Iv, 2
*
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
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Ma\"N"D"Ala Iv, Hymn 2.
Ash\"T"Aka Iii, Adhyya 4, Varga 16-19.
1. He who has been established as the steward among the mortals, the immortal, righteous one, and among the gods, being a god himself, the Hot"ri", the best sacrificer shall mightily flame 1; Agni shall rise up 1 with the offerings of Manus.
2. Here, O Agni, son of strength, thou goest for us to-day as a messenger, thou who art born, between the two races (of men and gods), having harnessed, O tall one, thy puissant, manly, brilliant (stallions) 1.
3. Harnessing the two mighty, red steeds that swim in ghee--(the steeds) of "Ri"ta, I think, that are most swift with their mind 1, the ruddy ones, thou goest (as a messenger) between you, the gods, and the tribes of men 2.
4. O Agni, with thy good horses, and thy good chariot, rich in bounties, bring hither from among them (the gods) 1 Aryaman, Varu"n"a, and Mitra, Indra and Vish"n"u, the Maruts and the A"s"vins, to him who offers good oblations.
5. This sacrifice, O Agni, is rich in cows 1, in sheep and horses, in manly friends; it is never to be despised; it is rich in nourishment, O wonderful lord 2, rich in offspring; it is long-lasting wealth, broad-based, with (brilliant) assemblies.
6 1. Be a self-strong protector, O Agni, of the man who in the sweat of his brow brings fuel to thee 2, or heats his head desirous to worship thee. Deliver him from every harmful man.
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7. The man who brings food to thee who art desirous of food, he who stirs up 1 the cheerful guest and rouses him, the godly man who kindles thee in his dwelling: to him may belong lasting and generous wealth.
8. The sacrificer who praises thee in the evening and in the morning and gratifies thee; that liberal man thou shouldst bring across all distress, like a well-impelled horse 1, (dwelling) in his house.
9. The man who worships thee, the immortal one, O Agni, and who honours thee, holding the sacrificial ladle--may he, the toiling (sacrificer), not be deprived of wealth; may no distress that comes from a harmful (foe), surround him.
10. That mortal whose well-ordered sacrifice thou, as the god, acceptest, O Agni, as a liberal giver, may his worship 1 be welcome, O youngest god, (the Hot"ri"'s work performed) for a worshipper whose helpers we may be.
11. May he, the knowing one, distinguish wisdom and folly of mortals 1, like straight and crooked backs (of horses) 2. And for the sake of wealth and noble offspring, O god, grant us Diti and keep off Aditi 3.
12. The undeceived sages instructed the sage (Agni), setting him down in the dwellings of yu 1. Hence mayst thou behold, O Agni, with thy eyes 2 these beings visible and secret (that move) on the Arya's ways 3.
13. Bring thou, O Agni, youngest (god), who art a good guide, a plentiful, brilliant treasure to the worshipper who presses Soma, who serves thee and toils, to help him, O brisk one, who fillest the dwellings of peoples.
14 1. And whatsoever we have done, O Agni, out
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of devotion for thee, with our feet 2, with our hands, with our bodies: (in those deeds of ours) the wise have held up the "Ri"ta, aspiring after it, like those who manage a chariot by means of the two pole-arms (?) 3.
15. And may we be born from the Dawn, the mother, as the seven priests 1, as the first worshippers among men 2. May we be the Agiras, the sons of Heaven. May we flaming break the rock which contains the prize of the contest 3.
16. And as our first, ancient fathers, O Agni, were aspiring after "Ri"ta 1--they attained to pure devotion 2, chanting their litanies. Cleaving the earth they disclosed the red (cows).
17. The pious men, well performing the acts (of worship), resplendent, melting 1 the generations of the gods 2 like ore 3, kindling Agni, strengthening Indra, went along 4, besieging the stall of cows.
18. He looked (on the gods) as on herds of cattle 1 in a rich (pasture) 2, when the generations of the gods (were) near him, O mighty one 3. After (the generations) of the mortals the Urva"s"s 4 have pined, for the growing strong of the Arya 5, of the nearer yu 6.
