Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1365 IV, 4, 4, i. Verses 1-2 = MS. II, 13, 7. Verses 1-3 = SV. II, 1 096-1098. Verse 5 = TS. IV, 1, 3, 4. Verse 6 = MS. IV, 11, 1; TB. I, 3, 14, 1. Verse 9 = TB. II, 4, 7, 10. Verse io=MS. IV, 11, 4; TB. II, 4, 7, 9. Verse i2 = MS. 11,13,7; TB. IV, 4, 4,*; VS. XV, 25. Verse 3. Note 1. The meaning seems to be : when Agni has set into motion the string (representing the prayers, &c.) by which the worshippers tie and instigate him and the other powers of the sacrifice. Cf. IV, 1, 9. pra tarn (scil. agni'm) mahya ra^anaya nayanti ; IX, 87, 1. a^vam na tva (scil. somam) vag-fnam mar£*ayanta^ akMa barhi/£ ra^anabhi^ nayanti. See also I, 163, 4. 5. Note 2. I.e. with bright ghrzta. Note 3. The Dakshi^a or sacrificial gift offered by the Ya^amana to the ministrant priests, is represented here as a car which is yoked in the morning. Cf. Bergaigne, Rel. Vedique, I, 128 ; III, 283. Note 4. ' He who stands upright ' is Agni ; ' she who lies extended' seems to be the cow, i.e. the ghr/ta which Agni sucks by means of the sacrificial ladles. — See also Pischel, Vedische Studien, II, 113, from whose interpreta- tion I differ. Verse 4. Note 1. I.e. Night and Dawn. Verse 8. Note 1. I cannot adopt the conjectures of Bartholomae (Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XV, 197) on sve damuna^. Verse 10. Note 1. The human worshipper seems to be addressed ; the ' most glorious one ' is very probably Agni. Verse 11. Note 1. Vidvan, which may be construed with the genitive or with the accusative, stands here with both cases. 366 VEDIC HYMNS. MAA/77ALA V, HYMN 2. ASH7AKA III, ADHYAYA 8, VARGA 14-15. i. The young mother carries in secret the boy confined * ; she does not yield him to the father. People do not see before them his fading 2 face laid down with the Arati 3. 2. Who is that boy, O young woman, whom thou, the Peshi x, earnest ? It is the queen who has borne him. Through many autumns the fruit of the womb has increased. I saw him born when his mother gave birth to him. 3. I saw him the gold-toothed, brilliant-coloured preparing his weapons far from his dwelling-place 1. After I have offered to him the ambrosia cleared (from all impure mixture) 2 — what may the Indra- less, the hymnless do to me ? 4. I saw him, the highly shining (Agni), walking far from his dwelling-place, like (a bull) together with the herd \ Those (women) have not held him, for he has been born. The young women become grey2. 5. Who have separated my young bull from the cows that 1 had no cow-herd, not even a stranger ? May those who have held him, let him loose. May he, the knowing one, lead the cattle towards us. 6. Him, the king of dwellings (P)1, the dwelling- place of people, the Aratis have laid down 2 among men. May the spells of Atri loose him. May the reproachers become reproachable (themselves). 7. Thou hast loosed the bound .Suna^epa from M AND ALA V, HYMN 2. $6?
