I, 31
*
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 22
Ma\"N"D"Ala I, Hymn 31.
Ash\"T"Aka I, Adhyya 2, Varga 32-35.
1. Thou, O Agni, (who art) the first Agiras "Ri"shi, hast become as god the kind friend of the gods. After thy law the sages, active in their wisdom 1, were born, the Maruts with brilliant spears.
2. Thou, O Agni, the first, highest Agiras, a sage, administerest the law of the gods, mighty for the whole world, wise, the son of the two mothers 1, reposing everywhere for (the use of) the living 2.
3. Thou, O Agni, as the first, shalt become 1 manifest to Mtari"s"van, through thy high wisdom, to Vivasvat. The two worlds trembled at (thy) election as Hot"ri". Thou hast sustained the burthen; thou, O Vasu, hast sacrificed to the great (gods) 2.
4. Thou, O Agni, hast caused the sky to roar 1 for Manu, for the well-doing Purravas, being thyself a greater well-doer. When thou art loosened by power (?) 2 from thy parents, they led thee hither before and afterwards again.
5. Thou, O Agni, the bull, the augmenter of prosperity, art to be praised by the sacrificer who raises the spoon, who knows all about the offering 1 and (the sacrifice performed with) the word Vasha"t". Thou (god) of unique vigour art the first to invite 2 the clans.
6. Thou, O Agni, leadest forward the man who follows crooked ways 1, in thy company at the sacrifice 2, O god dwelling among all tribes, who in the strife of heroes, in the decisive moment for the
p. 23
obtainment of the prize 3, even with few companions killest many foes in the battle 4.
7. Thou, O Agni, keepest that mortal 1 in the highest immortality, in glory day by day, (thou) who being thirsty thyself 2 givest happiness to both races (gods and men), and joy to the rich.
8. Thou, O Agni, praised by us, help the glorious singer to gain prizes. May we accomplish our work with the help of the young active (Agni). O Heaven and Earth! Bless us together with the gods.
9. Thou, O Agni, in the lap of thy parents, a god among gods, O blameless one, always watchful, be the body's creator and guardian to the singer. Thou, O beautiful one, pourest forth all wealth.
10. Thou, O Agni, art our guardian, thou art our father. Thou art the giver of strength; we are thy kinsmen. Hundredfold, thousandfold treasures come together in thee, who art rich in heroes, the guardian of the law, O undeceivable one.
11. Thee, O Agni, the gods have made for the living as the first living 1, the clan-lord of the Nahusha 2. They have made (the goddess) I"l" the teacher of men (manusha), when a son of my father is born 3.
12. Thou, O Agni, protect with thy guardians, O god, our liberal givers and ourselves, O venerable one! Thou art the protector of kith and kin 1 and of the cows, unremittingly watching over thy law.
13 1. Thou, O Agni, art kindled four-eyed, as the closest guardian for the sacrificer who is without (even) a quiver 2. Thou acceptest in thy mind the hymn even of the poor 3 who has made offerings 4, that he may prosper without danger.
14. Thou, O Agni, gainest 1 for the widely-renowned
p. 24
worshipper that property which is desirable and excellent. Thou art called the guardian and father even of the weak 2; thou instructest the simple, thou, the greatest sage, the quarters of the world 3.
15. Thou, O Agni, protectest on every side like well-stitched armour the man who gives sacrificial fees. He who puts sweet food (before the priests), who makes them comfortable in his dwelling, who kills living (victims), he (will reside) high in heaven 1.
16. Forgive, O Agni, this our fault (?) 1, (look graciously at) this way which we have wandered from afar. Thou art the companion, the guardian, the father of those who offer Soma; thou art the quick one 2 who makes the mortals "Ri"shis 3.
17. As thou didst for Manus, O Agni, for Agiras, O Agiras, for Yayti on thy (priestly) seat, as for the ancients, O brilliant one, come hither, conduct hither the host of the gods, seat them on the sacrificial grass, and sacrifice to the beloved (host).