19. We have done our work for thee; we have been good workers--the brilliant dawns have shone out "Ri"ta 1,--brightening 2 the perfect Agni who manifoldly shines with fine splendour, (brightening) the god's beautiful eye.
20. We have recited these hymns for thee, the sage, O Agni, worshipper (of the gods) 1; accept them! Blaze up; make us wealthier. Bestow great wealth on us, O bountiful one!
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Notes.
The "Ri"shi is Vmadeva, the metre Trish"t"ubh.--Verse 5 = Ts. I, 6, 6, 4; Iii, 1, 11, 1; Ms. I, 4, 3. Verse 6 = T. Vi, 2, 1. Verse 11 = Ts. V, 5, 4, 4. Verse 16 = Vs. Xix, 69; Ts. Ii, 6, 12, 4. Verses 16-19 = Av. Xviii, 3, 21-24.
Verse 1.
Note 1. On this use of these infinitives, comp. Delbrck, Altindische Syntax, p. 412.--Mnusha"h" seems to be genitive; comp. Ii, 2, 6. havy mnusha"h"; Ii, 2, 8. htrbhi"h" mnusha"h"; I, 76, 5. mnusha"h" havrbhi"h".
Verse 2.
Note 1. Comp. below, Iv, 6, 9.
Verse 3.
Note 1. As to the horses of "Ri"ta, comp. above, Iii, 6, 6. In spite of the different accent there is no doubt that gh"ri"tasnv, which occurs in that verse, is the same word as gh"ri"tsn, in our verse, a compound of gh"ri"ta with a noun snu which seems to be different from snu, and connected with the root sn (cf. gh"ri"tasn, Iv, 6, 9; and see Bechtel, Hauptprobleme der Indogerm. Lautlehre, p. 211). V"ri"dhasn, on the other hand, seems to be no compound, but an adjective formed like vadhasnu, nishatsn. It is evident, however, that the poet here employed the two words v"ri"dhasn and gh"ri"tsnu as parallel expressions.
Note 2. Read mrtm (for mrtn; gen. plur.). Comp. below, verse 11; Vi, 47, 16. v"s"a"h" manushyn, where we ought to read manushym. See Lanman, p. 353; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, p. 44; Bartholomae, Studien zur Indogermanischen Sprachgeschichte, I, p. 48.
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Verse 4.
Note 1. 'Could it be Mitrm eshm, the rapid Mitra?' M. M.
Verse 5.
Note 1. The meaning is, it is rich in reward consisting in cows, &c.
Note 2. The text has asura. Cf. H. O., Religion des Veda, p. 164.
Verse 6.
Note 1. With the first Pda, comp. below, 12, 2.
Note 2. On svtavn, see Benfey, Vedica and Linguistica, p. 1 seqq.; Lanman, p. 559; Joh. Schmidt, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXVI, p. 357 seq.; H. O., Prolegomena, p. 471.
Verse 7.
Note 1. Ni"s"shat is not derived, as is the case for instance with "s"ishmahi, Viii, 24, 1, from (ni-)"s"s (Grassmann, Ludwig), but from ni-"s" (Bhtlingk-Roth); comp. Vii, 3, 5. ni"s"s"n"h" tithim. We must read, consequently, ni"s"s"at, formed like ddhat (3rd sg. subj. pres., or possibly nom. sing. part. pres.).
Verse 8.
Note 1. Bhtlingk-Roth conjecture harmyvn 'im Hause, im Stall gehalten.' It is true that beasts may be kept in the harmya; comp. Vii, 56, 16; X, 106, 5; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 149. But I do not think that 'being kept in the harmya' could be expressed by harmya-vat. Hemyvat seems to be derived from the root hi, and to have the same meaning as "s"uhman; such a word very well fits into a phrase referring to a swift horse. Hemyvat stands to hemn in the same relation as omyvat to omn. All this was pointed out first by Ludwig (vol. iv, p. 22).