26. Him, the king of dwellings (P)1, the dwelling- place of people, the Aratis have laid down 2 among men. May the spells of Atri loose him. May the reproachers become reproachable (themselves). 7. Thou hast loosed the bound .Suna^epa from M AND ALA V, HYMN 2. $6? the thousand sacrificial posts ; for he toiled (wor- shipping thee). Thus, O Agni, loose from us the fetters, O knowing Hotri, sitting down here. 8 K For thou hast gone away 2 from me, because thou wert angry ; (this) the protector of the laws of the gods3 has told me. (But) Indra, the knowing one, has looked after thee. Instructed by him, O Agni, I have come hither. 9. Agni shines with mighty light ; he makes all things visible by his greatness. He conquers godless, wicked wiles. He sharpens his two horns in order to pierce the Rakshas. 10. And may the roarings of Agni mount up to the sky, with sharp weapons in order to kill the Rakshas. In his rapture his flames break down (everything); the godless hindrances do not hold him back. 11. This song of praise, O strong-born (Agni), I, the priest, have fashioned for thee, as a skilful workman (builds) a chariot1. If thou acceptest that (praise), O god Agni, may we conquer thereby waters together with the sun. 12. May the bull1 with mighty neck, grown strong, with no foe to resist him, get together the niggard's wealth. Thus the immortal (gods) have spoken to this Agni : may he grant protection to the man who has spread the Barhis ; may he grant protection to the man who brings offerings. NOTES. The Rishi of verses 1, 3-8, 10-13 is Kumara Atreya, or Vrisa. G&na. ; or both are the i?/shis of these verses. Of the verses 2 and 9 Vrisa. alone is the Rishi. The metre is 368 VEDIC HYMNS. TrishAibh (verse 12, Sakvari). — Verse 9 = AV. VIII, 3, 24. Verses 9, io=TS. I, 2, 14, 7. Verse n=TB. II, 4, 7, 4.
3G&na. ; or both are the i?/shis of these verses. Of the verses 2 and 9 Vrisa. alone is the Rishi. The metre is 368 VEDIC HYMNS. TrishAibh (verse 12, Sakvari). — Verse 9 = AV. VIII, 3, 24. Verses 9, io=TS. I, 2, 14, 7. Verse n=TB. II, 4, 7, 4. A part of this hymn is very obscure. I do not think, as does Prof. Geldner (Festgruss an Roth, 192), that the story of the ^a/yayanakam (see Saya^a's commentary, and compare Vankavimsa. Brahma^a XIII 3, 12), of the Puro- hita Vrisa, who drives with the king on the royal chariot and kills a boy, throws any real light on the difficult points of the hymn. Nor does it seem to me that, as is the opinion of Prof. Hillebrandt (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XXXIII, 248 seq.), the first six verses, which Hillebrandt considers as an independent hymn, contain a description of how the fire which they try to produce by the attrition of the Ara^is, does not appear. In my opinion the hymn — which is really one hymn as the tradition gives it — is a prayer of a person who suffers, who feels himself bound by the fetters of distress (verse 7) and persecuted by the power of Rakshas (verses 9, 10). Agni, formerly resplendent, has decayed and has forsaken him : may Agni be restored to his former might (verse 6), and may we ourselves be released from all distress (verse 7, &c). Possibly the hymn is connected with the rite of Punaradheya, where the sacrificial fire which has brought no luck to the sacrifices is extinguished, and after an interval a new fire is established (H.O., Religion des Veda, p. 353). There may of course be other special points, beyond the reach of our conjectures, which, if known, would elucidate several of the obscure allusions so frequent in the first verses of the hymn. Verse 1. Note 1. The boy very probably is Agni. — With the words samubdham guha bibharti, cf. 1, 158, 5. susamubdham ava-adhu^. Note 2. Not without hesitation I translate minat as if it were the middle minanam. Possibly the word means : 'which violates (the ordinances)/ i.e. which does not shine and bring luck to men as it usually does. Na seems, as it MAiVDALA V, HYMN 2. 369 usually does (cf. Delbruck, Altindische Syntax, p. 543)? to belong to the whole clause, and not to minat. Note 3. Bohtlingk-Roth and Grassmann conjecture aratnau ; Hillebrandt, aratau ; Geldner (Festgruss an Roth, 192), aratau. Geldner seems to be right (cf. verse 6), though it will scarcely be possible to determine what con- crete being was here thought of. Geldner says, ' Gemeint ist die Pua^ika, welche die Gluth des Feuers entfiihrt hat ; ' but, as has already been observed, I do not think that this traditional story on the meaning of our hymn is of any real value. Verse 2. Note 1. The meaning of Peshi is unknown. The word seems anyhow to describe the wrong mother as low or contemptible. Agni is degraded by sojourning with her, while his proper nature is glorious, for he is the queen's son. Verse 3.
