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

And thy roaring arose like thunder by itself from heaven 2.

MAiNTDALA V, HYMN 25. 417

9. Thus we have paid homage, desirous of goods, to powerful Agni. May he, the highly wise one, help us, as with a ship, across all enemies.

NOTES.

The i?zshis are the Vasuyava/z Atreya^ (cf. verse 9) ; the metre is Anush/ubh. Verse 5 = MS. IV, 11, 1. Verse 6 = MS. IV, ii, 1. Verse 7 = SV. I, 86; VS. XXVI, 12; TS. I, 1, 14, 4. The Sukta consists of hymns of three verses each.

Verse 1.

Note 1. On gasi, comp. Neisser, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XX, 70, note 1 ; Bartholomae, Indogermanische Forschungen, II, 278, 283.

Note 2. Rishunam: comp. above, I, 127, 10, note 5.

Verse 3.
Note 1. On suvrzktf, comp. above, II, 4, 1, note 1.

Verse 5.
Note 1. I.e. to his father ? Or to his patrons ?

Verse 7.

Note 1. This vocative very probably refers to Agni.

Note 2. Or ' like a king's consort ' ? It may be doubted whether the difference of accent (mahishi and mahishf)

holds good for the Rig-veda. — Comp. on mahishiva, Roth,

Zeitschr. der Deutschen Morgenland. Gesellschaft, XLVIII,

680.

Verse 8.

Note 1. Br/hat is not the name of the Saman ; cf. X,
64, 15 (100, 8). grava yatra madhu-sut u^yate brz'hat.
Comp. Hillebrandt, Vedische Mythologie, I, p. 153. — The
singular u^yate is explained by the connection with grava.

Note 2. With the last Pâda comp. the conclusion of
V, 52, 6 (vol. xxxii, p. 312).
[46] e e

p. 41

MANjDALA V, HYMN 26.ASH7AKA IV, ADHYAYA 1, VARGA 19-20.

i. Agni, purifier! With thy splendour, with thy delightful tongue, O god, bring hither the gods and perform the sacrifice.

2. Thee therefore we approach, who swimmest in ghrzta x, O (god) with brilliant light, thee of sun-like aspect. Bring hither the gods that they may feast.

3. Let us kindle thee, O sage, the brilliant offerer of feasts (to the gods), O Agni, the mighty (god) at the sacrifice.

4. Agni, come hither with all the gods to the gift of the offering. We choose thee as our Hotrz.

5. Bring to the sacrificer who presses (Soma), Agni, abundance of heroes. Sit down on the sacrificial grass together with the gods.

6. Being kindled, Agni, conqueror of thousandfold
(wealth), thou makest the ordinances (of the world)
thrive, the praiseworthy messenger of the gods.

71. Lay down Agni ^atavedas, th£ carrier of offerings, the youngest, the god, the priest.

8. May the sacrifice which best encompasses the gods, proceed to-day in due order. Spread the sacrificial grass that (the gods) may sit down on it.

9. May the Maruts, the A^vins, Mitra and Varu/za sit down on this (sacrificial grass), the gods with all their folk.

p. 419

NOTES.

The same i^zshis. Metre, Gayatri. Verses 1-3 = SV. II,
871-873. Verse i = TS. I, 3, 14, 8 ; 5, 5, 3 ; IV, 6, 1, 2 ;
MS. I, 5, 1 ; II, 10, 1 ; IV, 10, 1 ; VS. XVII, 8. Verse 3
= TS. I, 1, 11, 2; VS. II, 4; comp. MS. 1, 1, 12. Verse 7 =
MS. IV, 11, 1.

As V, 26, this Sukta also consists of Trika, hymns.

Metre, Gayatri. Verses 1-3 = SV. II,
871-873. Verse i = TS. I, 3, 14, 8 ; 5, 5, 3 ; IV, 6, 1, 2 ;
MS. I, 5, 1 ; II, 10, 1 ; IV, 10, 1 ; VS. XVII, 8. Verse 3
= TS. I, 1, 11, 2; VS. II, 4; comp. MS. 1, 1, 12. Verse 7 =
MS. IV, 11, 1.

As V, 26, this Sukta also consists of Trika, hymns.

Verse 2.
Note 1. Comp. above, IV, 2, 3, note 1.

Verse 7.
Note 1. With verses 7 and 8, compare above, V, 22, 2.

e e 2

p. 420

p. 27p. 21i. The good lord has presented me with two oxen together with a car, the most brilliant Asura among the liberal givers1. Tryariu/a, the son of Trlvrzshan, O Agni Vai^vanara 2, has distinguished himself by (his gift of) ten thousand (cows ?) 3.

2. To him who gives me one hundred1 and twenty cows and two fallow steeds, harnessed and well-yoked, to Tryanma grant thy protection, Agni Vaisvanara, who art highly praised and grown strong.

