Rigveda

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 <ie duty, with relation to

the Gods, is carpentry.Sctyana al ■ ; s. ' ■ ! lY ' \ the disciples of Tvash-

tar...The act ascribed to them in the text, of making one ladle four, has, pro¬
bably, rather reference to some innovation in the objects of libation than to
the i ■ • V :. J; n of the wooden spoons used to pour out the Soma juice.

The.' ■ W, ■ that Agni, coming to a sacrifice which the Ribhus ce¬
lebrated, became as one of them, and, therefore, they made the ladle fourfold,
that each might have his share.’ Wilson.

7 Or the * thrice seven ’ may refer to ratndni, grant thrice seven rich trea¬
sures.

1 In dm and Agni: addressed conjointly as a dual deity, Indr&gni, that is,
Indra*Agni, See, 1,17,1,




HYMN 22.] THE RIGVEDA. 25

2 Praise ye, 0 men, and glorify Indra-Agni in the holy rites :
Sing praise to them in sacred songs.

3 Indra and Agni we invite, the Soma-drinkers, for the fame
Of Mitra, to the Soma-draught.

4 Strong Gods, we bid them come to this libation that stands

ready here :

Indra and Agni, come to us*

5 Indra and Agni, mighty Lords of our assembly, crush the

fiends:

Childless be the devouring ones.

6 Watch ye, through this your truthfulness, there in the place

of spacious view ;

Indra and Agni, send us bliss.

HYMN XXII. Asvins and Others.

Waken the Asvin Pair who yoke their car at early mom :
may they

Approach to drink this Soma juice.

2 We call the Asvins Twain, the Gods borne in a noble car, the

best

Of charioteers, who reach the heavens.

3 Dropping with honey is your whip, Asvins, and full of plea¬

santness :

Sprinkle therewith the sacrifice.

4 As ye go thither in your car, not far, 0 Asvins, is the home
Of him who offers Soma juice.

5 For my protection I invoke the golden-handed Savitar :

He knoweth, as a God, the place.


S For the fame of Mitra: the meaning is not clear. Mitra appeal's to be
regarded as the guardian of the world. Sfryana takes Mitra in the sense of
friend, and refers it to the institutor of the sacrifice.

5 Crush the fiends: the R&kshasas, demons who go about at night, ensnar¬
ing and even devouring human beings, disturbing sacrifices and devout men,
and generally hostile to the Aryan race.

6 In the place of spacious view: S&yana explains f in the station which

—f!r *-\kes known the experience of results (of actions) that is in
t: In the place where what is hidden will be made known.


3 Your whip: the madhuJcas& or Honey-whip of the Asvins is perhaps the
stimulating morning breeze. ‘See Atharva-veda IX. 1, the whole of which
hymn is a glorification of this wondrous whip.

5 Savitar: the generator or vivifier, is a name of the Sun, in the Yeda
sometimes identified with and sometimes distinguished from Sftrya,





26 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK L

6 That he may send us succour, praise the Waters’ Offspring

Savitar :

Fain are we for his holy ways.

7 We call on him, distributer of wondrous bounty and of wealth,
On Savitar who looks on men.

8 Come hither^ friends, and seat yourselves; Savitar, to be

praised by us,

Giving good gifts, is beautiful.

9 0 Agni, hither bring to us the willing Spouses of the Gods,
And Tvashtar, to the Soma draught.

10 Most youthful Agni, hither bring their Spouses, Hotra, Bharati,
Varutri, Dhishana, for aid.

11 Spouses of Heroes, Goddesses, with whole wings may they come

to us

With great protection and with aid.

12 Indrani, Yarun&ni, and Agnayi hither I invite,

For weal, to drink the Soma juice.

13 May Heaven and Earth, the Mighty Pair, bedew for us our

sacrifice,

And feed us full with nourishments.

14 Their water rich with fatness, there in the Gandharva’s sted-

fast place,

The singers taste through sacred songs.


6 The Waters' Offspring Savitar : son or offspring of the Waters, apdm
napdtj is an epithet more frequently applied to Agni. S&yana explains it
otherwise as 1 one who does not cherish (na p&lakam.) the water, but dries it
up with his heat/

10 Hotrd is called the wife of Agni, or the personified invocation ; Bhdvatl
is Holy Speech or Prayer ; Yardtri is explained as tf she who is to be chosen,
the excellent; * and JDhishand is said to be a synonym of V&k or Y&gdovi,
the Goddess of Speech,

► 11 With whole wings: literally, with unclipped wings; that is, swift as
birds whose wings have not been cut,

12 Indrdni, Varundni , and Agndyt: are respectively the consorts of Indra,
Vanina, and Agni,

14 Their water rich in fatness; the fertilizing rain sent by Heaven and
Earth. The meaning appears to be : the holy singers enjoy, as guerdon for
their hymns, the kindly rain and other good gifts which are sent down from
the regions above by the great parents Heaven and Earth. .

The Gandharva’s stedfast place: Though in later times the Gandharvas are
regarded as a class, in the Itigveda more than one is seldom mentioned. He
is commonly designated as* ‘ the heavenly Gandharva/ whose habitation is
the sky, and whose especial duty is to guard the heavenly Soma, which the
Gods obtain through his permission*



HYMN 22.] THE HI GY EH A. 27

15 Thornless be thou, 0 Earth, spread wide before ns for a dwell¬

ing-place :

Vouchsafe us shelter broad and sure.

16 The Gods be gracious unto us even from the place whence

Vishnu strode

Through the seven regions of the earth !

17 Through all this world strode Vishrm; thrice his foot he

planted, and the whole
Was gathered in his footstep’s dust.

18 Vishnu, the Guardian, he whom none deceiveth, made three

steps ; thenceforth
Establishing his high decrees.

19 Look ye on Vishnu’s works, whereby the Friend of Indra,

close-allied,

Hath let his holy ways be seen.

20 The princes evermore behold that loftiest place where Vishnu is,
Laid as it were an eye in heaven.

21 This, Vishnu’s station most sublime, the singers, ever vigilant,
Lovers of holy song, light up.


v 16 Vishnu: This God, ‘the all-pervading or v» ^nt placed

in the Veda in the foremost rank of deities, and • \ invoked

with Indra, Varuna, the Maruts, Rudra, Vftyu anc : '■ ‘ .V•. 1 : • \\periority
to them is never stated, and he is even described in one place as celebrating
the praise of Indra and deriving his power from that God. The point which
distinguishes him from the other Vedic deities is chiefly his striding over the
heavens, which he is said to do in three paces, explained as denoting the three¬
fold manifestation of light in the form of fire, lightning and the sun, or as
designating the three daily stations of the sun, in his rising, culminating and
setting.

The meaning of the stanza is obscure: Wilson, after S&yana, translates:
‘ May the Gods preserve us (from that portion) of the earth whence Vishnu,
(aided) by the seven metres, stepped,’ and notes: * According to the Taitti-
riyas, as cited by the scholiast, the Gods with Vishnu at their head subdued
the invincible earth, using the seven metres of the Veda as their instruments.
S&yana conceives the text to allude to the Trivihvama Avatdra, in which
Vishnu traversed the three worlds in three steps. The phrase “ preserve ns
from the earth ” implies according to the commentary, the hinderance of the
sin of those inhabiting the earth/

17 The whole was gathered in Ms footstep's dust: This is the meaning ac¬
cording to S&yana. Vishnu was so mighty that the dust raised by his foot¬
step enveloped the whole world, or the earth was formed from the dust of his
strides.

20 The princes : the Mris, the wealthy patrons of sacrifice, ■ .

21 Light up : glorify with their praises.





tffJB HYMNS OF


[BOOK t


sis


HYMN XXIII. VAyu and Others

Strong are the Somas ; come thou nigh; these juices have
been mixt with milk :

Drink, V&yu, the presented draughts.

2 Both Deities who touch the heaven, Indra and Yayu we invoke.
To drink of this our Soma juice.

8 The singers, for, their aid, invoke Indra and Y&yu, swift as
mind,

The thousand-eyed, the Lords of thought. - . "

4 Mitra and Yanina, renowned as Gods of consecrated might,

We call to drink the Soma juice.

5 Those who by Law uphold the Law, Lords of the shining light

of Law,

Mitra I call, and Yaruna,

6 Let Varuna be our chief defence, let Mitra guard us with all

aids:

Both make us rich exceedingly.

7 Indra, by Maruts girt, we call to drink the Soma juice: may he
Sate him in union with his troop.

8 Gods, Marut hosts whom Indra leads, distributers of Pushan's

gifts,

Hearken ye all unto my cry.

9 With conquering Indra for ally, strike Yritra down, ye boun¬

teous Gods :

Let not the wicked master us.

10 We call the Universal Gods, and Maruts to the Soma draught,
For passing strong are Prisni’s Sons.

11 Fierce- comes the Maruts'. thundering voice, like thatjof con¬

querors, when ye go ? ' ‘

Forward to victory, 0 Men.

12 Born of the laughing lightning, may the Maruts guard us

everywhere :

May they be gracious unto us.

This hymn is addressed to V&yu, Indra, Mitra, Yaruna, the Visve Devas
Pushan, the Waters, Agni. * *

1 Lords of thought ; dhi, thought, means especially in the Yeda holy
thought, devotion, prayer, a religious rite, a sacrifice.

S PUshan is the guardian of flocks and herds and of property in general.

10 Prhnimdtarah; Prisni’a sons, those who have for their mother Prisni

the many-coloured earth or the speckled cloud ; the Maruts. ‘ * *

11 0 Mm; 0 heroic Maruts,



HYMN 23.] THE RIG VEDA. 29

13 Like some lost animal, drive to us, bright Pushan, him who
hecars up heaven,*

Besting on many-coloured grass.

j 14 Pushan the Bright has found the King,

[ ' in a c &ve,

Who rests on grass of many hues.

15 And may he duly bring to me the six bound closely, through
• these drops,

As one who ploughs with steers brings corn.

16 Along their paths the Mothers go, Sisters of priestly ministrantsj
Mingling their sweetness with the milk.

17 May Waters gathered near the Sun, and those wherewith the

Sun is joined,.

Speed forth this sacrifice of ours.

18 I call the Waters, Goddesses, wherein our cattle quench their

thirst;

Oblations to the Streams be given.

19 Amrit is in the Waters ; in the Waters there is healing balm :
Be swift, ye Gods, to give them praise.

20 Within the Waters—Soma thus hath told me—dwell all balms

that heal,

And Agni, he who blesseth all. The Waters hold all medicines.

21 0 Waters, teem with medicine to keep my body safe from harm,
So that I long fetnr«ee~the~Sim.

22 Whatever sin is found in me, whatever evil I have wrought,

If I have lied or falsely sworn, Waters, remove it far from me.

23 The Waters I this day have sought, and to their moisture

have we come:

0 Agni, rich in milk, come thou, and with thy splendour
cover me.


13 Him who hears up heaven: Soma, the juice which prompts the world-
sustaining deeds of the Gods,

14 The King: Soma.

. Concealed and hidden in a cave : in a place difficult of access ; the refer*
ence is to the flight of Agni. See III. 9. 4.

15 The six : the six seasons, spring, summer, the rains, autumn, winter, the
dews. Through these drops : May this libation induce him to bring? etc.

16 The Mothers: the Waters, regarded as the close allies of the priests, as
they are mingled with the ingredients of the Soma libation.

19 Amrit: nectar, the drink that confers immortality ; the Greek Ambrosia.

20 Soma thus hath told me : Soma is especially lord of medicinal plants.



30 • TEE HYMNS OF- [BOOK I.

24 Fill me with splendour, Agni; give offspring and length of
days ; the Gods

Shall know me even as I am, and Agni, with the Eishis, know.

HYMN XXIV. Varuna and Others.

Who now w he, what God among the Immortals, of whose
auspicious name we may bethink us ?

Who shall to mighty Aditi restore us, that I may see my
Father and my Mother ?

2 Agni the God the first among the Immortals,—of his auspici¬

ous name let us bethink us.

He shall to mighty Aditi restore us, that I may see my Father
and my Mother.

3 To thee, 0 Savitar, the Lord of precious things, who helpest us
Continually, for our share we come—

4 Wealth, highly lauded ere reproach hath fallen on it, which is

laid,

Free from all hatred, in thy hands.


. 24 Indr a with the Eishis ; Perhaps the seven great Rishis are intended,—
Marlchi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulalia, Kratu, and Vasishtha.

* This hymn, addressed to Varuna, Prajapati, Agni, Savitar, and Bhaga, is.
the first of a series attributed to SunaMepa, the soil of Ajtgarta. The legend
is told in full detail in the Aitareya Brdlwmna. A king, named Hariscliandra,
worships Varuna in order to obtain a son, promising to sacrifice to * him his
first-born. A son is born, named Rohita ; but the king delays the sacrifice
until Rohita grows up, when Ms father communicates to him his intended
fate. Rohita refuses submission, and spends several years in the forest away
from home. There, at last, he meets with Ajigarta, a Rishi in great distress,'
and persuades Mm to part with Ms second son Sunahsepa to be offered, as a
substitute, to Varuna. Sunalsepa is about to be sacrificed, when, by the ad¬
vice of Visv&mitra, one of the officiating priests, he appeals to the Gods, and
is liberated. See Wilson, Eigveda , i. p. 60., Muir, 0. S, Texts, i. 355, 407,
413, and M. Muller, A. S. Literature , p. 408.

1 Mighty Aditi: Professor Muller (Trans, of the Eigveda , 1. 230)
says that 1 Aditi, an ancient god or goddess, is in reality the earliest name
invented to express the Infinite ; not the Infinite as the result of a long pro¬
cess of abstract reasoning, but the visible Infinite, the endless expanse beyond
the earth, beyond the clouds, beyond the sky.’

( These words [Who shall to mighty Aditi restore us ? ] may be understood
as spoken by some one in danger of death...who prayed to be permitted again
to behold the face of nature...If we should understand the father and mother
whom the suppliant is anxious to behold, as meaning heaven and earth, it
would become still more probable that Aditi is to be understood as meaning
nature/ Muir, O. S. Texts, v. 45.

S&yana explains Aditi in the text as Earth ; Roth, as freedom or security j
Benfey, as sinlessness.



HYMN 24*3


THE MG VEDA.


n

5 Through thy protection may we come to even the height of

affluence

Which Bhaga hath dealt out to us.

6 Ne’er have those birds that fly through air attained to thy

high dominion or thy might or spirit;

Nor these the waters that flow on for ever, nor hills, abaters
of the wind’s wild fury.

7 Varuna, King, of hallowed might, sustaineth erect the Tree’s

stem in the baseless region.

Its rays, whose root is high above, stream downward. Deep
may they sink within us, and be hidden.

8 King Varuna hath made a spacious pathway, a pathway for

the Sun wherein to travel.

Where no way was he made him set his footstep, and warned
„ afar wkate’er afflicts the spirit.

9 A hundred balms are thine, 0 King, a thousand; deep and

wide-reaching also be thy favours.

Far from us, far away drive thou Destruction. Put from us
e’en the sin we have committed.

10 Whither by day depart the constellations that shine at night,

set high in heaven above us 1

Var una’s holy laws remain unweakened, and through the night
the Moon moves on in splendour.

11 I ask this of thee with my prayer adoring; thy worshipper

craves this with his oblation.

Varuna, stay thou here and he not angry; steal not our life
from us, O thou Wide-Buler.

12 Nightly and daily this one thing they tell me, this too the

thought of mine own heart repeateth.

May he to whom prayed fettered Sunahsepa, may he the
Sovran Varuna release us.


5 Which Bhaga, hath dealt out to -us ,* the riches which the distributer of
wealth, Bhaga, Fate or Fortune; has allotted to us.

7 Vdnasya stUpam in the text appears to mean 1 the stem of the tree * and
S&yana’s explanation * the mass or pile of light* seems forced and unnatural
The phrase is not clear, hut perhaps the ancient myth of the world-tree the
source of life, may be alluded to. ’

9 Nirriti is Decay or Dest—r—^-1. !he Goddess of death and
corruption. S&yana calls her : »..,■■■' : , of sin.

Vanina's holy laws: Varuna is the chief of the lords of natural order
His activity displays itself in "he control of the most regular

phenomena of nature. See \\.. i/ . . of the Rigmda, p. 97 f. The
connexion appears, to be: Fear not: the laws of Varuna are inviolable, and
the constellations will duly reappear.



TEE HYMNS OF


U


[BOOK I.


21 Release us from the upper bond, untie the bond between, and
loose

The bonds below, that I may live.

IIYMH XXYI; Agni.

0 worthy of ^oblation, Lord of prospering powers, assume thy
robes, H

And offer this, our sacrifice*

2 Sit, ever to be chosen, as our Priest, most youthful, through
our hymns,

0 Agni, through our heavenly word.

£ For here a-Father for his son, Kinsman for kinsman worshippeth.
And Friend, choice-worthy, for his friend.

4 ’Here let the foe-destroyers sit, Yaruna, Mitra, Aryaman,

Like men, upon our sacred grass.

5 0 ancient Herald, be thou glad in this our rite and fellowship;
Hearken thou well to these our songs.

6 Whatever in this perpetual course we sacrifice to God and

God,

That gift is offered up in thee.

7 May he be our dear household Lord, Priest, pleasant and

choice-worthy: may
We, with bright fires, be dear to him.

8 The Gods, adored with brilliant fires, have granted precious

wealth to us :

So, with bright fires, we pray to thee.

9 And, 0 Immortal One, so may the eulogies of mortal men
Belong to us and thee alike.

10 With all thy fires, 0 Agni, find pleasure in this our sacrifice,
And this our speech, 0 Son of Strength.


21 Release us from the upper bond; see I, 24,15.

1 Assume thy robes; clothe thyself in thy vesture of flames.

2 Most youthful: continually renewed for sacrifice, either from the house¬
hold fire or by repeated attrition.

3 For here cl Father for his son; Agni, who stands in the place of father,
kinsman, and friend to his worshipper.

4 A'vyaman; the name of ^ an Aclitya commonly invoked together with

Vanina and Mitra, He is said to preside over twilight.

5 Like men ; or, according to S&yana, as they sate at the sacrifice of
Manus, who is the same as Manu.

10 Son of Strei ,,T ■ ,r ■■■ W' 1 . ' ■ *f frequent occurrence, and is some¬
times applied to mighty God. The r.xr'v.«-Y.- lf ap¬
plied to Agni, alu ■ ■ ■ ployed in rubbing i- geri.er the iwo

pieces of wood to generate fire.