Verse 10.
Note 1. Literally the Hot"ri"'s work (performed for such a Ya"g"amna).
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Verse 11.
Note 1. I read mrtm (gen. plur.); comp. above, verse 3, note 2. It is possible, however, to leave the text unchanged; in this case the translation would be: 'May he, the knowing one, distinguish wisdom and folly, the (wise and foolish) mortals like straight and crooked backs (of horses).'
Note 2. Comp. vtp"ri"sh"th"a, 'straight-backed,' a frequent epithet of horses.
Note 3. For Prof. Max Mller's interpretation of this passage, comp. vol. xxxii, p. 256. See also Bergaigne, Rel. Vdique, Iii, 97; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 297 seq. It is very strange that the poet should ask the god to keep off Aditi (comp. I, 152, 6. ditim urushyet) who must here be considered, consequently, as a malevolent deity. I think that this conception of Aditi is derived from the idea of this goddess as punishing sin; it is the same goddess who may free the sinner from the bonds of sin and who may fetter and destroy him. Keeping off Aditi seems to mean, consequently, removing from the mortal the danger of being bound by the fetters of sin; the idea is the same as above in Iv, 1, 5, where Agni is invoked to make Varu"n"a, the son of Aditi, go away (comp. H. O., Religion des Veda, p. 336, note 1). In that case granting Diti would mean granting freedom from those same fetters. (On Diti, who very appropriately has been called a mere reflex of Aditi, see M. M., loc. cit.; Bergaigne, III, 97 seq.)
Verse 12.
Note 1. On yu, the mythical ancestor of the human race, see Bergaigne, Religion Vdique, I, p. 59 seq.
Note 2. On pa"d"bh"h", comp. Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 228 seq.; Bartholomae, Bezzenberger's Beitrge, XV, 3 seq.; Bloomfield, Contributions to the Interpretation of the Veda, Second Series, p. 32 seq. (American Journal of Philology, XI, 350 seq.). I believe that in our verse pa"d"bh"h" should be derived from a noun p"s", and translated, 'with thy eyes,'
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while in verse 14 we ought to read padbh"h", and to translate, 'with the feet.'
Note 3. Pischel (Ved. Studien, I, 229, note I) believes that ary"h" is nom. sing., referring to Agni. But compare Vi, 51, 2. ri"g" mrteshu v"ri"g"in "k"a p"s"yan abh "k"ash"t"e sra"h" ary"h" vn. This verse makes it very probable that ary"h" is a genitive dependent on vai"h", vn ('beholding right and wrong deeds among the mortals, the Sun looks upon the Arya's ways'). On the stem ar, 'the Arya,' see Pischel, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlndischen Gesellschaft, XL, p. 125.
Verse 14.
Note 1. This verse has been commented upon by Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 229 seq.
Note 2. On pa"d"bh"h" or rather padbh"h", comp. verse 12, note 2.
Note 3. In translating bhur"g" I have followed, though not without doubt, the theory of Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 239 seq.--Pischel seems to be right in making ritm depend both on yemu"h" (comp. Iv, 23, 10) and on "s"ushn"h" (comp. above, Iv, 1, 13, and below, verse 16).
Verse 15.
Note 1. The seven "Ri"shis or Agiras, the sons of Heaven and the Dawn (cf. above 1, 16).
Note 2. n"r"n (or rather n"r"m) is genitive plural. See Lanman, p. 430; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, p. 42.
Note 3. Here we have again the seven "Ri"shis breaking the mountain in which the cows were imprisoned.
Verse 16.
Note 1. The apodosis is wanting. As verse 15 shows, the meaning is: As our fathers have done their mighty deeds, aspiring after "Ri"ta, thus may we do the same.
Note 2. "S"k"t (Padap. "s"k"i t) possibly stands for "s"kim t; cf. Roth, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlndischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, p. 680. Or may we correct "s"k" t
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ddhit (instr. sing.), 'they went along in pure devotion'? Ddhiti seems to be what is called in Iii, 31, 1; Ix, 102, 1. 8, \"ri"tsya ddhiti"h".'