18. Be magnified, O Agni, through this spell which we have made for thee with our skill or with our knowledge. And lead us forward to better things. Let us be united with thy favour, which bestows strength.
Notes.
The "Ri"shi of the hymn is Hira"n"yastpa girasa. To him tradition ascribes the authorship of the collection I, 31-35, probably because in X, 149, 5 the poet invokes Savit"ri", 'as Hira"n"yastpa the girasa has called thee, O Savit"ri".' Vedic theologians of course tried to find out where this invocation of Hira"n"yastpa to Savit"ri" was preserved, and the hymn, I, 35, seemed to agree best with the conditions
p. 25
of the case (comp. Zeitschrift der D. Morg. Ges. Xlii, 230). By this and many similar cases it is made probable that at the time when the Anukrama"n" was composed, all real knowledge as to authors to whom the collections of the first Ma"n"d"ala belong, was lost.
The metre is "G"agat; only the verses 8, 16, 18 are Trish"t"ubh. Verse 1 = Vs. 34, 12. Verse 8 = Ms. Iv, 11, 1. Verse 12 = Vs. 34, 13. With verse 16 comp. Av. Iii, 15, 4.
Verse 1.
Note 1. Vidmanpasa"h" seems to be nom. plur., not gen. sing. Comp. I, 111, 1. tkshan rtham vidmanpasa"h", 'they (the "Ri"bhus), active in their wisdom, have wrought the chariot.'
Verse 2.
Note 1. As to dvi"m"t "s"ay"h", comp. Iii, 55, 6 (\"s"ay"h" parstt dha n dvimt); Pischel, Vedische Studien, Ii, 50.--On Agni's two mothers and his double birth see Bergaigne, Religion Vdique, Ii, 52.
Note 2. By 'living' I have translated y. See on this word, Bergaigne, Rel. Vd., I, 59 seq.
Verse 3.
Note 1. Probably Bergaigne (Rel. Vd. I, 55, note 2) is right in conjecturing bhava"h" for bhava. In this case we should have to translate: 'Thou as the first hast become manifest to Mtari"s"van.'
Note 2. I believe that to mah"h" we have to supply devn; see Ii, 37, 6; Iii, 7, 9; Vi, 16, 2; 48, 4, Lanman, p. 501,' M. M.
Verse 4.
Note 1. Comp. V, 58, 6. let Dyu (sky) roar down, the bull of the dawn. V, 59. 8. may Dyaus Aditi (the unbounded) roar for our feast.
p. 26
Note 2. The translation of "s"vtra is purely conjectural. It rests on the supposition that the word is related to "s"s"uve, "s"avas, they give the meaning 'schmackhaft,' and paraphrase our passage: das mit einer Lockspeise (z. B. mit einem Spahn) von den Reibhlzern abgenommene Feuer kann man hin and her tragen. Ludwig: mit Geprassel. I do not see how this translation would fit for a number of the passages in which the word occurs.
Verse 5.
Note 1. With the third Pda compare Vi, 1, 9. y"h" hutim pri vda nmobhi"h".
Note 2. Avvsasi cannot belong to the relative clause. The accent must be changed accordingly.
Verse 6.
Note 1. It is very curious to find here Agni as the protector of the v"ri"g"inavartani, the man who follows crooked ways. Ludwig tries to explain the passage by understanding the vidatha, in which Agni is here said to protect the sinner, as an asylum, but we have no reason to believe that the word could have this meaning. See the next note.