HYMN 27.]


TBS RIG VEDA,


35


HYMN XXVII. Agni.

With worship will I glorify thee, Agni, like a long-tailed steed,
Imperial Lord of sacred rites.

2 May the far-striding Son of Strength, bringer of great

felicity, t «

Who pours his gifts like rain, be ours.

3 Lord of all life, from near, from far, do thou, 0 Agni evermore
Protect us from the sinful man.

4 0 Agni, graciously announce this our oblation to the Gods,
And this our newest song of praise.

5 Give us a share of strength most high, a share of strength

that is below,

A share of strength that is between.

6 Thou dealest gifts, resplendent One; nigh, as with waves of
x _S:r.dhu, thou

to the worshipper.

7 That man is lord of endless strength whom thou protectest in

the fight,

Agni, or urgest to the fray.

8 Him, whosoever he may be, no man may vanquish, mighty One:
Nay, very glorious power is his.

9 May he who dwells with all mankind bear us with war-steeds

through the fight,

And with the singers win the spoil.

10 Help, thou who knowest lauds, this work, this eulogy to

Rudra, him

Adorable in every house.

11 May this our God, great, limitless, smoke-bannered, excel¬

lently bright,

Urge us to strength and holy thought.


1 Like a long-tailed steed: Agni, or Fire, is likened to a horse, probably,
on account of ^ ; and his long flames, curled and driven by

the wind, are ■ ■ : ■ horse’s flowing tail. SrLyana explains: scat¬

tering our foes with thy flames as a horse brushes away the flies that
trouble him.

6 Sindhu: the Indus; or the word may stand for any river, and the
expression mean, with great abundance.

9 With the singers; the priests who sing hymns of praise at the sacrifice.

10 Thou who knowest lauds: (jardbodha) seems to refer to the l^sishi .or
poet of the hymn, not to Agni.

Rudra; the Boarer, or Howler, is here a name of Agni, on account of
the loud crackling or roaring of his flames. Or the word may signify red,
bright. See Pischel, Yediache $tudien, l, pp. 55 sqq.



36


THE HYMNS OF IBOOK I.


12 Like some rick Lord of men may he, Agni, the banner of

the Gods,.

Refulgent, hear us through our lauds.

13 Glory to Gods, the mighty and the lesser, glory to Gods the

younger and the elder !

Let us, if wer have power, pay the Gods worship; no better
prayer than this, ye Gods, acknowledge.

HYMN XXVIII. Indra, Etc.

There where the broad-based stone is raised on high to press
the juices out,

0 Indra, drink with eager thirst the droppings which the
mortar sheds.

2 Where, like broad hips, to hold the juice, the platters of the

press are laid,

0 Indra, drink with eager thirst the droppings which the
mortar sheds.

3 There where the woman marks and learns the pestle’s constant

rise ami fall,

0 Indra, drink with eager thirst the droppings which the
mortar sheds.

4 Where, as with reins to guide a horse, they bind the churning-

staff with cords,

0 Indra, drink with eager thirst the droppings which the
mortar sheds.


5 If of a truth in every house, 0 Mortar, thou art set for
work,

Here give thou forth thy clearest sound, loud as the drum of
jQ Qnqueror s. ’’


12 The banner of the Qocls : who like a banner brings the Gods together ; or
it may be rendered ‘ the herald of the Gods/ he who notifies to them, as
Sayana explains it,

13 These distinctions of greater and lesser, older and younger Gods, w or as

we should say, angels, are nowhere further Sunahsepa, it is said,

by the advice of Agni, worships the Vi-.-<■■ .lev*.<: il:o Universal Gods. The
Visvedeyas, as a separate troop or class of Gods, are ten in number, especially
worshipped at funeral obsequies, and moreover, according to the laws of Manu,
entitled to daily offerings.

This hymn—a song sung during the preparation of the Soma juice—is said
to be addressed to Indra, and to the pestle and mortar and other utensils
used in the work.

2 Platters: two shallow plates, one being used as a receiver and the other
as a cover.

They bind the churning?staff with cords ; the churning-stick is moved by
a rope passed round its handle and round a post used as a pivot.

6 0 Mortar: according to S&yana the divinities presiding over the mortar
and pestle, and not the implements themselves, are addressed.



TUB RIG VEDA,


HYMN &9.]


37


6 6 Sovran of the Forest, as the wind blows soft in front of

thee,

Mortar, for Indra press thou forth the Soma juice that he may
drink,

7 Best strength-givers, ye stretch wide jaws, 0 Sacrificial Imple¬

ments, *

Like two bay horses champing herbs.

S Ye Sovrans of the Forest, both swift, with swift pressers press
to-day

Sweet Soma juice for India’s drink.

9 Take up in beakers what remains: the Soma on the filter
pour,

And on the os-hide set the dregs.


HYMN XXIX. Indra.

0 Soma^drtnker, ever true, utterly hopeless though we be,

Do thou, 0 Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine,
In thousands, 0 most wealthy One.

2 0 Lord of Strength, whose jaws are strong, great deeds are

thine, the powerful:

Do thou, 0 Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine,
In thousands, 0 most wealthy One.

3 Lull thou asleep, to wake no more, the pair who on each

other look:

Do thou, 0 Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine,
In thousands, O most wealthy One.

4 Hero, let hostile spirits sleep, and every gentler genius wake:
Do thou, 0 Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine.
In thousands, 0 most wealthy One.


6 0 Sovran of the Forest: (vanaspati ) a large tree ; used in this place, by
metonymy, for the mortar, and in verse 8, in the dual number, for the mortar
and pestle.

7 Strength-: o-V-'-- 1 by Sdyana as especially givers of food. The
two platters ' •< . . . are probably meant. When the upper platter
is raised to receive the juice of the Soma stalks the aperture between the two
Is like a horse’s mouth when he chews succulent grass.

9* This verse is addressed to the ministering priest. What remains ; after
the libation. The filter or sieve was used to purify the juice before it was
poured into the receptacle. Ox-hide: laid under the mortar.


3 Tlie pair who on each other looh: ( The text is very elliptical and obscure.
It is, literally; Put to sleep the two reciprocally looking: let them sleep, not
being awakened. The Scholiast calls them the two female messengers of
Yama [the God of the Dead]/ Wilson.





38 * THE HYMNS OF [BOOK L

5 Destroy this ass, 0 Indra, who in tones discordant brays to thee:
Do thou, 0 Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses a nd. ofJune,

y/ In thousands, 0 most wealthy One.

6 Far distant on the forest fall the tempest in a circling course !
Do thou, 0 Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine,
In thousands' 0 most wealthy One,

7 Slay each reviler, and destroy him who in secret injures us :
Do thou, 0 Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine
In thousands, 0 most wealthy One.

HYMN XXX. Into.

We seeking strength with Soma-drops fill full your Indra
like a well,

Most liberal, Lord of Hundred Powers,

2 Who lets a hundred of the pure, a thousand of the milk-blent

draughts

Flow, even as down a depth, to him;

3 When for the strong, the rapturous joy he in this manner

hath made room
Within his belly, like the sea.

4 This is thine own. Thou drawest near, as turns a pigeon to

his mate:

Thou carest too for this our prayer,

5 0 Hero, Lord of Bounties, praised in hymns, may power and

joyfulness

Be his who sings the laud to thee.

6 Lord of a Hundred Powers, stand up to lend us succour in

this fight:

In others too let us agree.

7 In every need, in every fray we call as friends to succour us
Indra the mightiest of all.


5 This ass : our adversary, says the Scholiast. * Therefore is he called an
ass, as braying, or uttering harBh sounds intolerable to hear.*

6 Far distant on the forest: may the cyclone or tempest expend its fury on
the wood, and not come nigh us. The word Jcundrin&cM, which I have render¬
ed in accordance with S&yana, means elsewhere a certain kind of animal, a
lizard according to S&yana. This passage may perhaps mean, * may the wind
fall on the forest with the hundrinftcM/ whatever that may be.


1 Lord of Hundred Powers; Satakratu.

3 The strong , the rapturous joy; the exhilarating Soma juice,

4 This is thine own: this Soma libation is for thee alone.

G In this fight ; the hymn is a prayer for aid in a coming battle.



TEE RIG TEE A.


39


EYMNSO.}

8 If he will hear us let him come with succour of a thousand kinds,
And all that strengthens, to our call.

0 I call him mighty to resist, the Hero of our ancient home,
Thee whom my sire invoked of old.

10 We pray to thee, 0 much-invoked, rich in all precious gifts,
O Friend,

Kind God to those who sing thy praise.

110 Soma-drinker, Thunder-armed, Friend of our lovely-featured
dames

And of our Soma-drinking friends.

12 Thus, Soma-drinker, may it he: thus, Friend, who wieldest

thunder, act

To aid each wish as we desire.

13 With Indra splendid feasts be ours, rich in all strengthening

things wherewith,

Wealthy in food, we may rejoice.

14 Like thee, thyself, the singers’ Friend, thou movest, as it were,

besought,

Bold One, the axle of the car,

15 That, Satakratu, thou to grace and please thy praisers, as it were,
Stirrest the axle with thy strength.

16 With champing, neighing, loudly-snorting horses Indra hath

ever won himself great treasures.

A^ car o fgold hath he whose deeds are wondrous received from
usTSndrlet us too receive it.

17 Come, Asvins, with enduring strength wealthy in horses and

in kine,

And gold, 0 ye of wondrous deeds.


9 The Eero of our ancient home: the tutelary God of our family.

11 Friend of our lovely-featured dames: the meaning of sipHnindm in the
text is very doubtful. Wilson, following Sftyana, paraphrases : (bestow upon)
us, thy friends, (abundance of cows) with projecting jaws. Benfey takes the
word to mean beautiful women. Ludwig suggests helmeted, from a possible
form siprini, agreeing with visdm, of men, understood, * Both considers the
reading to be faulty, and suggests, dprintvan, in the vocative case, agreeing
with Soma-drinker.

14 The lines in this and the following stanza referring to the axle and the
chariot or wain are somewhat obscure and have been variously interpreted,
Ludwig’s exp*!relation, which I follow, appears to be the simplest and the best.
The ox sms? >!■:»!;. r.ovo t . or stirrest, the axle, which is the firmest and strongest
part of the car, is intended to signify Indra’s great strength exerted at his
worshippers’ prayer.

16 The hymn really ends with the preceding stanza. The car of gold given
to Indra is the hymn. The car of gold prayed for is abundant wealth.



40 TSS HYMNS OF [BOOK L

18 Your chariot yoked for both alike, immortal, ye of mighty acts,
Travels, 0 Asvins, in the sea.

19 High on the forehead of the Bull one chariot wheel ye ever keep,
The other round the sky revolves.

20 What mortal, 0 immortal Dawn, enjoyeth thee ? Where

lovest thou?

To whom, 0 radiant, dost thou go ?

21 For we have had thee in our thoughts whether anear or far away,
Eed-hued and like a dappled mare.

22 Hither, 0 Daughter of the Sky, come thou with these thy

strengthenings,.

And send thou riches down to us.

HYMN XXXI. Agni.

Thott, Agni, wast the earliest Angiras, a Seer ; thou wast, a
God thyself, the Gods* auspicious Friend.

After thy holy ordinance the Maruts, sage, active through
wisdom, with their shears, were horn,

2 0 Agni, thou, the *■ ;/■. r ■. Angiras, fulfillest as a Sage

the holy law of Gods,

Sprung from two mothers, wise, through all existence spread,
resting in many a place for sake of living man.

3 To Matarisvan first thou, Agni, wast disclosed, and to Vivas-

van through thy noble inward power.

Heaven and Earth, Vasu! shook at the choosing of the Priest;
the burthen thou didst bear, didst worship mighty Gods.

18 The sea: the ocean of air.

19 The Bull ; apparently the Sun. The ear of the Asvins stands at his
head or in front of him, and the Asvins precede him in his course round
heaven. But the meaning is not very clear.

20 We are reminded of the old Grecian myth of Eos and Tithonus. Ushas,
Dawn, or Morning, is the daughter of personified Heaven, Dyaus, or Dyu,

This hymn, and the four following, are ascribed to Hiranyastftpa, son
of Angiras.

1 Thou t Agni } wast the earliest Angiras: the Angirases are the most im¬
port?. : • v‘ e ~ mentioned in the Veda. See I, 1, 6.

W : spears : the spears of the Maruts or Storm-Gods are

lightning flashes.

2 The holy law of Gods: sacrifice to the Gods, which Agni performs.

Sprung from two mothers: from the two pieces of wood used to j>roduce fire.

8 Mdtarisvan: the name of a divine being described in I. 60.1 as bringing the

hidden Agni to Bhrigu, and identified by Sayana with V&yu the God of wind.

Vivasvdn; ( the brilliant f he appears to be the God of daylight and the
morning sun, the personification, of all manifestations of light. He is said to
be the father of Yama, and the Gods are called his offspring.

Vasa: (good) often used as a name or epithet of Agni. The Vasus as a class
^ of Gods, eight in number, were at first personifications of natural phenomena*


r



TED MOVED A,


HYMN 81.]


a


4 Agni thou madest heaven to thunder for mankind; thou, yet

more pious, for pious Puniravfis.

When thou art rapidly freed from thy parents, first eastward
they hear thee round, and, after, to the west.

5 Thou, Agni, art a Bull who makes our store increase, to be

invoked by him who lifts the ladle up.

Well knowing the oblation with the hallowing word, uniting all
who live, thou lightetiest first our folk.

6 Agni, thou savest in the synod when pursued e’en him, far-

seeing One ! who walks in evil ways.

Thou, when the heroes fight for spoil which men rush round,
slayest in war the many by tbe hands of few.

7 For glory, Agni, day by day, thou liftest up the mortal man

to highest immortality,—

Even thou who yearning for both races givest them great
bliss, and to the prince grantest abundant food.

8 0 Agni, highly lauded, make our singer famous that he may

win us store of riches:

May we improve the rite with new performance. 0 Earth and
Heaven, with all the Gods, protect us.

9 O blameless Agni lying in thy Parents’ lap, a God among the

Gods, be watchful for our good.

Former of bodies, be the singer’s Providence : all good things
hast thou sown for him, auspicious One !

10 Agni, thou art our Providence, our Father thou; we are thy
brethren and thou art our spring of life.

In thee, rich in good heroes, guard of high decides, meet hund¬
red, thousand treasures, 0 infallible !


4 Purdravds; son of Budha, He is said to have instituted the three sacri¬
ficial fires. Agni, to reward him, sent thunder the forerunner of rain.

Dreed from, thy parents: produced and separated from the fire-sticks.

Eastivard they bear thee: the fire is first applied to light the Ahav&niya fire
and then the Garhapatya.

5 A Bull: exceedingly strong.

With the hallowing word; the exclamation Vashat (may he (Agni) bear
it (to the Gods), used at the moment of pouring the sacrificial oil or clarified
butter on the fire.

6 Agni , thou savest in the synod: the viddtha, synod or sacrificial assembly,
seems to have been regarded as an inviolable asylum.

7 Both races: Gods and men.

The prince: the Sfiri, the noble or eminent man who institutes and pays
the charges of the sacrifice.

9 Thy Parents: here said to, mean Heaven and Earth,

Dormer of bodies ; giver of children,



S& THE HYMNS OF IBOOK L

11 Thee, Agni, have the Gods made the first living One for living

man, Lord of the house of Nahusha.

I]a they made the teacher of the sons of men, what time a Son
was born to the father of my race,

12 Worthy to be revered, 0 Agni, God, preserve our wealthy

patrons wjth thy succours, and ourselves.

Guard of our seed art thou, aiding our cows to bear, inces¬
santly protecting in thy holy way.

13 Agni, thou art a guard close to the pious man; kindled art

thou, four-eyed! for him who is unarmed.

With fond heart thou acceptest e’en the poor man’s prayer,
when he hath brought his gift to gain security.

14 Thou, Agni gainest for the loudly-praising priest the highest

wealth, the object of a man’s desire.

Thou art called Father, caring even for the weak, and, wisest,
to the simple one thou teachest lore.

15 Agni, the man who giveth guerdon to the priests, like well-

sewn armour thou guardest on every side.

He who with grateful food shows kindness in his house, an
offerer to the living, is the type of heaven.

16 Pardon, we pray, this sin of ours, 0 Agni,—the path which

we have trodden, widely straying,

Dear Friend and Father, caring for the pious, who speedest
nigh and who inspirest mortals.

17 As erst to Manus, to Yayati, Angiras, so Angiras ! pure Agni!

come thou to our hall.

Bring hither the celestial host and seat them here upon the
sacred grass, and offer what they love.

18 By this our prayer be thou, 0 Agni, strengthened, prayer

made by us after our power and knowledge.

Lead thou us, therefore, to increasing riches; endow us with
thy strength-bestowing favour.


11 Nahusha: one of the great progenitors of the human race.

lid; the personification of prayer, and the first teacher of the rules of
sacrifice.

What time a Son was born: this- Son is Agni himself.

Hiranyastfipa, the Ihslii of the hymn, is the son or descendant of Angiras,
who, as one of the first introducers of the sacrificial fire and the rites of
worship, is regarded as the generator or father of Agni. The meaning of the
verse is that Agni was appointed priest, and lift teacher of the rules of divine
worship in the earliest time when Agni was first born on earth as sacrificial fire.

13 Four-eyed: illuminating the four cf.rrlmri'! roii- 4 ;*. er looking in all directions.

• probabh. >*.; o. i*.«. (.-»*.■>. food, and hospitality
to a human being, the nyiyajna, worship of man, of Manu. Or it may mean,
as Ludwig suggests, one who offers a sacrifice that transports the sacrificer
at , once, living, to heaven.

16 Yaydti; a celebrated king, one of the sons of Nahusha,



HYMN 32.] THE RIG VEDA, 43

* HYMN XXXII. Indra.

I will declaim the manly deeds of Indra, the first that he
achieved, the Thunder-wielder.

He slew the Dragon, then disclosed the waters, and cleft the
channels of the mountain torrents.

2 He slew the Dragon lying on the mountain: his heavenly bolt

of thunder Tvashtar fashioned.

Like lowing kine in rapid flow descending the waters glided
downward to the ocean.

