Vedic Hymns, Part II: Hymns to Agni (Mandalas I–V) — SBE Vol. 46 (trans. Hermann Oldenberg, 1897)

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MAMPALA V, HYMN 13.
ASHTAKA IV, ADHYAYA 1, VARGA 5.

i. Praising we call 1 thee ; praising let us kindle l thee, Agni, praising, for thy help.

2. Desirous of riches, we devise to-day an effective song of praise, of Agni the heaven-touching god \

3. May Agni take pleasure in our prayers, he who is the Hotrz among men. May he sacrifice1 to the divine host.

4. Thou, O Agni, art widely extended, the gladly accepted, desirable Hotrz ; through thee they spread out the sacrifice.

5. The priests make thee grow, O Agni, the
greatest acquirer of wealth, the highly praised one.
Bestow thou on us abundance of heroes.

6. Agni ! Thou encompassest the gods as the felly (encompasses) the spokes (of a wheel). Thou strivest 1 for brilliant wealth.

NOTES.

The same Rzsh\. The metre is Gayatri. — Verse 2 — MS. IV, 10, 2 (cf. TS. V, 5, 6, 1). Verses 3-4= SV. II, 755-757- Verse 4=TB. 11,4, 1,6; MS. IV, 10, 2. Verse 5 = TS. I, 4, 46, 3 ; MS. IV, 11, 4. Verse 6 = TS. II, 5, 9, 3. As the Sama-veda forms a Trika. of the verses 2-4, not 1-3 or 4-6, we have here an instance of those liberties which the arrangers of the Sama-veda not unfrequently took with regard to the Rig-veda text (see H. O., Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XXXVIII, 469p. 396 seq.) ; we have no reason, in such a case, to resort to such an expedient as changing the traditional order of verses in the Rig-veda text.

Verse 1.
UNote 1. We have first the indicative, then the optative.

Verse 2.

Note 1. Divisprisak no doubt is genitive sing, referring to Agni, not nominative pi. referring to the worshippers.

Verse 3.

Note 1. Ludwig is right in observing here : ' eigentlich er spreche die yagyas als einladung fur die gotten'

Verse 6.

Note 1. On ringase, com p. Bartholomae, Indogermanische Forschungen, II, 281 ; Neisser, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XX, 59. I take the form here as 2nd singular.

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p. 14p. 6i . Awaken 1 Agni by thy song of praise, kindling (him) the immortal one. May he place our offerings among the gods.

2. Him, the immortal god, the mortals magnify at their sacrifices, the best sacrificer among the tribe of men.

3. Him indeed they all magnify, the god, with the (sacrificial) ladle that overflows with ghrzta, Agni, in order that he may bear the oblation.

4. Agni when born has shone, killing the Dasyus,
(killing) darkness by light. He has found the cows,
the waters, the sun l.

5. Worship Agni, the sage who should be magnified, whose back is covered with ghrzta. May he come and hear my call 1.

6. They have made Agni grow by ghrzta, him who dwells among all tribes, and by longing, eloquent praises.

NOTES.

The samei£zshi and metre. — Verse i=TS. IV, 1, 11,4;
MS. IV, 10, 1 ; VS. XXII, 15. Verse 3 = TS. IV, 3, 13, 8 ;
MS. IV, 10, 1. Verse 4= MS. IV, io, %.

Verse 1.

6. They have made Agni grow by ghrzta, him who dwells among all tribes, and by longing, eloquent praises.

NOTES.

The samei£zshi and metre. — Verse i=TS. IV, 1, 11,4;
MS. IV, 10, 1 ; VS. XXII, 15. Verse 3 = TS. IV, 3, 13, 8 ;
MS. IV, 10, 1. Verse 4= MS. IV, io, %.

Verse 1.

Note 1. We have no reason and, unless we write bodhaya,
no right for taking bodhaya as an equivalent of bodhayani
(Ludwig).

39& VEDIC HYMNS.

Verse 4.

Note 1. Agni is considered here, as is done frequently, as the performer of deeds which properly belong to Indra (see H. O., Religion des Veda, 98 seq.). Indra is the conqueror of the cows and of the waters ; as to the sun, it may be said of both gods with the same right that they have acquired it for mankind (Religion des Veda, no seq. ; 15c seq.).

Verse 5.

Note 1. Although me can be accusative (Pischel,
Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft,
XXXV, 714 seq.), I have no doubt that it is here genitive,
and depends on havam. Cf. II, 24, 15. v^shi me havam ;
X, 61, 4. vitam me ya.gna.rn.

MAiVDALA V, HYMN 1 5. 399

p. 15p. 7i. I bring a prayer to the worshipper, the renowned sage, the glorious, ancient one. Agni is the highly gracious Asura, taking his seat in ghr/ta, the holder of wealth, supporting goods.