Note 2. On the derivation and meaning of vidtha various opinions have been pronounced in the last years, which have been collected by Prof. Max Mller in his note on V, 59, 2 (vol. xxxii p. 349 seq.; see also Bartholomae, Studien zur indogermanischen Sprachgeschichte, I, 41). Without trying to discuss here all different theories, I immediately proceed to state my own opinion, though I am far from claiming certainty for it. It will, however, I believe, solve the difficulties tolerably well. I propose to derive vidtha from vi-dh; the dh was changed into d by the same 'Hauchdissimilationsgesetz' (Brugmann, Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik, vol. i, p. 355 seq.), according to which Arian *bhudhati was changed into Sanskrit
p. 27
bdhati. No one will doubt that the operation of this 'Hauchdissimilationsgesetz' could be annihilated by opposite forces, but it must be admitted that the forms with 'Hauchdissimilation' could also remain intact. The verb vi-dh means 'to distribute, to arrange, to ordain;' thus the original meaning of vidtha must be, like the meaning of vidhna, 'distribution, disposition, ordinance.' In V, 3, 6 we read vidtheshu hnm: this phrase receives its explanation by Vii, 66, 11. v y dadh"h s"ardam msam t ha"h"; ahortr"n"i viddhat, X, 190, 2; msm vidhnam, X, 1.38, 6; \"ri"tn v dadhau, I, 95, 3. We may call attention also to Vi, 51, 2. vda y"h" tr"n"i vidthni eshm devnm "g"nma, 'he who knows their threefold division, the birth of the gods;' Vi, 8, 1. pr n vo"k"am vidth "g"tvedasa"h", 'I will proclaim the ordinances of "G"tavedas.' Within the sphere of the Vedic poets' thoughts, the most prominent example of something most artificially 'vhita' was the sacrifice (comp. v y dadh"h" ya"g"m, Vii, 66, 11; \"s"m"sti ukthm y"g"ate v dh"h", Iv, 6, 11; [the moon] bhgm devbhya"h" v dadhti -yn, X, 85, 19; and the following very significant passage: ya"g"sya tv vidth p"ri"k"kh"am tra kti htra"h ri"tu"s"h" ya"g"anti, V"g". Sa"m"h. Xxiii, 57). Thus ya"g" and vidtha, 'sacrifice' and 'ordinance,' became nearly synonymous (comp. Iii, 3, 3, &c.). It would be superfluous to quote the whole number of passages which show this, but I believe that an attentive reader will discern at least in some of them the traces of the original meaning of vidtha; see, for instance, Ii, 1, 4; Iii, 28, 4.--Finally vidtha seems to mean 'the act of disposing of any business' or the like; this meaning appears, I believe, in passages like the well-known phrase, b"ri"ht vadema vidthe suvr"h" (comp. suvrsa"h" vidtham vadema): 'may we with valiant men mightily raise our voice at the determining (of ordinances, &c.).' Thus the words vidtha and sabh approach each other in their meaning; a person influential in council is called both vidathya and sabhya (see Boehtlingk-Roth, s. v. vidathya).
Note 3. The exact meaning of paritakmya is not quite
p. 28
free from doubt. Comp. Bartholomae, Bezzenberger's Beitrge, Xv, 203, note 1.
Note 4. Prof. Max Mller translates this verse: 'Thou savest the man who has gone the wrong way in the thick of the battle, thou who art quick at the sacrifice; thou who in the strife of heroes, when the prize (or the booty) is surrounded (beset on all sides), killest,' &c.
Verse 7.
Note 1. The phrase begins as if a relative clause were to follow attached to the words 'that mortal.' But, instead of this, afterwards a relative clause follows referring to 'thou, O Agni.'
Note 2. Roth (Ueber gewisse Krzungen des Wortendes, p. 4) and Bartholomae (Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxix, 559) think that a dative (like tt"ri"sh"n"ya) is required; Agni gives comfort to both thirsty races, gods and men. Roth takes tt"ri"sh"n"["h"] for an abbreviation of tt"ri"sh"n"ya; Bartholomae conjectures tt"ri"shya. It would be more easy to change the form into a dative with the ending - (= -ai); comp. Kluge, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxv, 309 Pischel-Geldner, I, 61; Aufrecht, Festgruss an Bhtlingk, I; J. Schmidt, Pluralbildungen, 234. But why not leave the nominative? Agni, being thirsty himself, quenches the thirst of other beings. Comp. J. Schmidt, Pluralbildungen, 309.
