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I, 67

*
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],

p. 61

Ma
\"N"D"Ala I, Hymn 67.

Ash
\"T"Aka I, Adhyya 5, Varga 11.

1.
Victorious 1 in the forests, a friend among men, he demands obedience like a king, the undecaying one 2.

2.
Like good peace, like fortunate wisdom, may he (Agni) be a kind Hot"ri", a carrier of offerings.

3.
Having taken in his hand all manly powers, he has made the gods fear, when sitting down in his hiding-place.

4.
There the thoughtful men find him, when they have recited the spells which they had fashioned in their heart.

5.
As the goat 1 (supports) the earth 2, thus he supports the earth 2; he upholds the sky by his efficacious spells.

6.
Protect the dear 1 footsteps of the cattle 2. O Agni, thou who hast a full life, thou hast gone from covert to covert 3.

7.
He who has seen him the hidden one, he who has got near to the stream of "Ri"ta 1--

8.
They who get him off, doing service to "Ri"ta, to him 1 he then indicates riches.

9.
He who grows up with might within the plants, and within the children 1, and within the sprouting grass 2--

10.
The splendour [?] in the home of the waters 1, the full-lived. The sages made him as if building a seat.

p. 62

Notes.

The same "Ri"shi and metre.

Verse 1.

Note 1. '"G"yu"h": aus "g"yyu"h", wie der compar. "g"yyn "g"yesh"th"a"h" zeigt,' Ludwig. But what shows that "g"yyn is the comparative of "g"yu"h" and that the utterly impossible change of "g"y into "g" is possible? Ludwig's translation 'berwindend' is right; comp. I, 119, 3.

Note 2. I propose to read a"g"ury"h". Prof. Max Mller conjectures--as Roth (Pet. Dict.) has done--that "s"rush"t"i may mean 'obedient, servant;' he translates: 'He desires a servant (or worshipper) who is not aged.'

Verse 5.

Note 1. On the mythical goat whose office it is to support the worlds, comp. I, 164, 6; Viii, 41, 10; X, 82, 6; Bergaigne, Iii, 21; H. O., Religion des Veda, 72.

Note 2. For 'earth' the text has two different words, kshm and p"ri"thivm. Prof. Max Mller conjectures dym for kshm: 'He, Agni, supports the earth, as the buck the sky.'

Verse 6.

Note 1. Literally, 'the dear footsteps;' but the meaning of priy may be compared to that of the Homeric , his own.

Note 2. One could be tempted to refer the word pa"s"u to Agni, whose footsteps (padni) the 'wise ones' follow (65, 2), and whom they find out in his hiding. Thus we could translate, 'Look at the dear footsteps of the beast.' But the comparison of 70, 6 makes it more probable that the imperative n phi is addressed to Agni. I believe therefore that Grassmann is right in translating 'Die lieben Sttten der Heerden schtze.' Ludwig's translation is

p. 63

similar to this. Prof. Max Mller translates: 'Observe the footsteps of the animal (the stolen animal of the thief Agni).'

Note 3. With guh gham comp. I, 53, 7. yudh ydham, pur pram.

Verse 7.

Note 1. Dhrm "ri"tsya: comp. V, 1 2, 2. \"ri"tsya dhr"h" nu t"ri"ndhi prv"h", 'open the many streams of "Ri"ta;' Vii, 43, 4. \"ri"tsya dhr"h" sudgh"h" dhn"h", 'milking the streams of "Ri"ta flowing with plenty.' The stream of "Ri"ta seems to mean the stream of blessings (such as rain, ghee, &c.) which flows to mankind according to the eternal laws of "Ri"ta.

Verse 8.

Note 1. The poet passes over from the plural to the singular.

Verse 9.

Note 1. Bollensen's conjecture pra"g"su (instead of pra"g"h" ut) seems very probable to me. Prof. von Roth (Ueber gewisse Krzungen des Wortendes, p. 2) takes a different view.

Note 2. Comp. I, 95, 10 (see below); Vii, 9, 3. apm grbha"h" prasva"h" vive"s"a, 'the son of the waters has entered upon the sprouting grass.'

Verse 10.

Note 1. 'Why not "k"iti"h" apm dame, that is, the (burning) pile in the home of the waters.' M. M.
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