2. By Rita, they have supported the supporting i?zta, near the powerful (performer)1 of sacrifice, in highest heaven, the men who sit 2 on the supporting support of the sky, and who with born (men) attained to the unborn.

3. Dispelling anguish 1 they spread out for the ancient one2 his bodies3, mighty vital power, difficult to overcome. May he, the new-born, traverse the spaces. They have stood round him as round an angry lion.

4. When thou earnest, spreading out, man after man like a mother, for their nourishment and for their sight, when thou growest old * assuming life after life, thou goest around by thyself in manifold shapes.

5. May gain protect now the boundaries of thy strength, the wide, firmly supporting milkstream 1 of wealth, O god ! Putting down thy foot in secret like a thief2, thou hast enlightened and freed Atri for the sake of wealth mightily 3.

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NOTES.

The Rishi is Dharu^a Angirasa (cf. dharii^a^ vasva^ agnf^, verse i ; ritim dharu^am, diva^ dharman dhariine, verse 2 ; d6gham dhani/zam, verse 5) ; the metre, Trish Aibh. — No verse of this hymn occurs in the other Sa^hitas.

Verse 2.

Note 1. It may be asked whether ^aka, beside its meaning ' the powerful (helper),' may also mean ' the power.' This would suit very well, V, 30, 10. sam ta^ (scil. gak) indrak asng-at asya sskai/i; VI, 19, 4. tarn va^ indram ^atfnam asya ^akai^ iha nun am va£*ayanta^ huvema. The translation then would be : ' by the power of sacrifice/ Bohtlingk-Roth conjecture .sake.

sam ta^ (scil. gak) indrak asng-at asya sskai/i; VI, 19, 4. tarn va^ indram ^atfnam asya ^akai^ iha nun am va£*ayanta^ huvema. The translation then would be : ' by the power of sacrifice/ Bohtlingk-Roth conjecture .sake.

Note 2. I believe that sedusha^ stands for the nominative, cf. deva/z dbibhyushaA, I, 11, 5; S. B. E. XXXII, p. 28. This sediisha^ led on to a second accusative standing for the nominative, nrfri. — The men sitting on the support of the sky seem to be the forefathers who have established the universal laws, the Angiras.

Verse 3.

Note 1. I consider a/^hoyuva^ as nom. plur. masc, but it may also be gen. sing, masc, or ace. plur. fern., as an epithet either of Agni or of his tanva/z.

Note 2. The ancient one (purvya) seems to be Agni
(cf. verse 1).

Note 3. Cf. VI, 46, 12. yatra .nirasa^ tanva^ vitanvate.

Verse 4. Note 1. I think, like Ludwig, that £*arase should be accented.

Verse 5.

Note 1. These are accusatives. — Cf. on this passage,
Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 39 seq.

Note 2. Cf. H. O., Prolegomena, p. 73.

Note 3. Cf. VI, 1, 2. maha^ raye* ^itayanta^. — See
Geldner, Ved. Studien, I, 268.

MAiVDALA V, HYMN 1 6. 4OI

p. 16p. 8i. Sing * (a song that gives) mighty vital power, to the light, to god Agni, whom the mortals have placed in front 2 like Mitra by their praises 3.

2. For he, Agni, the Wotri of men, day by day, in the arms of Daksha, discloses the offering in the due way, as Bhaga l (discloses) a treasure.

3. .(We abide [?]) in his praise, the liberal (god's), in his friendship, the mightily brilliant one's, in whom, the loudly roaring Aryan, all (beings) have put together their strength.

4. For verily, O Agni, (thou belongest [?]) to them1 through thy bounteousness 2 in (bestowing) abundance of heroes. Him indeed, the vigorous one, his glory the two worlds could not encompass 3.

5. Now then, Agni, come hither and, being praised, bring treasure 1 to us who, we ourselves and our liberal givers, may acquire welfare together. And help us to grow strong in fights.

NOTES.

The Rtshi is Puru Atreya (cf. 17, 1) ; the metre Anush- /ubh (verse 5, Pahkti). This hymn and V, 17 are parallel hymns; the concluding words of both are identical (see also V, 9, 7 ; 10, 7).— Verse i = SV. I, 88.

Verse 1.

Note 1. ArM may be first or second person.
[46] D d

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Note 2. Dadhire pura>fc: they have made him their
Purohita.

Note 3. Comp. above, V, 9, 6.

Verse 2.

Note 1. On Bhaga, the divine Bestower or Dispenser of riches, cf. Herbert Baynes. The Biography of Bhaga (Actes du huiti£me Congr^s intern, des Orientalistes, Sect. II, fasc. t, pp. 83 seq.).

Verse 4.

Note 1. To them, i. e. the Maghavans. Compare below,
18, 3. 4.

Note 2. Ma^hana seems to be instrumental. Comp. 10.
3; 18, 3.