Iii, 22
*
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 285
Ma\"N"D"Ala Iii, Hymn 22.
Ash\"T"Aka Iii, Adhyya 1, Varga 22.
1. This is that Agni with whom the desiring Indra took the pressed Soma into his body. Having obtained thousandfold strength like a horse, a racer 1, thou art praised, O "G"tavedas!
2 1. Thy splendour, O Agni, which dwells in heaven and on earth, in the plants, O worshipful one, and in the waters, wherewith thou hast spread through the wide air--that light of thine is fierce, waving 2, man-beholding.
3. Agni, thou goest to the floods of heaven. Thou hast spoken to the gods who are liberal (?) 1. (Thou goest) to the waters which (dwell) on high in the ether of the sun, and to those which approach below.
4. May the fires of the soil united with those on the hill-sides 1, without guile graciously accept our sacrifice and plentiful food free from all plague.
5 = Iii, 1, 23.
Notes.
The same "Ri"shi. The metre is Trish"t"ubh, except in verse 4 which is Anush"t"ubh.--A conjecture on the ritual use for which the hymn has been composed, see in the note on verse 4.--Verses 1-5 = Vs. Xii, 47-51; Ts. Iv, 2, 4, 2. 3; Ms. Ii, 7, 11.--a sort of commentary on this hymn is found in the "S"atapatha Brhma"n"a Vii, 1, 1, 22 seq.
Verse 1.
Note 1. In the traditional text the words, 'a horse, a racer,' are accusatives. But it is the tya who attains
p. 286
[paragraph continues] (san) the v"g"a and who is called v"g"n (comp. M. M., vol. xxxii, pp. 116, 442, and on spti, ibid. p. 102): see I, 130, 6; Iii, 2, 7; 38, 1 (v, 30, 14; Ix, 93, 1; 96, 15, Vii, 24, 5; Ix, 43, 5; 82, 2; 85, 5; 86, 3; 96, 20; X, 96, 10 (i, 52, 1, and Iii, 2, 3 do not contradict this). Pischel (Vedische Studien, I, 105) believes that tyam n stands for tya"h" n, which seems impossible to me. But I think that we should correct the text and read tya"h" n spti"h". The preceding accusatives have caused the blunder.
Verse 2.
Note 1. Comp. Grassmann, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xvi, 165.
Note 2. Comp. ket"h" ar"n"av"h" sryasya, Vii, 63, 2.
Verse 3.
Note 1. In the translation of dhsh"n"ya I have followed Pischel, Vedische Studien, II, 87, though this translation is quite uncertain. Should the meaning be: 'the gods who dwell on the dhish"n"ya altars'?
Verse 4.
Note 1. Agni purshya, i. e. the fire dwelling in the soil (comp. Roth in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxvi, 64), is mentioned very frequently in the Mantras belonging to the Agni"k"ayana, i. e. to the construction of the brick altar. Agni is considered as residing in the soil used at that rite. Now in the Ya"g"us texts the whole of our hymn occurs among the texts to be recited at the Agni"k"ayana (Taitt. Sa"m"h. Iv, 2, 4, 2, comp. also "s"valyana "S"rautastra Iv, 8, 20). Perhaps we may conjecture, therefore, that the Agni"k"ayana rite in its simplest form was known already in the Rig-veda period, and that our hymn was destined for it.--The prva"n"a fires (fires dwelling on the hill-sides) may be the fires dwelling in the rivers which run down the prava"n"as or descents.
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
p. 285
Ma\"N"D"Ala Iii, Hymn 22.
Ash\"T"Aka Iii, Adhyya 1, Varga 22.
1. This is that Agni with whom the desiring Indra took the pressed Soma into his body. Having obtained thousandfold strength like a horse, a racer 1, thou art praised, O "G"tavedas!
2 1. Thy splendour, O Agni, which dwells in heaven and on earth, in the plants, O worshipful one, and in the waters, wherewith thou hast spread through the wide air--that light of thine is fierce, waving 2, man-beholding.
3. Agni, thou goest to the floods of heaven. Thou hast spoken to the gods who are liberal (?) 1. (Thou goest) to the waters which (dwell) on high in the ether of the sun, and to those which approach below.
4. May the fires of the soil united with those on the hill-sides 1, without guile graciously accept our sacrifice and plentiful food free from all plague.
5 = Iii, 1, 23.
Notes.
The same "Ri"shi. The metre is Trish"t"ubh, except in verse 4 which is Anush"t"ubh.--A conjecture on the ritual use for which the hymn has been composed, see in the note on verse 4.--Verses 1-5 = Vs. Xii, 47-51; Ts. Iv, 2, 4, 2. 3; Ms. Ii, 7, 11.--a sort of commentary on this hymn is found in the "S"atapatha Brhma"n"a Vii, 1, 1, 22 seq.
Verse 1.
Note 1. In the traditional text the words, 'a horse, a racer,' are accusatives. But it is the tya who attains
p. 286
[paragraph continues] (san) the v"g"a and who is called v"g"n (comp. M. M., vol. xxxii, pp. 116, 442, and on spti, ibid. p. 102): see I, 130, 6; Iii, 2, 7; 38, 1 (v, 30, 14; Ix, 93, 1; 96, 15, Vii, 24, 5; Ix, 43, 5; 82, 2; 85, 5; 86, 3; 96, 20; X, 96, 10 (i, 52, 1, and Iii, 2, 3 do not contradict this). Pischel (Vedische Studien, I, 105) believes that tyam n stands for tya"h" n, which seems impossible to me. But I think that we should correct the text and read tya"h" n spti"h". The preceding accusatives have caused the blunder.
Verse 2.
Note 1. Comp. Grassmann, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xvi, 165.
Note 2. Comp. ket"h" ar"n"av"h" sryasya, Vii, 63, 2.
Verse 3.
Note 1. In the translation of dhsh"n"ya I have followed Pischel, Vedische Studien, II, 87, though this translation is quite uncertain. Should the meaning be: 'the gods who dwell on the dhish"n"ya altars'?
Verse 4.
Note 1. Agni purshya, i. e. the fire dwelling in the soil (comp. Roth in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, Xxvi, 64), is mentioned very frequently in the Mantras belonging to the Agni"k"ayana, i. e. to the construction of the brick altar. Agni is considered as residing in the soil used at that rite. Now in the Ya"g"us texts the whole of our hymn occurs among the texts to be recited at the Agni"k"ayana (Taitt. Sa"m"h. Iv, 2, 4, 2, comp. also "s"valyana "S"rautastra Iv, 8, 20). Perhaps we may conjecture, therefore, that the Agni"k"ayana rite in its simplest form was known already in the Rig-veda period, and that our hymn was destined for it.--The prva"n"a fires (fires dwelling on the hill-sides) may be the fires dwelling in the rivers which run down the prava"n"as or descents.