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.
1365 IV, 4, 4, i. Verses 1-2 = MS. II, 13, 7. Verses 1-3 = SV. II, 1 096-1098. Verse 5 = TS. IV, 1, 3, 4. Verse 6 = MS. IV, 11, 1; TB. I, 3, 14, 1. Verse 9 = TB. II, 4, 7, 10. Verse io=MS. IV, 11, 4; TB. II, 4, 7, 9. Verse i2 = MS. 11,13,7; TB. IV, 4, 4,*; VS. XV, 25. Verse 3. Note 1. The meaning seems to be : when Agni has set into motion the string (representing the prayers, &c.) by which the worshippers tie and instigate him and the other powers of the sacrifice. Cf. IV, 1, 9. pra tarn (scil. agni'm) mahya ra^anaya nayanti ; IX, 87, 1. a^vam na tva (scil. somam) vag-fnam mar£*ayanta^ akMa barhi/£ ra^anabhi^ nayanti. See also I, 163, 4. 5. Note 2. I.e. with bright ghrzta. Note 3. The Dakshi^a or sacrificial gift offered by the Ya^amana to the ministrant priests, is represented here as a car which is yoked in the morning. Cf. Bergaigne, Rel. Vedique, I, 128 ; III, 283. Note 4. ' He who stands upright ' is Agni ; ' she who lies extended' seems to be the cow, i.e. the ghr/ta which Agni sucks by means of the sacrificial ladles. — See also Pischel, Vedische Studien, II, 113, from whose interpreta- tion I differ. Verse 4. Note 1. I.e. Night and Dawn. Verse 8. Note 1. I cannot adopt the conjectures of Bartholomae (Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XV, 197) on sve damuna^. Verse 10. Note 1. The human worshipper seems to be addressed ; the ' most glorious one ' is very probably Agni. Verse 11. Note 1. Vidvan, which may be construed with the genitive or with the accusative, stands here with both cases. 366 VEDIC HYMNS. MAA/77ALA V, HYMN 2. ASH7AKA III, ADHYAYA 8, VARGA 14-15. i. The young mother carries in secret the boy confined * ; she does not yield him to the father. People do not see before them his fading 2 face laid down with the Arati 3. 2. Who is that boy, O young woman, whom thou, the Peshi x, earnest ? It is the queen who has borne him. Through many autumns the fruit of the womb has increased. I saw him born when his mother gave birth to him. 3. I saw him the gold-toothed, brilliant-coloured preparing his weapons far from his dwelling-place 1. After I have offered to him the ambrosia cleared (from all impure mixture) 2 — what may the Indra- less, the hymnless do to me ? 4. I saw him, the highly shining (Agni), walking far from his dwelling-place, like (a bull) together with the herd \ Those (women) have not held him, for he has been born. The young women become grey2. 5. Who have separated my young bull from the cows that 1 had no cow-herd, not even a stranger ? May those who have held him, let him loose. May he, the knowing one, lead the cattle towards us. 6. Him, the king of dwellings (P)1, the dwelling- place of people, the Aratis have laid down 2 among men. May the spells of Atri loose him. May the reproachers become reproachable (themselves). 7. Thou hast loosed the bound .Suna^epa from M AND ALA V, HYMN 2. $6?