Verse 11.
Note 1. ym yve. See verse 2, note 2.
Note 2. The names Nahus, Nahusha have much the same value as Manus, Manusha. But it seems that not all the Aryan tribes, but only a certain part of them, were considered as descendants of Nahus. Comp. Bergaigne, Rel. Vdique, Ii, 324.
Note 3. The last words are very obscure. Mamaka occurs only in one other passage, belonging to the same collection of hymns, I, 34, 6: there the A"s"vins are invoked to bestow blessings on 'my son' (mmakya snve). 'When a son of my father is born' may mean 'When I am
p. 29
born,' or 'When a new issue is born within our tribe:' then--thus we may possibly supply--the goddess I"l", the teacher of mankind, will be the new-born child's teacher also. Another possible explanation would be to take Mamaka as a proper name. Or Prof. Max Mller may be right, who writes: 'Could not pit"h" yt putr"h" mmakasya "g"yate refer to Agni, who, in Iii, 29, 3, was called i"l"y"h" putra"h". Her father and husband (Manu) is also the father of mankind, therefore of the poet who says: Whenever the son of my father is born, they made I"l" (his mother) the teacher of man.'
Verse 12.
Note 1. Trt toksya tnaye seems to be nothing else but trt toksya tnayasya, which would have had one syllable too much.
Verse 13.
Note 1. Comp. on this verse, Pischel, I, 216 seq.
Note 2. Agni is to protect the man who has no quiver, and cannot, therefore, protect himself. The four eyes of the divine guardian seem to signify that he can look in all directions, and perhaps also that he has the power of seeing invisible bad demons. The watchdogs of Yama also are four-eyed, X, 14, 10. 11; comp. H. O., Religion des Veda, 474, note 4. Comp. nishagin, Rig-veda Iii, 30, 15; V, 57, 2; X, 103, 3.
Note 3. On kr, comp. Pischel loc. cit.
Note 4. Rthavya"h" means either a man who has made offerings, or a god to whom offerings are made. That it stands here in the first sense is shown with great probability by Viii, 103, 13, where the kr"h" rthavya"h" svadhvar"h" is described, the man who, though poor, makes offerings and is a good sacrificer. But if we are right in our translation of rthavya"h", the verb vanshi cannot belong to the relative clause; I propose to read vanoshi without accent. The way in which Pischel tries to explain the accent of vanshi, by taking the words kr"h k"it mntram mnas as a parenthesis, is too artificial.
p. 30
Verse 14.
Note 1. I think that we should here, as in verse 13, read vanoshi without accent.
Note 2. This must be at least the approximate meaning of dhra. 'For dhrasya one expects radhrasya,' M. M.
Note 3. I think that the quarters of the world have nothing to do here, but that instead of pr d"s"a"h" we should read (with Ludwig) prad"s"a"h". A similar mistake regarding the word pradi"s" occurs several times in the text of the Rig-veda. I propose to translate the corrected text: 'Thou instructest the simple, well knowing the (divine) commandments.' Comp. vaynni vidvn, dtyni vidvn, &c.
Verse 15.
Note 1. 'Der ist des himels ebenbild' (Ludwig). But this word upam is, as far as we can see, not very ancient. I take upam, with Boehtlingk-Roth, as an adverbial instrumental like dakshi"n", madhy, &c. Prof. Max Mller translates 'close or near to heaven.'
Verse 16.
Note 1. "S"ar"n"i designates in the Atharva-veda Vi, 43, 3 a fault or defect, the exact nature of which cannot be determined. Boehtlingk-Roth propose Widerspnstigkeit, Hartnckigkeit; Max Mller. Abweg, Fehltritt.
Note 2. On bh"ri"mi, comp. M. M.'s note on Ii, 34, 1.
Note 3. Comp. Iii, 43, 5. kuvt m "r"shim papiv"m"sam sutsya (supply krase), 'Wilt thou make me a "Ri"shi after I have drunk Soma?'