3 Impetuous as a bull, he chose the Soma, and in three sacred

beakers drank the juices.

Maghavan grasped the thunder for his weapon, and smote to
death this firstborn of the dragons.

4 When, Indra, thou hadst slain the dragons 5 firstborn, and

overcome the charms of the enchanters,

Then, giving life to Sun and Dawn and Heaven, thou foundest
not one foe to stand against thee.

6 Indra with his own great and deadly thunder smote into pieces
Vritra, worst of Vritras.

As trunks of trees, what time the axe hath felled them, low
on the earth so lies the prostrate Dragon.

6 He, like a mad weak warrior, challenged Indra, the great

impetuous many-slaying Hero.

He, brooking not the clashing of the weapons, crushed—Indra’s
foe—the shattered forts in fa lling.

7 Footless and handless still he challenged Indra, who smote

him with his bolt between the shoulders.

Emasculate yet claiming manly vigour, thus Vritra lay with
scattered limbs dissevered.


1 1 2 3 4 In this and subsequent Sftktas we have an ample elucidation of the ori¬
ginal purport of the legend of Indra’s slaying Vritra, converted by the Paurft-
nik writers, into a literal contest between Indra and an Asura, or chief of the
Asuras, from what in the Vedas is merely an allegorical narrative of the pro¬
duction of rain. Vritra, sometimes also named Ahi, is nothing more than the
accumulation of vapour, condensed or figuratively shut up in, or obstructed
by, a cloud. Indra, with his thunderbolt, or atmospheric or electrical influ¬
ence, divides the aggregated mass, and vent is given to the rain which then
descends upon the earth.’ Wilson.

2 The Dragon : Ahi, literally a serpent. Tvashtar is the artist of the Gods.

3 Maghavan: the wealthy and liberal; Lord Bountiful.

4 The charms of the enchanters; magical or supernatural powers ascribed
to Vritra and his allies.

In three sacred "beakers: trikadrukeshu ; according to S&yana, on the Trikad-
rukas, the first three days of the Abhipl^va ceremony,




u MYMltS OF {BOOK t

.8 There as he lies like a bank-bursting river, the waters taking
courage flow above him. ^

The Dragon lies beneath the feet of torrents which Yritra
with his greatness had' encompassed.

9 Then humbled was the strength of Vritra’s mother; Indra
hath cast his deadly bolt against he&

The mother Was above, the son was under, and like a cow
beside her calf lay D&nu.

10 Rolled in the midst of never-ceasing Currents flowing without

a rest for ever onward,

The Waters bear off Yritra’s nameless body *. the foe of Indra
sank to during darkness.

11 Guarded by Ahi stood the thralls of D&sas, the waters stayed

like kine held by the robber.

But he, when he had smitten Vritra, opened the cave where¬
in the floods had been imprisoned.

12 A horsed tail wast thou when he, 0 Indra, smote on thy bolt;

thou, God without a second,

Thou hast won back the kine, hast won the Soma; thou hast
let loose to flow the Seven Rivers.

13 Nothing availed him lightning, nothing thunder, hailstorm or

mist which he had spread around him:

When Indra and the Dragon strove in battle, Maghavan gained
the victory for ever.

14 Whom sawest thou to avenge the Dragon, Indra, that fear

possessed thy heart when thou hadst slain him;

That, like a hawk affrighted through the regions, thou crossedst
nine-and-ninety flowing rivers ?


9 JDdnu: according to S&yana, the mother of Vritra.

11 Thralls of JD&ms ; in the power of Vritra and his allies. Dasa is a
general name applied in the Veda to certain evil "beings or demons, hostile to
Indra and to men. It means, also, a savage, a barbarian, one of the non-
Aryan inhabitants of India.

The robber ; pant (literally, one who barters and traffics) means a miser, a
niggard ; an impious man who gives little or nothing to the Gods. The word
is used also as the name of a class of envious demons watching over treasures,
and as an epithet of the fiends who steal cows and hide them in mountain
caverns.

12 A horse* s tail was thou: destroying thy enemies as easily as ahorse
sweeps away flies with his tail. Of. I. 27.1.

The Seven Fivers; according to Professor Max Muller, the Indus, the five rivers
of the Panj&b (Vitastft, Asiknl, Parushnt, Vipfts, Sutudri) and the Sarasvati.
Lassen and Ludwig put the Kubhfi in the place of the last-named.


14 This fight of Ir-V. alluded to. It is said that he fled

thinking that he had ■ ■ fin in killing Vritra.

Nine-and-ninety; ui:. : a great number,




HYMN 33.]


THE UIGYEVA.


45


15 Indra is King of all that moves and moves not, of creatures
tame and horned, the Thunder-wielder.

Over all living men he rules as Sovran, containing all as
spokes within thereby.

HYMN XXXIII. Indra.


■ Comb, fain for booty let us seek to Indra : yet more shall he
increase his care that guides us.

Will not the Indestructible endow us with perfect* knowledge
of this wealth, of cattle'?

2 I fly to him invisible Wealth-giver as flies the falcon to his

cherished eyrie,

With fairest hymns of praise adoring Indra, whom those
who laud him must invoke in battle.

3 Mid all his host, he bindeth on the quiver : he driveth cattle

from what foe he pleaseth :

Gatheidng up great store of riches, Indra, be thou no
trafficker with us, most mighty.

4 Thou slewest with thy bolt the wealthy PagviL-a lone. yet

going with thy helpers, Indra f "

Far from the floor of heaven in, all directions, the ancient

6 ]■ : , ‘ ii : .. . the riteless turned and

fled, Indra ! with averted faces,

When thou, fierce Lord of the Bay Steeds, the Stayer,
blewest from earth and heaven and sky the godless.

6 They met in fight the army of the blameless: then the
Navagvas put forth all their power.

They, like emasculates with men contending, fled, conscious,
by steep paths from Indra, scattered.


1 Fain for booty : gamjantah , literally seeking or eager for kine, that is,

booty or wealth consisting chiefly of cattle.

3 Be thou no trafficker with us : Do not deal illiberally with ns like a
petty trader : do not give sparingly, nor demand too much in return.

4 The wealthy JOasyu: according to S&yana, ‘ Yritra the robber/ the

withholder of the fertilizing rain. The Dasyus are also a class of demons,
enemies of gods and men, and sometimes the word means a savage, a
barbarian. .

The ancient riteless ones: the followers of Vritra; here v ' *' .y. x 7 1 * 3 4 5 6 '.‘Vined
with indigenous races who had not adopted, or were hostil -\ ■: the

Veda,

5 The Stayer: he who stands firm in battle. The word in the test

sih&tav appears to correspond exactly with the Latin Stator (Jupiter Stator).
See Benfey, Orient und Occident, 1. 48. . ;

6 The Navagvas : the name of a iviythological family often associated with

that of Angiras, and described as shilling in Indra*. battles, regulating the
worship of the Gods, etc. . .


46 THE HYMNS OF f EOOKJ.

7 Whether they weep or laugh, thou hast overthrown them,

0 Indra, on the sky’s extremest limit.

The Dasyu thou hast burned from heaven, and welcomed
the prayer of him who pours the juice and lauds thee.

8 Adorned with their *array of gold and jewels, tlfey o’er the

earth a cavering veil extended.

Although they hastened, they o’er came not Indra; their
spies, h e compassed with the Sun of morning.

4 "9 As tKou~eixfoyeat heaven and earth, 0 Indra, on every side
surrounded with thy greatness,

So thou with priests hast blown away the Dasyu, and those
who worship not with those who worship.

10 They who pervaded earth’s extremest limit subdued not

with their charms the Wealth-bestower:

Indra, the Bull, made his ally the thunder, and with its
light milked cows from out the darkness.

11 The waters flowed according to their nature; he mid the •

navigable streams waxed mighty.

Then Indra, with his spirit concentrated, smote him for e ver
with his strongest weapon.

12 Indra broke through Ilibisa’s strong castles, and Sushna with

his horn he cut to pieces :

Thou, Maghavan, for all his might and swiftness, slewest thy
fighting foeman with thy thunder.

13 Fierce on his enemies fell Indra’s weapon: with his sharp

bull he rent their forts in pieces.

He with his thunderbolt dealt blows on Vritra, and con¬
quered, executing all his purpose.

14. Indra, thouholpest Kutsa whom thou lovedst, and guardedst
brave Dasadyu when he battled.

The dust of trampling horses rose to heaven, and Svitra’s son
stood up again for conquest.


8 With the Sun of morning : { We revert here to the allegory. The fol¬
lowers of Yritra are here said to he the shades of night which are dispersed
by the rising of the sun : according to the Br&hmana “Verily the sun, when
he rises in the east, drives away the Rdlcshasas.” ’ Wilson.

10 Milked cows: struck the cloud with his lightning, and made the milky
streams of fertilizing rain flow forth.

12 Ilibisa’s. strong castles: Iltbisa is said by S&yana to be Vritra f who sleeps
in caverns of the earth.’ Probably one of the confederate demons is intended.

Sushna with his horn: the demon of drought, 'furnished,’ says the
Scholiast, ‘with weapons like the horns of bulls and buffaloes,’ The meaning
of * horned * or * with his horn ’ is simply * mighty,’ the horn being used, as in
Hebrew poetry, as the emblem of strength.

13 With Ms sharp bull: the rushing thunderbolt.

14 Kutsa: said to have been a Itishior seer, founder of a religious family
or school, and elsewhere spoken of as the particular friend of Indra,



ATUN 34.] FIQVFDA. 47

15 Svitr&’s mild steer, 0 M&gliavan thou holpest in combat for
the land, mid Tugra’s houses.

Long stood they there before the task was- ended : thou wash
the master of the foemen’s treasure.

HYMN XXX1Y. Asvins,

.Ye who observe this day be with us even thrice: far-stretch¬
ing'is your bounty, Asvins, and your course.

To you, as to a cloak: in winter, we cleave close; ye are to be
drawn nigh unto us by the wise.

2 Three are the fellies in your honey-bearing car, that travels

after Soma’s loved one, as all know.

Three are the pillars set upon it for support: thrice journey
ye by night, 0 Asvins, thrice by day.

3 Thrice in the self-same day, ye Gods who banish want, Sprinkle

ye thrice to-day our sacrifice with meath;

And thrice vouchsafe us store of food with plenteous strength,
at evening, 0 ye Asvins, and at break of day.

4 Thrice come ye to our home, thrice to the righteous folk,

thrice triply aid the man who well deserves your help.
Thrice, 0 ye Asvins, bring us what shall make us glad;
thrice send us store of food as nevermore to fail.

* 5 Thrice, O ye Asvins, bring to us abundant wealth ,* thirce in
the Gods’ assembly, thrice assist our thoughts.

Thrice grant ye us prosperity, thrice grant us fame; for the
Sun’s daughter hath mounted your three-wheeled ear,

6 Thrice, Asvins, grant to us the heavenly medicines, thrice

those of earth and thrice those that the waters hold.

Favour and health and strength bestow upon my son; triple
protection, Lords of Splendour, grant to him.

7 Thrice are ye to be worshipped day by day by us; thrice, 0 ye

Asvins, ye travel around the earth.

Car-borne from far away, 0 ye Nasatyas, come, like vital air to
bodies, come ye to the three.

Damdyu, is also said to have been a Rishi, but nothing is known of him.
The same may he said of Svaitreya or Svitrya, the son of a woman named
SvitrA

15 The meaning of tugi'y&m in the text is not clear. rr’r * - ib

by rinthe waters,*' Benfey translates ‘among Tugra’s •. r . ‘>e

Petersburg Lexicon takes it to mean ‘among the families ,■ ■ Y : y

Mild steer: strong but gentle son.

1 Be present with us even thrice : that is, at all the three daily sacrifices.

2 Soma: is here the Moon, His darling is Jyotsnfi or Kaumudt, Moonlight,
identified with Silryft, the light borrowed from the Sun.

5 For the Sun's daughter : Suryfi, who is called the consort of the Asvins.
7 Ndsatyas: a common appellation of the Asvins, See I, 3, 3,

To the three; to the three daily sacrifices.




4S THE HYMNS OF [BOOK /.

8 Thrice, 0 ye Asvins, with the Seven Mother Streams; three

are the jars, the triple offering is prepared.

Three are the worlds, and moving on above the sky ye guard
the firm-set vault of heaven through days and nights.

9 Where are the three wheels of your triple chariot, where are

the three seats thereto firmly fastened ?

When will ye yoke the mighty ass that draws it, to bring you
to our sacrifice, Nasatyas ?

10 Nasatyas, come : the sacred gift is offered up; drink the sweet

juice with lips that know the sweetness well.

Savitar sends, before the dawn of day, your car, fraught with
oil,, various-coloured, to our sacrifice.

11 Come, 0 Nilsatyas, with the thrice-eleven Gods; come, 0 ye

Asvins, to the drinking of the meath.

Make long our days of life, and wipe out all our sins : ward off
our enemies; be with us evermore.

12 Borne in your triple car, 0 Asvins, bring us present prosperity

with noble offspring.

I cry to you who hear me for protection ; be ye our helpers
where men win the booty.

HYMN XXXV. Savitar.

Agni I first invoke for pur prosperity; I call on Mitra, Varuna,
to aid us here.

I call on Night who gives rest to all moving life; I call on
Savitar the God to lend us help.

2 Throughout the dusky firmament advancing, laying to rest

the immortal and the mortal,

Borne in his golden chariot he eometh, Savitar, God who looks
on every creature.

3 The God moves by the upward path, the downward; with two

blight Bays, adorable, he journeys.

Savitar comes, the God from the far distance, and chases from
us all distress and sorrow.

8 The Seven Mother Streams : see I. 32. 12.

Three are the jars: three sorts of pitchers, used to contain and pour out the
Soma juice at the three daily sacrifices.

Three worlds : earth, middle air, and heaven.

9 The mighty ass: according to the Nighantu 1 two asses are the steeds
of the Asvins.’

10 Savitar : implying that the Asvins are to be worshipped with this hymn
at dawn. Savitar is the Sun.

11 The thnc-eleven Gods ; { TH~ inthevifv for the usual Paur&nik enumer¬
ation of thirty-three deities, nvoMwIy :v.«:ir"g on Vaidik texts. The list is,
there, made up of the eight Yasus ; eieven Ituclras ; twelve Adityas, Praj 3 -
pati, and VaslxatkAra.’ Wilson.



’THE RIQVEDA .'


49


HYMN 35*]


4 His chariot decked with pearl, of various colours, lofty,-with

golden pole, the God hath mounted,

The many-rayed One, Savitar the holy, bound, bearing power
and might, for darksome regions.

5 Drawing the gold-yoked car his Bays, white-footed, have

manifested light to all the peoples.

Held in the lap of Savitar, divine One, all men, all beings
have their place for ever.

6 Three heavens there are; two Savitar’s, adjacent: in Yama’s

world is one, the home of heroes.

As on a linch-pin, firm, rest things immortal; he who hath
known it, let him here declare it.

7 He, strong of wing, hath lightened up the regions, deep-quiver¬

ing Asura, the gentle Leader.

Where now is Surya, where is one to tell us to what celestial
sphere his ray hath wandered ?

8 The earth’s eight points his brightness hath illumined, three

desert regions and the Seven Hi vers.

God Savitar the gold-eyed hath come hither, giving choice
treasures unto him who worships.

9 The golden-handed Savitar, far-seeing, goes on his w f ay be¬

tween the earth and heaven,

Drives away sickness, bids the Sun approach us, and spreads
the bright sky through the darksome region.

10 May he, gold-handed Asura, kind Leas!er, come hither to us

with his help and favour.

Driving off* Rakshasas and Yatudhknas, the God is present,
praised in hymns at evening.

11 0 Savitar, thine ancient dustless pathways are well established

in the air’s mid-region :

0 God, come by those paths so fair to travel, preserve thou
us from harm this day, and bless us.

6 Tvio Savitar'&; heaven and earth, or the heaven of day and the heaven of
night. As an a linch-pin: the linch-pm is the emblem of stability, retaining
its position unchanged by the revolution of the wheels. So the Gods remain
unmoved, unaffected by death or change, unlike the mortals who depart to
the realm of Tama. See J. IShni, Der JVIythus des Yarna, p. 115.

7 He, strong of whig : (snparnuh) an epithet or a name of the Sun. Aparct:
the immortal and divine One.

9 Bids the Sim approach us : Scty&na says * approaches the Sun/ and
observes that although Savitar and the Sun are the same as regards their
divinity, yet they are two different forms, and therefore one may be said to
go to the other.

10 Ydtudhdnas: a class of demons or evil spirits, much like R&kskasas,
but more particularly practises of sorcery.



> THE HYMNS OF [BOOK t

HYMN XXX VL Agni

With words seat forth in holy hymns, Agni we supplicate,
the Lord

Of many f unifies who duly serve the Gods, yea, him whom
others also praise.

% Men have won Agni, him who makes their strength abound
we, with oblations, worship thee.

Our gracious-mm led Helper in our deeds of might, be thou,
0 Excellent, this day.

3 Thee for our messenger we choose, thee, the Omniscient, for

our Priest.

The flames of thee the mighty are spread wide around : thy
splendour reaches to the sky.

4 The Gods enkindle thee their ancient messenger, — Varuna,

Mitra, Aryaman.

That mortal man, O Agni, gains through thee all wealth, who
hath poured offerings unto thee.

5 Thou, Agni, art a cheering Priest, Lord of the House, men’s

messenger:

All constant high decrees established by the Gods, gathered
together, meet in thee.

6 In thee, the auspicious One, O Agni, youthfullest, each sacred

gift is offered up':

This day, and after, gracious, worship thou our Gods, that
we may have heroic sons.

t To him in his own splendour bright draw near in worship
the devout.

Men kindle Agni with their sacrificial gifts, victorious o*er
the enemies.

8 Yritra they smote and slew, and made the earth and heaven
and firmament a wide abode.

The glorious Bull, invoked, hath stood at Kanva’s side: loud
neighed the Steed in frays for kine.


This Hymn and the twelve following are ascribed to Kanva, a very celebrated
Kiahi who ia called the son of Ghora and is said to belong to the family of
Angiras,

5 The preservation of the whole world rests, according to the Vatdik view,
<m the sacrifices offered by men, as these give the Gods strength and enable
thorn to perform their duties.

