diff --git "a/resources/budist/rig_veda.txt" "b/resources/budist/rig_veda.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/resources/budist/rig_veda.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,123049 @@ +THE HYMNS OP THE RIGVEDA. + + +BOOK THE FIRST. + + +HYMN I. Agni. + +I laud Agni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice, + +The Hotar, lavishest of wealth. + +2 Worthy is Agni to be praised by living as by ancient seers : + +He shall bring hitherward the Gods. + +3 Through Agni man obtaineth wealth, yea, plenty waxing day + +by day, + +Most rich in heroes,' glorious. + +4 Agni, the perfect sacrifice which thou eneompassest about +Verily goeth to the Gods. + +5 May Agni, sapient-minded Priest, truthful, most gloriously great, +The God, come hither with the Gods. + +6 Whatever blessing, Agni, thou- wilt grant unto thy worshipper, +That, Angiras, is indeed thy truth. + + +The first two hymns of this Book are ascribed to blie Ilishi or seer Madhu- +chehhandas Vaisvamitra, a son or descendant of the famous Visv&mitra. The +deity to whom ’ this hymn is addressed is Agni, the God of* fire, the most +prominent, next to Indra, of the deities of the IUgveda. Agni is the mes¬ +senger and mediator between earth and heaven, announcing to the Gods the +hymns, and conveying to them the oblations, of their worshippers, inviting +them with the sound of his crackling flames and bringing them down to the +place of sacrifice. As concentrating in himself the various sacrificial duties of +different classes of human priests, Agni is called the Purohita or chosen priest, +the prmpositm or presses. He is a Ritvij, a priest or minister who sacrifices at +the proper seasons, and a Hotar , an invoking priest, a herald who calls the +Gods to enjoy the offering. All riches are at his disposal, and he is the most +bountiful rewarder, both directly and indirectly, of the pious whose oblations +he carries to the Gods. + +2 Ancient seers: said by Sfiyana to be Bhrigu, Angiras, and others. The +egression indicates the existence of earlier hymns. + +3 Most rich in heroes: the heroes here spoken of, who accompany the +acquisition and increase of wealth, are brave sons and dependents. + +4 Perfect: uninterrupted by R&kshasas or fiends, who are unable to mar a +sacrifice which Agni protects on all sides. + +6 Angiras : here a name of Agni. The Angirases appear to have been . +•regarded as a race of higher beings between Gods and men, the typical first +sacrifieers, whose ritual is the pattern which later priests must follow. + + + + +2 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK 1. + +7 To thee, dispeller of the night, 0 Agni, day by day with prayer +Bringing thee reverence, we come; + +8 Ruler of sacrifices, guard of Law eternal, radiant One, +Increasin g in thine own abode. + +9 Be to us easy of approach, even as a father to his son : + +Agni, be with us for our weal. + +HYMN II. Vdyu. + +Beautiful Vayu, come, for thee these Soma drops have been +prepared: + +Drink of them, hearken to our call. + +2 Knowing the days, with Soma juice poured forth, the singers + +glorify + +Thee, Vayu, with their hymns of praise, + +3 Vayu. thy penetrating stream goes forth uuto the worshipper, +]’ar->p reading for t he Soma draught. + +8 Law eternal. The word used to denote the conception of the order of the +world is rita. Everything in the universe which is conceived as showing +regularity* of action may be said to have the rita for its principle. In its +most general application the conception expressed by the word occupied to +some extent the place of natural and moral law, fate, or the will of a supreme +God. See Wallis, The Cosmology of the Kijvedu, p. 92. + +‘ In thine own abode; chime , sud domo, in the sacrificial hall or chamber +in which fire-worship is performed, and in which the fire (Agni) increases as +the oblations of clarified butter are poured upon it by the priest. + +1 Vdyu : God of the wind. + +v Soma drops: libations of the juice of the Soma, or Moon-plant, said to be +j the Acid Asclepias or Sarcostema Vimmalis. The plant was gathered by +j moonlight on certain mountains, stripped of its leaves, and then carried to the +i place of sacrifice; the stalks having been there crushed by the priests were +i sprinkled with water and placed on a sieve or strainer, whence, after further +f pressure, the acid juice trickled into a vessel called Drop a; after which it +; was mixed with flour etc,, made to ferment, and then offered in libations to +< the Gods or drunk by the Br&hmans, by both of whom its exhilarating quali- +| ties were supposed to be highly prized. This famous plant has remained +j unidentified till recently (see Max Muller, Biographies of Words, Appendix +' III.) * Dr. Aitchison has lately stated that Soma must be the Ephedra pachy- +I chide, which in the Harirud valley is said to bear the name of hum, huma, and +j yahma. This supposition is confirmed by Dr. Joseph Bornmuller, a botanist +] long resident in Kerman, who identifies the Soma plant with some kind of +\ Ephedra, probably Ephedra distachya , but who remarks that different vane- +\ ties of Ephedra-are to be found from Siberia to the Iberian peninsula, so that +j we must give up the hope of original home of the Aryas by + +\ means of the habitat of the So. ■ : ! \ :. -terly Review, No. 354, October + +J 1894, p, 455). ■ - + +- 2. Knowing the days :■ knowing the proper days for sacrifices ; or perhaps, +knowing or marking the time of daybreak, the exact time for the commence¬ +ment of sacrificial rites. + +8 Hymns of praise: uJcthas , lauds recited or spoken, in opposition to verses +that are chanted or sung. + + + +HYMN 8.] * THE 'R7QVEDA. S + +4 These, Indra-Vayu, have been shed; come for o*ur offered + +dainties’ sake: + +The drops are yearning for you both. + +5 Well do ye mark libations, ye Vayu and Indira, rick in spoil t +So come ye swiftly hitherward. + +0 Vayu and Indra, come to what the Soma-presser hath prepared: +Soon, Heroes, thus I make my prayer. + +7 MItra, of holy strength I call, and foe-destroying Varuna, + +"Who make th e oil-fed rite com plete. + +S Mitra and Varuna, through Law, Lovers and cherishers of Law, +Have ye obtained your mighty power. + +9 Our Sages, Mitra-Varuua, of wid.e dominion, st rong by birth. +Vouchsafe us strength that worketh well. + +HYMN TIL Asvina. + +Ye Asvins, rich in treasure, Lords of splendour, having nimble +hands, + +Accept the sacrificial food. + + +4 Indra and Viiyu are here conjointly addressed in a dual compound, rudra- +v&yfi. Xmlra was the favourite national deity of the Aryan Indians in the +Vedio Age, and more hymns are dedicated to his honour than to the praise of +any other divinity. He is the Uod who reigns over the intermediate region or +atmosphere ; he fights against and conquers with his thunderbolt the demons +of drought and darkness, and is in general the type of noble' heroism. + +7 According to S&yana, Mitra presides over the day as Varuna over the +night; hence the closest connexion subsists between these' two deities who +are more frequently invoked together than Varuna is invoked singly ; together +they uphold and rule the earth and sky, together they guard the world, to-' +gether they promote religious rites, avenge sin, and are the lords of truth and +light. + +Oil-fed * performed with fjhrihhn (the modern and clarified butter, or +butter which has been boiled gently and then allowed to cool. The butter +is then used for culinary purposes and also offered in sacrifice to the Gods. +Complete: by granting the worshipper’s prayer. + +8 Through Law: i. e. in accordance with rkd, the eternal law or everlasting +order of the universe. See X. 1. 