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 22
Ma\"N"D"Ala I, Hymn 31.
Ash\"T"Aka I, Adhyya 2, Varga 32-35.
1. Thou, O Agni, (who art) the first Agiras "Ri"shi, hast become as god the kind friend of the gods. After thy law the sages, active in their wisdom 1, were born, the Maruts with brilliant spears.
2. Thou, O Agni, the first, highest Agiras, a sage, administerest the law of the gods, mighty for the whole world, wise, the son of the two mothers 1, reposing everywhere for (the use of) the living 2.
3. Thou, O Agni, as the first, shalt become 1 manifest to Mtari"s"van, through thy high wisdom, to Vivasvat. The two worlds trembled at (thy) election as Hot"ri". Thou hast sustained the burthen; thou, O Vasu, hast sacrificed to the great (gods) 2.
4. Thou, O Agni, hast caused the sky to roar 1 for Manu, for the well-doing Purravas, being thyself a greater well-doer. When thou art loosened by power (?) 2 from thy parents, they led thee hither before and afterwards again.
5. Thou, O Agni, the bull, the augmenter of prosperity, art to be praised by the sacrificer who raises the spoon, who knows all about the offering 1 and (the sacrifice performed with) the word Vasha"t". Thou (god) of unique vigour art the first to invite 2 the clans.
6. Thou, O Agni, leadest forward the man who follows crooked ways 1, in thy company at the sacrifice 2, O god dwelling among all tribes, who in the strife of heroes, in the decisive moment for the
p. 23
obtainment of the prize 3, even with few companions killest many foes in the battle 4.
7. Thou, O Agni, keepest that mortal 1 in the highest immortality, in glory day by day, (thou) who being thirsty thyself 2 givest happiness to both races (gods and men), and joy to the rich.
8. Thou, O Agni, praised by us, help the glorious singer to gain prizes. May we accomplish our work with the help of the young active (Agni). O Heaven and Earth! Bless us together with the gods.
9. Thou, O Agni, in the lap of thy parents, a god among gods, O blameless one, always watchful, be the body's creator and guardian to the singer. Thou, O beautiful one, pourest forth all wealth.
10. Thou, O Agni, art our guardian, thou art our father. Thou art the giver of strength; we are thy kinsmen. Hundredfold, thousandfold treasures come together in thee, who art rich in heroes, the guardian of the law, O undeceivable one.
11. Thee, O Agni, the gods have made for the living as the first living 1, the clan-lord of the Nahusha 2. They have made (the goddess) I"l" the teacher of men (manusha), when a son of my father is born 3.
12. Thou, O Agni, protect with thy guardians, O god, our liberal givers and ourselves, O venerable one! Thou art the protector of kith and kin 1 and of the cows, unremittingly watching over thy law.
13 1. Thou, O Agni, art kindled four-eyed, as the closest guardian for the sacrificer who is without (even) a quiver 2. Thou acceptest in thy mind the hymn even of the poor 3 who has made offerings 4, that he may prosper without danger.
14. Thou, O Agni, gainest 1 for the widely-renowned
p. 24
worshipper that property which is desirable and excellent. Thou art called the guardian and father even of the weak 2; thou instructest the simple, thou, the greatest sage, the quarters of the world 3.
15. Thou, O Agni, protectest on every side like well-stitched armour the man who gives sacrificial fees. He who puts sweet food (before the priests), who makes them comfortable in his dwelling, who kills living (victims), he (will reside) high in heaven 1.
16. Forgive, O Agni, this our fault (?) 1, (look graciously at) this way which we have wandered from afar. Thou art the companion, the guardian, the father of those who offer Soma; thou art the quick one 2 who makes the mortals "Ri"shis 3.
17. As thou didst for Manus, O Agni, for Agiras, O Agiras, for Yayti on thy (priestly) seat, as for the ancients, O brilliant one, come hither, conduct hither the host of the gods, seat them on the sacrificial grass, and sacrifice to the beloved (host).