8 The glorious Bull: the mighty A~?v. c "■ a bull and impetuous

as a war horse, has aided his favourite K -._...i: i



r




MYMN 36.] TUB RtQVEDA. 51

9 Seat thee, for them art mighty; shine, best entertainer of
the Gods.

Worthy of sacred food, praised Agni! loose the smoke, ruddy
and beautiful to see.

10 Bearer of offerings, whom, best sacrificing Priest, the Gods for

Manuks sake ordained;

Whom Kanva, whom Medhyatithi made the source of wealth,
and Vrishan and Upastuta.

11 Him, Agni, whom Medhyatithi, whom Kanva kindled for his

rite,

Him these our songs of praise, him, Agni, we extol: his powers
shine out preeminent.

12 Make our wealth perfect thou, 0 Agni Lord divine: for thou

hast kinship with the Gods.

Thou rulest as a King o’er widely-famous strength : be good
to us for thou art great.

13 Stand up erect to lend us aid, stand up like Savitar the God:
Erect as strength-bestower when we call aloud, with unguents

and with priests, on thee.

14 Erect, preserve us from sore trouble; with thy flame burn

thou each ravening demon dead.

Raise thou us up that we may walk and live : so thou shalt
find our worship mid the Gods.

15 Preserve us, Agni, from the fiend, preserve us from malicious

wrong.

Save us from him who fain would injure us or slay, Most
Youthful, thou with lofty light.

16 Smite down as with a club, thou who hast fire for teeth,

smite thou the wicked, right and left.

Let not the man who plots against us in the night, nor any
foe prevail o’er us.


10 Medhy&titld: Sftyana takes this word to be an epithet of Kanva, 4 en¬
tertainer of guests who are worthy of sacrificial food.’ But it appears to be
the name of a lliahi of Kanva’s family, the seer of twenty-eight hymns of
Books VIII. and IX.

VrUtlutn and Upastuta: rendered by Wilson, after Sftvana, f Indra and
*ome other worshipper,’ are also apparently the names of two other Ilishis.

13 Stand up erect: Agni, as erect, is identified by S&yaua with the ytipa or
sacrificial post to which the victims, at an animal sacrifice, were bound.
Accordingly he takes, ahjihkih to mean 4 with unguents’ wherewith the post
was anointed. This word may however refer to the ornaments—another
signification of the word—worn by the ministering priests.




52


THE HYMNS OF


[BOOK L

17 Agni hath given heroic might to Kan v a, and felicity:

Agni hath helped our friends, hath heiped Mcdhy&tithi, hath

helped Upastuta to win,

18 We call on Ugradeya, Yadu, Turvasa, hy means of Agni,

from afar;

Agni, bring /Nava vast va and Brihadratha, Turviti, to subdue
the foe.

19 Manu hath stablished thee a light/ Agni, for all the race

of men :

Sprung from the Law, oil-fed, for Kanva hast thou blazed,
thou whom the people reverence.

20 The flames of Agni full of splendour and of might are fearful,

not to he approached.

Consume for ever all demons and sorcerers, consume thou
each devouring bend.

HYMN XXXVII. Marat*,

Sing forth, 0 Kanvas, to your band of Maruts, unassailable,
Sporting, resplendent on their ear :

2 They who, self-luminous, were born together, with the spotted

deer,

Spears, swords, and glittering ornaments.

3 One hears, as though ’twere close at hand, the cracking of the

whips they hold;

They gather glory on their way.

' 4 Now sing ye forth the Cod-given hymn to your exultant
Marut host,

The hercely-vigorous, the strong.

5 Praise yc the Bull among the cows; for Tis -the Maruts 5
• sportive band:

It strengthened as it drank the rain.

17 Agni hath helped our friends : S&yana takes mitvtf in the text as mitrffni,
friends. Benfey and Ludwig consider it to me an, the former Mitra, and the
.latter the two Mitras, i. e. Mitra and Vanina; and they translate respectively
* Agni and Mitra protected/ and ‘Agni, as Mitra [and VarunaJ hath favoured/

18 Turvasa and Yadu are frequently -mentioned together as eponymi of

tribes of those names. The poet appears to pray for the return of Kavavastva,
whoever he may have been, to protect the home attacked by the Dasyus or
robbers, and perhaps also to strengthen his prayer by an appeal to the spirits
of departed heroes. +

20 Demons and sorcerers : Rdkshasas and evil spirits who practise sorcery.

For an exhaustive explanation of this and other Hymns to the Maruts
see M. Muller’s Vedic Hymns, Part 1. (Sacred Books of the Bast, XXXII.) ‘ '
o The Ball among the cows: the band of Storm-Gods preeminent among
the clouds as a bull is among cows. n



tiYtiX 38.] TffJS MOVED A. £3

6 Wlio is your mightiest, Heroes, when, 0 shakers of the earth

and heaven,

Ye shake them like a garment’s hem %

7 At your approach man holds him down before the fury of

your wrath; ^

The rugged-join ted mountain yields.

8 They at whose racings forth the earth, like an age-w*eakened

lord of men,

Trembles in terror on their ways.

2 Strong is their birth: vigour have they to issue from their
Mother ; strength,

Yea, even twice enough, is theirs.

10 And these, the Sons, the Singers, in their racings have enlarg¬

ed the bounds.

So that the kine must walk knee-deep.

11 Before them, on the ways they go, they drop this offspring
of the cloud,

Long, broad, and inexhaustible.

12 0 Maruts, as your strength is great, so have ye cast men

down on earth,

So have ye made the mountains fall.

13 The while the Maruts pass along, they talk together on the

way;

Doth any hear them as they speak ?

14- Come quick'with swift steeds, for ye have Worshippers among
Kanva’s sons :

May you rejoice among them well.

!f> All is prepared for your delight. We are their servants
evermore,

To live as long as life may last.

HYMN XXXVIII. Maruts*

What now ? When will ye take us by both hands, as a dear
sire his son,

Gods, for whom sacred grass is clipped?.


6 That is, where all are so mighty it would be superfluous to ask who is
mightiest. ’ 1

Like a garment's h$m : or, according to S&yana, ‘ like a tree's high top/

10 The Singers; the loud-voiced Maruts.

The Maruts have spread themselves over the sky and caused so much rain
to fall that the cows in the pastures are up to their knees in water. But see
Ludwig, Ueber die neuesten Arbeiten auf dem Gebiete der Rgyeda-forschung, 4
Brag, W9& ■ . ■ ■ -.



5* THE HYMNS OP [BOOK L

2 Now whither ? To what goal of yours go ye in heaven, and

not on earth ?

Where do your cows disport themselves?

3 Where are your newest favours shown? Where, Maruts,

your prosperity ?

Where all ycfur high felicities ?

^ If, 0 ye Maruts, ye the Sons whom Prisni bare, were mortal,
and

Immortal he who sings your praise,

5 Then never were your praiser loathed like a wild beast in

pasture-land,

Nor should he go on Yama’s path.

6 Let not destructive plague on plague hard to he conquered,

strike us down :

Let each, with drought, depart from us.

7 Truly, they the fierce and mighty Sons of Rudra send their

windless

Rain e'en on the desert places.

8 Like a cow the lightning lows and follows, motherlike, her

youngling,

When their rain-flood hath been loosened.

9 When they inundate the earth they spread forth darkness

e’en in day-time,

With the water-laden rain-cloud.

10 0 Maruts, at your voice’s sound this earthly habitation

shakes,

And each man reels who dwells therein.

11 0 Maruts, with your strong-hoofed steeds, unhindered in

their courses, haste
Along the bright embanked streams.

12 Firm be the fellies of your wheels, steady your horses and

your cars,

And may your reins be fashioned well.

2 Where do your cows disport themselves ?: perhaps, as M. Muller suggest*

* where tarry your herds V viz. the clouds. Why do you remain in the sky,
and hot come down to earth ? Or, according to Budwig ; * Where do the cows
feed that are to supply milk and butter for sacrifice to you ? Where is the
place in which sacrifice is to be offered to you ? *

• 5 Like a wild beast * or. unwelcome like a deer in the home-pasture or
meadow reserved for the cows.

Yama's path: the path that leads to Yama the God of the Departed*

6 Destructive playue: nirritih; sin. M. Muller. Drought: greed. M. Miiller.
.7 Sons of Budra: or £ dear to itudra/ who is the father of the Maruts.
Windless rain: steady rain, not blown away; that sinks into the ground;
the wind generally ceasing as soon as heavy rain begins to fall. *

8 The thunder follows the lightning as a cow lowiug, follows her calf*



HYMtf 39 ] 2 VEB MIGVEDA. u

13 Invite thou hither with this song, for praise, Agni the Lord

of Prayer,

Him who is fair as Mitra is,

14 Form in thy mouth the hymn of praise: expand thee like a
rainy cloud :

Sing forth the measured eulogy.

15 Sing glory to the Marut host, praiseworthy, tuneful, vigorous ;
Here let the Strong Ones dwell with us.

HYMN XXXIX, Maruts.

When thus, like flame, from far away, Maruts, ye cast your
measure forth,

To whom go ye, to whom, 0 shakers of the earth, moved by
whose wisdom, whose design 2

2 Strong let your weapons be to drive away your foes, firm for

resistance let them be.

Yea, passing glorious must be your warrior might, not as a
guileful mortal’s strength.

3 When what is strong ye overthrow, and whirl about each

ponderous thing,

Heroes, your course is through the forest trees of earth, and
through the fissures of the rocks.

4 Consumers of your foes, no enemy of yours is found in heaven

or on the earth :

Ye Rudras, may the strength, held in this bond, be yours, to
bid defiance even now.

5 They make the mountains rock and reel, they rend the forest-

kings apart.

Onward, ye Maruts, drive, like creatures drunk with wine, ye
Gods with all your company.


13 Agni, the Lord of Prayer : * Agni is frequently invoked together with

the Maruts, and is even called marut-sakhd, the friend of the Maruts, viij, 92,
14. It seems better, therefore, to refer brdhmanas pdtyoa to Agni, than, with
S&yana, to the host of the Maruts. Brdhmanaspdti and Brihaspdti are both
varieties of Agui, the priest and purohita of Gods and men, and as such he is
invoked together with the Maruts in other passages, i. 40, 1/ M. Muller.

14 Expand thee : addressed to the poet of the hymn.

15 Tuneful : so in I. 37. 10 "And these the Sons, the Singers/ The song
of the Maruts is the music or singing of the winds.

1 Maruts , ye cast your measure forth: < Xi L V‘ we must take

measure, not in the abstract sense, but as a - ■ .■ i, - ■ which is cast

forward to measure the distance of an object, an ■ ;■■ ■ , J*\ applicable to

the Maruts, who seem with their weapons to strike the trees and mountains
when they themselves are still far off/ M. Muller,

4 Held in this bond: together with your race. M. Muller.




m tee nmxs of [book l

6 Ye to your chariot have yoked the spotted deer : a red deer,

as a leader, draws.

Even the Earth herself listened as ye came near, and men
were sorely terrified,

7 0 Rudras, quickly wo desire your succour for this work of

ours. *

Come to us with your aid as in the days of old, so now for
frightened Kanva’s sake.

8 Should any monstrous foe, 0 Maruts, sent by you or sent by

mortals threaten ns,

Tear ye him from us with your power and with your might,
and with the succours that are yours,

9 For ye, the worshipful and wise, have guarded Kanva

perfectly.

0 Maruts, come to us with full protecting help, as lightning
flashes seek the rain.

10 Whole strength have ye, 0 Bounteous Ones; perfect, earth
shakers, is your might.

Maruts, against the poet's wrathful enemy send ye an enemy
like a dart.

HYMN XL. Brahmanaspati.

0 Brahman Asian, stand up : God-serving men, we pray to
thee.

May they who give good gifts, the Maruts, come to us. Indra,
most swift, be thou'with them.

2 0 Son of Strength, each mortal calls to thee for aid when

spoil of battle waits for him.

0 Maruts, may this man who loves you well obtain wealth of
good steeds and hero might.

3 May Brahmanaspati draw nigh, may Sunrita the Goddess

come,

And Gods bring to this rite which gives the fivefold gift the
Hero, lover of mankind.

9 As lightning-flushes seek the rani: ‘Lightning precedes the ram, and may
therefore be represented as looking about for the rain.’ M. Muller.

1 0 Brahmanaspati: Agni is sometimes called Brahmanaspati, or Lord of
Prayer. See 1. 38. 13. *

3,May Sdnritd the Goddess come: SunrifcA (Pleasantness) is, according to
S&yana, the Goddess of Speech (Yftgdevatft) in the form of lover of truth.

The fivefold gift : an offering of grain, gruel, curdled milk, rice-cake, and
curds,


iitmk 4i.] tub bigyBba. ?>7

4 Ho who bestows a noble guerdon on the priest wins fame that

never shall decay.

For him we offer sacred hero-giving food, peerless and con¬
quering easily.

5 Now Brahmanaspati speaks forth aloud the solemn hymn of

praise,

Wherein Indra and Yanina, Mitra, Aryaman, the Gods, have?
made their dwelling-place.

6 May we in holy synods, Gods! recite that hymn, peerless, that

brings felicity. t

If you, 0 Heroes, graciously accept this word, may it obtain
all bliss from you.

7 Who shall approach the pious ? who the man whose sacred

grass is trimmed 1

The offerer with his folk advances more and more : he fills his
house with precious things.

8 He amplifies his lordly might, with kings he slays: e’en mid

alarms he dwells secure.

In great or lesser fight none checks him, none subdues, the
wielder of the thunderbolt.

HYMN XLI. Yaruna, Mitra, Aryaman.


Ne’er is he injured whom the Gods Yaruna, Mitra, Aryaman,
The excellently wise, protect.

2 Ho prospers ever, free from scathe, whom they, as with full

hands, enrich,

Whom they preserve from every foe.

3 The Kings drive far away from him his troubles and his

enemies,

And lead him safely o’er distress.


4 Sacred food: Ud or Idd. sacrificial food, or a libation, especially a holy liba¬
tion coming between the Prayftja and the Anuyftja the fore-sacrifice and the
after sacrifice; the preliminary and the final offering.

5 y 0 io Brahmunaspati speaks forth : ‘Professor Itoth remarks : The thunder

- v voice. The voice of thunder, again, as the voice of the

iyer, is by a beautiful transference brought into connec¬
tion with the prayer which, spoken on earth, finds, as it were, its echo in the
heights of heaven.’ Muir 0. S. Texts, Y. p. 279, no$p.

8 The wielder of the thunderbolt: meaning, S&yana says, Brahmanaspati,
and so far identifying him with Indra. Ludwig refers the expression to the
pious saerifieer who is said to be armed, as it were with Brahmanaspati a
thunderbolt.


Z The Kings .* Yanina, Mitra, and Aryaman,



U TUB HYMNS OP [BOOK /.

4 Thornless, Adityas, is the path, easy for him who seeks the
Law:

With him is naught to anger you.
h What sacrifice, $ dityas, ye Heroes guide by the path direct,—
May that come nigh unto your thought.

$ That mortal, ever unsubdued, gains wealth and every precious
thing,

And children also of his own,

7 How, my friends, shall we prepare Aryaman’s and Mitral

laud,

Glorious food of Yaruna ?

8 I point not out to you a man who strikes the pious, or reviles :
Only with hymns i call you nigh.

9 Let him not love to speak ill words; but fear the One who

holds all four

Within his hand, until they fall.

HYMN XL[L Pushan,

Shorten our ways, 0 Pushan, move aside obstruction in the
path :

Go close before us, cloud-bora God.


i A tityas : the three Gods named above, with others. See X. 14. 3.

9 But fear the One who hoicks the four; Wilson remarks : ‘The text has
thituras chul dtiiluuihtCLil blbh d nidhutoh , he may fear from one holding
four until the fall The meaning is supplied by the Scholiast with the
assistance of Ydska, chaturo kshdn dhdmyatuh. .Jdtavdt, from a gambler hold¬
ing four dice ..That is, where two men are playing together, the man who
has not the throw of the dice is in anxious apprehension lest it should be
against him.’ Bonfey thinks that ‘ the holder of the four (dice)’ is God who
holds in hL hands and decides the destinies of man. Ludwig maintains that
there is no reference to dice, either of gambling or destiny, and that ‘ the four'
are Varuna, Mitra, Bhaga, and Aryaman. The pious man when ho possesses
these four as friends should fear to let them go.‘ Bergaigne (La Religion
WSdique, XII. 158) is of opinion that the cords or nooses of Yaruna, with
which he catches and punishes the wicked, are intended.

1 Shorten* our ways, 0 P&shmi Pfishan is usually a synonym of the Sun;
that is, he is one of the twelve Adityas. According to the tenour of this
hymn, he is the deity presiding especially over roads and journeyings.

CLoud bom ; with reference, perhaps, to the close connexion between
nourishing the earth, which is one of Pushan’s especial duties, and the cloud
that gives the necessary rain. But in Rigveda VIII. 4. 15, 16, Pushan is
called vimochnnn , the deliverer, (from sin, according to S&yana), and perhaps
vmucho napdt may mean the same thing. See Muir 0. S. Texts. V, 175
where the whole hymn is translated, . *



&YitN 43.] THE RtGVEDA. 5ft

2 Drive, Puslian, from our road the wolf, the wicked inauspicious

wolf,

Who lies in wait to injure us.

3 Who lurks about the path we take, the robber with a guileful

heart:

Far from the road chase him away. r

4 Tread with thy foot and trample out the firebrand of the

wicked one,

The double-tongued, whoe’er he be.

5 Wise Puslian, Wonder-Worker, we claim of thee now the aid

wherewith

Thou furtlieredst our sires of old.

6 So, Lord of all prosperity, best wielder of the golden sword,
Make riches easy to be won.

7 Past all pursuers lead us, make pleasant our path and fair

to tread;

O Puslian, find thou power for this.

8 Lead us to meadows rich in grass: send on our way no early

heat:

0 Pushan, find thou power for this.

9 Be gracious to us, fill us full, give, feed us, and invigorate :

0 Pushan, find thou power for this.

10 So blame have we for Pushan ; him we magnify with songs
of praise:

We seek the Mighty One for wealth.

HYMN 3LTIL Rudm,

What 'shall we sing to Budra, strong, most bounteous, excel¬
lently wise,

That shall be dearest to his heart?