Verse 17.
Note 1. See Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 252.
Note 2. Evidently the pious men, not the gods, form the subject. I propose to read, therefore, devm (gen. plur.) "g"nim; cf. verse 18 devnm yt "g"nim. They kindle Agni; they strengthen Indra: in short, they treat the divine people as the smith treats the metal.
Note 3. I do not enter here upon the archaeological question as to the meaning of ya"h". Comp. on this much-discussed question especially Max Mller, Biographies of Words, p. 252 seq.; Schrader, Sprachvergleichung und Urgeschichte (2nd ed.), p. 271 seq.; von Bradke, Methode der arischen Alterthumswissenschaft, p. 93 seq.
Note 4. Cf. X, 61, 13. parishdvna"h" agman.
Verse 18.
Note 1. Pa"s"v"h" is genitive sing.; it depends on yth. Cf. V, 31, 1; Vi, 19, 3.
Note 2. There is no reason for taking, as Lanman (p. 516) does, kshumti as acc. plur. neut., which would be kshumnti. See Joh. Schmidt, Pluralbildungen der Indogermanischen Neutra, p. 237; Bartholomae, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXIX, p. 493. Bartholomae translates, 'bei einem wolhabenden.'
Note 3. Is this vocative ugra right? It would be easy to correct, with Ludwig, ugr ('when the mighty generations of the gods were near him') or ugr"h", as suggested by Delbrck (Grassmann's Translation, vol. i, p. 573): 'the mighty one (Agni) looked on them,' &c.
Note 4. I believe that Geldner (Ved. Studien, I, 260, note 1) is right in contending that Urva"s", wherever it occurs, is the name of an Apsaras and nothing else. The name of yu, occurring in the fourth Pda, confirms this; for yu, as is well known, is the son of Purravas and of the nymph Urva"s". Geldner translates, 'Selbst mit den
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[paragraph continues] Sterblichen hatten die Urva"s"s Mitleid.' But I do not think that k"ri"p means 'having compassion.' In my opinion we should, with Ludwig, supply "g"nim to mrtnm, so that devnm "g"nim in the second Pda corresponds with mrtnm ("g"nim) in the third. This "g"nim is an accusative which depends on ak"ri"pran ('they pined after ,' cf. Ix, 85, 11. nke supar"n"m upapaptiv"m"sam gra"h" vennm ak"ri"panta prv"h"; X, 74, 3. y k"ri"p"n"anta rtnam). Thus the meaning seems to be: When the cows had been conquered, and when Agni looked over the generations of the gods that were near him, the Urva"s"s, i. e. the Apsarases such as Urva"s", longed for the love of mortals such as Purravas, and for the propagation of the human generations; they gave birth to children such as yu.
Note 5. Or 'of the indigent'? Or is ary"h" nom. plur. fem. referring to the Urva"s"s? Or nom. sing. masc. referring to Agni?
Note 6. On yu, see note 4. But I cannot tell why he is called the nearer yu. Is this nearer yu opposed, as a nearer or later (para) ancestor, to the pitra"h" prsa"h" pratnsa"h", the Agiras, mentioned in verse 16? The same nearer yu (para which stands there in opposition to prvbhi"h") is mentioned also in I, 104, 4, connected, as it seems, with some Apsarases. I do not pretend to be able to interpret that very difficult verse, but I am convinced that it has been misinterpreted both by Roth (Siebenzig Lieder, p. vii) and by Bergaigne (i, 60).
Verse 19.
Note 1. I. e. the dawns have sent forth their shine, which is a visible manifestation of the eternal law of "Ri"ta.
Note 2. The construction is: we have been good workers, brightening &c. The words, 'the brilliant dawns have shone out "Ri"ta,' are a parenthesis.
Verse 20.
Note 1. The text is nearly identical with the first hemistich of I, 73, 10 (see above).