8. + +1 * The Asvins seem to have been a puzzle even to the oldest Indian Com- , +mentators. Y&ska thus refers to them in the Nirukta, XII. 1 :—‘Next in ordfer * +are the deities whose sphere is the heaven ; of these the Asvins are the first +to arrive...Who then are these Asvins ? ‘ Heaven and Earth,’ say some ; * Day. +and Night,’ say others ; ‘The Bun and Moon,’ say others ; ‘Two hangs, per¬ +formers of holy acts/ say the legendary writers.’ Professor Both thus sj»eaks +of these Gods: ‘The two Asvins, though, like the ancient interpreters.of the , +Veda, we are by no means agreed as to the conception of their character, hold, +nevertheless, a perfectly distinct position in the entire body of’the Ygd-ih.. +deities of light. They are the earliest bringers of light in the morning skff + + + +£ ' THE BY MAS, OF [BOOK l + +2 Come thou to our libations, drink of Soma, Soma-drinker thou! +The rich One's rapture giveth kine. + +3 So may we be acquainted with thine innermost benevolence: +Neglect us not, come hitherward. + +4 Go to the wise unconquered One, ask thou of Indra, skilled in + +song, ° + +Him who is better than thy friends. + +5 Whether the men who mock us say, Depart unto another place, +Ye who serve Indra and none else; + +6 Or whether, God of wondrous deeds, all our true people call us + +blest. + +Still may we dwell in Indra’s care. + +7 Unto the swift One bring the swift, man-cheering, grace of + +sacrifice. + +That to the Friend gives wings and joy. + +8 Thou, Satakratu, drankest this and wast the Vritras’ slayer; + +thou + +Holpest the warrior in the fray. + +9 We strengthen, Satakratu, thee, yea, thee the powerful in fight. +That, Indra, we may win us wealth. + +10 To him the mighty stream of wealth, prompt friend of him who +pours the juice. + +Yea, to this Indra sing your song. + + +2 Indra is especially the lord of Soma and its chief drinker. The exhilar¬ +ation produced by drinking' the fermented juice offered in libations stimulates + +his warlike energies and disposes him to give out of his boundless riches + +liberal rewards in the shape of cattle and other wealth to those who worship +him. + +The general meaning of this and the two preceding verses seems to he: + +Indra is the best friend and protector, and so long as we enjoy his friendship +and protection we care nothing for the revilings of the ungodly who mock at +our faithful worship. + +7 The swift One: Indra. The Soma juice which exhilarates men or heroes +and accompanies or graces the sacrifice is also called swift both because it +flows quickly and because it makes Indra hasten to the solemnity. The +Friend , is Indra whom the juice exhilarates and sends quickly to the sacrifice. + +8 SataJcratu, a name of Indra, *is explained by S&yana, he who is connected +with a hundred (many) acts, religious rites ( bahukarmayukta ), either as their +performer or their object: or it may be rendered c endowed with great wis¬ +dom;’ hratu implying either karma , act, or y-r‘- 2 * 4 * * 7 8 . V—Wilson. +The Vritras, the enemies, the oppressors, or ■ ■■«. ..■■■■ 1 1 ■■ hostile +powers in the atmosphere who malevolently shut up the watery treasures in +the clouds. These demons of drought, called by a variety of names, as Vrittra +Ahi, Sushna, Namuchi, Pipru, Sambara, Urana, etc., etc., armed on their side, +also, with every variety of colestial artillery, attempt, but in vain, to resis, +the onset of the gods,’ Muir, 0, & Texts, Y, 95, + + + + +HYMN 6 .] + + +THE RIG VEDA, + + +7 + + +HYMN Indra. + +O come ye hither, sit ye down; to Indra sing ye forth your song, +Companions, bringing hymns of praise; + +2 To him the richest of the rich, the Lord of treasures excellent, +Indra, with Soma juice outpoured. + +3 May he stand by us in our need and in abundance for our + +wealth: + +May he come nigh us with his strength; + +4 Whose pair of tawny horses yoked in battles foemen challenge + +not: + +To him, to Indra sing your song. + +5 Nigh to the Soma-drinker come, for his enjoyment, these pure + +drops, + +The Somas mingled with the curd. + +6 Thou, grown at once to perfect strength, wast bom to drink + +the Soma juice, + +Strong Indra, for preeminence. + +7 0 Indra, lover of the song, may these quick Somas enter thee : +May they bring bliss to thee the Sage. + +8 Our chants of praise have strengthened thee, 0 Satakratu, and + +our lauds: + +So strengthen thee the songs we sing. + +9 Indra, whose succour never fails, accept these viands thousand¬ + +fold, + +Wherein all manly powers abide. * + +10 0 Indra, thou who lowest song, let no man hurt our bodies, keep +Slaughter far from us, for thou canst. + +HYMN VI. Indra, + +They who stand round him as he moves harness the bright, +the ruddy Steed: + +The lights are shining in the sky. + +X Companions. The call is addressed to the ministering priests. + +3 { Two separate * cases appear to be meant: yoge, where the God must +recognize the necessity of his intervention, and purandhydm, where he may +deem it superfluous.’ Ludwig. + +4 At the sight of whose chai'iot and horses all enemies flee. + +9 Wherein all manly powers abide. The oblations of worshippers, as well as +their hymns of praise, stimulate and strengthen the Gods for deeds of heroism. + +1 They who stand round; loTcatrayavartinah prdninah, ( the living beings of +the three worlds,’ is S&yana’s explanation. Probably the Maruts, Indra’s +constant companions are intended. + +The bright , the ruddy Steed , (bradhndm arnsMmJ, is probably the Sun, with +whom Indra is frequently connected. + + + +$ THE HYMNS OF [BOOK /. + +2 On both sides to the car thev yoke the two bay coursers dear + +to -him, # + +Bold, tawny, bearers of the Chief. + +3 Thou, making light where no light was, and form, 0 men 1 + +where form was not, + +Wast born together with the Dawns. + +& Thereafter they, as is their wont, threw off the state of babes +unborn, + +Assuming sacrificial names. + +5 Thou, Indra, with the Tempest-Gods, the breakers down o£- + +what is firm, + +Foundest the kine even in the cave. + +6 Worshipping even as they list, singers laud him who findoth + +wealth, + +The fai-renowned, the mighty One. + +7 Mayest thou verily be seen coming by fearless Indnds side ; +Both joyous, equal in your sheen. + +8 With Indra’s well-beloved hosts, the blameless, hastening to + +heaven, + +The sacrificer cries aloud. + + +2 On both sides; vipakshasd; harnessed on different sides. + +3 Thou, i. e. the Sun, 0 men / is perhaps merely an exclamation expressive +of admiration. If marydh , men, be taken to mean the Maruts, the words +thou, making, wcist born, although in the singular number, may apply to these +Gods regarded as one host or company and born at one birth, + +4 Threw off the state of babes unborn: according to Prof. M. Muller f as¬ +sumed again the form of new-born babes.’ 