2 That Aditi m iy grant the grace of Rudra to our folk, our kine.
Our cattle and our progeny;

3 That Mitra and that Varu$a, that Rudra may remember us v
Yea, all the Gods with one accord.


2 The wolf; vriht^ Swedish, and Norwegian vary, which, signifies not only
wolf, but also a wicked godless man.

1 Rudra appears in this hymn as a gentle and beneficent deity, presiding
especially over medicinalplauts.

2 That Aditi may grant the grace: Aditi is said by Sftyana to mean here

the earth, and is accordingly so translated by Wilson. Benfey explains the
word by * Sinlessness/ and hud wig takes it as a masculine deity meaning Rudra
himself. •



fiO fllM HYMNS OP [HOOP L

4 To Rudra Lord of sacrifice, of hymns and balmy medicines, :

We pray for joy and health and strength.

.5 He shines in splendour like the Sun, refulgent as bright gold
is he,

The good, the best among the Gods*

6 May he grant health into out steeds, well-being to our rams and

ewes*

To men, to women, and to kine.

7 0 Soma^ set thou upon us the glory of a hundred men*

The great renown of mighty chiefs.

8 Let not malignities, nor those who trouble Soma, hinder us.
Indu, give us a share of strength.

9 Soma! head, central point, love these; Soma! know these as

serving thee,

Children of thee Imortal, at the highest place of holy law.

HYMN XLIY. Agni

Immortal Jata vedas, thou many-hued fulgent gift of Dawn,
Agni, this day to him who pays oblations bring the Gods who
waken with the morn.

2 For thou art offering-bearer and loved messenger, the chariot¬

eer of sacrifice:

Accordant with the Asvins and with Dawn grant us heroic
strength and lofty fame.

3 As messenger we * choose to-day Agni the good whom many

love,

Smoke-bannered spreader of the light, at break of day glory of
sacrificial rites.


6 May he grant health: here Rudra appears as pasuptdi, Lord and guardian
of cattle.

B Those who trouble Soma; probably the people of the hills who interfere
with the gathering of the. Soma plant which has to be sought there.

Indu: literally e drop ; 1 from the same root as Indra, the Rainer ; a name
of the Moon as rain-giver, and of Soma which is identified with it.

9 At the highest place of holy law: at the place where sacrifice is duly per¬
formed. £ The whole verse is difficult, possibly a later addition,’ Max Muller.

This Hymn and the six following are ascribed to the Rishi Praskanva;
the son of K&nva who is the seer of the preceding group.

1 Immortal Jdtavedas ; J&tavedas is a common epithet of Agni, the mean¬
ing of which is explained in five ways ; 1. ( knowing all created beings ; 2, pos-.
sessing all creatures ; * 3. ‘ known by created beings ; ’ 4, ' possessing riches /
£>. possessing wisdom.’

2 The Asvins: see I. 3. 1.

Dawn: the Goddess ITshas ; Morning personified.



HYMN 44.]


THE RIGVEDA,


61


4 Him noblest and most youthful, richly-worshipped guest, dear

to the men who offer gifts,

Him, Agni Jatavedas, I beseech at dawn that he may bring
the Gods to us.

5 Thee, Agni, will I glorify, deathless nourisher of the -world,
Immortal, offering-bearer, meet for sacred foo<J, preserver, best

at sacrifice.

6 Tell good things to thy praiser, 0 most youthful God, as richly-

worshipped, honey-tongued,

And, granting to Prask&nva lengthened days of life, show
honour to the Heavenly Host,

7 For the men, Agni, kindle thee as all-possessor and as Priest;
So Agni, much-invoked, bring hither with all speed the Gods,

the excellently wise,

8 At dawn of day, at night, Ushas and Savitar, the Asvins,

Bhaga, Agni’s self:

Skilled in fair rites, with Soma poured, the Kanvas light thee,
the oblation-wafting God.

9 For, Agni, Lord of sacrifice and messenger of men art thou :
Bring thou the Gods who wake at dawn, who see the light, this

day to drink the Soma juice.

10 Thou slionest forth, 0 Agni, after former dawns, all visible, 0

rich in light.

,.Thou art our help in battle-strife, the Friend of man, the great
High Priest in sacrifice.

11 Like Mann, we will stablish thee, Agni, performer of the rite,
Invoker, ministering Priest, exceeding wise, the swift immortal

messenger. ^

12 When as the Gods’ High Priest, by many loved, thou dost

their mission as their nearest Friend,

Then, like the far-resounding billow’s of the Hood, thy flames, 0
Agni, roar aloud,

13 Hear, Agni, v r ho hast ears to hear, with all thy train of escort Gods;
Let Mitra, Aryarnan, seeking betimes our rite, seat them upon

the sacred grass.

14 Let those who strengthen Law, who bountifully give, the fire-

tongued Maruts, hear our praise.

May Law-Supporting Varu^a, w r ith the Asvins twain and
Ushas, drink the Soma juice.

11 Like. Alanu; th.' 'n and father of the human race and

the’ first institute of * ■ . . ■ ' .

12 Of the food: c > r ord meaning either that river (the

Indus) in particular, or any river or gathering of waters in general,-

15 Let Mitra , Aryanutn ; and Varuna, understood.

14 The- jivc-tonguc i Marais; who consume the sacrifice by means of the
tongue-like flames of Agni. ' . .......



THE HYMNS OF




[BOOK L


HYMN XLY. a Agni.

Worship the Yasus, Agni! here, the Rudras, the Adityas, all
Who spring from M tnu, those who know fair rites, who pour
their blessings down,

2 Agni, the Gods who understand give ear unto the worshipper:
Lord of RedrSteeds, who lovest song, bring thou those Three-

and-Thirty Gods.

3 0 Jatavedas, great in act, hearken thou to Praskanva’s call,

As Priyamedha erst was heard, Atri, Virupa, Angiras.

i The sons of Priyamedha skilled in lofty praise have called for
help

On Agni who with fulgent flame is Ruler of all holy rites.

5 Hear thou, invoked with holy oil, bountiful giver of inwards,
These eulogies, whereby the sons of Kanva call thee to their

aid.

6 0 Agni, loved by many, thou of fame most wondrous, in their

homes

Men call on thee whose hair is flame, to be the bearer of their
gifts.

7 Thee, Agni, best to find out wealth, most widely famous, quiek

to hear,

Singers have stablished in their rites Herald and ministering
Priest.

8 Singers with Soma pressed have made thee, Agni, hasten to

the feast,

Great light to mortal worshipper, what time they bring the
sacred gift.

9 Good, bounteous, Son of Strength, this day seat here on sacred

grass the Gods

Who come at early morn, the host of heaven,, to drink the
Soma juice.

10 Bring with joint invocations thou, 0 Agni, the celestial host;
Here stands the Soma, bounteous Gods: drink this expressed
ere yesterday.

1 Vasus, Rudras, Adityas: three classes of Gods who make up almost the
whole number of the thirty-three deities spoken of in the next stanza.

Who spring from Mauu: Manu appears here as Praj&pati, the progenitor
of Gods as well as of men.

2 Lord of Red Steeds: Agni, whose horses are flames of fire.

The Three-aml'Thirty Gods; see I, 34, 11.

3 Priyamedha, Atri, and Virapa are famous Riskis, the seers of many hymns
of the Kigvcda. Angiras has already been mentioned. See I. 1. 6,

9 Son of Strength; made or generated by strong friction; * kindled through
agitation to a flame.'

10 Expressed ere yesterday: prepared two days Infers in order that the juice
might ferment before it was used.



UYMft 46. J


TBE RIG VEDA.

HYMN XLVI. Asvins.

Now Morning witli her earlist light shines forth, dear Daughter
of the Sky:

High, Asvins, I extol your praise,

2 Sons of the Sea, mighty to save, discoverers of riches, ye
Gods with deep thought who find out wealth. *

3 Your giant coursers hasten on over the region all in flames,
When yoxir car flies with winged steeds.

4 He, liberal, lover of the flood, Lord of the House,, the vigilant,.
Chiefs ! with oblations feed? you full.

& Ye have regard unto our hymns, Nasatyas, thinking of our
words :

Drink boldly of the Soma juice;

6 Vouchsafe to us, 0 Asvin Fair, such strength as, with attend¬
ant light,

May through the darkness carry us.

*7 Come in the ship of these our hymns to bear you to the hither
shore:

0 Asvins, harness ye the car.

8 The heaven’s wide vessel is your own; on the flood’s shore 1 * * 4 * 6 7 8 9

your chariot waits ; *

Drops, with the hymn, have been prepared.

9 Kanvas, the drops are in the heaven; the wealth is at the

waters’ place:

Where will ye manifest your form %

l Morn inrf: U'sliaa or Dawn, personified as a Goddess.

Asvhts ; see I. 3.1,

% Sous of the Sea ; offspring of the celestial ocean, the atmosphere;

4 He, liberal , lover of the flood: evidently Agni and not the Sun. Agm’s
connexion with water is frequently alluded to, and he is often called the Lord

and Guardian of the house or family.

6 The darkness : in the shape of poverty or want, according to the Scholiast.

7 The poet appears to invite the Asvins to yoke their chariot for part of
the journey and come to meet his hymn which shall bear them as in a ship
through the sky. The middle air or atmosphere is the sea between heaven
and earth, and the earth is the hither shore.

8 Vessel: (aretram). a vehicle in the shape of a ship, says Sftyana. You
have already the ship of our songs to bear you through the sky, and now your
chariot has reached the earth and the place where, together with this hymn,
the Soma juice has been prepared for a libation to you.

9 The drops, or Soma libation, and the wealth or treasure, and the sky and
the place of rivers appear here to be parallelisms, both pairs of expressions
signifying the same thing. The oblation is said to have already reached the
heaven where the Asvins will receive it. Say&ua’s paraphrase which Wilson has
followed, seems forced and unnatural. ‘ Kanvas, (ask this of the Asvins):
(How) do the rays (of the sun proceed) from the sky ?; (How) does the dawn
(rise) in the region of the waters ? 1



€i THE HYMNS OF [BOOK l

10 Light came to lighten up the branch: the Sun appeared as it

were gold:

And with its tongue shone forth the dark.

11 The path of sacrifice was made to travel to the farther goal:
The road of heaven was manifest.

12 The singer of their praise awaits whatever grace the Asvins

give,

Who save when Soma gladdens them,

13 Ye dwellers with Vivasvan come, auspicious, as to Manu erst j
Come to the Soma and our praise.

14 0 circumambient Asvins, Dawn follows the brightness of jour

way:

Approve with beams our solemn rites.

15 Drink ye of our libations, grant protection, 0 ye Asvins Twain,
With aids which none may interrupt.

HYMN XLY1L Asvins.

Asvins, for you who strengthen Law this sweetest Soma hath
been shed.

Drink this expressed ere yesterday and give riches to him who
offers it,

2 Come, 0 ye Asvins, mounted on your triple ear, three-seated,

beautiful of form.

To you at sacrifice the Kanvas send the prayer: graciously
listen to their call.

3 0 Asvins, ye who strengthen Law, drink ye this sweetest Soma

juice.

Borne on your wealth-fraught ear come ye this day to him
who offers, ye of wondrous deeds.

4 Omniscient Asvins, on the thrice-heaped grass bedew with the

sweet juice the sacrifice.

The sons of Kanva, striving heavenward, call on you with
draughts of Soma juice out-poured.

5 0 Asvins, with those aids wherewith ye guarded Kanva care¬

fully,

Keep us, 0 Lords of Splendour; drink the Soma juice, ye
strength eners of holy law.


10 Light come to lighten up the branch: the branch is probably the sacrificial
fire. Gf. ‘The other fires are verily thy branches’ (I. 50. 1)* The epithet
1 dark 1 may refer to the darkening of the fire by the sunlight or by the smoke.

11 Sacrifice is the path which leads the Gods from heaven to earth, and the
way thYough heaven is made visible by the sacrificial fire or by the daylight,

13 Vivasvdn; ‘the Brilliant,’ a name of the morning heaven personified
Ho is regarded as the father of Yama, Manu, and the Asvins, See X. 17, 2, note'



HYMN 48.]


THE RIG VEDA.


65


G 0 Mighty Ones, ye gave Slides abundant food, brought on
your treasure-laden car;

So now vouchsafe to us the wealth which many crave, either
from heaven or from the sea.

7 Nasatyas, whether ye be far away or close to Turvasa,

Borne on your lightly-rolling chariot come 13b us, together

with the sunbeams come.

8 So let your coursers, ornaments of sacrifice, bring you to our

libations here.

Bestowing food on him who acts and gives aright, sit, Chiefs,
upon the sacred grass.

9 Come, 0 Nasatyas, on your car decked with a sunbright canopy,
Whereon ye ever bring wealth to the worshipper, to drink the

Soma’s pleasant juice.

10 With lauds and songs of praise we call them down to us, that
they, most rich, may succour us ;

For ye have ever in the Kanvas’ well-loved house, 0 Asvins,
drunk the Soma juice.

HYMN XLVII r. Dawn.

Dawn on ug with prosperity, 0 Ushas, Daughter of the Sky,
Dawn with great glory, Goddess, Lady of the Light, dawn thou
with riches, Bounteous One.

2 They, bringing steeds and kine, boon givers of all wealth, have

oft sped forth to lighten us.

0 Ushas, waken up for me the sounds of joy : send us the riches
of the great.

3 Ushas hath dawned, and now shall dawn, the Goddess, driver

forth of cars

Which, as she cometh nigh, have fixed their thought on her,
like glory-seekers on the flood.


6 Sudds: a king, the son of Pijivana. See VII. 18, 5— 25,

7 Nasatyas: Asvins. See I. 3. 3,

Turvasa : the tribe or family called after the chief of this name, frequently
mentioned in the liigveda. See I. 36. IS.

10 With lauds: ukfhebhih, answering, according to Sayan a, to what in the
Brahman a is called S as tram (to be recited by the Hotar) while the Stoma
(sfcofcram) song, is sung by tlxe Sftma-priests.

1 Ushas: Morning, Dawn, personified,

2 They : the Dawns of preceding days,

3 The approach of Dawn sets cars or wains in motion in the same way as it
causes ships or boats that have anchored during the night to move out to the
open water.

5



66 TEE J2YMN& OF {BOOR L

4 Here Kanva, chief of Kanva’s race, sings forth aloud the glo¬

ries of the heroes’ names,—

The princes who, 0 XJshas, as thou eomest near, direct their
thoughts to liberal gifts.

5 Like a good matron Ushas comes carefully tending everything :
Housing alL life she stirs all creatures that have feet, and

makes the birds of air fly up.

6 She sends the busy forth, each man to his pursuit; delay she

knows not as she springs.

0 rich in opulence, after thy dawning birds that have flown
forth no longer rest.

7 This Dawn hath yoked her steeds afar, beyond the rising of

the Sun:

Borne on a hundred chariots she, the auspicious Dawn, advan¬
ces on her way to men.

S To meet her glance all living creatures bend them down;
Excellent One, she makes the light.

Ushas, the Daughter of the Sky, the opulent, shines foes and;
enmities away.

9 Shine on us with thy radiant light, 0 Ushas, Daughter of the-
Sky,

Bringing to us great store of high felicity, and beaming on our*
solemn rites.

10 For in thee is each living creature's breath and life, when.
Excellent! thou dawncst forth.

Borne on thy lofty car, 0 Lady of the Light, hear, thou of
wondrous wealth, our call.

110 Ushas, win thyself the strength which among men is won¬
derful.

Bring thou thereby the pious unto holy rites, those who as-
priests sing praise to thee.

12 Bring from the firmament, 0 Ushas, all the Gods, that they

may drink our Soma juice,

And, being what thou art, vouchsafe us kine and steeds,
strength meet for praise and hero might.

13 May Ushas whose auspicious rays are seen resplendent round

about,

Grant us great riches, fair in form, of all good things, wealth
which light labour may attain.

14 Mighty One, whom the Rishis of old time invoked for their

protection and their help,


4 The princes are the wealthy patrons or institutes of sacrifice, who bear
all expenses and remunerate the i-uleots.



THE RIG VEDA.


HYMN 50.]


67


0 Ushas, graciously answer our songs of praise with, bounty
and with brilliant light.

. 15 Ushas, as thou with light to-day hast opened the twin doors
of heaven,

So grant thou us a dwelling wide and free from foes. 0 God¬
dess, give us food with kine. <*

16 Bring us to wealth abundant, sent in every shape, to plentiful
refreshing food,

To all-subduing splendour, Ushas, Mighty One, to strength, thou
rich in spoil and wealth.

HYMN XL IX. Dawn.

E’en from above the sky’s bright realm come, Ushas, by aus¬
picious ways:

Let red steeds bear thee to the house of him who pours the
Soma juice.

2 The chariot which thou mountest, fair of shape, 0 Ushas 1

light to move,—

Therewith, 0 Daughter of the Sky, aid men of noble fame to¬
day.

3 Bright Ushas, when thy times return, all quadrupeds and

bipeds stir,

And round about flock winged birds from all the boundaries of
heaven.

4 Thou dawning with thy beams of light illumest all the radiant

realm.

Thee, as thou art, the Kanvas, fain for wealth, have called
with sacred songs.

HYMN L. Sf;rya.

Hrs bright rays bear him up aloft, the God who knoweth all
that lives,

S&rya, that all may look on him.

' 2 The constellations pass away, like thieves, together with their
beams, ’ ;

Before the all-beholding Sun.

3 His herald rays ai-e seen afar refulgent o’er the world of men,
Like flames of fire that bum and blaze.

4 Swift and all beautiful art thou, O Surya, maker of the light,
Illuming all the radiant realm.


1 Let red steeds bear thee: the Scholiast explains arunapscwah as the purple
cows, the vehicles of morning, that is, the dark red clouds that accompany the ‘
dawn.

1 The God who Icnoweth all that live: jdtdredasum, here an epithet of.Si.rya
the Sun-God,




68 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK I.

5 Thou goest to the hosts of Gods, thou comest hither to mankind,
Hither all light to be beheld.

6 With that same eye of thine wherewith thou lookest, brilliant

Yaruna,

Upon the busy race of men,

7 Traversing sky and wide mid-air, thou metest with thy beams

our days.

Sun, seeing all things that have birth.

8 Seven Bay Steeds harnessed to thy car bear thee, 0 thou far-

seeing One,

God, Surya, with the radiant hair.

9 S&rya hath yoked the pure bright Seven, the daughters of the

car; with these,

His own dear team, he goeth forth.

