{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/sbe32/sbe3259.htm","path":"hin/sbe32/sbe3259.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe32/sbe3259.htm","text":"Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32), by Max M\u00fcller, [1891]\n1. Offer ye these songs to Rudra whose bow is strong, whose arrows are swift, the self-dependent 1 god, the unconquered conqueror, the intelligent, whose weapons are sharp\u2014may he hear us!\n2. For, being the lord 1, he looks after what is born on earth; being the universal ruler, he looks after what is born in heaven. Protecting us, come to our protecting doors, be without illness among our people, O Rudra!\n3. May that thunderbolt of thine, which, sent from heaven, traverses the earth, pass us by! A thousand medicines are thine, O thou who art freely accessible 1; do not hurt us in our kith and kin!\n4. Do not strike us, O Rudra, do not forsake us! May we not be in thy way when thou rushest forth furiously. Let us have our altar and a good report among men 1\u2014protect us always with your favours!\nAscribed to Vasishtha. Verse 1 occurs TB. II, 8, 6, 8. Metre, 1-3 Gagat\u00ee; 4 Trishtubh.\nNote 1. The TB. has svadh\u00e2\u00b4mne for svadh\u00e2\u00b4vne, m\u00eedk\u00fashe for vedh\u00e1se, and srinotana for srinotu nah. The commentator explains both svadh\u00e2mne = svak\u00eeyasth\u00e2nayukt\u00e2ya, and svadh\u00e2vne = svadh\u00e2sabdav\u00e2kyen\u00e2nnena yukt\u00e2ya v\u00e2. On vedhas, see Bartholomae, K. Z. XXVII, 361; Ludwig, Z. D. M. G. XL, 716.\nNote 1. Geldner translates kshayena by 'from his high seat.' The meaning of kshaya in this place seems defined by the parallel expression s\u00e2\u00b4mr\u00e2gyena.\nNote 1. Svapiv\u00e2ta has been variously translated. Grassmann gives Vielbegehrter; Ludwig, des windhauch in schlaf versenkt; Roth, wohl verstehend, denkend; Geldner, freundlicher; Muir, thou who art easy of access, which seems to me the right rendering; cf. s\u00fbp\u00e2yana. It is derived from api + vat, which occurs six times in the Rig-veda. As a simple verb it means 'to go near, to attend,' as a causative, the same, or 'to bring near.' Thus, VII; 3, 10. \u00e1pi kr\u00e1tum su-k\u00e9tasam vatema, may we obtain wisdom, full of good thoughts. VII, 60, 6. \u00e1pi kr\u00e1tum su-k\u00e9tasam v\u00e1tantah, (the gods) obtaining wisdom, full of good thoughts (for their worshippers). X, 20, 1 (X, 25, 1). bhadr\u00e1m nah \u00e1pi v\u00e2taya m\u00e1nah, let us obtain a good mind. I, 128, 2. t\u00e1m yag\u00f1a-s\u00e2\u00b4dham \u00e1pi v\u00e2tay\u00e2masi, we go near to, or we bring near Agni, the performer of the sacrifice. I, 165, 13. m\u00e1nm\u00e2ni\u2014api-v\u00e2t\u00e1yantah, bringing the prayers near, or attending to the prayers. X, 13, 5. pitr\u00e9 putr\u00e2\u00b4sah \u00e1pi av\u00eevatan rit\u00e1m, the sons brought the sacrifice to the father.\nApi-v\u00e2ta would then mean approach, or in a more\nspiritual sense, attention, regard, and su-apiv\u00e2ta would mean either of easy approach, opposed to durdharsha, or full of kind attention and regard. See Muir, ST. IV, p. 314. note. Bergaigne, III, 306, does not help us much, though he points out where the difficulty lies.\nThe following are the Zend passages in which api-vat occurs, with some notes sent me by Dr. Stein: Apivatah\u00ea, Y. 9, 27, 2. p. sg. med. c. Gen. 