2 3 4 5 * 7 8 The idea that the Maruts +assumed the form of a garbha, lit. of an embryo or a new-born child, is only +meant to express that the storms burst forth from the womb of the sky as +soon as Indra arises .to do battle against the demon of darkness. As assisting +Indra in this battle, the Maruts, whose name retained for a long time its +purely appellative meaning of storms, attained their rank as deities by the +side of Indra, or as the poet expresses it, they assumed their sacred name. +This seems to be the whole meaning of the later legend that the Maruts, like +the Ilibhus were not originally gods, but became deified for their works/ +M. Muller. Rigvcda Smhitd, i. p. 25. + +5 The Tempest-Gods : the Maruts, the friends and helpers of Indra. + +The kine; are streams of water and the beams of light which follow their +effusion. The cave is the thick dark cloud which holds the imprisoned waters +and which Indra cleaves asunder with his thunderbolt or lightning. + +7 Thou; the host of Maruts. According to Benfey, the Sun. + +8 The sacrificer cries aloud . This is the interpretation proposed by Professor +Max Muller,J;mt it is only conjectural and not altogether satisfactory, Benfey +translates: Mightily shines the sacrifice,* and Ludwig t The warrior sings +triumphantly. + + + +HYMN 1.1 TfiM RTGYHTJA. g + +9 Come from this place, 0 Wanderer, or downward from the +light of heaven : * _ + +Our songs of praise all yearn for this. + +10 Indra we seek to give us help, from here, from heaven above +the earth, + +Or from the spacious firmament. 9 + +HYMN VII. Indrac f + +Indra the singers with high praise, Indra reciters with their +lauds, + +Indra the choirs have glorified. + +2 Indra hath ever close to him his two bay steeds and word-yoked + +car, + +Indra the golden, thunder-armed. + +3 Indra hath raised the Sun on high in heaven, that he may see + +afar: + +He burst the mountain for the kine. + +4 Help us, 0 Indra, in the frays, yea, frays where thousand spoils + +are gained, + +With awful aids , 0 awful One. + +5 In mighty battle we invoke Indra, Indra in lesser fight, + +The Friend who bends his holt at fiends, + +6 Unclose, our manly Hero, thou for ever bounteous, yonder + +cloud, + +For us, thou irresistible. + +7 Still higher, at each strain of mine, thunder-armed Indra’s + +praises rise: + +I find no laud worthy of him, + +8 Even as the bull drives on the herds, he drives the people with + +"■~iiis might, * ~ ~ .. + +TJi e Ruler irresisti ble: + +9 From this place: from earth. + +Wanderer ; {parijman) here applied to Indra. + +10 The spacious firmament: the expanse between earth and heaven. + +1 The choirs : ( vd'ni ) referring perhaps to both singers and chanters. + +2 The golden: i. e. richly decorated {sarvdhharanahhilshitah) according to + +S&yana. • • + +3 The moutain: is the :■ v V' - -■ ’ mass of thick cloud, and the kine + +are the waters as in I. 6, 5. " i ■ / ■ and pdrvata mean both mountain + +and cloud, these beiftg constantly seen in close juxtaposition and being often +indistinguishable one from the other, + + + +10 THE HYMXS OF {BOOK L + +9 Indra who rules with single sway men, riches, and the fivefold + +# race + +Of those who dwell upon the earth. + +10 For your sake from each side we call Indra away from other + +men: + +Ours, and nojje others’, may he be. + +HYMN VIII. Indra. + +Indra, bring wealth that gives delight, the victor’s ever-con¬ +quering wealth, + +Most excellent, to be our aid ; + +2 By means of which we may repel our foes in battle hand to + +hand, + +By thee assisted with the car. + +3 Aided by thee, the thunder-armed, Indra, may we lift up the + +bolt, + +And conquer all our foes in fight. + +4 With thee, 0 Indra, for ally with missile-darting heroes, may + +We .conquer our embattled foes. + +5 Mighty is Indra, yea supreme; greatness be his, the Thunderer: + +Wide as the heaven extends his power; + +6 Which aideth those to win them sons, who come as heroes to + +the fight, + +Or singers loving holy thoughts. + +7 His belly, drinking deepest draughts of Soma, like an ocean + +swells, + +Like wide streams from the cope of heaven. + +8 So also is his excellence, great, vigorous, rich in cattle, like + +A ripe branch to the worshipper. + +9 For verily thy mighty powers, Indra, are saving helps at + +once + +Unto a worshipper like me. + +9 The, fivefold race: Benfey explains this as ‘the whole inhabited world/ +But the expression seems to mean the Aryan settlements or tribes only, and +not the indigenous inhabitants of ,the country. The five tribes or settlements +were probably the confederation of the Turvasas, Yadus, Anus, Druhyus, and +Pftrus. Sftyana’s explanation is 2 3 4 those who are fit for habitations/ and the +phrase is said to imply the four castes and NiwMdas or indigenous barbarians. +But there were no such distinctions of caste when the hymn was composed. + +2 With the car: drvatd, literally, with a horse, is explained by Sftyana to +mean fighting on horseback. But horses seem to have been used in war as +drawers of chariots only, and drvatd here stands for rathena, with a car or +chariot. + +3 Map we lift up the holt. The thunderbolt here spoken of is sacrifice which, + +when employed against enemies, is as powerful a weapon as the bolt of Indra. + + + +10 THE HYMNS OS [BOOK I, + +9 Indra who niles with single sway men, riches, and the fivefold + +* race + +Of those who dwell upon the earth. + +10 For your sake from each side we call Indra away from other + +men: + +Ours, and nope others 7 , may he be. + +HYMN VIII. Indra, + +Indra, bring wealth that gives delight, the victor's ever-con¬ +quering wealth, + +Most excellent, to be our aid ; + +2 By means of which we may repel our foes in battle hand to + +hand, + +By thee assisted with the car. + +3 Aided by thee, the thunder-armed, Indra, may we lift up the + +bolt, + +And conquer all our foes in fight. + +4 With thee, 0 Indra, for ally with missile-darting heroes, may + +We.conquer our embattled foes. + +5 Mighty is Indra, yea supreme; greatness be his, the Thunderer: + +Wide as the heaven extends his power; + +6 Which aideth those to win them sons, who come as heroes to + +the fight, + +Or singers loving holy thoughts. + +7 His belly, drinking deepest draughts of Soma, like an ocean + +swells, + +Like wide streams from the cope of heaven. + +8 So also is his