I, 69
*
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 67
Ma\"N"D"Ala I, Hymn 69.
Ash\"T"Aka I, Adhyya 5, Varga 13.
1. Bright, flaming, like the lover of the Dawn 1, he has, like the light of the sky, filled the two (worlds of Heaven and Earth) which are turned towards each other.
2. As soon as thou wert born thou hast excelled by thy power of mind; being the son of the gods thou hast become their father.
3. (Agni is) a worshipper (of the gods), never foolish, (always) discriminating; (he is) like the udder of the cows; (he is) the sweetness of food 1--
4. Like a kind friend to men, not to be led astray 1, sitting in the midst, the lovely one, in the house;
5. Like a child when born, he is delightful in the house; like a race-horse which is well cared for 1, he has wandered across the clans 2.
6. When I call (to the sacrifice) the clans who dwell in the same nest with the heroes, may Agni then attain all divine powers 1.
7. When thou hast listened to these heroes, no one breaks those laws of thine.
8. That verily is thy wonderful deed that thou hast killed 1, with thy companions, (all foes), that, joined by the heroes, thou hast accomplished thy works 2.
9. Like the lover of the Dawn 1 resplendent and bright, of familiar form: may he (thus) pay attention to this (sacrificer).
p. 68
10. Carrying (him) they opened by themselves the doors (of heaven). They all shouted at the aspect of the sun 1.
Notes.
The same "Ri"shi and metre.
Verse 1.
Note 1. The lover of the Dawn is here the Sun. See Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 31.
Verse 3.
Note 1. Agni is the sweetness of food (comp. V, 7, 6. svdanam pitnm); it is not probable that svdma and dha"h" should depend on vi"g"nn, as Ludwig believes.
Verse 4.
Note 1. I adopt Boehtlingk-Roth's conjecture ahry"h". hrya"h" would mean, 'he who is to be led astray.'
Verse 5.
Note 1. See above, 66, 4.
Note 2. 'He has overcome the (hostile) clans.' M. M.
Verse 6.
Note 1. Perhaps devatv is an instrumental, as Ludwig takes it. In this case we should have to translate: 'may Agni by his divine power attain everything.'--Prof. Max Mller translates this verse: 'When I with my men call the clans of the same nest (the gods), Agni will obtain all divine honours.'
Verse 8.
Note 1. The first hemistich of this verse has eleven syllables instead of ten and shows the regular Trish"t"ubh type. The same irregularity occurs in 70, 4. 10. As I have shown in my Prolegomena, p. 97, this metrical irregularity does not necessitate corrections of the text,
p. 69
and the comparison of X, 147, 1 (see next note), where it is said han yt v"ri"trm viv"h" ap"h", seems even to confirm the traditional reading. It cannot he denied, however, that the double yt and the use of han without an object raises some suspicion. In I, 34, 3; 186, 4 we have samn han. Possibly we may read, tt t te d"m"sa"h" han samn, 'this wonderful deed of thine has been accomplished on one and the same day (with that mentioned in verse 7).' I am fully aware of the uncertainty of such guesses. The removal of yt has already been proposed by Bollensen (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morg. Gesellschaft, Xxii, 592).
Note 2. Here we may correct the text with greater certainty than in the first hemistich, or to speak more accurately, we shall have to correct not the traditional text itself, but that ancient grammatical commentary on the text which has been preserved to us in the Padap"th"a. The words vivrp"m"si of the Sa"m"hitp"th"a are written in the Padap"th"a viv"h" rp"m"si. Now we read Iv, 19, 10. p"m"si nry vivesh"h", 'thou hast performed manly works.' In X, 147, 1 we have han yt v"ri"trm nryam viv"h" ap"h": here the adjective nrya clearly shows that ap"h" is a blunder for pa"h", and we must translate, 'when thou hast killed V"ri"tra and performed thy manly work.' This passage shows that in X, 76, 3 also viv"h" ap"h" should be corrected (v. pa"h"). Thus we have three passages in which vivesh"h" or viv"h" has the object pa"h", p"m"si, and we may infer with full certainty that in our passage vivrp"m"si does not correspond to a Padap"th"a reading viv"h" rp"m"si but viv"h" p"m"si. The same may be said with regard to Vi, 31, 3 (mushy"h k"akrm vive"h" rp"m"si; Sa"m"h. vive rp"m"si).
Verse 9.
Note 1. Comp. above, verse 1.
Verse 10.
Note 1. Comp. above, 66, 10.
