I, 26
*
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 13
Ma\"N"D"Ala I, Hymn 26.
Ash\"T"Aka I, Adhyya 2, Varga 20-21.
1. Clothe thyself, with thy clothing (of light), O sacrificial (god), lord of all vigour; and then perform this worship for us.
2. Sit down, most youthful god, as our desirable Hot"ri", through (our prayerful) thoughts 1, O Agni, with thy word 2 that goes to heaven.
3. The father verily by sacrificing procures (blessings) for the son 1, the companion for the companion, the elect friend for the friend.
4. May Varu"n"a, Mitra, Aryaman, triumphant with riches (?) 1, sit down on our sacrificial grass as they did on Manu's.
5. O ancient Hot"ri", be pleased with this our friendship also, and hear these prayers.
6. For whenever we sacrifice constantly 1 to this or to that god, in thee alone the sacrificial food is offered.
7. May he be dear to us, the lord of the clan, the joy-giving, elect Hot"ri"; may we be dear (to him), possessed of a good Agni (i. e. of good fire).
8. For the gods, when possessed of a good Agni, have given us excellent wealth, and we think ourselves possessed of a good Agni.
9. And may there be among us mutual praises of both the mortals, O immortal one, (and the immortals) 1.
10. With all Agnis (i. e. with all thy fires), O Agni, accept this sacrifice and this prayer, O young (son) of strength 1.
p. 14
Notes.
This hymn, as well as the whole collection to which it belongs, is ascribed to "S"una"h"s"epa "g"garti (comp. 24, 12.13). The metre is Gyatr. Bergaigne (Recherches sur l'histoire de la Sa"m"hit, II, 7) divides this hymn into T"ri"k"as, with one single verse added at the end. I cannot find sufficient evidence for this; the appearance in the Sma-veda (ii, 967-9) of a T"ri"k"a composed of the verses 10. 6. 7 of our hymn is rather against Bergaigne's opinion.
Verse 2.
Note 1. Mnmabhi"h" may possibly mean, 'with thy (wise) thoughts;' comp., for instance, Iii, 11, 8. pri v"s"vni sdhit agn"h" a"s"yma mnmabhi"h", 'may we obtain every bliss through Agni's (wise) thoughts,' or 'may we obtain all the blessings of Agni for our prayers.'
Note 2. V"k"as stands for v"k"as. See the passages collected by Lanman, Noun-Inflection, 562, and comp. Roth, Ueber gewisse Krzungen des Wortendes im Veda, 5; Joh. Schmidt, Die Pluralbildungen der indogermanischen Neutra, 304 seq. Ludwig also takes v"k"as as instrumental.
Verse 3.
Note 1. Agni is the father, the mortal whose sacrifice he performs, the son.
Verse 4.
Note 1. Can ri"s"das be explained as a compound of ri (Tiefstufe of rai, as gu is the Tiefstufe of gau) and *"s"das, from the root "s"ad, 'to be triumphant'? Prof. Aufrecht (Bezzenberger's Beitrge, Xiv, 83; see also Neisser, Bezz. Beitr. Xix, 143) connects ri- with the Greek - () our hypothesis has the advantage of not leaving the limits of Sanskrit.--Comp. M. M.'s note on V, 60, 7; Ludwig, Ueber die neuesten Arbeiten auf dem Gebiete der Rig-veda-Forschung (1893), p. 7.
p. 15
Verse 6.
Note 1. On "s"s"vat tn see Lanman, 480, 515, 518.
Verse 9.
Note 1. The comparison of verse 8 and the expression m"ri"ta mrtynm in the second Pda of this verse seem to show that ubhyeshm does not refer to two classes of mortals, the priests and their patrons, but to the mortals and the immortals. A genitive am"r"tnm, which would make this meaning quite clear, can easily be supplied. A Dvandva compound am"ri"tamartynm, which one could feel tempted to conjecture, would have, in my opinion, too modern a character.--Prof. Max Mller writes: 'I should prefer am"ri"ta martynm, not exactly as a compound, but as standing for am"ri"tnm martynm. This seems to be Ludwig's opinion too.'
Verse 10.
Note 1. In the translation of sahasa"h" yaho I follow Geldner, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxviii, 195; Ludwig's translation is similar.