18. Be magnified, O Agni, through this spell which we have made for thee with our skill or with our knowledge. And lead us forward to better things. Let us be united with thy favour, which bestows strength.
Notes.
The "Ri"shi of the hymn is Hira"n"yastpa girasa. To him tradition ascribes the authorship of the collection I, 31-35, probably because in X, 149, 5 the poet invokes Savit"ri", 'as Hira"n"yastpa the girasa has called thee, O Savit"ri".' Vedic theologians of course tried to find out where this invocation of Hira"n"yastpa to Savit"ri" was preserved, and the hymn, I, 35, seemed to agree best with the conditions
p. 25
of the case (comp. Zeitschrift der D. Morg. Ges. Xlii, 230). By this and many similar cases it is made probable that at the time when the Anukrama"n" was composed, all real knowledge as to authors to whom the collections of the first Ma"n"d"ala belong, was lost.
The metre is "G"agat; only the verses 8, 16, 18 are Trish"t"ubh. Verse 1 = Vs. 34, 12. Verse 8 = Ms. Iv, 11, 1. Verse 12 = Vs. 34, 13. With verse 16 comp. Av. Iii, 15, 4.
Verse 1.
Note 1. Vidmanpasa"h" seems to be nom. plur., not gen. sing. Comp. I, 111, 1. tkshan rtham vidmanpasa"h", 'they (the "Ri"bhus), active in their wisdom, have wrought the chariot.'
Verse 2.
Note 1. As to dvi"m"t "s"ay"h", comp. Iii, 55, 6 (\"s"ay"h" parstt dha n dvimt); Pischel, Vedische Studien, Ii, 50.--On Agni's two mothers and his double birth see Bergaigne, Religion Vdique, Ii, 52.
Note 2. By 'living' I have translated y. See on this word, Bergaigne, Rel. Vd., I, 59 seq.
Verse 3.
Note 1. Probably Bergaigne (Rel. Vd. I, 55, note 2) is right in conjecturing bhava"h" for bhava. In this case we should have to translate: 'Thou as the first hast become manifest to Mtari"s"van.'
Note 2. I believe that to mah"h" we have to supply devn; see Ii, 37, 6; Iii, 7, 9; Vi, 16, 2; 48, 4, Lanman, p. 501,' M. M.
Verse 4.
Note 1. Comp. V, 58, 6. let Dyu (sky) roar down, the bull of the dawn. V, 59. 8. may Dyaus Aditi (the unbounded) roar for our feast.
p. 26
Note 2. The translation of "s"vtra is purely conjectural. It rests on the supposition that the word is related to "s"s"uve, "s"avas, they give the meaning 'schmackhaft,' and paraphrase our passage: das mit einer Lockspeise (z. B. mit einem Spahn) von den Reibhlzern abgenommene Feuer kann man hin and her tragen. Ludwig: mit Geprassel. I do not see how this translation would fit for a number of the passages in which the word occurs.
Verse 5.
Note 1. With the third Pda compare Vi, 1, 9. y"h" hutim pri vda nmobhi"h".
Note 2. Avvsasi cannot belong to the relative clause. The accent must be changed accordingly.
Verse 6.
Note 1. It is very curious to find here Agni as the protector of the v"ri"g"inavartani, the man who follows crooked ways. Ludwig tries to explain the passage by understanding the vidatha, in which Agni is here said to protect the sinner, as an asylum, but we have no reason to believe that the word could have this meaning. See the next note.