"Vedic Hymns, Part Ii (sbe46)\", by Hermann Oldenberg [1897],
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Ma\"N"D"Ala Iv, Hymn 2.
Ash\"T"Aka Iii, Adhyya 4, Varga 16-19.
1. He who has been established as the steward among the mortals, the immortal, righteous one, and among the gods, being a god himself, the Hot"ri", the best sacrificer shall mightily flame 1; Agni shall rise up 1 with the offerings of Manus.
2. Here, O Agni, son of strength, thou goest for us to-day as a messenger, thou who art born, between the two races (of men and gods), having harnessed, O tall one, thy puissant, manly, brilliant (stallions) 1.
3. Harnessing the two mighty, red steeds that swim in ghee--(the steeds) of "Ri"ta, I think, that are most swift with their mind 1, the ruddy ones, thou goest (as a messenger) between you, the gods, and the tribes of men 2.
4. O Agni, with thy good horses, and thy good chariot, rich in bounties, bring hither from among them (the gods) 1 Aryaman, Varu"n"a, and Mitra, Indra and Vish"n"u, the Maruts and the A"s"vins, to him who offers good oblations.
5. This sacrifice, O Agni, is rich in cows 1, in sheep and horses, in manly friends; it is never to be despised; it is rich in nourishment, O wonderful lord 2, rich in offspring; it is long-lasting wealth, broad-based, with (brilliant) assemblies.
6 1. Be a self-strong protector, O Agni, of the man who in the sweat of his brow brings fuel to thee 2, or heats his head desirous to worship thee. Deliver him from every harmful man.
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7. The man who brings food to thee who art desirous of food, he who stirs up 1 the cheerful guest and rouses him, the godly man who kindles thee in his dwelling: to him may belong lasting and generous wealth.
8. The sacrificer who praises thee in the evening and in the morning and gratifies thee; that liberal man thou shouldst bring across all distress, like a well-impelled horse 1, (dwelling) in his house.
9. The man who worships thee, the immortal one, O Agni, and who honours thee, holding the sacrificial ladle--may he, the toiling (sacrificer), not be deprived of wealth; may no distress that comes from a harmful (foe), surround him.
10. That mortal whose well-ordered sacrifice thou, as the god, acceptest, O Agni, as a liberal giver, may his worship 1 be welcome, O youngest god, (the Hot"ri"'s work performed) for a worshipper whose helpers we may be.
11. May he, the knowing one, distinguish wisdom and folly of mortals 1, like straight and crooked backs (of horses) 2. And for the sake of wealth and noble offspring, O god, grant us Diti and keep off Aditi 3.
12. The undeceived sages instructed the sage (Agni), setting him down in the dwellings of yu 1. Hence mayst thou behold, O Agni, with thy eyes 2 these beings visible and secret (that move) on the Arya's ways 3.
13. Bring thou, O Agni, youngest (god), who art a good guide, a plentiful, brilliant treasure to the worshipper who presses Soma, who serves thee and toils, to help him, O brisk one, who fillest the dwellings of peoples.
14 1. And whatsoever we have done, O Agni, out
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of devotion for thee, with our feet 2, with our hands, with our bodies: (in those deeds of ours) the wise have held up the "Ri"ta, aspiring after it, like those who manage a chariot by means of the two pole-arms (?) 3.
15. And may we be born from the Dawn, the mother, as the seven priests 1, as the first worshippers among men 2. May we be the Agiras, the sons of Heaven. May we flaming break the rock which contains the prize of the contest 3.
16. And as our first, ancient fathers, O Agni, were aspiring after "Ri"ta 1--they attained to pure devotion 2, chanting their litanies. Cleaving the earth they disclosed the red (cows).
17. The pious men, well performing the acts (of worship), resplendent, melting 1 the generations of the gods 2 like ore 3, kindling Agni, strengthening Indra, went along 4, besieging the stall of cows.
18. He looked (on the gods) as on herds of cattle 1 in a rich (pasture) 2, when the generations of the gods (were) near him, O mighty one 3. After (the generations) of the mortals the Urva"s"s 4 have pined, for the growing strong of the Arya 5, of the nearer yu 6.
