{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/sbe46/sbe46019.htm","path":"hin/sbe46/sbe46019.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe46/sbe46019.htm","text":"Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE46), by Hermann Oldenberg [1897]\n1. 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.\n2. 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.\n3. (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\u2014\n4. Like a kind friend to men, not to be led astray 1, sitting in the midst, the lovely one, in the house;\n5. 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.\n6. 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.\n7. When thou hast listened to these heroes, no one breaks those laws of thine.\n8. 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.\n9. Like the lover of the Dawn 1 resplendent and bright, of familiar form: may he (thus) pay attention to this (sacrificer).\n10. Carrying (him) they opened by themselves the doors (of heaven). They all shouted at the aspect of the sun 1.\nThe same Rishi and metre.\nNote 1. The lover of the Dawn is here the Sun. See Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 31.\nNote 1. Agni is the sweetness of food (comp. V, 7, 6. sv\u00e2\u00b4danam pit\u00fbn\u00e2\u00b4m); it is not probable that sv\u00e2\u00b4dma and \u00fb\u00b4dhah should depend on vig\u00e2n\u00e1n, as Ludwig believes.\nNote 1. I adopt Boehtlingk-Roth's conjecture ah\u00fbry\u00e1h. \u00c2h\u00fb\u00b4ryah would mean, 'he who is to be led astray.'\nNote 1. See above, 66, 4.\nNote 2. 'He has overcome the (hostile) clans.' M. M.\nNote 1. Perhaps devatv\u00e2\u00b4 is an instrumental, as Ludwig takes it. In this case we should have to translate: 'may Agni by his divine power attain everything.'\u2014Prof. Max M\u00fcller translates this verse: 'When I with my men call the clans of the same nest (the gods), Agni will obtain all divine honours.'\nNote 1. The first hemistich of this verse has eleven syllables instead of ten and shows the regular Trishtubh 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,\nand the comparison of X, 147, 1 (see next note), where it is said \u00e1han y\u00e1t vritr\u00e1m \u2026 viv\u00e9h ap\u00e1h, seems even to confirm the traditional reading. It cannot he denied, however, that the double y\u00e1t and the use of \u00e1han without an object raises some suspicion. In I, 34, 3; 186, 4 we have sam\u00e2n\u00e9 \u00e1han. Possibly we may read, t\u00e1t t\u00fa te d\u00e1msah \u00e1han sam\u00e2n\u00e9, '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 y\u00e1t has already been proposed by Bollensen (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morg. Gesellschaft, XXII, 592).\nNote 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\u00e2tha. The words viv\u00e9r\u00e1p\u00e2msi of the Samhit\u00e2p\u00e2tha are written in the Padap\u00e2tha viv\u00e9h r\u00e1p\u00e2msi. Now we read IV, 19, 10. \u00e1p\u00e2msi \u2026 n\u00e1ry\u00e2 \u00e1vivesh\u00eeh, 'thou hast performed manly works.' In X, 147, 1 we have \u00e1han y\u00e1t vritr\u00e1m n\u00e1ryam viv\u00e9h ap\u00e1h: here the adjective n\u00e1rya clearly shows that ap\u00e1h is a blunder for \u00e1pah, and we must translate, 'when thou hast killed Vritra and performed thy manly work.' This passage shows that in X, 76, 3 also viv\u00e9h ap\u00e1h should be corrected (v. \u00e1pah). Thus we have three passages in which \u00e1vivesh\u00eeh or viv\u00e9h has the object \u00e1pah, \u00e1p\u00e2msi, and we may infer with full certainty that in our passage viv\u00e9r\u00e1p\u00e2msi does not correspond to a Padap\u00e2tha reading viv\u00e9h r\u00e1p\u00e2msi but viv\u00e9h \u00e1p\u00e2msi. The same may be said with regard to VI, 31, 3 (mush\u00e2y\u00e1h kakr\u00e1m \u00e1viveh r\u00e1p\u00e2msi; Samh. \u00e1vive r\u00e1p\u00e2msi).\nNote 1. Comp. above, verse 1.\nNote 1. Comp. above, 66, 10.","title":"Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE46): I, 69","type":"page"}