10 Looking upon the loftier light above the darkness we have come
To Surya, God among the Gods, the light that is most excellent.

11 Rising this day, 0 rich in friends, ascending to the loftier

heaven,

Surya, remove my heart’s disease, take from me this my yel¬
low hue.

12 To parrots and to starlings let us give away my yellowness,

Or this my yellowness let us transfer to Haritala trees.

13 With all his conquering vigour this A ditya hath gone up on high,
Giving my foe into mine hand : let me not be my foeman’s prey.


6 Varumt : the word is, as S&yana points out, used here as an appellative
(the eneornpasser) and applied to Sftrya. Sayana explains it as airishtanivdraka ,
averter of evil.

9 Stivya hath yaked the 'pure bright Seven : the seven steeds that draw his
ear, and which, as intimately connected therewith, are called the daughters of
the chariot. The number seven has reference to the seven clays of the week.

11 f This verse and the two following constitute a brkha, or triplet the re¬
petition of which, with due formalities, is considered to be curative of disease 5
Wilson.

12 The yellowness here spoken of is probably the colour of the skin in
jaundice. The Jutridrard of the text is said by Sayana to mean haritdladru-
mt K a_ hantftla tree ; but there seems to be no tree of that name Haritala
means, usually, yellow orpimeut, and havidrava, a yellow vegetable powder
Tlie word hdridrava is explained in the Petersburg Lexicon as a certain yellow


■ To parrots and to starlings : similarly, among the Romans, people with thf
jaundice were called leteriei according to Pliny (H. N, xxx IX) from the
fanciful notion that the disease was cured by looking at the icterus one of the
many vaneties of the sturnidic or starling family. -The bird was said to die
•instead of the patient.



HYMN 51.]


' THE RIG VEDA . 69

HYMN LI. Into.

Make glad with songs that Ram whom many men invoke,
worthy of songs of praise, Indra, the sea of wealth;

Whose gracious deeds for men spread like the heavens abroad:
sing praise to him the Sage, most liberal for our good.

2 A s aids the skilful Ribhus yearned to Indra strong to save,

who fills mid-air, encompassed round with might,

Rushing in rapture; and o’er Satakratu came the gladening
shout that urged him on to victory.

3 Thou hast disclosed the kine’s stall for the Angirases, and

made a way for Atri by a hundred doors.

On Vimada thou hast bestowed both food and wealth, making
thy bolt dance in the sacrificer’s fight.

4 Thou hast unclosed the prisons of the waters; thou hast in

the mountain seized the treasure rich in gifts.

When thou hadst slain with might the dragon Yritra, thou
Indra, didst raise the Sun in heaven for all to see.


This hymn and the six following are attributed to the Rishi Savya, who is
called the son of Angiras.

1 That Ram: that famous ram, Indra. See I. 10. 2. Here the reference
is to a fighting-ram; or, according to S&yana, to a legend which says that
Indra came in the form of a ram to Medh.4tith.Fs sacrifice, and drank the Soma
juice.

2 The skilful Ribhus: see I. 2fi. I. Sayana says that the Maruts are here
intended, who encouraged Indra when all the Gods had deserted him.

Rushing in rupture; when exhilarated by draughts of Soma.

c Here again,' says Professor Max Miiller, f the difficulty of rendering Yedic
thought in English, or any other modern language, becomes apparent, for we
have no poetical word to express a high state of mental excitement produced
by drinking the intoxicating juice of the Soma or other plants, which has not
something opprobrious mixed up with it, while in ancient times that state of
excitement was celebrated as a blessing of the gods, as not unworthy of the
gods themselves, nay, as a state in which both the warrior and the poet
would perform their highest achievements. The German Rausch is the nearest
approach to the Sanskrit mada.’

In this version mada has generally been rendered by rapture, delight,
transport, or wild joy.

Satahrata : Indra. See I. 4. 8.

3 The kinds stall: the dark cloud that holds the waters imprisoned.

The Angirases : an ancient priestly family. See I. 1. 6. Atn: a Ilishi usually
enumerated with the Angirases among the prajapatis or progenitors of men.
Indra freed him from captivity, showing him a hundred ways of escape.
Vimada was also a Rishi of ancient times.

4 The mountain ; the cloud. The treasure is the fertilizing rain.

Didst raise the Sun: according to S4yana, didst free the Sun which had
been hidden by Yritra,



THE IIYMNb &1<


{BOOK L


ilt

5 With wondrous might thou blewest enchanter fiends away,

with powers celestial those who called on thee in jest.

Thou, hero-hearted, hast broken down Pipru’s forts, and helped
JRijisvan when the Dasyus were struck dead.

6 Thou savedst Kutsa when Sushna was smitten down; to Ati-

thigva gafest Sambara for a prey.

E 5 6 * 8 9 10 en mighty Arbuda thou troddest under foot: thou from of
old wast born to strike the Dasyus dead.

7 All power and might is closely gathered up in thee; thy

bounteous spirit joys in drinking Soma juice.

Known is the thunderbolt that lies within thine arms: rend
off therewith all manly prowess of our foe.

8 Discern thou well Aryas and Dasyus; punishing the lawless

give them up to him whose grass is strewn.

Be thou the sacrificer’s strong encourager : all these thy deeds
are my delight at festivals.

9* Indra gives up the lawless to the pious man, destroying by
the Strong Ones those who have no strength.

Vamra when glorified destroyed the gathered piles of the still
waxing great one who would reach the heaven.

10 The might which Usana hath formed for thee with might
rends'in its greatness and with strength both worlds apart.

5 Those who called on thee in jest: literally, called on thee or offered to thee
above or over the shoulder, apparently an ancient proverbial expression ap¬
plied to those who instead of sacrificing to the Gods put the intended oblation
into their own mouths.

Pvpru is one of the demons of the air ; his forts are the clouds that withhold
• the rain : JRimvdn is a pious worshipper oppressed by the Dasyus, robbers or
barbarians.

6 Sushna } 1 the Drier-up,’ is the personification of the excessive heat before

the rains ; a demon of drought. Sambara and Arbuda are similar demons of
the atmosphere. Atithigm is another name of the liberal prince Divod&sa.

8 The Aryas are, first, the people who speak the language of the Veda,
and the Dasyus are the original and hostile peoples of India. Later, the

■ former are the true and loyal people, faithful to Indra and the Gods, and the
latter are the wicked and godless.

Whose grass is strewn : the faithful worshipper, the priest who has trimmed
and strewn tlie sacred grass for the Gods.

9 Vamra : the second half of the stanza is ■' 1,1 * V Wilson remarks:

‘The text is obscure,— Vamro vi jaghdna , destroyed the

collection. The Scholiast says that a Ilishi named Vamra took advantage of
Indra’s absence from sacrifice, to carry away the accumulated heap of offerings.’

10 The Rishi Usanfl, called also Kftvya or Kavi’sson, appears in the Veda
as the especial friend of Indra. In I. 121, 12. he is said to have given
Indra his thunderbolt: ‘ The bolt which Kftvya IJsanft erst gave thee.’ Here,
also, * the might ’ means the conquering thunderbolt, although in other places
its fabrication is attributed to Tvashtar,

The steeds of Vdkt : horses of the Winch God, horses swift as wind.




HYMN 52,3


THE JUG VEDA.


11


0 Hero-souled, the steeds of Vata, yoked by thought, have
carried thee to fame while thou art filled with power.

11 When Indra hath rejoiced with Kavya Usana, he mounts his

steeds who swerve wider and wider yet.

The Strong hath loosed his bolt with the swift rush of rain,
and he hath rent in pieces Sushna’s firm-built forts.

12 Thou mountest on thy car amid strong Soma draughts: Sir-

yata brought thee those in which thou hast delight.

Indra, when thou art pleased with men whose Soma flows thou
risest to unchallenged glory in the sky.

13 .To old Kaksh:vaii, Somj, piv^.er, skilled in song, O Indra, thou

didst give the yonihi*;:! Vrirhaya.

Thou, very wise, wast Mena, Vrishanasva’s child; those deeds
of thine must all be told at Soma feasts.

14 The good man’s refuge in his need is Indra, firm as a door¬

post, praised among the Pajras.

Indra alone is Lord of wealth, the Giver, lover of riches, cha¬
riots, kine, and horses.

15 To him the Mighty One, the self-resplendent, verily strong and

great, this praise is uttered.

May we and all the heroes, with the princes, be, in this fray,
O Indra, in thy keeping.

HYMN LII. Indra.

I glorify that Ram who finds the light of heaven, whose hun¬
dred nobly-natured ones go forth with him.

With hymns may I turn hither Indra to mine aid,—the Car
which like a strong steed hasteth to the call.


11 When Indra hath rejoiced : drunk tlie exhilarating Bom a.

12 Sin/dta : a Rdjarshi or royal llishi of the family of Bhrigu,

Drought thee those : draughts of Soma juice.

Thou risest to unchallenged glory : when thou hast exhilarated thyself with
the Soma offered by thy worshippers thou performest thy most glorious deeds.

13 Kahshivdn : a llishi, son of Usij. See I. 18. 1. Vrichayft, the damsel who
was given to him, is not mentioned elsewhere.

Mend : according to a later legend, Indra became, himself, the daughter
of King Vrisauasva.

14 Among the Pajras: an ancient priestly family, said to be identical with
the Angirases.

15 In this f rag : the hymn appears to have been addressed to Indra for aid
in a coming battle,

1 That Earn : that famous warrior. See I. 51. 1.

Whose hundred nobly-natured ones : see verse 4.


72 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK I.

2 Like as a mountain on firm basis, imremoved, he, thousand¬

fold protector, waxed in mighty strength,

When Indra, joying in the draughts of Soma juice, forced the
clouds, slaying Yritra stayer of their flow.

3 For he stays e’en the stayers, spread o’er laden cloud, rooted

in light, strengthened in rapture by the wise.

Indra with thought, with skilled activity, I call, most liberal
giver, for he sates him with the juice.

4 Whom those that flow in heaven on sacred grass, his own as¬

sistants, nobly-natured, All full like the sea,—

Beside that Indra when he smote down Yritra stood his helpers,
straight in form, mighty, invincible.

5 To him, as in wild joy he fought with him who stayed the rain,

his helpers sped like swift streams down a slope,

When Indra, thunder-armed, made bold by Soma draughts,
broke Vala’s fences down, as Trita burst his way.

6 Splendour encompassed thee, forth shone thy warrior might:

the rain-obstructer lay in mid-air’s lowest deep,

What time, 0 Indra, thou didst cast thy thunder down upon
the jaws of Yritra hard to be restrained.

7 The hymns which magnify thee, Indra, reach to thee even as

water-brooks flow down and fill the lake.

Tvaslitar gave yet more force to thine appropriate strength,
and forged thy thunderbolt of overpowering might.

8 When, Indra, thou whose power is linked with thy Bay Steeds

hadst smitten Yritra, causing floods to flow for man,

Thou heldst in thine arms the metal thunderbolt, and settest
in the heaven the Sun for all to see.


3 For he stays e'en the stayers ; the words of the text set hi (hard dvartslm

vrtvrd fldhani, are very difficult. S&yana’s paraphrase, adopted by Wilson, is
loose but seems to give the general sense of thf '" " f T ? ho is victorious
over his enemies, who is spread through the . ■■ ’ ‘The stayer

among the stayers/ is probably the conqueror who checks the demons who
obstruct the rain, and €dhan, the udder (of the sky) means the rain-giving
clouds, over which Indra, as God of the firmament, is extended as a covering.

4 His own assistants : the inspiring Soma draughts,

5 His helpers ; his constant allies, the Maruts.

As Trita burst his way ; Sftyana refers to a legend which says that Trita fell
into a well, and the Asuras heaped coverings over its mouth ; but he broke
through them with ease. So Indra broke down the defences of the demon
Yala, See Wilson’s note on the passage.

6 The rain-obstructer : the demon Vritra.

7 Tvashtar: the Vulcan or Hephaestus of the Indian Gods.

8 The metal thunderbolt: vajram dyasdm, usually translated ‘ iron thunder*
bolt ’; but we do not know for certain what metal ay as (Latin aes) was. ■




HYMN 53.]


THE RIG VEDA.


73


9 In fear they raised the lofty self-resplendent hymn, praise- .
giving and effectual, leading up to heaven,

When Indra’s helpers fighting for the good of men, the Maruts,
faithful to mankind, joyed in the light.

10 Then Heaven himself, the mighty, at that Dragon’s roar reeled
back in terror when, Indra, thy thunderbolt?

In the wild joy of Soma had struck off with might the head
of Yritra, tyrant of the earth and heaven.

110 Indra, were this earth extended forth tenfold, and men who
dwell therein multiplied day by day,

Still here thy conquering might, Maghavan, would be famed:
it hath waxed vast as heaven in majesty and power.

12 Thou, bold of heart, in thine own native might, for help, upon

the limit of this mid-air and of heaven,

Hast made the earth to be the pattern of thy strength : em¬
bracing flood and light thou reachest to the sky.

13 Thou art the counterpart of earth, the Master of lofty heaven

with all its mighty Heroes :

Thou hast filled all the region with thy greatness: yea, of a
truth there is none other like thee.

14 Whose amplitude the heaven and earth have not attained,

whose bounds the waters of mid-air have never reached,— #
Not, when in joy he fights the stayer of the rain: thou, and
none else, hast made all things in order due.

15 The Maruts sang thy praise in this encounter, and in thee all

the Deities delighted,

What time thou, Indra, with thy spiky weapon, thy deadly
bolt, smotest the face of Yritra.

HYMN LIIL Indra.

We will present fair praise unto the Mighty One, our hymns
to Indra in Vivasvan’s dwelling-place;

For he hath ne’er found wealth in those who seem to sleep:
those who give wealth to men accept no paltry praise.


9 In fear then raised: that is, Indra’s worshippers in fear of Vritra.

11 If the earth were ten times as large and populous as it is, thy fame
would extend over the whole of it.

14 The waters of mid-air: the aerial ocean, the firmament.

He fights : said of Indra. We should expect ‘ thou tightest; ’ hut this and
similar sudden changes of person are common in the Veda.

1 Yhawdn? s dwelling-place; the seat of the sacrifice^ the representative
of the celestial Yivasv&n,



74 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK /.

2 Giver of horses, Indra, giver, thou, of kine, giver of barley,

thou art Lord and guard of wealth :

Man’s helper from of old, not disappointing hope, Friend of
our friends, to thee as such we sing this praise.

3 Indra, most splendid, powerful, rich in mighty deeds, this

treasure*spread around is known to be thine own.

Gather therefrom, 0 Conqueror, and bring to us: fail not the
hope of him who loves and sings to thee.

4 Well pleased with these bright flames and with these Soma

drops, take thou away our poverty with steeds and kine.
With Indra scattering the Dasyu through these drops, freed
from their hate may we obtain abundant food.

5 Let us obtain, 0 Indra, plenteous wealth and food, with strength

exceeding glorious, shining to the sky :

May we obtain the Goddess Providence, the strength of hei'oes,
special source of cattle, rich in steeds.

6 These our libations, strength-inspiring, Soma draughts, glad¬

dened thee in the fight with Vritra, Hero Lord,

What time thou slewest for the singer with trimmed grass ten
thousand Vritras, thou resistless in thy might.

7 Thou goest on from fight to fight intrepidly, destroying castle

after castle here with strength.

Thou, Indra, with thy friend who makes the foe bow down,
slewest from far away the guileful Namuehi.

8 Thou hast struck down in death Karanja, Parnaya, in Atr

thigva’s very glorious going forth.

Unyielding, when Eijisvan compassed them with siege, thou
hast destroyed the hundred forts of Vangrida.

9 With all-outstripping chariot-wheel, 0 Indra, thou far-famed,

hast overthrown the twice ten Kings of men,

With sixty thousand nine-and-ninety followers, who came in
arms to fight with friendless Susravas.

10 Thou hast protected Susravas with succour, and Turvayana
with thine aid, 0 Indra.


2 Those who seem to sleep; Indra derives no advantage from those who are
remiss in their religious duties.

6 Ten thousand Vritras; countless demons like Vritra.

7 With thy friend ; the thunderbolt. Or namyd may mean * with Kami’ as
thy confederate.

JSiamuchi: * non-looser (of the heavenly waters),’ another demon of drought.

8 Karanja, Parnaya , and Vangrida are Asuras or demons; Atithigva has
been mentioned before, I. 51. 6, and Eijisvan in verse 5 of the same hymn,

9 Susravas, and Trtrvay&na in the next verse, are said to be kings. . . .



HYMN 54.]


THE R10YEDA .


75


Thou madest Kutsa, Atithigva, Ayu, subject unto this King,
the young, the mighty.

11 May we protected by the Gods hereafter remain thy very pros¬
perous friends, 0 Indra.

Thee we extol, enjoying through thy favour life long and joy¬
ful and with store of heroes.

HYMN LIV. Indra.

Urge us not, Maghavan, to this distressful fight, for none may
comprehend the limit of thy strength.

Thou with fierce shout hast made the woods and rivers roar :
did not men run in crowds-together in their fear ?

2 Sing hymns of praise to Sakra, Lord of power and might; laud

thou and magnify Indra who heareth thee,

Who with his daring might, a Bull exceeding strong in strength,
maketh him master of the heaven and earth.

3 Sing forth to lofty Dyaus a strength-bestowing song, the Bold,

whose resolute mind hath independent sway.

High glory hath the Asura, compact of strength, drawn on by
two Bay Steeds: a Bull, a Car is he,

4 The ridges of the lofty heaven thou madest shake; thou,

daring, of thyself smotest through Sambara,

When, bold with gladdening juice, thou wajredst with thy bolt,
sharp and two-edged, against the banded sorcerers.


10 Kutsa has been mentioned (I. 33. 14.) as a favourite of Indra, but is
here represented, together with Atithigva and Ayu, as chastised by him.

This King: Susravfls, or Turvayana ; these names perhaps denote the same
individual.

1 Urge us not, Maghavan : the verb, urge, which is not in the text, is
supplied by S&yaua. The meaning appears to be, Do not, 0 Indra, force us
into any conflict in which we may have thee for our opponent.

2 ** Sakra ; f the Mighty,’ a name of Indra.

