{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/sbe46/sbe46091.htm","path":"hin/sbe46/sbe46091.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe46/sbe46091.htm","text":"Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE46), by Hermann Oldenberg [1897]\n1. He who has been established as the steward among the mortals, the immortal, righteous one, and among the gods, being a god himself, the Hotri, the best sacrificer shall mightily flame 1; Agni shall rise up 1 with the offerings of Manus.\n2. 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.\n3. Harnessing the two mighty, red steeds that swim in ghee\u2014(the steeds) of Rita, 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.\n4. O Agni, with thy good horses, and thy good chariot, rich in bounties, bring hither from among them (the gods) 1 Aryaman, Varuna, and Mitra, Indra and Vishnu, the Maruts and the Asvins, to him who offers good oblations.\n5. 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.\n6 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.\n7. 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.\n8. 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.\n9. The man who worships thee, the immortal one, O Agni, and who honours thee, holding the sacrificial ladle\u2014may he, the toiling (sacrificer), not be deprived of wealth; may no distress that comes from a harmful (foe), surround him.\n10. 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 Hotri's work performed) for a worshipper whose helpers we may be.\n11. 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.\n12. The undeceived sages instructed the sage (Agni), setting him down in the dwellings of \u00c2yu 1. Hence mayst thou behold, O Agni, with thy eyes 2 these beings visible and secret (that move) on the Arya's ways 3.\n13. 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.\n14 1. And whatsoever we have done, O Agni, out\nof devotion for thee, with our feet 2, with our hands, with our bodies: (in those deeds of ours) the wise have held up the Rita, aspiring after it, like those who manage a chariot by means of the two pole-arms (?) 3.\n15. 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 A\u1e45giras, the sons of Heaven. May we flaming break the rock which contains the prize of the contest 3.\n16. And as our first, ancient fathers, O Agni, were aspiring after Rita 1\u2014they attained to pure devotion 2, chanting their litanies. Cleaving the earth they disclosed the red (cows).\n17. 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.\n18. 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 Urvas\u00ees 4 have pined, for the growing strong of the Arya 5, of the nearer \u00c2yu 6.\n19. We have done our work for thee; we have been good workers\u2014the brilliant dawns have shone out Rita 1,\u2014brightening 2 the perfect Agni who manifoldly shines with fine splendour, (brightening) the god's beautiful eye.\n20. 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!\nThe Rishi is V\u00e2madeva, the metre Trishtubh.\u2014Verse 5 = TS. I, 6, 6, 4; III, 1, 11, 1; MS. I, 4, 3. Verse 6 = T\u00c2. VI, 2, 1. Verse 11 = TS. V, 5, 4, 4. Verse 16 = VS. XIX, 69; TS. II, 6, 12, 4. Verses 16\u201319 = AV. XVIII, 3, 21\u201324.\nNote 1. On this use of these infinitives, comp. Delbr\u00fcck, Altindische Syntax, p. 412.\u2014M\u00e1nushah seems to be genitive; comp. II, 2, 6. havy\u00e2\u00b4 m\u00e1nushah; II, 2, 8. h\u00f3tr\u00e2bhih \u2026 m\u00e1nushah; I, 76, 5. m\u00e1nushah hav\u00edrbhih.\nNote 1. Comp. below, IV, 6, 9.\nNote 1. As to the horses of Rita, comp. above, III, 6, 6. In spite of the different accent there is no doubt that ghritasn\u00fav\u00e2, which occurs in that verse, is the same word as ghrit\u00e1sn\u00fb, in our verse, a compound of ghrita with a noun snu which seems to be different from s\u00e2\u00b4nu, and connected with the root sn\u00e2 (cf. ghritasn\u00e2\u00b4, IV, 6, 9; and see Bechtel, Hauptprobleme der Indogerm. Lautlehre, p. 211). Vridhasn\u00fa, on the other hand, seems to be no compound, but an adjective formed like vadhasnu, nishatsn\u00fa. It is evident, however, that the poet here employed the two words vridhasn\u00fa and ghrit\u00e1snu as parallel expressions.