26. Him, the king of dwellings (P)1, the dwelling- place of people, the Aratis have laid down 2 among men. May the spells of Atri loose him. May the reproachers become reproachable (themselves). 7. Thou hast loosed the bound .Suna^epa from M AND ALA V, HYMN 2. $6? the thousand sacrificial posts ; for he toiled (wor- shipping thee). Thus, O Agni, loose from us the fetters, O knowing Hotri, sitting down here. 8 K For thou hast gone away 2 from me, because thou wert angry ; (this) the protector of the laws of the gods3 has told me. (But) Indra, the knowing one, has looked after thee. Instructed by him, O Agni, I have come hither. 9. Agni shines with mighty light ; he makes all things visible by his greatness. He conquers godless, wicked wiles. He sharpens his two horns in order to pierce the Rakshas. 10. And may the roarings of Agni mount up to the sky, with sharp weapons in order to kill the Rakshas. In his rapture his flames break down (everything); the godless hindrances do not hold him back. 11. This song of praise, O strong-born (Agni), I, the priest, have fashioned for thee, as a skilful workman (builds) a chariot1. If thou acceptest that (praise), O god Agni, may we conquer thereby waters together with the sun. 12. May the bull1 with mighty neck, grown strong, with no foe to resist him, get together the niggard's wealth. Thus the immortal (gods) have spoken to this Agni : may he grant protection to the man who has spread the Barhis ; may he grant protection to the man who brings offerings. NOTES. The Rishi of verses 1, 3-8, 10-13 is Kumara Atreya, or Vrisa. G&na. ; or both are the i?/shis of these verses. Of the verses 2 and 9 Vrisa. alone is the Rishi. The metre is 368 VEDIC HYMNS. TrishAibh (verse 12, Sakvari). — Verse 9 = AV. VIII, 3, 24. Verses 9, io=TS. I, 2, 14, 7. Verse n=TB. II, 4, 7, 4.
3G&na. ; or both are the i?/shis of these verses. Of the verses 2 and 9 Vrisa. alone is the Rishi. The metre is 368 VEDIC HYMNS. TrishAibh (verse 12, Sakvari). — Verse 9 = AV. VIII, 3, 24. Verses 9, io=TS. I, 2, 14, 7. Verse n=TB. II, 4, 7, 4. A part of this hymn is very obscure. I do not think, as does Prof. Geldner (Festgruss an Roth, 192), that the story of the ^a/yayanakam (see Saya^a's commentary, and compare Vankavimsa. Brahma^a XIII 3, 12), of the Puro- hita Vrisa, who drives with the king on the royal chariot and kills a boy, throws any real light on the difficult points of the hymn. Nor does it seem to me that, as is the opinion of Prof. Hillebrandt (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XXXIII, 248 seq.), the first six verses, which Hillebrandt considers as an independent hymn, contain a description of how the fire which they try to produce by the attrition of the Ara^is, does not appear. In my opinion the hymn — which is really one hymn as the tradition gives it — is a prayer of a person who suffers, who feels himself bound by the fetters of distress (verse 7) and persecuted by the power of Rakshas (verses 9, 10). Agni, formerly resplendent, has decayed and has forsaken him : may Agni be restored to his former might (verse 6), and may we ourselves be released from all distress (verse 7, &c). Possibly the hymn is connected with the rite of Punaradheya, where the sacrificial fire which has brought no luck to the sacrifices is extinguished, and after an interval a new fire is established (H.O., Religion des Veda, p. 353). There may of course be other special points, beyond the reach of our conjectures, which, if known, would elucidate several of the obscure allusions so frequent in the first verses of the hymn. Verse 1. Note 1. The boy very probably is Agni. — With the words samubdham guha bibharti, cf. 1, 158, 5. susamubdham ava-adhu^. Note 2. Not without hesitation I translate minat as if it were the middle minanam. Possibly the word means : 'which violates (the ordinances)/ i.e. which does not shine and bring luck to men as it usually does. Na seems, as it MAiVDALA V, HYMN 2. 369 usually does (cf. Delbruck, Altindische Syntax, p. 543)? to belong to the whole clause, and not to minat. Note 3. Bohtlingk-Roth and Grassmann conjecture aratnau ; Hillebrandt, aratau ; Geldner (Festgruss an Roth, 192), aratau. Geldner seems to be right (cf. verse 6), though it will scarcely be possible to determine what con- crete being was here thought of. Geldner says, ' Gemeint ist die Pua^ika, welche die Gluth des Feuers entfiihrt hat ; ' but, as has already been observed, I do not think that this traditional story on the meaning of our hymn is of any real value. Verse 2. Note 1. The meaning of Peshi is unknown. The word seems anyhow to describe the wrong mother as low or contemptible. Agni is degraded by sojourning with her, while his proper nature is glorious, for he is the queen's son. Verse 3.
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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