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 67
Ma\"N"D"Ala I, Hymn 69.
Ash\"T"Aka I, Adhyya 5, Varga 13.
1. Bright, flaming, like the lover of the Dawn 1, he has, like the light of the sky, filled the two (worlds of Heaven and Earth) which are turned towards each other.
2. As soon as thou wert born thou hast excelled by thy power of mind; being the son of the gods thou hast become their father.
3. (Agni is) a worshipper (of the gods), never foolish, (always) discriminating; (he is) like the udder of the cows; (he is) the sweetness of food 1--
4. Like a kind friend to men, not to be led astray 1, sitting in the midst, the lovely one, in the house;
5. Like a child when born, he is delightful in the house; like a race-horse which is well cared for 1, he has wandered across the clans 2.
6. When I call (to the sacrifice) the clans who dwell in the same nest with the heroes, may Agni then attain all divine powers 1.
7. When thou hast listened to these heroes, no one breaks those laws of thine.
8. That verily is thy wonderful deed that thou hast killed 1, with thy companions, (all foes), that, joined by the heroes, thou hast accomplished thy works 2.
9. Like the lover of the Dawn 1 resplendent and bright, of familiar form: may he (thus) pay attention to this (sacrificer).
p. 68
10. Carrying (him) they opened by themselves the doors (of heaven). They all shouted at the aspect of the sun 1.
Notes.
The same "Ri"shi and metre.
Verse 1.
Note 1. The lover of the Dawn is here the Sun. See Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 31.
Verse 3.
Note 1. Agni is the sweetness of food (comp. V, 7, 6. svdanam pitnm); it is not probable that svdma and dha"h" should depend on vi"g"nn, as Ludwig believes.
Verse 4.
Note 1. I adopt Boehtlingk-Roth's conjecture ahry"h". hrya"h" would mean, 'he who is to be led astray.'
Verse 5.
Note 1. See above, 66, 4.
Note 2. 'He has overcome the (hostile) clans.' M. M.
Verse 6.
Note 1. Perhaps devatv is an instrumental, as Ludwig takes it. In this case we should have to translate: 'may Agni by his divine power attain everything.'--Prof. Max Mller translates this verse: 'When I with my men call the clans of the same nest (the gods), Agni will obtain all divine honours.'
Verse 8.
Note 1. The first hemistich of this verse has eleven syllables instead of ten and shows the regular Trish"t"ubh type. The same irregularity occurs in 70, 4. 10. As I have shown in my Prolegomena, p. 97, this metrical irregularity does not necessitate corrections of the text,
p. 69
and the comparison of X, 147, 1 (see next note), where it is said han yt v"ri"trm viv"h" ap"h", seems even to confirm the traditional reading. It cannot he denied, however, that the double yt and the use of han without an object raises some suspicion. In I, 34, 3; 186, 4 we have samn han. Possibly we may read, tt t te d"m"sa"h" han samn, 'this wonderful deed of thine has been accomplished on one and the same day (with that mentioned in verse 7).' I am fully aware of the uncertainty of such guesses. The removal of yt has already been proposed by Bollensen (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morg. Gesellschaft, Xxii, 592).
Note 2. Here we may correct the text with greater certainty than in the first hemistich, or to speak more accurately, we shall have to correct not the traditional text itself, but that ancient grammatical commentary on the text which has been preserved to us in the Padap"th"a. The words vivrp"m"si of the Sa"m"hitp"th"a are written in the Padap"th"a viv"h" rp"m"si. Now we read Iv, 19, 10. p"m"si nry vivesh"h", 'thou hast performed manly works.' In X, 147, 1 we have han yt v"ri"trm nryam viv"h" ap"h": here the adjective nrya clearly shows that ap"h" is a blunder for pa"h", and we must translate, 'when thou hast killed V"ri"tra and performed thy manly work.' This passage shows that in X, 76, 3 also viv"h" ap"h" should be corrected (v. pa"h"). Thus we have three passages in which vivesh"h" or viv"h" has the object pa"h", p"m"si, and we may infer with full certainty that in our passage vivrp"m"si does not correspond to a Padap"th"a reading viv"h" rp"m"si but viv"h" p"m"si. The same may be said with regard to Vi, 31, 3 (mushy"h k"akrm vive"h" rp"m"si; Sa"m"h. vive rp"m"si).
Verse 9.
Note 1. Comp. above, verse 1.
Verse 10.
Note 1. Comp. above, 66, 10.