3 Sing forth to lofty Dyaus : Heaven. The God who is represented in the
Veda as* the consort of Earth and the progenitor of the Gods is called Dyaus
or Dyauslipitar, names identical in origin with Zeus, or Zeus pater, and
Jupiter, or Diespiter, the appellations given to the supreme God of the Greeks
and Romans. In this place S&yana identifies Dyaus with Indra, who seems,
in later times, to have succeeded to the functions assigned to the former God.
See Muir, Original SansJcrit Texts, v. 33.

The Asura: the divine One, Indra as the snpreme Dyaus.

4 Sambara: a demon. See I. 51. 6.

The banded sorcerers : the fiends of the atmosphere who use enchantments
or supernatural powers in their conflicts with Indra.


76 THE HYMNS OP [ BOOK /.

5 When, with, a roar that 'fills the woods, thou forcest down on

the wind’s head the stores which Sushpa kept confined,

Who shall have power to stay thee firm and eager-souled from
doing still this day what thou of old hast done ?

6 Thou holpest Nary a, Turvasa, and Yadu, and Yayya’s son

Turviti, *Satakratu!

Thou holpest horse and car in final battle; thou brakest down
the nine-and-ninety castles.

7 A hero-lord is he, King of a mighty folk, who offers free oblations

and promotes the Law,

Who with a bounteous guerdon welcomes hymns of praise : for
him flows down the abundant stream below the sky.

8 His power is matchless, matchless is his wisdom; chief, through

their work, be some who drink the Soma,

Those, Indra, who increase the lordly power, the firm heroic
strength of thee the Giver.

9 Therefore for thee are these abundant beakers, Indra’s drink,

stone-pressed juices held in ladles.

Quaff them and satisfy therewith thy longing; then fix thy
mind upon bestowing treasure.

10 There darkness stood,-the vault that stayed the waters’ flow :

in Yritra’s hollow side the rain-cloud lay concealed.

But Indra smote the rivers which the obstructer stayed, flood
following after flood, down steep declivities,

11 So give us, Indra, bliss-increasing glory; give us great sway

and strength that conquers people.

Preserve our wealthy patrons, save our princes; vouchsafe us
wealth and food with noble offspring.

HYMN LY. Indra .

Though e’en this heaven’s wide space and earth have spread
them out, nor heaven nor earth may be in greatness Indra’s
match.

Awful and very mighty, causing woe to men, he whets his
thunderbolt for sharpness, as a bull.


5 Sushna : a demon of drought.

6 Thou holpest Nary a ; some chief or ffishi so named : or the word may be
an adjective, manly, qualifying Turvasa.

Turvasa , Yudu, Turviti have been mentioned before. See I. 36. 18.


1 As a hull .* as a bull sharpens his horns.

Causing woe to men ; as the punisher of the wickedt


HYMN 55.]


THE MG VEDA.


77


2 Like as the watery ocean, so doth he receive the rivers spread

on all sides in their ample width.

He bears him like a bull to drink of Soma juice, and will, as
Warrior from of old, be praised for might.

3 Thou swayest, Indra, all kinds of great manly power, so as to

bend, as *t were, even that famed mountain down.

Foremost among the Gods is he through hero might, set in the
van, the Strong One, for each arduous deed.

4 He only in the wood is praised by worshippers, when he shows

forth to men his own fair Indra-power.'

A friendly Bull is he, a Bull to be desired, when Maghavan
auspiciously sends forth his voice,

5 Yet verily the Warrior in his vigorous strength stirreth up

with his might great battles for-mankind;

And men havo faith in Indra, the resplendent One, what time
he hurleth down his bolt, his dart of death.

6 Though, fain for glory, and with strength increased on earth,

lie with great might destroys the dwellings made with art,
He makes the lights of heaven shine forth secure, he bids,
exceeding wise, the floods flow for his worshipper.

7 Drinker of Soma, let thy heart incline to give; bring thy Bays

hitherward, 0 thou who hearest praise.

Those charioteers of thine, heat skilled to draw the rein, the
rapid sunbeams, Indra, lead thee not astray,

8 Thou bearcst in both hands treasure that never fails; the

famed One in his body holds unvanquished might.

0 Indra, in thy members many powers abide, like wells
surrounded by the ministering priests,


4 A friendly Bull is he: Maghavan, the mighty Indra, is here represented
in his gracious mood, strong yet gentle. But vrishd, the male, the hull, the
strong, may also mean the strong Soma; maghdvd means also the rich in-
stitutor of a sacrifice, a worshipper ; and clhend means cow as well as voice.
Accordingly Professor Max Muller translates the passage ; 4 5 The strong Soma
is pleasing, the strong Soma is delicious, when the sacrificer safely brings the
cow,’ in order that the Soma may be mixed with milk. See Vedic Hymns ,
Part I., p. 148.

In the-wood, in the first’line of the verse seems to be an allusion to the
forest life of Brahmans.

5 In this verse Indra is represented as a terril.de God, and in the following
verse as sometimes sending afflictions but generally blessing men. with light
and with kindly rain.


78


TEE HYMNS OF


[BOOK l


HYMN LYI. Indra.

For tliis man’s full libations held in ladles, lie hath roused
him, eager, as a horse to meet the mare.

He stays his golden car, yoked with Bay Horses, swift, and
drinks the Soma juice which strengthens for great deeds.

2 To him the* guidance-following songs of praise flow full, as those

who seek gain go in company to the Hood.

To him the Lord of power, the holy synod’s might, as to a hill,
with speed, ascend the loving ones.

3 Victorious, great is he; in manly battle shines, unstained with

dust, his might, as shines a mountain peak;

Wherewith the iron one, fierce e’en against the strong, in
rapture, fettered wily Sushna fast in bonds.

4 When Strength the Goddess, made more strong for help by

thee, waits upon Indra as the Sun attends the Dawn,

Then he who with his might unflinching kills the gloom stirs
up the dust aloft, with joy and triumphing.

5 When thou with might, upon the framework of the heaven,

didst fix, across, air’s region firmly, unromoved,

In the light-winning war, Indra, in rapturous joy, thou smotest
Vritra dead and broughtest floods of rain.

6 Thou with thy might didst grasp the holder-up of heaven, thou

who art mighty also in the seats of earth.

Th~'\ .’vM- I by the juice, hast set the waters free, and
■ v :» v ■ . ■ stony fences through and through.

HYMN LVri. Indra.

To him most liberal, lofty Lord of lofty wealth, verily powerful
and strong, I bring my hymn,—

Whose checkless bounty, as of waters down a slope, is spread
abroad for all that live, to give them strength.


1 This man : the institute of the sacrifice. He: Indra.

2 The flood; (samudrd) any large gathering of waters not necessarily the
sea or ocean.

The holy synod: an assembly for worship of the Gods,

The loving ones ; the soiigs of loving praise. I find the stanza unintelligible ;
and the version (based chiefly on Grassmann’s) which I offer is merely a tem¬
porary makeshift.

3 The iron one : the thunderbolt, made of dyas, iron or other metal,

4 By thee; by Soma.

5 In the light-winning war; waged with the demons of the air for rain and
the light which follows the dispersion of the clouds.

6 The bearer-up of heaven; perhaps the thunderbolt, with which Indra
maintains order.




HYMN 53.j THE RlGVEDA. 79,

2 Now all this world, for worship, shall come after thee—the

offerer’s libations like floods to the depth,

When the well-loved one seems to rest upon the hill, the
thunderbolt of Indra, shatterer wrought of gold,

3 To him the terrible, most meet for lofty praise, like bright

Dawn, now bring gifts with reverence in this*'rite,

Whose' being, for renown, yea, Indra-power and light, have
been created, like bay steeds, to move with speed.

4 Thine, Indra, praised by many, excellently rich ! are we who

trusting in thy help draw near to thee.

Lover of praise, none else but thou receives our laud : as earth
loves all her creatures, love thou this our hymn.

5 Great is thy power, 0 Indra, we are thine. Fulfil, 0

Maghavan, the wish of this thy worshipper.

After thee lofty heaven hath measured out its strength: to
thee and to thy power this earth hath bowed itself.

6 Thou, who hast thunder for thy weapon, with thy bolt hast

shattered into pieces this broad massive cloud.

Thou hast sent down the obstructed floods that they may
flow: thou hast, thine own for ever, all victorious might.

HYMN LYIII. Agni.

Ne’er waxeth faint the Immortal, Son of Strength, since he,
the Herald, hath become Vivasv&n’s messenger.

On paths most excellent he measured out mid-air: he with
oblation calls to service of the Gods.

2 Never decaying, seizing bis appropriate food, rapidly, eagerly
through the dry wood he spreads.

His back, as be is sprinkled, glistens like a horse : loud hath
he roared and shouted like the heights of heaven.


* 2 When the loell-lovccl one : when the lightning-laden cloud is resting on the
mountain, men pray to Indra in order that he may discharge his celestial
artillery and bring down the rain.

5 After thee: the heaven has taken thy might as a pattern for its own
might.

This Hymn and the five following are ascribed to Nodhas, the son of
Grotama.

1 Vivctsvdn's messenger: Vivasviln is the morning heaven and the personifica¬
tion of the sacrificer of the Gods.

He measured out mid-air: this act is ascribed to Indra in I. 56, 5,

2 As he is sprinkled; with clarified butter.


80 THE HYMNS OF f BOOH I .

3 Set higli in place o’er all that Vasus, Rudras do, immortal,

Lord of riches, seated as High Priest;

Hastening like a car to men, to those who live, the God
without delay gives boons to be 'desired.

4 Urged by the wind he spreads through dry wood as he lists,

armed with his tongues for sickles, with a mighty roar.

Black is thy path, Agni, changeless, with glittering waves !
when like a bull thou rushest eager to the trees.

5 With teeth of flame, wind-driven, through the wood lie speeds,

triumphant like a bull among the herd of cows,

With bright strength roaming to the everlasting air : things
fixed, things moving quake before him as he flies.

6 The Bhrigus stablished thee among mankind for men, like as

a treasure, beauteous, easy to invoke;

Thee, Agni, as a herald and choice-worthy guest, as an aus¬
picious Friend to the Celestial Race.

7 Agni, the seven tongues’ deftest Sacrificer, him whom the

priests elect at solemn worship,

The Herald, messenger of all the Vasus, I serve with dainty
food, I ask for riches.

8 Grant, Son of Strength, thou rich in friends, a refuge without

a flaw this day to us thy praisers.

O Agni, Son of Strength, with forts of iron preserve thou
from distress the man wlio lands thee.

A Bo thou a refuge, Bright One, to the singer, a shelter, Boun¬
teous Lord, to those who worship.

Preserve the singer from distress, 0 Agni. May he, enriched
with prayer, come soon and early.

HYMN LIX. Agni.

The other fires are, verily, thy branches; the'Immortals all
rejoice in thee, 0 Agni.

Centre art thou, Vaisvanara, of the people, sustaining men like
a deep-founded pillar.

3 Rudras, Vasus ; two classes of Gods. See X. 34. 11.

4 The description of Agni in this verse and the next applies, not to the
sacrificial fire, but to the fire that clears the jungle as the new settlers advance
into the country#

6 r/te Bhrigus: one of the most eminent priestly families of more ancient times.
Fnend to the Celestial Race: as bearing to the Gods the oblations of their

worshippers.

7 Agni, the seven tongues' deftest Sucrificer: the seven tongues appear to be
the tongue-like flames which Agni employs to consume the oblations.

1 Thy branches : merely offshoots of thee.

Vanvdnam : a name of Agni; common to, dwelling with, and benefiting all



BYMN 60.]


TEE RIGVEDA.


81


2 The forehead of the sky, earth’s centre, Agni became the mes¬

senger of earth and heaven.

Vaisvanara, the Deities produced thee, a God, to be a light
unto the Arya.

3 As in the Sun firm rays are set for ever, treasures are in Vais¬

vanara, in Agni. 0

Of all the riches in the hills, the waters, the herbs, among
mankind, thou art the Sovran.

4 As the great World-halves, so are their Son’s praises; skilled,

as a man, to act, is he the Herald.

Vaisvanara, celestial, truly mighty, most manly One, hath
many a youthful consort.

5 Even the lofty heaven, 0 Jatavedas Vaisvanara, hath not

attained thy greatness.

Thou art the King of lands where men are settled, thou hast
brought comfort to the Gods in battle.

6 Now will I tell the greatness of the Hero whom Puru’s sons

follow as Vritra’s slayer :

Agni Vaisvanara struck down the Dasyu, clave Sambara
through and shattered down his fences.

7 Vaisvanara, dwelling by his might with all men, far-shining,

holy mid the Bharadvajas,

Is lauded, excellent, with hundred praises by Purunitha, son
of Satavani.

HYMN LX. Agni.

As ’twere some goodly treasure Matarisvan brought, as a gift,
the glorious Priest to Bhrigu,

Banner of sacrifice, the good Protector, child of two births, the
swiftly moving envoy.


4 Vast as heaven and earth, which constitute the world, are the praises
offered to Agni their son.

Skilled, as a man, to act: duties of the heavenly Hotar, invoking priest, or
herald, being regarded as similar to those of the earthly functionary.

Many a youthful consort: the flames.

6 Pirn’s sons ; men in general ; P&ru being regarded as their progenitor.
Struck down the Dasyu,: the demon who stayed the rain. The deeds usually

ascribed to Xndra are here attributed to Agni, that is, Agni is identified with
Indra.

7 The Bharadvdjas : the descendants of the IV' 1 ' TV'-'t -1

Purunitha : a king of that name, says S&yana ,* . ' • ■ * :. - of the

sacrifice.' The name does not occur again, and nothing is known regarding him.

1 Mdtarisvan: a divine or semi-divine being, who as the messenger of
Vivasv&n brings down from heaven Agni who had hitherto been concealed.
The explanation of M&tarisvan as V&yu, the God of wind, does not appear to
be justified by Iligveda texts. See Muir, 0 . S. Texts , v, 204.

6



82 . THE HYMNS OF [BOOK L

2 Both Gods and men obey this Ruler’s order, Gods who are

worshipped, men who yearn and worship.

As Priest he takes his seat ere break of morning, House-Lord,
adorable with men, Ordain er.

3 May our fair praise, heart-bom, most recent, reach him whose

tongue, £’en at his birth, is sweet as honey ;

Whom mortal priests, men, with their strong endeavour,
supplied with dainty viands, have created.

4 Good to mankind, the yearning Purifier hath among men been

placed as Priest choice-worthy.

May Agni be our Friend, Lord of the Household, protector of
the riches in the dwelling.

5 As such we Gotamas with hymns extol thee, 0 Agni, as the

guardian Lord of riches,

Becking' thee like a horse, .the swift prize-winner. May he,
enriched with prayer, come soon and early.

HYMN LXL India.

Even to him, swift, strong, and high-exalted, I bring my song
of praise as dainty viands.

My thought to him resistless, praise-deserving, prayers offered
most especially to Indra.

2 Praise, like oblation, I present, and utter aloud my song, my

fair hymn to the Victor.

For Indra, who is Lord of old, the singers have decked their
lauds with heart and mind and spirit.

3 To him then with my lips mine adoration, winning heaven’s

light, most excellent, I offer,

To magnify with songs of invocation and with fair hymns the
Lord, most bounteous Giver..


The glorious Priest; Agni. Bhrigu : the chief of the ancient priestly family
who bear that name. Banner of sacrifice: announcer of sacrifice by his
crackling flames. Child of two hirths ; bom of heaven and earth and again
from the two fire-sticks, or born from the fire-sticks and again when he is
consecrated.

Swiftly moving envoy : messenger between Gods and men. See 1.1. 1, note.

3 Sweet as honey : with tasting the sweet libations.

Have created: by rapid agitation of the fire-stick.

5 We Gotamas: descendants of Gotama, men of the family to which the
Rishi of the hymn belongs.

Heeling thee: trimming thee, to make thee shine as men groom a race-horse
in the morning.



iTFiO'Cl.] TIIB MGVEDA, . 83

4 Even for him I frame a laud, as fashions the wright a chariot

for the man who needs it,—

Praises to him who gladly hears our praises, a hymn well-form¬
ed, all-moving, to wise Indra.

5 So with .my tongue I deck, to please that Indra, my hymn, as

? twere a horse, through love of glory,

To reverence the Hero, bounteous Giver, famed far and wide,
destroyer of the castles.

6 Even for him hath Tvashtar forged the thunder, most deftly

wrought, celestial, for the battle,

Wherewith he reached the vital parts of Vritra, striking—the
vast, the mighty—with the striker.

7 As soon as, at libations of his mother, great Vishnu had drunk

up the draught, he plundered

The dainty cates, the cooked mess; but One stronger trans¬
fixed the wild boar, shooting through the mountain.

8 To him, to Indra, when he slew the Dragon, the Dames, too.

Consorts of the Gods, wgve praises.

The mighty heaven and earth hath he encompassed : thy great¬
ness heaven and earth, combined, exceed not.

9 Yea, of a truth, his "magnitude surpasseth the magnitude of

earth, mid-air, and heaven.

Indra, approved by all men, self-resplendent, waxed in his home,
loud-voiced and strong for battle.

10 Through his own strength Indra with holt of thunder cut
piece-meal Vritra, drier up of waters.

He let the floods go free, like cows imprisoned, for glory, with
a heart inclined to bounty.


4 For the man who needs it: and orders it to be made. Tdtsindya is a diffi¬
cult word. Wilson renders it, after S&yana, (that the driver) may, thence,
(obtain) food.

5 The castles : the strongholds of the atmospheric demons of drought, the
castles of rain-imprisoning cloud.

6 The striker: the thunderbolt or lightning.

7 His mother : Indra’s mother Aditi who gave him Soma to drink as soon
as he was born. See III. 32. 9, 10 ; 48. 2, 3 ; VII. 98. 3. Dainty cates: the
demon’s store of rain. One stronger; the mightier Indra. The wild boar.:
the fierce demon Vritra. Of. VIII. 66. 30. The mountain : the massive cloud in
which Vritra was enveloped. For my corrected version of this stanza I am
indebted to Prof. A. A. MacdonelFs article on Mythological Studies in the
Jligveda, Royal Asiatic Society Journal, January, 1895.

8 The Dames, the Consorts of the Gods: according to S£yana these are the
personified G&yatrt and other metres of the Veda. The Celestial Waters are
probably intended.



THE HYMNS OF


S4


[BOOK I.


11 The rivers played, through his impetuous splendour, since with

his holt he compassed them on all sides.

Using his might and favouring him who worshipped, he made
a ford, victorious, for Turviti.