excellence, great, vigorous, rich in cattle, like + +A ripe branch to the worshipper, + +9 For verily thy mighty powers, Indra, are saving helps at + +once + +Unto a worshipper like me. + +9 The fivefo’d race: Beufey explains this as ‘the whole inhabited world/ +But the expression seems to mean the Aryan settlements or tribes only, and +not the indigenous inhabitants of ,the country. The live tribes or settlements +were probably the confederation of the Turvasas, Yadus, Anus, Druhyus, and +Purus. Sftyana’s explanation is * those who are fit for habitations/ and the +phrase is said to imply the four castes and Nishadas or indigenous barbarians. +But there were no such distinctions of caste when the hymn was composed. + +2 With the car: arvatd , literally, with a horse, is explained by Sftyana to +mean fighting on horseback. But horses seem to have been used in war as +drawers of chariots only, and drvatd here stands for rathenu , with a car or +chariot. + +3 May we lift up the holt . The thunderbolt here spoken of is sacrifice which, +when employed against enemies, is as powerful a weapou as the bolt of Indra. + + + + +THE RIQYEDA. + + +11 + + +HYMN 9 .] + +10 So are his lovely gifts; let lauds and praises be to Indra sung, +That he may drink the Soma juice. + +hymn IX. i ncIra , + +Comb, Indra, and delight thee with the juice at all the Soma +feasts, ^ + +Frotector, mighty in thy strength. + +2 To Indra pour ye forth the juice, the active gladdening juice + +to him + +The gladdening, omnific God. + +3 0 Lord of all men, fair of cheek, rejoice thee in the gladdening + +lauds, + +Present at these drink-offerings.* + +4 Songs have outpoured themselves to thee, Indra, the strong, + +the guardian Lord, + +And raised themselves unsatisfied. + +5. Send to us bounty manifold, 0 Indra, worthy of our wish, + +For power supreme is only thine. + +6 O Indra, stimulate thereto us emulously fain for wealth, + +And glorious, 0 most splendid One. + +7 Give, Indra, wide and lofty fame, wealthy in cattle and in + +strength, + +Lasting our life-time, failing not. + +8 Grant us high fame, O Indra, grant riches bestowing thousands, + +those * + +Fair fruits of earth borne home in wains. + +9 Praising with songs the praise-worthy who cometh to our aid, + +we call + +Indra, the Treasure-Lord of wealth. + +10 To lofty Indra, dweller by each libation, the pious man +Sings forth aloud a strengthening hymn. + + +10 Let lauds mid praises be to Indra swiff: more exactly, * be lauds, spoken +and sung, to Indra given ;’ nltha being properly the laud that is recited, and +Stoma the hymn of praise that is sung. + +4 And raised themselves unsatisfied: djoshcih, not contented, that is, with +prayers ever new, Ludwig observes that the S&maveda has preserved the +correct reading sajdsMh, i with one accord.’ + +8 Those fair fruits of earth brought home in wains. ( The original of this +hymn, as of many others, is so concise and elliptical as to be unintelligible +without the liberal amplification of the Scholiast. We have in the text simply +“those car-having viands,” td rath in tr ishah . meaning, S&yana says, those +articles of food which are conveyed in cars, carts, or waggons, from the site of +their production ; as rice, barley, and other kinds of grain,’ Wilson, + +The meaning of mthinir is not clear. + + + +n + + +THE HYMNS OF + + +[BOOfy t + + +HYMN X. Indra. + +The chanters hymn thee, they who say the word of praise +magnify thee. + +The priests have raised thee up on high, 0 Satakratu, like a +pole. + +2 As up he domb from ridge to ridge and looked upon the + +toilsome task, + +Indra observes this wish of his, aiid the Ra m hastens with his +troop. + +3 Harness thy pair of strong bay steeds, long-maned, whose + +bodies fill the girths, + +And, Indra, Soma-drinker, come to listen to our songs of +praise.- + +4 Come hither, answer thou the song, sing in approval, cry + +aloud. + +Good Indra, make our prayer succeed, and prosper this pur +sacrifice. + +5 To Indra must a laud be said, to strengthen him who freely + +gives, + +That Sakra may take pleasure in our friendship and drink-offer¬ +ings. + +6 Him, him we seek for friendship, him for riches and heroic + +might. + +for Indra, he is Sakra, he shall aid us while he gives us wealth. + +7 Easy to turn and drive away, Indra, is spoil bestowed by thee. + + +1 f The concluding phrase, hod ..ud vatis'amiv'cc ijmire, “they have raised +tjiee, like a bamboo,” is rather obscure. The Scholiast says, they have ele¬ +vated Indra, as tumblers raise a bamboo—on the summit of which they +balance themselves j a feat not uncommon in India ; or, as mfixa means, also, +a family, it may be rendered, as ambitious persons raise their family to con¬ +sequence/ Wilson* + +2 Tl-~ ' .a.- .r - Vomheight to 1 2 * * 5 * 7 height, + +which- ^ i ■ . - 1 ■ ■ - ' . of the'Yajam&na, the + +person who institutes or performs a regular sacrifice and. pays the expenses of +it, who goes to the mountain to gather the Soma-plant, fuel, etc, Ludwig +thinks that Indra is meant, rising higher and higher, and yet not delaying to +come to the sacrifice,- + +The Ram , (vrishmh) is Indra, and liis flock or troop are the Maruts. + +Hastens: comes quickly to the sacrifice. + +5 Sakra, a common name of Indra, used in the next stanza as an epithets + +{ the powerful/ from seek, to he able, + +7 Fast/ to turn: The booty spoken of in the Rigveda consists chiefly of +cattle, which with Indra’s assistance are easily turned and driven away from +tlie enemy who possesses them* + + + +1IYMX n.] + + +the mar jsda. + + +13 + + +Unclose the_«table ^of .tlic .kuieji-ind giye us. wealth 0 Tlnmclcr* +arnic3, + +8 The heaven and earth contain thee not, together, in thy wrath¬ + +ful mood. + +Win us the waters of the sky, and send us kine abundantly. + +9 Hear, thou whose ear is quick, my call; take'' to thee readily + +my songs. + +0 Indra, let this laud of mine come nearer even than thy +friend. + +10 We know thee mightiest of all, in battles hearer of our cry. + +Of thee most mighty we invoke the aid that giveth thousand¬ +fold. + +11 0 Indra, Son of Kusika, drink our libation'with delight. +Prolong our life anew, and cause the seer to win a thousand + +gifts, + +12 Lover of song, may these our songs on every side encompass + +thee: + +Strengthening thee of lengthened life, may they bo dear de¬ +lights to thee. + +HYMN XL Indra. + +All sacred songs have magnified Indra expansive as the sea, +The best of warriors borne on cars, the Lord, the very Lord of +strength. + +2 Strong in thy friendship, Indra, Lord of power and might, we + +have no fear. + +We glorify with praises thee, the never-conquered conqueror. + +3 The gifts of Indra from of old, his saving succours, never fail. +When to the praise-singers he gives the boon of substance + +rich in kine. + +Unclose the stable of the bine: Open the thick cloud that holds the water +Imprisoned, and fertilize our fields with rain. + +9 Thy friend; probably the