19. We have done our work for thee; we have been good workers--the brilliant dawns have shone out "Ri"ta 1,--brightening 2 the perfect Agni who manifoldly shines with fine splendour, (brightening) the god's beautiful eye.
20. We have recited these hymns for thee, the sage, O Agni, worshipper (of the gods) 1; accept them! Blaze up; make us wealthier. Bestow great wealth on us, O bountiful one!
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Notes.
The "Ri"shi is Vmadeva, the metre Trish"t"ubh.--Verse 5 = Ts. I, 6, 6, 4; Iii, 1, 11, 1; Ms. I, 4, 3. Verse 6 = T. Vi, 2, 1. Verse 11 = Ts. V, 5, 4, 4. Verse 16 = Vs. Xix, 69; Ts. Ii, 6, 12, 4. Verses 16-19 = Av. Xviii, 3, 21-24.
Verse 1.
Note 1. On this use of these infinitives, comp. Delbrck, Altindische Syntax, p. 412.--Mnusha"h" seems to be genitive; comp. Ii, 2, 6. havy mnusha"h"; Ii, 2, 8. htrbhi"h" mnusha"h"; I, 76, 5. mnusha"h" havrbhi"h".
Verse 2.
Note 1. Comp. below, Iv, 6, 9.
Verse 3.
Note 1. As to the horses of "Ri"ta, comp. above, Iii, 6, 6. In spite of the different accent there is no doubt that gh"ri"tasnv, which occurs in that verse, is the same word as gh"ri"tsn, in our verse, a compound of gh"ri"ta with a noun snu which seems to be different from snu, and connected with the root sn (cf. gh"ri"tasn, Iv, 6, 9; and see Bechtel, Hauptprobleme der Indogerm. Lautlehre, p. 211). V"ri"dhasn, on the other hand, seems to be no compound, but an adjective formed like vadhasnu, nishatsn. It is evident, however, that the poet here employed the two words v"ri"dhasn and gh"ri"tsnu as parallel expressions.
Note 2. Read mrtm (for mrtn; gen. plur.). Comp. below, verse 11; Vi, 47, 16. v"s"a"h" manushyn, where we ought to read manushym. See Lanman, p. 353; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, p. 44; Bartholomae, Studien zur Indogermanischen Sprachgeschichte, I, p. 48.
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Verse 4.
Note 1. 'Could it be Mitrm eshm, the rapid Mitra?' M. M.
Verse 5.
Note 1. The meaning is, it is rich in reward consisting in cows, &c.
Note 2. The text has asura. Cf. H. O., Religion des Veda, p. 164.
Verse 6.
Note 1. With the first Pda, comp. below, 12, 2.
Note 2. On svtavn, see Benfey, Vedica and Linguistica, p. 1 seqq.; Lanman, p. 559; Joh. Schmidt, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXVI, p. 357 seq.; H. O., Prolegomena, p. 471.
Verse 7.
Note 1. Ni"s"shat is not derived, as is the case for instance with "s"ishmahi, Viii, 24, 1, from (ni-)"s"s (Grassmann, Ludwig), but from ni-"s" (Bhtlingk-Roth); comp. Vii, 3, 5. ni"s"s"n"h" tithim. We must read, consequently, ni"s"s"at, formed like ddhat (3rd sg. subj. pres., or possibly nom. sing. part. pres.).
Verse 8.
Note 1. Bhtlingk-Roth conjecture harmyvn 'im Hause, im Stall gehalten.' It is true that beasts may be kept in the harmya; comp. Vii, 56, 16; X, 106, 5; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 149. But I do not think that 'being kept in the harmya' could be expressed by harmya-vat. Hemyvat seems to be derived from the root hi, and to have the same meaning as "s"uhman; such a word very well fits into a phrase referring to a swift horse. Hemyvat stands to hemn in the same relation as omyvat to omn. All this was pointed out first by Ludwig (vol. iv, p. 22).