Note 2. On the derivation and meaning of vidtha various opinions have been pronounced in the last years, which have been collected by Prof. Max Mller in his note on V, 59, 2 (vol. xxxii p. 349 seq.; see also Bartholomae, Studien zur indogermanischen Sprachgeschichte, I, 41). Without trying to discuss here all different theories, I immediately proceed to state my own opinion, though I am far from claiming certainty for it. It will, however, I believe, solve the difficulties tolerably well. I propose to derive vidtha from vi-dh; the dh was changed into d by the same 'Hauchdissimilationsgesetz' (Brugmann, Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik, vol. i, p. 355 seq.), according to which Arian *bhudhati was changed into Sanskrit
p. 27
bdhati. No one will doubt that the operation of this 'Hauchdissimilationsgesetz' could be annihilated by opposite forces, but it must be admitted that the forms with 'Hauchdissimilation' could also remain intact. The verb vi-dh means 'to distribute, to arrange, to ordain;' thus the original meaning of vidtha must be, like the meaning of vidhna, 'distribution, disposition, ordinance.' In V, 3, 6 we read vidtheshu hnm: this phrase receives its explanation by Vii, 66, 11. v y dadh"h s"ardam msam t ha"h"; ahortr"n"i viddhat, X, 190, 2; msm vidhnam, X, 1.38, 6; \"ri"tn v dadhau, I, 95, 3. We may call attention also to Vi, 51, 2. vda y"h" tr"n"i vidthni eshm devnm "g"nma, 'he who knows their threefold division, the birth of the gods;' Vi, 8, 1. pr n vo"k"am vidth "g"tvedasa"h", 'I will proclaim the ordinances of "G"tavedas.' Within the sphere of the Vedic poets' thoughts, the most prominent example of something most artificially 'vhita' was the sacrifice (comp. v y dadh"h" ya"g"m, Vii, 66, 11; \"s"m"sti ukthm y"g"ate v dh"h", Iv, 6, 11; [the moon] bhgm devbhya"h" v dadhti -yn, X, 85, 19; and the following very significant passage: ya"g"sya tv vidth p"ri"k"kh"am tra kti htra"h ri"tu"s"h" ya"g"anti, V"g". Sa"m"h. Xxiii, 57). Thus ya"g" and vidtha, 'sacrifice' and 'ordinance,' became nearly synonymous (comp. Iii, 3, 3, &c.). It would be superfluous to quote the whole number of passages which show this, but I believe that an attentive reader will discern at least in some of them the traces of the original meaning of vidtha; see, for instance, Ii, 1, 4; Iii, 28, 4.--Finally vidtha seems to mean 'the act of disposing of any business' or the like; this meaning appears, I believe, in passages like the well-known phrase, b"ri"ht vadema vidthe suvr"h" (comp. suvrsa"h" vidtham vadema): 'may we with valiant men mightily raise our voice at the determining (of ordinances, &c.).' Thus the words vidtha and sabh approach each other in their meaning; a person influential in council is called both vidathya and sabhya (see Boehtlingk-Roth, s. v. vidathya).
Note 3. The exact meaning of paritakmya is not quite
p. 28
free from doubt. Comp. Bartholomae, Bezzenberger's Beitrge, Xv, 203, note 1.
Note 4. Prof. Max Mller translates this verse: 'Thou savest the man who has gone the wrong way in the thick of the battle, thou who art quick at the sacrifice; thou who in the strife of heroes, when the prize (or the booty) is surrounded (beset on all sides), killest,' &c.
Verse 7.
Note 1. The phrase begins as if a relative clause were to follow attached to the words 'that mortal.' But, instead of this, afterwards a relative clause follows referring to 'thou, O Agni.'
Note 2. Roth (Ueber gewisse Krzungen des Wortendes, p. 4) and Bartholomae (Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxix, 559) think that a dative (like tt"ri"sh"n"ya) is required; Agni gives comfort to both thirsty races, gods and men. Roth takes tt"ri"sh"n"["h"] for an abbreviation of tt"ri"sh"n"ya; Bartholomae conjectures tt"ri"shya. It would be more easy to change the form into a dative with the ending - (= -ai); comp. Kluge, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxv, 309 Pischel-Geldner, I, 61; Aufrecht, Festgruss an Bhtlingk, I; J. Schmidt, Pluralbildungen, 234. But why not leave the nominative? Agni, being thirsty himself, quenches the thirst of other beings. Comp. J. Schmidt, Pluralbildungen, 309.
