brahma, VII, 31, 11 ; 97, 9 ; of stomal, VII, 96, 1 ; of dhitibhi/£, VI, 61, 2 ; of a£/£y£oktibhL& matinam, I, 61, 3, and so on. Comp. also VII, 83, 9. havamahe vam vr/sha^a suvrz'ktibhiA ; X, 41, 1. ratham . . . suvrzktibhi/£ vayam vyush/a ushasa/z havamahe ; X. 80, 7. avo^ama suvrzkti'm. 204 VEDIC HYMNS. This being the meaning of the word, I cannot think it probable — and herein I differ from the opinion pronounced by Prof. Max Miiller, vol. xxxii, p. 109 — that it stands in connection with the verb vrig in its well-known use referring to the Barhis. In my opinion (comp. also Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 151) suvrzkti may be connected with another use of vrig, with the meaning of this verb ' to draw a god towards himself, averting him from other sacrificers5 (materials regarding this use of vrig have been collected by Geldner, loc. cit., 144). Or possibly the word may be derived, as Prof, von Roth believes, from rik (comp. suvita derived from i). It is true that the substantive rz'kti does not occur by itself : but, as Prof. Max Miiller remarks (loc. cit.), this would not be fatal to Prof, von Roth's etymology, because many other words in the Veda occur as uttarapadas only. If we accept this theory, we should of course have to separate suvr/ktf from namovr/kti and svavrzkti. Verse 2. Note 1. Comp. X, 46, 3. imam vidhanta^ apam sadhasthe.
3cit.), this would not be fatal to Prof, von Roth's etymology, because many other words in the Veda occur as uttarapadas only. If we accept this theory, we should of course have to separate suvr/ktf from namovr/kti and svavrzkti. Verse 2. Note 1. Comp. X, 46, 3. imam vidhanta^ apam sadhasthe. Note 2. Literally, ' doubly/ ' In two places, in the abode of the waters and among the clans of man.' M. M. Com- pare, however, X, 46, 2 (see last note). Note 3. Devanam aratf^ ; comp. I, 58, 7, note 1. Verse 3. Note 1. The meaning seems to be that people going to settle anywhere, secure safety by ceremonies addressed to Mitra, i. e. possibly by concluding alliances which stand under the special protection of Mitra. Comp. IV, 33, 10 ; H. O., Religion des Veda, 186, note 1. — Mitra is kshetrasadhas, VIII, 31, 14. Verse 4. Note 1. Svasya-iva seems to be corrupt. Possibly we might read suyavasa-iva push/i^. In X, 11, 5 we read, sada asi ranvafi, yavasa-iva pushyate. IV, 16, 15. oka^ na ra^va sudr/^i-iva pushtik. — The translation of the traditional MAiTOALA II, HYMN 4. 205 reading would be, ' His prosperity is delightful, like that of a person belonging to us/ Note 2. Bharibhrat seems to be a participle : but then dodhaviti must be accented (dodhaviti). Verse 5. Note 1. On the verb pan, comp. Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 199 seq. Note 2. Vanad seems to be, as Grassmann has seen, a compound of van, 'the forest ' (comp. the genitive vanam, the locative vawsu), and of ad. Of Agni is said several times ' vanani atti.' Note 3. On the mythical ancestors designated as the Uri^as, see Bergaigne, I, 57 seq. Verse 6. Note 1. The forests, of course, are the fuel. Note 2. To rathya-iva probably kakrd (nom. plur.) is to be supplied. Note 3. The ' laughing ' of the sky is the lightning (Ben- fey, Vedica und Verwandtes, 138). The flames of Agni flash through the smoke as the lightning shines in the clouds. Verse 7. Note 1. See Geldner, Vedische Studien, II, 29 seq. ; Roth, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenland. Gesellschaft, XLVIII, 107. Verse 8. Note 1. The text has trz'tiye vidathe (comp. I, 31, 6, note 2). Does this mean at the tWtiya-savana ? Three vidathas are spoken of also in VI, 51, 2 ; VII, 66, 10. Note 2. On the metrical irregularity, comp. H. O., Die Hymnen des Rig-veda, I, 67. Verse 9. Note 1. ' May prevail, destroying through thee the neighbours lying in ambush.' M. M. To me giiha seems to be connected with vanvanta^. 206 VEDIC HYMNS. MAiVZ^ALA II, HYMN 5. ASH7AKA II, ADHYAYA 5, VARGA 26. i. The brilliant Hotri 1 has been born 2, the father to protect the fathers 3, aspiring after noble wealth. May we be able to bridle the strong (horse) 4. 2. He the leader of the sacrifice towards whom the seven reins (or rays) are stretched, the Fotri promotes, as (he has done) for Manu, the divine eighth (rein) ; all those (reins he promotes) \
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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