mjra or thunderbolt which is Jndra’s insepar¬ +able associate and ally. + +11 So7i of Kusika : Kusika was the father or the grandfather of Visv&mitra +who was the father of the poet or seer of this hymn. This epithet Kausika, +son of Kusika, is here applied to Ipdra as being the chief or special God of the +seer's family. + +12 Of lengthened life=. immortal, + +1 This hymn is ascribed to Jetar the sou of Madhuchchhandas the seer of +the preceding hy nm. * - + +Expansive as the sea : at L 8, 7. Or the expression may be, as Wilson says, +‘ a vague mode of indicating the universal diffusion of Indra as the firma¬ +ment,’ + + +HYMN 9.] THE EIGVEEA, $1 + +10 So are bis lovely gifts; let lauds and praises be to Indra sung, +That he may drink the Soma juice, + +HYMN IX. Indra. + +Come, Indra, and delight thee with the juice at all the Soma +feasts, 9 + +Protector, mighty in thy strength. + +2 To Indra pour ye forth the juice, the active gladdening juice + +to him + +The gladdening, omnific God. + +3 0 Lord of all men, fair of cheek, rejoice thee in the gladdening + +lauds, + +Present at these drink-offerings.* + +4 Songs have outpoured themselves to thee, Indra, the strong, + +the guardian Lord, + +And raised themselves unsatisfied. + +5. Send to us bounty manifold, O Indra, worthy of our wish, + +For power supreme is only thine. + +6 0 Indra, stimulate thereto us emulously fain for wealth, + +And glorious, 0 most splendid One. + +7 Give, Indra, wide and lofty fame, wealthy in cattle and in + +strength, + +Lasting our life-time, failing not. + +8 Grant us high fame, O Indra, grant riches bestowing thousands, + +those * + +Fair fruits of earth borne home in wains. + +9 Praising with songs the praise-worthy who cometh to our aid, + +we call + +Indra, the Treasure-Lord of wealth. *■ + +10 To lofty Indra, dweller by each libation, the pious man +Sings forth aloud a strengthening hymn. + +10 Let lauds and praises be to Indra sung : more exactly, ‘be lauds, spoken +and sung, to Inclra given ; * itktha being properly the laud that is recited, and +Stoma the hymn of praise that is sung. + +4 And raised themselves unsatisfied: djoshdh, not contented, that is, with +prayers ever new, Ludwig observes that the S&maveda has preserved the +correct reading sajdshdh, ‘ with one accord.’ + +8 Those fair fruits of earth brought home in wains, ‘ The original of this +hymn, as of many others, is so concise and elliptical as to be unintelligible +without the liberal amplification of the Scholiast. We have in the text simply +“those car-having viands,” td ruthintr ishah . meaning, S&yana says, those +articles of food which are conveyed in ears, carts, or waggons, from the site of +their production ; as rice, barley, and other kinds of grain.’ Wilson. + +The meaning of rathintr is not clear, + + + +14 THE 1ITMNS OF [BOOK L + +4 C rusher of for ts, the young, the wise, of strength unmeasured, + +wasTIeTom + +Sustaiuer of each sacred rite, Indra, the Thunderer, nmeh- +extolled. + +5 Lord of the thunder, thou didst burst,the cave of Vala rich + +in "cows. + +The Gods came pressing to thy side, and free from terror aided +thee. + +6 I, Hero, through thy bounties am come to the flood addressing + +thee. + +Song-lover, here the singers stand and testify to thee thereof. + +7 The wily Sushna, Indra i thou o’erthrewest with thy wondrous + +powers. + +The wise beheld this deed of thine: now go beyond their +eulogies. + +8 Our songs of praise have glorified Indra who ruletli by his + +might, + +Whose precious gifts in thousands come, yea, even more +abundantly. + +HYMN XIT. Agm. + +We choose Agm the messenger, the herald, master of all wealth, + +Well skilled in this our sacrifice. + +2 With callings ever they invoke Agm, Agin, Lord of the House, + +Oblation-beaver, much beloved. + +3 Bring the Gods hither, Agni, born for him who strews the sacred + +grass: + +Thou art our herald, meet for praise. + +4 Crusher of forts; destroyer or breaker-down of the clouds that withhold +the rain, which are regarded as the forts or strongholds of Vritra and-the +other hostile powers of the air. + +5 The care of Vala ; Vala is the brother of Vritra, or Vritra himself under +another name, who stole the cows of the Gods and hid them in a cave, that is, +kept the light and waters imprisoned in dark clouds. + +fi To the flood ; i. e. to Indra, the river or sea of bounty. + +7 The wily Sushna ; Sushna is described as a demon slain by Indra. +The word means drier up : bhdtdndm soshanahetit, cau.se of the drying up of +beings, the excessive heat and drought before the Kains, which Indra puts an +end to. + +Now go beyond their eulogies: i. e. do deeds worthy of still higher praise. +Or it may mean, make their eulogies endure. + +1 The Hymns from XII to XXIII inclusive are ascribed to • Medh&fcithi, +son of Kanva. + +The messenger: the mediator between men and Gods. The herald : devdndm +dhrdtdram , the inviter of the Gods, is Sdyana's explanation, + +3 Born,: newly produced by attrition for the man who has prepared and +spread the sacrificial grass as a seat for the expected deities, + + + +HYMN 18.] + + +THE RIO VEDA. + + +15 + + +4 Wake up the willing Gods, since thou, Agni, performed + +embassage: + +Sit on the sacred grass with Gods, + +5 0 Agni, radiant One, to whom the holy oil is poured, burn up +Our enemies whom,fiends protect. + +6 By Agni Agni is inflamed, Lord of the House, Wise, young, who + +bears + +The gift; the ladle is his mouth. + +7 Praise Agni in the sacrifice, the Sage whose ways are ever true, +The God who driveth grief away. + +8 God, Agni, be his strong defence who, lord of sacrificial gifts, +Worslxippeth thee the messenger. + +9 Whoso with sacred gift would fain call Agni to the feast of + +Gods, + +0 Purifier, favour him. + +10 Such, Agni, Purifier, bright, bring hither to our sacrifice, + +To our oblation bring the Gods. + +11 So lauded by our newest song of praise bring opulence to us, +And food, with heroes for our sons. + +12 0 Agni, by effulgent flame, by all invokings of the Gods, + +Show pleasure in this laud of ours. + +HYMN XIII. Agni. + +Agni, well-kindled, bring the Gods for him who offers holy gifts. +Worship them. Purifier, Priest. + +2 Son of Thyself, present, 0 Sage, our sacrifice to the Gods to¬ +day, + +Sweet to the taste, that they may feast. + + +6 By Agni Agni is inflamed: The fire into which the oblation is poured is +lighted by the application of other fire. + +Young: as newly horn each time the fire is produced. The ladle: used for +pouring the sacrificial butter into the fire. + +8 Lord of sacrificial gifts : the wealthy patron or institutor of the sacrifice. + +9 0 Purifier: pdvaka, purifying, is in later Sanskrit a common word for fire. + +[ This is one of the Aprt or propitiatory hymns, consisting of invocations to a +series of deified objects, and said to be introductory to idle animal sacrifice. +I All the deified objects addressed in this hymn are said by Sftyana to