'Hom, du verstehst dich auf rechte Preisspr\u00fcche' d. h. kannst sie w\u00fcrdigen;' apivat\u00e2it\u00ea da\u00eanay\u00e2o m\u00e2zdaya\u00e7n\u00f4is, V. 9, 2, 47, 'vertraut mit dem Gesetz; da\u00ean\u00e2\u00b4m zarazca d\u00e2\u1e6d apa\u00eaca aot\u00e2t, yt. 9, 26: 'wer das Gesetz lernt und in dasselbe eindringt;' verezy\u00f4t\u00fbca fr\u00e2c\u00e2 vat\u00f4y\u00f4t\u00fb, Y. 35, 6, 'das richtig erkannte f\u00fchre er aus und theile es mit;' Y. 44, 18 scheint apivaiti 1. p. sg. med. in der Bedeutung: 'in Erfahrung gebracht haben;' die Stelle ist indess sehr dunkel.\nNote 1. \u00c2\u00b4 nah bhaga barh\u00edshi g\u00eevasams\u00e9 seems a very simple sentence. It has been translated without any misgivings by Grassmann, Ludwig, Geldner and Kaegi and others.\nGrassmann translates: 'Lass lange lebend uns die Streu noch schm\u00fccken.'\nLudwig: 'Gib uns anteil an dem barhis als verheiszung des lebens.'\nKaegi and Geldner (or Roth): 'Verstatt uns Theil an Opfer und an Herrschaft.'\nBergaigne often points to such translations with scorn, but after he has written several pages on the words in question, here on g\u00eevasamsa, he is indeed very positive that it means 'formule qui donne la vie' (I, p. 306), but what such a 'formule' is, and how this meaning fits the whole sentence, he does not tell us.\nLet us begin with what is clear. \u00c2\u00b4 bhaga nah with locative, means 'appoint us to something,' i. e. 'give us something.' Thus I, 121, 15. \u00e2\u00b4 nah bhaga g\u00f3shu, means 'divide us, distribute us, appoint us to cows,' i. e. 'give us cows as our share.' The same expression is used when\ninstead of cows or riches, the gods are asked to give long life, glory, or sinlessness. Thus we read, I, 104, 6. s\u00e1h tv\u00e1m nah indra s\u00fb\u00b4rye s\u00e1h aps\u00fa an\u00e2g\u00e2stv\u00e9 \u00e2\u00b4 bhaga g\u00eevasams\u00e9, that is,' Indra, allow us to share and rejoice in the sun, in water, in sinlessness and praise of men.' X, 45, 10. \u00e2\u00b4 t\u00e1m bhaga sausravas\u00e9shu, 'give him, let him share in, good renown.'\nWhen we are once familiar with this phraseology, we cannot doubt that in our passage also we have to translate, let us have our barhis, our homely altar, and good report among men.'\nAnother word nar\u00e2samsa had originally the same meaning as g\u00eevasamsa, but it was chiefly used as a name of Agni. He was called Nar\u00e2samsa, i. e. M\u00e4nnerlob, or dy\u00f3h s\u00e1msa, Himmelslob, as a German poet was once called Frauenlob, not only because he praised women, but because he was praised by women. As we can say, God is my song, the Vedic Rishis might call any god the samsa, i. e. the praise or song of men, of the fathers, or of the gods. So far from agreeing with Bergaigne, 'on comprendrait moins bien qu\u2019une locution dont le sens propre aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 \"\u00e9loge mortel\" e.\u00fbt d\u00e9sign\u00e9 celui qui est lou\u00e9 par le mortel,' nothing is easier and better confirmed by other languages, while the invocation of 'une formule sacr\u00e9e' is almost unintelligible. If in a later hymn Indra is called gy\u00e9shthah m\u00e1ntrah, in X, 50, 4, I should translate, 'thou art the oldest or the best song,' that is, 'the theme of the oldest song,' but not thou art a magic formula. There is no necessity therefore for taking nar\u00e2samsa as a possessive compound, possessed of the praise of men, nor must we forget that in words which become almost proper names the accent is by no means always a safe guide.","title":"Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32): Vedic Hymns: VII, 46. To Rudra","type":"page"}