\nNote 2. Read m\u00e1rt\u00e2m (for m\u00e1rt\u00e2n; gen. plur.). Comp. below, verse 11; VI, 47, 16. v\u00edsah manushy\u0306\u00e2n, where we ought to read manush\u1ef9\u00e2m. See Lanman, p. 353; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, p. 44; Bartholomae, Studien zur Indogermanischen Sprachgeschichte, I, p. 48.\nNote 1. 'Could it be Mitr\u00e1m esh\u00e1m, the rapid Mitra?' M. M.\nNote 1. The meaning is, it is rich in reward consisting in cows, &c.\nNote 2. The text has asura. Cf. H. O., Religion des Veda, p. 164.\nNote 1. With the first P\u00e2da, comp. below, 12, 2.\nNote 2. On sv\u00e1tav\u00e2n, 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.\nNote 1. Nis\u00edshat is not derived, as is the case for instance with \u00e2\u00b4 sish\u00e2mahi, VIII, 24, 1, from (ni-)s\u00e2s (Grassmann, Ludwig), but from ni-s\u00e2 (B\u00f6htlingk-Roth); comp. VII, 3, 5. nis\u00eds\u00e2n\u00e2h \u00e1tithim. We must read, consequently, nis\u00edsat, formed like d\u00e1dhat (3rd sg. subj. pres., or possibly nom. sing. part. pres.).\nNote 1. B\u00f6htlingk-Roth conjecture harmy\u00e2\u00b4v\u00e2n '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. Hemy\u00e2\u00b4vat seems to be derived from the root hi, and to have the same meaning as \u00e2suh\u00e9man; such a word very well fits into a phrase referring to a swift horse. Hemy\u00e2\u00b4vat stands to hem\u00e1n in the same relation as omy\u00e2\u00b4vat to om\u00e1n. All this was pointed out first by Ludwig (vol. iv, p. 22).\nNote 1. Literally the Hotri\u2019s work (performed for such a Yagam\u00e2na).\nNote 1. I read m\u00e1rt\u00e2m (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).'\nNote 2. Comp. v\u00eet\u00e1prishtha, 'straight-backed,' a frequent epithet of horses.\nNote 3. For Prof. Max M\u00fcller's interpretation of this passage, comp. vol. xxxii, p. 256. See also Bergaigne, Rel. V\u00e9dique, 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. \u00e1ditim 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 Varuna, 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.)\nNote 1. On \u00c2yu, the mythical ancestor of the human race, see Bergaigne, Religion V\u00e9dique, I, p. 59 seq.\nNote 2. On padbh\u00edh, comp. Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 228 seq.; Bartholomae, Bezzenberger's Beitr\u00e4ge, 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 padbh\u00edh should be derived from a noun p\u00e1s, and translated, 'with thy eyes,'\nwhile in verse 14 we ought to read padbh\u00edh, and to translate, 'with the feet.'\nNote 3. Pischel (Ved. Studien, I, 229, note I) believes that ary\u00e1h is nom. sing., referring to Agni. But compare VI, 51, 2. rig\u00fa m\u00e1rteshu vrigin\u00e2\u00b4 ka p\u00e1syan abh\u00ed kashte s\u00fb\u00b4rah ary\u00e1h \u00e9v\u00e2n. This verse makes it very probable that ary\u00e1h is a genitive dependent on \u00e9vaih, \u00e9v\u00e2n ('beholding right and wrong deeds among the mortals, the Sun looks upon the Arya's ways'). On the stem ar\u00ed, 'the Arya,' see Pischel, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenl\u00e4ndischen Gesellschaft, XL, p. 125.\nNote 1. This verse has been commented upon by Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 229 seq.\nNote 2. On padbh\u00edh or rather padbh\u00edh, comp. verse 12, note 2.\nNote 3. In translating bhur\u00edg I have followed, though not without doubt, the theory of Pischel, Ved. Studien, I, 239 seq.\u2014Pischel seems to be right in making rit\u00e1m depend both on yemuh (comp. IV, 23, 10) and on \u00e2sush\u00e2n\u00e2\u00b4h (comp. above, IV, 1, 13, and below, verse 16).\nNote 1. The seven Rishis or A\u1e45giras, the sons of Heaven and the Dawn (cf. above 1, 16).\nNote 2. nr\u00ee\u00b4n (or rather nr\u00ee\u00b4m) is genitive plural. See Lanman, p. 430; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, p. 42.\nNote 3. Here we have again the seven Rishis breaking the mountain in which the cows were imprisoned.\nNote 1. The apodosis is wanting. As verse 15 shows, the meaning is: As our fathers have done their mighty deeds, aspiring after Rita, thus may we do the same.