3. Thus, O Agni, desiring thy favour 19 Trasadasyu 2 (sings) for the ninth time 3 to thee the youngest (god) — Tryaru/za who responds to my, the strong-borns, many hymns with (the gift of) a yoked (chariot) 4 —

4 \ Who may thus announce me 2 to Asvamedha the liberal (prince) : may he give to him who with his verse strives for gain ; may he give to him who lives in the i?zta for (acquiring) wisdom 3 —

5. A^vamedha whose gifts, a hundred speckled bulls, delight me like Soma juices with threefold admixture \

6. Indra-Agni ! Bestow on Asvamedha, the giver of a hundred (bulls), abundance of heroes and mighty royal power, like the never-ageing Sun in heaven.

MAiVDALA V, HYMN 27. 42 I

NOTES.

The Rzshis are Tryaru//a TraivrzshTza, Trasadasyu Paurukutsya, and Aivamedha Bharata, or, according to others, Atri alone. The metre is Trish/ubh in verses 1-3, Anush/ubh in verses 4-6.

The position of this Sukta shows that it is a later addition to the original collection.

Verse 1.

Note 1. With Delbriick, Grassmann, von Bradke (Dyaus
Asura, p. 67) I read maghonam instead of maghona/z. Cf.
Ill, 3, 4. asura^ vipak-kitam.

'Note 2. On the invocation of Agni in Danastutis, comp. H. O., Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XXXIX, 87.

Note 3. Geldner (Ved. Studien, I, 268) is right in observing: c Hier ist unter sahasram eine bestimmte Geldoder Wertsumme zu verstehen/ and in adding that it is not necessary that such a sum consisted in cows.

Verse 2.

Note 1. On .rata, ' one hundred/ compare Delbriick,
Altindische Syntax, p. 82.

Verse 3.

Note 1. Cf. X, 148, 3. sumatim kakknak.

Note 2. That is, very probably, a descendant of Trasadasyu.

Note 3. I do not adopt Saya/za's explanation navama;/z = navatama/#, though I do not know what the number 4 nine ' means here. Ludwig is absolutely right in observing ' dass man eben hier, wo es sich um specielle concrete, uns aber sonst her nicht bekannte verhaltnisse und ereignisse handelt, eben sich bescheiden muss, nichts

p. 42

Ludwig is absolutely right in observing ' dass man eben hier, wo es sich um specielle concrete, uns aber sonst her nicht bekannte verhaltnisse und ereignisse handelt, eben sich bescheiden muss, nichtsp. 42 zu wissen/ — Prof. Max Muller believes that navish/Mya makes navamam for navatamam excusable : * to the newest god the newest song.'

Note 4. Saya^a supplies to yuktena, not rathena, but manasa.

Verse 4.

Note 1. I do not think that Ludwig is right in believing that with verse 4 a new, independent section begins. — Comp. on this verse, vol. xxxii, p. 304 (II, 34, 7, note 3).

Note 2. Me may be accusative, as it frequently is.
Should it be a dative, we should have to translate : c Who
may tell A^vamedha for my sake/

Note 3. Medham can scarcely depend on dadat ; wisdom is not a gift which liberal princes may bestow on singers.

Verse 5.

Note 1. Of milk, curds, and barley. See Hillebrandt,
Vedische Mythologie, I, p. 209.

MAiVDALA V, HYMN 28. 423

p. 28p. 22i. Agni kindled has sent his light to the sky; turned towards the dawn he shines far and wide, (The sacrificial ladle) goes forward with adoration, rich in all treasures, magnifying the gods with sacrificial food.

2. Being kindled thou reignest over immortality ; thou attendest for welfare the man who prepares the sacrificial food. He whom thou furtherest, acquires all wealth and puts in front hospitality (towards thee), O Agni \

3. Agni, show thy prowess for the sake of great bliss. May thy splendours be highest. Make our householdership easy to conduct \ Set thy foot on the greatness of those who show enmity to us.

4. I adore thy beauty, Agni, who hast been kindled,
who art highly exalted. A bull, brilliant art thou.
Thou art kindled at the sacrifices.

5. Being kindled, Agni into whom offerings are poured, sacrifice to the gods, best sacrificer, for thou art the carrier of oblations.

6. Sacrifice into (Agni) ; exalt Agni, while the sacrifice is going on. Choose him for your carrier of oblations.

p. 424

NOTES.

The Rishi is VLrvavara Atreyf (cf. verse i) ; the metre
is Trish/ubh in verses i and 3, Gagati in verse 2, Anush/ubh
in verse 4, Gayatri in verses 5 and 6. Verse 3 = AV. VII,
73, 10 ; VS. XXXIII, 12 ; TS. II, 4, 1, 1 ; 5, 2, 4 ; MS. IV,
11, 1. Verse 5 = TS. II, 5, 8, 6. Verses 5-6 = TB. Ill,
5> 2, 3.

The Sukta is a later addition to the original Sa^hita.

Verse 2.

]NTote I. Should not dhatte be accented ? * He whom thou furtherest and (who) puts in front hospitality (towards thee), O Agni, acquires all wealth.'

Verse 3.

Note 1. Cf. X, 85, 23. sam ^aspatyam suyamam astu deva^. The additions to the single Ma/zdfelas seem, as a rule, to be of later origin than the hymns of the tenth Mandala. (see H.O., Prolegomena, p. 265); so it may be conjectured that the author of our verse imitated that passage of the great marriage hymn.

APPENDICES.

I. INDEX OF WORDS.