Verse 10.
Note 1. Literally the Hot"ri"'s work (performed for such a Ya"g"amna).
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Verse 11.
Note 1. I read mrtm (gen. plur.); comp. above, verse 3, note 2. It is possible, however, to leave the text unchanged; in this case the translation would be: 'May he, the knowing one, distinguish wisdom and folly, the (wise and foolish) mortals like straight and crooked backs (of horses).'
Note 2. Comp. vtp"ri"sh"th"a, 'straight-backed,' a frequent epithet of horses.
Note 3. For Prof. Max Mller's interpretation of this passage, comp. vol. xxxii, p. 256. See also Bergaigne, Rel. Vdique, Iii, 97; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 297 seq. It is very strange that the poet should ask the god to keep off Aditi (comp. I, 152, 6. ditim urushyet) who must here be considered, consequently, as a malevolent deity. I think that this conception of Aditi is derived from the idea of this goddess as punishing sin; it is the same goddess who may free the sinner from the bonds of sin and who may fetter and destroy him. Keeping off Aditi seems to mean, consequently, removing from the mortal the danger of being bound by the fetters of sin; the idea is the same as above in Iv, 1, 5, where Agni is invoked to make Varu"n"a, the son of Aditi, go away (comp. H. O., Religion des Veda, p. 336, note 1). In that case granting Diti would mean granting freedom from those same fetters. (On Diti, who very appropriately has been called a mere reflex of Aditi, see M. M., loc. cit.; Bergaigne, III, 97 seq.)
Verse 12.
Note 1. On yu, the mythical ancestor of the human race, see Bergaigne, Religion Vdique, I, p. 59 seq.
Note 2. On pa"d"bh"h", comp. Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 228 seq.; Bartholomae, Bezzenberger's Beitrge, XV, 3 seq.; Bloomfield, Contributions to the Interpretation of the Veda, Second Series, p. 32 seq. (American Journal of Philology, XI, 350 seq.). I believe that in our verse pa"d"bh"h" should be derived from a noun p"s", and translated, 'with thy eyes,'
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while in verse 14 we ought to read padbh"h", and to translate, 'with the feet.'
Note 3. Pischel (Ved. Studien, I, 229, note I) believes that ary"h" is nom. sing., referring to Agni. But compare Vi, 51, 2. ri"g" mrteshu v"ri"g"in "k"a p"s"yan abh "k"ash"t"e sra"h" ary"h" vn. This verse makes it very probable that ary"h" is a genitive dependent on vai"h", vn ('beholding right and wrong deeds among the mortals, the Sun looks upon the Arya's ways'). On the stem ar, 'the Arya,' see Pischel, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlndischen Gesellschaft, XL, p. 125.
Verse 14.
Note 1. This verse has been commented upon by Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 229 seq.
Note 2. On pa"d"bh"h" or rather padbh"h", comp. verse 12, note 2.
Note 3. In translating bhur"g" I have followed, though not without doubt, the theory of Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 239 seq.--Pischel seems to be right in making ritm depend both on yemu"h" (comp. Iv, 23, 10) and on "s"ushn"h" (comp. above, Iv, 1, 13, and below, verse 16).
Verse 15.
Note 1. The seven "Ri"shis or Agiras, the sons of Heaven and the Dawn (cf. above 1, 16).
Note 2. n"r"n (or rather n"r"m) is genitive plural. See Lanman, p. 430; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, p. 42.
Note 3. Here we have again the seven "Ri"shis breaking the mountain in which the cows were imprisoned.
Verse 16.
Note 1. The apodosis is wanting. As verse 15 shows, the meaning is: As our fathers have done their mighty deeds, aspiring after "Ri"ta, thus may we do the same.
Note 2. "S"k"t (Padap. "s"k"i t) possibly stands for "s"kim t; cf. Roth, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlndischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, p. 680. Or may we correct "s"k" t
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ddhit (instr. sing.), 'they went along in pure devotion'? Ddhiti seems to be what is called in Iii, 31, 1; Ix, 102, 1. 8, \"ri"tsya ddhiti"h".'