be forms +| of Agni. + +X For him who offers holy gifts: for the institutor of the sacrifice. + +2 Son of Thyself . Tanunap&t, son or descendant of oneself, is a frequently +recurring name of Agni, so called because fire is sometimes self-generated, as +in the lightning, or produced by attrition, and not necessarily derived from +'other fire. Other fanciful derivations are given. + + +16 + + +THE IITMNS OF + + +[BOOK I + + +3 Dear Narasausa, sweet of tongue, the giver of oblations, I +Invoke to this our sacrifice, + +4 Agni, on thy most easy car, glorified, hither bring the Gods; +Mann appointed thee as Priest, + +5 Strew, 0 ye wise, the sacred grass that drips with oil, in order + +due, + +Where the Immortal is beheld. + +6 Thrown open be the Doors Divine, unfailing, that assist the rite, +For sacrifice this day and now. + +7 I call the lovely Night and Dawn to seat them on the holy grass +At this- our solemn sacrifice. + +8 The two Invokers I invite, the wisp, divine, and sweet of + +tongue, + +To celebrate this our sacrifice. + +I]a, Sarasvati, Main, t 1 ■ / G..V1 . who bring delight, + +( Be seated, peaceful, of " " . + +10 Tvaslitar I call, the earliest born, the wearer of all forms at + +will: + +May he be ours and ours alone. + +11 God, Sovran of the Wood, present this our oblation to the + +Gods, + +And let the giver be renowned. + + +3 Nard^ahm ; 4 Praise of Men 1 is one of Agni’s mystical names. + +4 4/ft me .* is the man par excellence, or the representative man and father of +the human race, regarded as the first institutor of sacrifices and religious cere¬ +monies. + +5 The Immortal: according to S&yaua either the clarified butter or' Agni +the God. + +6 The Doors Divine: the doors of the chamber in which the oblation is +offered. + +Unfailing; the signification of asauhatah in the text is uncertain. S&yana +explains the word variously in various places. + +8 The two Invokers* It seems A uncertain who these two invokers or priests +(hot&r&) are, whether Agni and Aditya, or Agni and Varuna, or V&runa and +Aditya. See M, Muller's A, S. Literature* p. 464. + +9 /Id: the Goddess of sacred speech and action. + +Sarasvati : see I. 3. 10. + +Mukt; c the great’ (Goddess), said-to be identical with Bh&ratS, also a +Goddess of speech. + +10 Tvaslitar, is the Hephaistos, or Vulcan, of the Indian pantheon, the ideal +artist, the divine artisan, the most skilful of workmen, versed in all wonderful +and admirable contrivances. + +11 God , Sovran of the Wood : vanaspati, lord of the wood ; usually, a large +tree ; here said to be an Agni,—as if the fuel and the burning of it were iden- +tified. A Or the Sacrificial Post may be intended, which is enumerated among +tlie Apr! deities or deified objects. + + + + + +HYMN 14.] + + +THU MIG VEDA. + + +17 + + +12 With Svaha pay the sacrifice to Indra in the offerer’s house : +Thither I call the Deities. + +HYMN XIV. Visvedevas. + +To drink the Soma, Agni, come, come to our service and our +songs r + +Wibh all these Gods; and worship them. + +2 The Kanvas have invoked thee ; they, 0 Singer, sing thee + +songs of praise: + +Agni, come hither with the Gods; + +3 Indra, Y&yu, Brihaspati, Mitra, Agni, Pushan, Bhaga, + +Adityas, and the Marut host. + + +12 Svdhd is tlie sacred word or exclamation (Hail ! Blessing ! ) used in +pouring the oblation on the fire. According to S&yana, Sv&hft also may be +identified with Agni. + +2 The Kanvas: sons or descendants of Kanva, men of the same family as the +seer of the hymn. + +3 Indra , Vdyu, etc. The names of these Gods are in the accusative case, +governed by ‘they (the Kanvas) have invoked,’ or ‘ worship them, 1 understood. + +Briha&patit ‘alternating with Brahmanaspati is the name of a deity in +whom the action of the worshipper upon the Gods is personified. He is +the suppliant, the priest who intercedes with the Gods for men, and protects +them against the wicked. Hence he appears as the prototype of the priests +and the priestly order, and is also designated as the Purohita of the divine +community. The essential difference between the original idea represented +in this God and those expressed in most of the other and older deities of the +Veda consists in the fact that the latter are personifications of various de¬ +partments of nature, or of physical forces, while the former is the product of +moral ideas, and an impersonation of the power of devotion.’ Muir, O. 8, +Texts , V. 272. + +Pdshan is a God who protects and multiplies cattle and human possessions +generally. In character he is a solar deity, beholds the entire universe, and is +a guide on roads and journeys. + +Bhaga , the gracious Lord and protector, is regarded as the bestower of +wealth, + +Adityas . ‘ There (in the highest heaven) dwell and reign those Gods who +bear in common the name of Adityas, We must, however, if we would dis¬ +cover their earliest character, abandon the conceptions which in a later age, +and even in that of the heroic poems, were entertained regarding these deities. +According to this conception they were twelve Sun-gods, bearing evident +reference to the twelve months. But for the most ancient period we must +hold fast the primary signification of their name. They are the inviolable, +imperishable, eternal beings. Aditi, eternity or the eternal, is the element +which sustains them and is sustained by them...The eternal and inviolable +element in which the Adityas dwell, and which forms their essence, is the +celestial light...The Adityas, the Gods of this light, do not therefore by any +means coincide with any of the forms in which light is manifested in the uni¬ +verse. They are neither sun, nor moon, nor stars, nor dawn, but the eternal +eusfainers of this luminous life, which exists, as it were, behind all these +phenomena.’ Roth, quoted by Muir, 0. 8. Texts , V, p. 56. + + + +18 THE HYMNS OF [BOOH L + +4 For you these juices are poured forth that gladden and exhi¬ + +larate, + +The meath-drops resting in the cup, + +5 The sons of Kanva fain for help adore thee, having strewn the + +grass, + +With offering's and all things prepared. + +6 Let the swift steeds who carry thee, thought-yoked and drop¬ + +ping holy oil, + +Bring the Gods to the Soma draught. + +7 Adored, the strengthened of Law, unite them, Agni, with their* + +Dames: + +Make them drink meath, 0 bright of tongue. + +8 Let them, 0 Agni, who deserve worship and praise drink with + +thy tongue + +The meath in solemn sacrifice. + +9 Away, from the Sun’s realm of light, the wise invoking Priest + +shall bring + +All Gods awaking with the dawn. + +10 With all the Gods, with Indra, with Vayu, and Mitra’s splen¬ + +dours, drink, + +Agni, the pleasant Soma juice. + +11 Ordained by Manu as our Priest, thou sittest, Agni, at each rite: +Hallow thou this our sacrifice. + +12 Harness the Red Mares to thy* car, the Bays, 0 God, the flam¬ + +ing ones: + +With those bring hitherward the Gods. + +HYMN XV. Bitu, + +0 Indra drink the Soma juice with Ritu; let the cheering drops +Sink deep within, which settle there. + + +The Marut host: the Maruts are the Gods of the winds and storms, the +companions and friends of Indra. They are said in the Veda to be the sons of +Rudra and Prism, the latter being explained by Sftyana as * the many-colour¬ +ed earth/ hut regarded by Professor Roth as a personification of the speckled +clouds. + +7 Unite them with their Dames .