Verse 11.
Note 1. ym yve. See verse 2, note 2.
Note 2. The names Nahus, Nahusha have much the same value as Manus, Manusha. But it seems that not all the Aryan tribes, but only a certain part of them, were considered as descendants of Nahus. Comp. Bergaigne, Rel. Vdique, Ii, 324.
Note 3. The last words are very obscure. Mamaka occurs only in one other passage, belonging to the same collection of hymns, I, 34, 6: there the A"s"vins are invoked to bestow blessings on 'my son' (mmakya snve). 'When a son of my father is born' may mean 'When I am
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born,' or 'When a new issue is born within our tribe:' then--thus we may possibly supply--the goddess I"l", the teacher of mankind, will be the new-born child's teacher also. Another possible explanation would be to take Mamaka as a proper name. Or Prof. Max Mller may be right, who writes: 'Could not pit"h" yt putr"h" mmakasya "g"yate refer to Agni, who, in Iii, 29, 3, was called i"l"y"h" putra"h". Her father and husband (Manu) is also the father of mankind, therefore of the poet who says: Whenever the son of my father is born, they made I"l" (his mother) the teacher of man.'
Verse 12.
Note 1. Trt toksya tnaye seems to be nothing else but trt toksya tnayasya, which would have had one syllable too much.
Verse 13.
Note 1. Comp. on this verse, Pischel, I, 216 seq.
Note 2. Agni is to protect the man who has no quiver, and cannot, therefore, protect himself. The four eyes of the divine guardian seem to signify that he can look in all directions, and perhaps also that he has the power of seeing invisible bad demons. The watchdogs of Yama also are four-eyed, X, 14, 10. 11; comp. H. O., Religion des Veda, 474, note 4. Comp. nishagin, Rig-veda Iii, 30, 15; V, 57, 2; X, 103, 3.
Note 3. On kr, comp. Pischel loc. cit.
Note 4. Rthavya"h" means either a man who has made offerings, or a god to whom offerings are made. That it stands here in the first sense is shown with great probability by Viii, 103, 13, where the kr"h" rthavya"h" svadhvar"h" is described, the man who, though poor, makes offerings and is a good sacrificer. But if we are right in our translation of rthavya"h", the verb vanshi cannot belong to the relative clause; I propose to read vanoshi without accent. The way in which Pischel tries to explain the accent of vanshi, by taking the words kr"h k"it mntram mnas as a parenthesis, is too artificial.
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Verse 14.
Note 1. I think that we should here, as in verse 13, read vanoshi without accent.
Note 2. This must be at least the approximate meaning of dhra. 'For dhrasya one expects radhrasya,' M. M.
Note 3. I think that the quarters of the world have nothing to do here, but that instead of pr d"s"a"h" we should read (with Ludwig) prad"s"a"h". A similar mistake regarding the word pradi"s" occurs several times in the text of the Rig-veda. I propose to translate the corrected text: 'Thou instructest the simple, well knowing the (divine) commandments.' Comp. vaynni vidvn, dtyni vidvn, &c.
Verse 15.
Note 1. 'Der ist des himels ebenbild' (Ludwig). But this word upam is, as far as we can see, not very ancient. I take upam, with Boehtlingk-Roth, as an adverbial instrumental like dakshi"n", madhy, &c. Prof. Max Mller translates 'close or near to heaven.'
Verse 16.
Note 1. "S"ar"n"i designates in the Atharva-veda Vi, 43, 3 a fault or defect, the exact nature of which cannot be determined. Boehtlingk-Roth propose Widerspnstigkeit, Hartnckigkeit; Max Mller. Abweg, Fehltritt.
Note 2. On bh"ri"mi, comp. M. M.'s note on Ii, 34, 1.
Note 3. Comp. Iii, 43, 5. kuvt m "r"shim papiv"m"sam sutsya (supply krase), 'Wilt thou make me a "Ri"shi after I have drunk Soma?'