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 13
Ma\"N"D"Ala I, Hymn 26.
Ash\"T"Aka I, Adhyya 2, Varga 20-21.
1. Clothe thyself, with thy clothing (of light), O sacrificial (god), lord of all vigour; and then perform this worship for us.
2. Sit down, most youthful god, as our desirable Hot"ri", through (our prayerful) thoughts 1, O Agni, with thy word 2 that goes to heaven.
3. The father verily by sacrificing procures (blessings) for the son 1, the companion for the companion, the elect friend for the friend.
4. May Varu"n"a, Mitra, Aryaman, triumphant with riches (?) 1, sit down on our sacrificial grass as they did on Manu's.
5. O ancient Hot"ri", be pleased with this our friendship also, and hear these prayers.
6. For whenever we sacrifice constantly 1 to this or to that god, in thee alone the sacrificial food is offered.
7. May he be dear to us, the lord of the clan, the joy-giving, elect Hot"ri"; may we be dear (to him), possessed of a good Agni (i. e. of good fire).
8. For the gods, when possessed of a good Agni, have given us excellent wealth, and we think ourselves possessed of a good Agni.
9. And may there be among us mutual praises of both the mortals, O immortal one, (and the immortals) 1.
10. With all Agnis (i. e. with all thy fires), O Agni, accept this sacrifice and this prayer, O young (son) of strength 1.
p. 14
Notes.
This hymn, as well as the whole collection to which it belongs, is ascribed to "S"una"h"s"epa "g"garti (comp. 24, 12.13). The metre is Gyatr. Bergaigne (Recherches sur l'histoire de la Sa"m"hit, II, 7) divides this hymn into T"ri"k"as, with one single verse added at the end. I cannot find sufficient evidence for this; the appearance in the Sma-veda (ii, 967-9) of a T"ri"k"a composed of the verses 10. 6. 7 of our hymn is rather against Bergaigne's opinion.
Verse 2.
Note 1. Mnmabhi"h" may possibly mean, 'with thy (wise) thoughts;' comp., for instance, Iii, 11, 8. pri v"s"vni sdhit agn"h" a"s"yma mnmabhi"h", 'may we obtain every bliss through Agni's (wise) thoughts,' or 'may we obtain all the blessings of Agni for our prayers.'
Note 2. V"k"as stands for v"k"as. See the passages collected by Lanman, Noun-Inflection, 562, and comp. Roth, Ueber gewisse Krzungen des Wortendes im Veda, 5; Joh. Schmidt, Die Pluralbildungen der indogermanischen Neutra, 304 seq. Ludwig also takes v"k"as as instrumental.
Verse 3.
Note 1. Agni is the father, the mortal whose sacrifice he performs, the son.
Verse 4.
Note 1. Can ri"s"das be explained as a compound of ri (Tiefstufe of rai, as gu is the Tiefstufe of gau) and *"s"das, from the root "s"ad, 'to be triumphant'? Prof. Aufrecht (Bezzenberger's Beitrge, Xiv, 83; see also Neisser, Bezz. Beitr. Xix, 143) connects ri- with the Greek - () our hypothesis has the advantage of not leaving the limits of Sanskrit.--Comp. M. M.'s note on V, 60, 7; Ludwig, Ueber die neuesten Arbeiten auf dem Gebiete der Rig-veda-Forschung (1893), p. 7.
p. 15
Verse 6.
Note 1. On "s"s"vat tn see Lanman, 480, 515, 518.
Verse 9.
Note 1. The comparison of verse 8 and the expression m"ri"ta mrtynm in the second Pda of this verse seem to show that ubhyeshm does not refer to two classes of mortals, the priests and their patrons, but to the mortals and the immortals. A genitive am"r"tnm, which would make this meaning quite clear, can easily be supplied. A Dvandva compound am"ri"tamartynm, which one could feel tempted to conjecture, would have, in my opinion, too modern a character.--Prof. Max Mller writes: 'I should prefer am"ri"ta martynm, not exactly as a compound, but as standing for am"ri"tnm martynm. This seems to be Ludwig's opinion too.'
Verse 10.
Note 1. In the translation of sahasa"h" yaho I follow Geldner, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxviii, 195; Ludwig's translation is similar.