* patnimtas Teridhi; make them (come) with +their consorts. + +9 The wise invoking Priest: Agni, who calls the Gods. + +10 All the Gods: or Visvedevas; see I. 8. 7. + +11 Manu : see 1.18. 4. + +1 Ritu : meaning generally a season, a sixth part of the Indian year, is here +personified and addressed as a deity. + + + +HYMN 15.] + + +THE RWYEDA. + + +19 + + +2 Drink from the Purifier’s cup, Maruts, with Eitu; sanctify +The rite, for ye give precious gifts. + +3 0 Neshtar, with thy Dame accept our sacrifice; with Eitu drink, +For thou art he who giveth wealth. + +4 Bring the Gods, Agni; in the three appointed places set them + +down ; + +Surround them, and with Eitu drink. + +5 Drink Soma after the Eitus, from the Brahmaua’s bounty: un¬ + +dissolved, + +O Indra, is thy friendship’s bond. + +6 Mitra, Yaruna, ye whose ways are firm—a Power that none + +deceives—, + +With Eitu ye have reached the rite. + +7 The Soma-pressers, fain for wealth, praise the Wealth-giver in + +the rite, + +In sacrifices praise the God. + +8 May the Wealth-giver grant to us riches that shall be far + +renowned : + +These things we gain among the Gods. + +9 He with the Eitus fain would drink, Wealth-giver, from the + +Neshtar’s bowl. + +Haste, give your offering, and depart. + +10 As we this fourth time, Wealth-giver, honour thee with the +Eitus, be + +A Giver bountiful to us. + + +2 The Purifier's cup : the sacrificial vessel of the Potar, or Purifier, who +pours into the fire the libation for the Maruts. + +3 0 Neshtar : the Neshtar is one of the chief officiating priests, who leads +forward the* wife of the institutor of the sacrifice. In this place Neshtar is +said to be another name for the God Tvashtar from his having on some oc¬ +casion assumed the function of a Neshtar priest. + +4 The three appointed places ; by the three sacrificial fires. + +5 The JBrdhmana's bounty. The Br&hmana here is said to be the Br&hma- +n&chchhansi, one of the sixteen priests employed in sacrifices; and perhaps his +office may have been to hold some ladle or vase in which the offering is pre¬ +sented. + +7 The Soma-pressers: grotkvahastdsah, men having stones in their hands +with which to bruise the Soma plant. The Wealth giver is Agni. + +In the rite , In sacrifices : 1 in the adhvara and in the yajnas } the first said +to be the primary or essential ceremony, such as the Agnishtoma ; the second, +the modified ceremonies, such as the Ukthjra which is elsewhere termed an +offering with Soma juice/ Wilson. + +10 As we this fourth time: Agni, as Dravinod&s or Wealth-giver, has now +been celebrated in four stanzas instead of the usual tricha or triad; or we may +translate with Ludwig, * As we in fourth place/ Agni being fourth in the in¬ +vocation (Indra, Maruts, Tvashtar, Agni). + + + + +20 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK 2 . + +11 Drink ye the meath, 0 Asvins bright with flames, whose acts + +are pure, who with +- Ritus accept the sacrifice. + +12 With Ritu, through the house-fire, thou, kind Giver, guidest + +sacrifice: + +Worship the Gods for the pious man. + +HYMN XVI. Indra. + +Let thy Bay Steeds bring thee, the Strong, hither to drink the +Soma draught— + +Those, Indra, who are bright as suns. + +2 Here are the grains bedewed with oil: hither let the Bay + +Coursers bring +Indra upon his easiest car. + +3 Indra at early morn we call, Indra in course of sacrifice, + +Indra to drink the Soma juice. + +4 Come hither, with thy long-maned Steeds, 0 Indra, to the + +draught we pour: + +We call thee when the juice is shed. + +5 Come thou to this our song of praise, to the libation poured + +for thee: + +Drink of it like a stag athirst. + +6 Here are the drops of Soma juice expressed on sacred grass : + +thereof + +Drink, Indra, to increase thy might. + +7 Welcome to thee be this our hymn, reaching thy heart, most + +excellent: + +Then drink the Soma juice expressed. + +8 To every draught of pressed-out juice Indra, the Vritra-slayer, + +comes, + +To drink the Soma for delight. + +9 Fulfil, 0 Satakratu, all our wish with horses and with kine : +With holy thoughts we sing thy praise. + +12 Through the house-jive. The g&rhapatya is the sacred fire perpetually +maintained by the householder ; the fire from which fires for sacrificial pur¬ +poses are lighted. + +1 Bright as suns ; s&rachalcsasah. Sftyana understands this to refer to the +priests, and Wilson renders accordingly ; may (the priests), radiant as the sun , +(make thee manifest). + +2 Easiest car; suhhdtame rathe: that is, most easily moving, swiftest. + +3 Inch'd at early morn we call . Although not more particularly named, the + +specification implies the morning, mid-day, and e\(:\ing w: " + +5 Mice a stag athirst: like a gaum (Bos Gaurus) a kind of buffalo. + +. f Brink like a thirsty buffalo,’ would perhaps be a more strictly accurate +rendering. + + + + +HYMN 18.] + + +21 + + +TIIE Jim VEDA. + +HYMN XVII, Indra-Varuna, + +I crave help from the ' Imperial Lords, from Indra-Varuna ; + +may they + +Both favour one of us like me. + +2 Guardians of men, ye ever come with ready succour at the call +Of every singer such as I. + +3 Sate you, according to your wish, 0 Indra-Varuna, with wealth : +Fain would we have you nearest us. + +4 May we be sharers of the powers, sharers of the benevolence +Of you who give strength bounteously. + +5 Indra and Varuna, among givers of thousands, meet for praise, +Are Powers who merit highest laud. + +6 Through their protection may we gain great store of wealth, + +and heap it up : + +Enough, and still to spare, be ours. + +7 0 Indra-Varuna, on you for wealth in many a form I call: +Still keep ye us victorious. + +8 0 Indra-Varuna, through our songs that seek to win you to + +ourselves, + +Give us at once your sheltering help. + +9 0 Indra-Varuna, to you may fair praise which I offer come, +Joint eulogy which ye dignify. + +HYMN XVIII. Bralimanaspati, + +0 Brahmahaspati, make him who presses Soma glorious, + +Even Kakshivan Ausija. + +1 Indra the Hero and Varuna the King are addressed conjointly as +a dual deity, Indr&varuna. The most prominent of the other dual deities are +Agni-Soma, Indra-V&yu, Indra-Agni, Indra-Brihaspati, Indra-Soma, Mitra- +Varuna, Indra-Pftshan, Indra-Yishau, Dyaus-Prithivi and Soma-Rudra. + +Hrahmanaspati. See I. 14, 3. Professor Wilson says : ‘ The Scholiast fur¬ +nishes us with no account of the station or functions of this divinity. The +etymology m?:TI V-tify Dr. TV-th** definition of him as the deity of sacred +prayer, or rai hci*. peri;:;:*:--. ,x