Verse 17.
Note 1. See Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 252.
Note 2. Evidently the pious men, not the gods, form the subject. I propose to read, therefore, devm (gen. plur.) "g"nim; cf. verse 18 devnm yt "g"nim. They kindle Agni; they strengthen Indra: in short, they treat the divine people as the smith treats the metal.
Note 3. I do not enter here upon the archaeological question as to the meaning of ya"h". Comp. on this much-discussed question especially Max Mller, Biographies of Words, p. 252 seq.; Schrader, Sprachvergleichung und Urgeschichte (2nd ed.), p. 271 seq.; von Bradke, Methode der arischen Alterthumswissenschaft, p. 93 seq.
Note 4. Cf. X, 61, 13. parishdvna"h" agman.
Verse 18.
Note 1. Pa"s"v"h" is genitive sing.; it depends on yth. Cf. V, 31, 1; Vi, 19, 3.
Note 2. There is no reason for taking, as Lanman (p. 516) does, kshumti as acc. plur. neut., which would be kshumnti. See Joh. Schmidt, Pluralbildungen der Indogermanischen Neutra, p. 237; Bartholomae, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXIX, p. 493. Bartholomae translates, 'bei einem wolhabenden.'
Note 3. Is this vocative ugra right? It would be easy to correct, with Ludwig, ugr ('when the mighty generations of the gods were near him') or ugr"h", as suggested by Delbrck (Grassmann's Translation, vol. i, p. 573): 'the mighty one (Agni) looked on them,' &c.
Note 4. I believe that Geldner (Ved. Studien, I, 260, note 1) is right in contending that Urva"s", wherever it occurs, is the name of an Apsaras and nothing else. The name of yu, occurring in the fourth Pda, confirms this; for yu, as is well known, is the son of Purravas and of the nymph Urva"s". Geldner translates, 'Selbst mit den
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[paragraph continues] Sterblichen hatten die Urva"s"s Mitleid.' But I do not think that k"ri"p means 'having compassion.' In my opinion we should, with Ludwig, supply "g"nim to mrtnm, so that devnm "g"nim in the second Pda corresponds with mrtnm ("g"nim) in the third. This "g"nim is an accusative which depends on ak"ri"pran ('they pined after ,' cf. Ix, 85, 11. nke supar"n"m upapaptiv"m"sam gra"h" vennm ak"ri"panta prv"h"; X, 74, 3. y k"ri"p"n"anta rtnam). Thus the meaning seems to be: When the cows had been conquered, and when Agni looked over the generations of the gods that were near him, the Urva"s"s, i. e. the Apsarases such as Urva"s", longed for the love of mortals such as Purravas, and for the propagation of the human generations; they gave birth to children such as yu.
Note 5. Or 'of the indigent'? Or is ary"h" nom. plur. fem. referring to the Urva"s"s? Or nom. sing. masc. referring to Agni?
Note 6. On yu, see note 4. But I cannot tell why he is called the nearer yu. Is this nearer yu opposed, as a nearer or later (para) ancestor, to the pitra"h" prsa"h" pratnsa"h", the Agiras, mentioned in verse 16? The same nearer yu (para which stands there in opposition to prvbhi"h") is mentioned also in I, 104, 4, connected, as it seems, with some Apsarases. I do not pretend to be able to interpret that very difficult verse, but I am convinced that it has been misinterpreted both by Roth (Siebenzig Lieder, p. vii) and by Bergaigne (i, 60).
Verse 19.
Note 1. I. e. the dawns have sent forth their shine, which is a visible manifestation of the eternal law of "Ri"ta.
Note 2. The construction is: we have been good workers, brightening &c. The words, 'the brilliant dawns have shone out "Ri"ta,' are a parenthesis.
Verse 20.
Note 1. The text is nearly identical with the first hemistich of I, 73, 10 (see above).