\nNote 2. S\u00fak\u00ee\u00b4t (Padap. s\u00faki \u00edt) possibly stands for s\u00fakim \u00edt; cf. Roth, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenl\u00e4ndischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, p. 680. Or may we correct s\u00fak\u00ee \u00edt \u2026\nd\u00ee\u00b4dhit\u00ee (instr. sing.), 'they went along in pure devotion'? D\u00ee\u00b4dhiti seems to be what is called in III, 31, 1; IX, 102, 1. 8, rit\u00e1sya d\u00ee\u00b4dhitih.'\nNote 1. See Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 252.\nNote 2. Evidently the pious men, not the gods, form the subject. I propose to read, therefore, dev\u00e2\u00b4m (gen. plur.) g\u00e1nim\u00e2; cf. verse 18 dev\u00e2\u00b4n\u00e2m y\u00e1t g\u00e1nim\u00e2. They kindle Agni; they strengthen Indra: in short, they treat the divine people as the smith treats the metal.\nNote 3. I do not enter here upon the archaeological question as to the meaning of \u00e1yah. Comp. on this much-discussed question especially Max M\u00fcller, Biographies of Words, p. 252 seq.; Schrader, Sprachvergleichung und Urgeschichte (2nd ed.), p. 271 seq.; von Bradke, Methode der arischen Alterthumswissenschaft, p. 93 seq.\nNote 4. Cf. X, 61, 13. parish\u00e1dv\u00e2nah agman.\nNote 1. Pasv\u00e1h is genitive sing.; it depends on y\u00fbth\u00e2\u00b4. Cf. V, 31, 1; VI, 19, 3.\nNote 2. There is no reason for taking, as Lanman (p. 516) does, kshum\u00e1ti as acc. plur. neut., which would be kshum\u00e2\u00b4nti. See Joh. Schmidt, Pluralbildungen der Indogermanischen Neutra, p. 237; Bartholomae, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXIX, p. 493. Bartholomae translates, 'bei einem wolhabenden.'\nNote 3. Is this vocative ugra right? It would be easy to correct, with Ludwig, ugr\u00e2\u00b4 ('when the mighty generations of the gods were near him') or ugr\u00e1h, as suggested by Delbr\u00fcck (Grassmann's Translation, vol. i, p. 573): 'the mighty one (Agni) looked on them,' &c.\nNote 4. I believe that Geldner (Ved. Studien, I, 260, note 1) is right in contending that Urvas\u00ee, wherever it occurs, is the name of an Apsaras and nothing else. The name of \u00c2yu, occurring in the fourth P\u00e2da, confirms this; for \u00c2yu, as is well known, is the son of Pur\u00fbravas and of the nymph Urvas\u00ee. Geldner translates, 'Selbst mit den\n[paragraph continues] Sterblichen hatten die Urvas\u00ees Mitleid.' But I do not think that krip means 'having compassion.' In my opinion we should, with Ludwig, supply g\u00e1nim\u00e2 to m\u00e1rt\u00e2n\u00e2m, so that dev\u00e2\u00b4n\u00e2m g\u00e1nim\u00e2 in the second P\u00e2da corresponds with m\u00e1rt\u00e2n\u00e2m (g\u00e1nim\u00e2) in the third. This g\u00e1nim\u00e2 is an accusative which depends on akripran ('they pined after \u2026,' cf. IX, 85, 11. n\u00e2\u00b4ke suparn\u00e1m upapaptiv\u00e2\u00b4msam g\u00edrah ven\u00e2\u00b4n\u00e2m akripanta p\u00fbrv\u00ee\u00b4h; X, 74, 3. y\u00e9 krip\u00e1nanta r\u00e1tnam). 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 Urvas\u00ees, i. e. the Apsarases such as Urvas\u00ee, longed for the love of mortals such as Pur\u00fbravas, and for the propagation of the human generations; they gave birth to children such as \u00c2yu.\nNote 5. Or 'of the indigent'? Or is ary\u00e1h nom. plur. fem. referring to the Urvas\u00ees? Or nom. sing. masc. referring to Agni?\nNote 6. On \u00c2yu, see note 4. But I cannot tell why he is called the nearer \u00c2yu. Is this nearer \u00c2yu opposed, as a nearer or later (\u00fapara) ancestor, to the pit\u00e1rah p\u00e1r\u00e2sah pratn\u00e2\u00b4sah, the A\u1e45giras, mentioned in verse 16? The same nearer \u00c2yu (\u00fapara which stands there in opposition to p\u00fb\u00b4rv\u00e2bhih) 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).\nNote 1. I. e. the dawns have sent forth their shine, which is a visible manifestation of the eternal law of Rita.\nNote 2. The construction is: we have been good workers, brightening &c. The words, 'the brilliant dawns have shone out Rita,' are a parenthesis.\nNote 1. The text is nearly identical with the first hemistich of I, 73, 10 (see above).","title":"Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE46): IV, 2","type":"page"}