i d o x i of the Veda ; but whether he is to be +considered as a diMii.ci nor-oiion, or as a modified form of one of those +already recognized, and "’especially of Agni, is doubtful. His giving wealth, +healing disease, and promoting nourishment, are properties not poeuliar to +him ; and his being associated with Indra and Soma, while it mahes him dis¬ +tinct from them, leaves him Agni r* , His being, in an especial + +manner, connected with prayer . ■ |■ . ■ - ■ • * . ■ in a subsequent passage. + +Hymn XL. Agni is, in an especial . _ of the Brahman; and, + +according to some statements, the Rigrc:1n is suppose! to proceed from him ; +a notion, however, which according to Med!: !' iilii. the commentator on Manu, +was suggested by its opening with the hymn to Agni, Agnim tie.' + +Kafcshtvdn, called Ausija, or son of Usij, was a renowned Rishi or seer, of +the family of Pajra, and the author of several of the hymns of the Rigyeda, + + +22 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK I. + +2 The rich, the healer of disease, who giveth wealth, inereaseth + +store, + +The prompt,—may he be with us still. + +3 Let not the foeman’s curse, let not a mortal's onslaught fall on + +us: + +Preserve us, Brahmanaspati. + +4 Ne'er is the mortal hero harmed whom Indra, Brahmanaspati, +And Soma graciously inspire. + +5 Do, thou, 0 Brahmanaspati, and Indra, Soma, Dakshina, +Preserve that mortal from distress. + +6 To the Assembly's wondrous Lord, to Indra’s lovely Friend who + +gives + +Wisdom, have I drawn near in prayer. + +7 He without whom no sacrifice, e'en of the wise man, prospers ; + +he + +Stirs up the series of thoughts. + +8 He makes the oblation prosper, he promotes the course of + +sacrifice; + +Our voice of praise goes to the Gods. + +9 I have seen Nar&sansa, him most resolute, most widely famed, +As 5 twere the Household Priest of heaven. + + +2 The rich , the healer of disease ; Brahmanaspati. + +4 Soma ; the God who represents and animates the juice of the Soma + +plant. He was in former times the Indian Dionysus or Bacchus. 2 * 4 5 6 The +simple minded Aryan people,’ says Professor Whitney, 4 whose whole religion +was a worship of the wonderful powers and phenomena of nature, had no +sooner perceived that this liquid [Soma juice] had power to elevate the +spirits, and produce a temporary frenzy, under the influence of which the +individual was prompted to, and" capable of, deeds beyond his natural powers, +than they found in it something divine: it was to theif apprehension a God, +endowing those into whom it entered with godlike powers ; the plant which +afforded it became to them the king of plants; the process '* r - -— +tecame a holy sacrifice. The high antiquity of this cultus is ■ ■ 1 : ■: + +references to it found occurring in the Persian Avesta.’ See Muir, 0. 8. Texts } +V. 258. + +5 Dahshtnd: properly the present made to the priests at the conclusion of +a sacrifice, here personified as a Goddess. + +6 The Assembly's wondrous Lord: Sadasaspati, the' master or protector of +the assembly of priests, is here a title of Agni. + +9 Household Priest : sadmamahhasam; according to S&yana, * radiant as +heaven/ according to Ludwig, 4 as one who fought to win heaven’s seat.’ + +Nardsama has already occurred as a name of Agni (I. 13. 3.) The meaning +appears to be : through my invocation and praise I have reached the Gods, +and with the eye of the spirit have looked on Agni in heaven. + + + +HYMN 19.] + + +2 $ + + +THE RIGVEDA. + +HYMN XIX. Agni, Maruts. + +To this fair sacrifice to drink the milky draught thou art in¬ +voked : + +0 Agni, with the Marats come. + +2 No mortal man, no God exceeds thy mental power, 0 Mighty + +One: + +0 Agni, with the Maruts come : + +3 All Gods devoid of guile, who know the mighty region of mid¬ + +air : + +O Agni, with those Maruts come. + +4 The terrible, who sing their song, not to be overcome by + +might: + +0 Agni, with those Maruts come. + +5 Brilliant, and awful in their form, mighty, devourers of their + +foes: + +0 Agni,, with those Maruts come. + +6 Who sit as Deities in heaven, above the sky-vault’s luminous + +sphere : + +O Agni, with those Maruts come. + +7 Who scatter clouds about the sky, away over the billowy sea : +0 Agni, with those Maruts come. + +8 Who with their bright beams spread them forth over the + +ocean in their might: + +O Agni, with those Maruts come. + +9 For thee, to be thine early draught, I pour the Soma-mingled + +meath : + +0 Agni, with the Maruts come. + +HYMN XX. Bibhus. + +Fob the"* Celestial Hace this song of praise which gives wealth +lavishly + +Was made by singers with their lips. + +2 They who for Indra, with their mind, formed horses harnessed +by a word, + +Attained by works to sacrifice. + +1 Pot the Celestial Race ; devdya j&nmane, the divine class or raee of the +Bibhus, the three sons of Sudhanvan who is said to have been a descendant of +Angiras. They were named severally Bibhu, Vibhvan, and V&ja^ and styled +collectively Bibhus from the name of the eldest. ^ 1 Through their assiduous +performance of good works they obtained divinity and became entitled to +receive praise and adoration. They are supposed to dwell in the solar sphere, +and there is an indistinct identification of them with the rays of the sum: but, +whether typical or not, they prove the admission, at an early date of the doc¬ +trine that men might become divinities,’ Wilson, + + + +24 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK I. + +3 They for the two Nasatyas wrought a light car moving every + +way : + +They formed a nectar-yielding cow. + +4 The Eibhus with effectual prayers, honest, with constant + +labour, made + +Their Sire anct Mother young again. + +5 Together came your gladdening drops with Indra by the + +Maruts girt, + +With the Adityas, with the Kings. + +6 The sacrificial ladle, wrought newly by the God Tvashtar’s + +hand— + +Four ladles have ye made thereof. + +7 Vouchsafe us wealth, to him who pours thrice seven libations, + +yea, to each + +Give wealth, pleased with our eulogies. + +8 As ministering Priests they held, by pious acts they won + +themselves, + +A share in sacrifice with Gods. + +HYMN XXL Indra-Agni, + +Indra and Agni I invoke ; fain are we for their song of praise : + +Chief Soma-drinkers are they both, + +3 The two N&satyas: the Asvins, See I, 3. 3. The Ribhus may have +been the first to attempt the bodily representation of the horses of Indra and +the chariot of the Asvins, + +4 Sire and Mother ; Heaven and Earth, which they, as deities of the +seasons, refresh and restore to youth. + +5 1 According to Asval&yana, as quoted hy S&yana, the libations offered +at the third daily (or evening) sacrifice are presented to Indra along with the +Adityas, together with Ribhu, Vibhvan, and V&ja, with Brihnspati and the +Visvadevas.’ Wilson. + +6 ‘Tvashtar, in the Paur&pik r.'y iV --V ■*■■■ tlo carpenter or artisan of + +the Gods: so S&yana sayB of him, t *' - \ ■■■ 1