12 Vast, with thine ample power, with eager movement, against

this Vritra cast thy bolt of thunder.

Bend thou his joints, as of an ox, dissevered, with holt oblique,
that floods of rain may follow.

13 Sing with new lauds his exploits wrought aforetime, the deeds

of him, yea, him who moveth swiftly,

When, hurling forth his weapons in the battle, he with impe¬
tuous wrath lays low the foemen.

14 When he, yea, he, comes forth the firm-set mountains, and the

whole heaven and earth, tremble for terror.

May Nodhas, ever praising the protection of that dear Friend,
gain quickly strength heroic.

15 Now unto him of these things hath been given what he who

rules alone o’er much, electetli.

Indra hath helped Etasa, Soma-presser, contending in the race
of steeds with Surya.

16 Thus to thee, Indra, yoker of Bay Coursers, the Gotamas have

brought their prayers to please thee.

Bestow- upon them thought, decked with all beauty. May he,
enriched with prayer, come soon and early.

HYMN LXII. Indra.

Like Angiras a gladdening laud we ponder to him who loveth
song, exceeding mighty.

Let us sing glory to the far-famed Hero who must be praised
with fair hymns by the singer.

2 Unto the great bring ye great adoration, a chant with praise
to him exceeding mighty,

Through whom our sires, Angirases, singing praises and know¬
ing well the places, found the cattle.


11 Turviti: S&yana says that this JJishi had been immersed in water, and
that Indra brought him to dry land.

14 Nodhas ; the Rishi or seer of the hymn.

15 Praises and sacrifice have been offered to Indra. He himself possesses
everything else. Such praises and sacrifice led Indra to help Etasa, his wor¬
shipper, in his rivalry of Sftrya and his horses. See II. 19. 5, note.

16 The hymn ends with the refrain that concludes also Hymns I. 58 and 60.

1 Like Angiras: after the manner of Angiras, one of the first institutors of
religious ceremonies.

2 Found the cuttle ; the rain-clouds, or the rays of light which, follow the
effusion of rain.



TIIE RIG VEDA.


85


HYMN 62.]

3 When Inclra and the Angirases desired it, Saram& found pro¬

vision for her offspring.

Brihaspati cleft the mountain, found the cattle: the heroes
shouted with the lcine in triumph.

4 Mid shout, loud shout, and roar, with the Navagvas, seven

singers, hash thou, heavenly, rent the mountain;

Thou with the speeders, with Dasagvas, Indra, Sakra! hast
rent with thunder flaming Vala.

5 Praised by Angirases, thou, foe-destroyer, hast, with the Dawn,

Sun, rays, dispelled the darkness.

Thou Indra, hast spread out the earth’s high ridges, and firm¬
ly fixed the region under heaven.

6 This is the deed most worthy of all honour, the fairest marvel

of the Wonder-Worker,

That, nigh where heaven bends down, he made four rivers
flow full with waves that carry down sweet water.

7 Unwearied, won with lauding hymns, he parted of old the

ancient Pair, united ever.

In highest sky, like Bhaga, he the doer of marvels set both
Dames and earth and heaven.

8 Still bom afresh, young Dames, each in her manner, unlike

in hue, the Pair in alternation

Bound heaven and earth from ancient time have travelled,
Night with her dark limbs, Dawn with limbs of splendour.

3 Saramd found provision for her offspring : Saramft, the hound of Indra

and mother of the two dogs called after their mother S&rameyas who are the
watchdogs of Yama the God of the Bead, is said to have pursued and
recovered the cows stolen by the Panis ; which has been supposed to mean
that SaramS, is the Dawn who recovers the rays of the Sun that have been
carried away by night. The legend says that nrrrocl to go in search of

the stolen cattle on condition that the milk of i Iv .-In »■.:!*: be given to her

young ones. Ludwig is of opinion that the word ‘ offspring’ in the text refers
not to Saramfr’s young ones, but to the descendants of the Angirases.
Of. I. 72. 8.

Brihaspati cleft the mountain: Brihaspati or Brahamanaspati is the Lord
of prayer. e It is, therefore,’ as Professor Roth observes, ( brahma, prayer, with
which the God breaks open the hiding-place of the enemy. Prayer pierces
.through to the object of its desire, and attains it.’

4 The seven singers are probably the Angirases themselves *, the Navagvas

and Dasagvas are r 1 ' ^ ■ Ll " V*or their priestly allies. They are called
speeders hastily ”■ ■ ‘ ■ ,-.3k of the stolen cows. Vala is the fiend

who keeps the cows imprisoned.

6 Nigh where heaven lends down: flowing away to the distant horizon. The
four rivers are not specified by S fly ana, who merely says they are the Ganges
and others.

7 The ancient Pair: Heaven and Earth. Bhaga is here the Supreme God,

Both Dames ; Night and Morning,



86 TeM HYMNS OF [BOOK L

9 Kioh in good actions# skilled in operation, the Son with might
maintains his perfect friendship.

Thou in the raw cows, black of hue or ruddy, sfcorest the ripe
milk glossy white in colour.

10 Their paths, of old connected, rest uninjured; they with

great mijjht preserve the immortal statutes.

For many thousand holy works the Sisters wait on the haughty
Lord like wives and matrons.

11 Thoughts ancient, seeking wealth, with adoration, with newest

lauds have sped to thee, 0 Mighty.

As yearning wives cleave to their yearning husband, so cleave
our hymns to thee, 0 Lord most potent.

12 Strong God, the riches which thy hands have holden from

days of old have perished not nor wasted.

Splendid art thou, 0 Indra, wise, unbending : strengthen us
with thy might, 0 Lord of Power.

13 0 mighty Indra, Gotama’s son Nodhas hath fashioned this

new prayer to thee Eternal,

Sure leader, yoker of the Tawny Coursers. May he, enriched
with prayer, come soon and early.

HYMN LXIIL * Indra.

Thou art the Mighty One; when born, 0 Indra, with power
thou terrihedst earth and heaven;

When, in their fear of thee, all firm-set mountains and mons¬
trous creatures shook like dust before thee.

2 When thy two wandering Bays thou dravest hither, thy praiser
laid within thine arms the thunder,

Wherewith, 0 Much-invoked, in will resistless, thou smitest
‘ foemen down and many a castle.


9 The Son with might; S&yana takes sdvasd, ‘ with might/ in the sense of
the genitive sdvascih, and explains : the Son of Might, that is the exceedingly
strong one. But this seems forced. The Son is Indra.

Thou in the mo cows : the cows are called raw, as contrasted with the warm
milk matured or cooked in their udders. The colour of the milk is also con¬
trasted with that of the cows, as in the German child’s ditty quoted by
Zimmer : f 0 sage mir, wie geht es zu, gibb weissa Milch die rothe.Kuh/

10 Their paths: the courses of Night and Morning

The Sisters : a frequently occurring appellation of the fingers as employed
in acts of worship. The haughty Lord: Indra.

2 Thy praiser: the praises of the worshipper strengthen Indra, and urge
him to the performance of glorious exploits.



TIIB nmVBDA.


87


HYMN 64.]

3 Faithful art thou, these thou deftest, Indra; thou art the

Kibhus’ Lord, heroic, victor.

Thou, by his side, for young and glorious Kutsa, with steed
and car in battle slewest Sushna.

4 That, as a friend, thou furtheredst, 0 Indra, when, Thunderer,

strong in act, thou crushedst Vyitra; e
When, Hero, thou, great-souled, with easy conquest didst rend
the Dasyus in their distant dwelling.

5 This doest thou, and art not harmed, 0 Indra, e’en in the

anger of the strongest mortal.

Lay thou the race-course open for our horses: as with a club,
slay, Thunder-armed ! our focmen.

6 Hence men invoke thee, Indra, in the tumult of battle, in the

light-bestowing conflict.

This aid of thine, 0 Godlike One, was ever to be implored in
deeds of might in combat.

7 Warring for Purukutsa thou, 0 Indra, Thunder-armed! brakest

down the seven castles;

Easily, for Sudfts, like grass didst rend them, and out of need,
King, broughtest gain to Puru.

8 0 Indra, God who movest round about us, feed us with varied

food plenteous as water—

Food wherewithal, 0 Hero, thou bestowest vigour itself to
flow to us for ever.

9 Prayers have been made by Gotamas, 0 Indra, addressed to

thee, with laud for thy Bay Horses.

Bring us in noble shape abundant riches. May he, enriched
with prayer, come soon and early.

HYMN LXIV*. Maruts.

Bring for the manly host, wise and majestical, 0 Nodhas, for
the Maruts bring thou a pure gift.

I deck my songs as one deft-handed, wise in mind prepares
the water that hath power in solemn rites'.


3 The Mbit us' Lord .* Chief over the three sembdivine beings who by their
good works raised themselves to immortality and godhead. See I. 2Cb

ICutsa: has been nfentioned before as protected by Indra. See 1. 33.14; 51, 6.

4 Dasyus; hostile demons, or perhaps savage tribes.

7 Piivttkuim: a favourite of Indra and of the As vine. See I. 112. 7 ;
174. 2 ; IV. 42. 8, note. Sudds (See I. 47. 6) and PHvit are kings or chiefs of
clans.

8 Who movest round about us: pdrijman, circumambient, is an epithet
applied to the Sun also, and to the chariot of the Asvins.

9 With laud for thy Bay Horses : this is clearly the sense of the words as
they stand. Sdtyana explains ‘with reverence to thee connected with thy
bay horses.’

1 0 Nodhas : the Rishi or seer of the hymn addresses this line to himself.



38


TUB HYMNS OF


[BOOK L


2 They spring to birth, the lofty Ones, the Bulls of Heaven,

divine, the youths of Rudra, free from spot and stain;

The purifiers, shining brightly even as suns, awful of form
like giants, scattering rain-drops down.

3 Young Rudras, demon-slayers, never growing old, they have

waxed, even as mountains, irresistible.

They make all beings tremble with their mighty strength,
even the very strongest, both of earth and heaven.

4 With glittering ornaments they deck them forth for show; for

beauty on their breasts they bind their chains of gold.

The lances on their shoulders pound to pieces; they were
born together, of themselves, the Men of Heaven.

5 Loud roarers, giving strength, devourers of the foe, they make

the winds, they make the lightnings with their powers.

The restless shakers drain the udders of the sky, and ever
wandering round fill the earth full with milk.

6 The bounteous Maruts with the fatness-dropping milk fill full

the waters which avail in solemn rites.

They lead, as ’twere, the Strong Horse forth, that it may rain :
they milk the thundering, the never-failing spring.

7 Mighty, with wondrous power and marvellously bright, self¬

strong like mountains, ye glide swiftly on your way.

Like the wild elephants ye eat the forests up when ye assume
your strength among the bright red flames.

8 Exceeding wise they roar like lions mightily, they, all-posses¬

sing, are beauteous as antelopes ;

Stirring the darkness with lances and spotted deer, combined
as priests, with serpents* fury through their might.

9 Heroes who march in companies, befriending man, with ser¬

pents* ire through strength, ye greet the earth and heaven.
Upon the seats, 0 Maruts, of your chariots, upon the ears
stands lightning visible as light.


2 The Bulls of Heaven : or of Dyu or Dyaus.

$ Young Rudras : the Maruts, or Storm-Gods, are the sons of Rudra.

Demon-slayers ; slayers of the clouds that give no rain.

4 The lances, as well as their other bright ornaments, are the lightning-
flashes.

5 The udders of the slcy ; the full clouds. The milfc, is the sweet fertiliz¬
ing rain,

6 The Strong Horse: is the rain cloud, which in the same line is called a
spring or well.

8 Combined as priests ; the music of wind and storm being regarded as the
Maruts' song of praise. But the meaning of the words thus rendered is not
clear. S&yana, Benfey, and Max Miiller give other interpretations.



THE RIGVEDA.


89


IIYMN 64.]

10 Lords of all riches, dwelling in the home of wealth, endowed

with mighty vigour, singers loud of voice,

Heroes, of powers infinite, armed with strong men’s rings, the
archers, they have laid the arrow on their arms.

11 They who with golden fellies make the rain increase drive for¬

ward the big clouds like wanderers on the way.

Self-moving, brisk, unwearied, they o’erthrow the firm; the
Maruts with bright lances make all things to reel,

12 The progeny of Rudra we invoke with prayer, the brisk, the

bright, the worshipful, the active Ones.

To the strong band of Maruts cleave for happiness, the chasers
of the sky, impetuous, vigorous.

13 Maruts, the man whom ye have guarded with your help, he

verily in strength surpasseth all mankind.

Spoil with his steeds he gaineth, treasure with his men; he
winneth honourable strength and prospereth.

14 0 Maruts, to the worshippers give glorious strength invincible

in battle, brilliant, bringing wealth,

Pi*aiseworthy, known to all men. May we foster well, during
a hundred winters, son and progeny.

15 Will ye then, 0 ye Maruts, grant us riches, durable, rich in

men, defying onslaught,

A hundred, thousandfold, ever increasing? May he, enriched
with prayer, come soon and early.


10 Armed with strong men's rings; the meaning of vrishalchddayah is un¬
certain ; but the Ichddi seems to have been a ring worn on the arm and foot.
It may also have been used as a weapon, as the sharp-edged quoits are uged
by the Sikhs. Vrishan as Professor Max Muller observes, e conveys the mean¬
ing of strong, though possibly with the implied idea of rain-producing, ferti¬
lizing.’

12 The worshipful; the meaning of vanmam is uncertain. Wilson, after
S&yana, translates it by * water-shedding,’ vana being said to mean water.
Ludwig suggests ‘ dwelling in the woods,’ instead of ‘ fighting ’ which he gives
in his translation. ‘ Worshipful ’ is Professor Max Muller’s suggestion, and I
adopt it for the present.

15 Enriched with prayer : either, generally, invoked by many worshippers,
or rich through the hymn just recited. This last hemistich is the usual re¬
frain of the hymns ascribed to Nodhas.

I have generally followed Professor Max Muller in his translation of this
hymn. See his Vedic Hymns , Part I.



90


{BOOK I.


TEE HYMNS OF

HYMN LXV. Agni.

One-minded, wise, they tracked thee like a thief lurking .in
dark cave with a stolen cow;

Thee claiming worship, bearing it to Gods ; there nigh to tliee
sate all $ie Holy Ones.

5 The Gods approached the ways of holy Law; there was a
gathering vast as heaven itself,

The waters feed with praise the growing Babe, bom nobly in
the womb, the seat of Law.

Z Like grateful food, like some wide dwelling-place, like a fruit¬
bearing hill, a wholesome stream ;

Like a steed urged to run in swift career, rushing like Sindliu,
who may check his course ?

4 Kin as a brother to his sister floods, he eats the woods as a

King eats the rich.

When through the forest, urged by wind, he spreads, verily
Agni shears the hair of earth.

5 Like a swan* sitting in the floods he pants ; wisest in mind mid

men he wakes at mom.

A Sage like Soma, sprung from Law, he grew like some young
creature, mighty, shining fai\

HYMN LXVI. Agni.

Like the Sun’s glance, like wealth of varied sort, like breath
which is the life, like one’s own son,

Like a swift bird, a cow who yields her milk, pure and reful¬
gent to the wood he speeds.


Sjh arid the eight following hymns are ascribed to the Rishi ifeisara, sou
of ?a*ti the son of Vasishtha, They are generally difficult, and not seldom
unintelligible.

1 They tracked thee: the Gods followed Agni who had Bed away, carrying
with him the sacrifice as a thief carries off a cow. The dark cave is the depth
of the waters in which Agni hid himself,

2 The seat of Ij&w ; the place of sacrifice, the law ordained for ever.

8 Sinclbt: the Indus, or any great river.

4 As a King eats the rich; supports his state by levying contributions from
the wealthy.


The hair of earth: grass and shrubs, which forest-fires destroy.

5 He pants : after his rapid flight to the waters in which lie hid himself.
He wakes at morn ; at the time of the early morning sacrifice.

A Sage like Soma ; like the deified Soma. e As Soma creates or causes use-

fr ° Wthem ’ th6ir nUMtiVe



the mar eea.


91


HTMN 67.]

2 He offers safety like a pleasant home, like ripened com, the

Conqueror of men.

Like a Seer lauding, famed among the folk; like a steed
friendly he vouchsafes us power.

3 With flams insatiate, like eternal might; caring for each one

like a dame at home ; f

Bright when he shines forth, whitish mid the folk, like a car,
gold-decked, thundering to the fight.

4 Ho strikes with terror like a dart shot forth, e’en like an

archer’s arrow tipped with flame ;

Master of present and of future life, the maidens’ lover and
the matrons’ Lox'd.

5 To him lead all your ways : may we attain the kindled God

as cows their home at eve.

He drives the flames below as floods their swell: the rays rise
up to the fair place of heaven.

HYMN LXVII. Agni.

Victorious in the wood, Friend among men, ^ver he claims
obedience as a King.

Gracious like peace, blessing like mental power, Priest was he,
offering-bearer, full of thought.

2 He, hearing in his hand all manly might, crouched in the

cavern, struck the Gods with fear.

Men filled with understan ling find him there, when they have
sung prayers formed within their heart.

3 He, like the Unborn, holds the broad earth up, and with effec¬

tive utterance fixed the sky.

0 Agni, guard the spots which cattle love : thou, life of all,
hastsgone from lair to lair.


2 Like a steed: like a war-horse who helps to win spoil in battle,

4 The maidens’ lover ; the offering to Agni being an essential part of the
marriage-service.

The matrons’ Lord: children being especially the gift of Agni, in whose
worship the wife of the sacrificer bears an important part. I have not at*
tempted to imitate the rhythm of the original, and have contented myself
with preserving the same number of syllables in each line.

X Victorious in the wood ; subduing the fuel and burning it to ashes.

2 Crouched in the cavern : concealed in the dark depth of the waters, See
I. 65. 1.

3 The Unborn: the Sun ; regarded as the Supreme God.

The spots which cattle love: as thou knowest by experience how pleasant it
is to find a safe place of refuge, do not burn up the places where the cattle
find refuge and food,



92 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK L

4 Whoso hath known him dwelling in his lair, and hath approach¬

ed the stream of holy Law,—

They who release him, paying sacred rites,—truly to such
doth he announce great wealth.

5 He who grows mightily in herbs, within each fruitful mother

and each!"babe she bears,

Wise, life of all men, in the waters’ home,—for him have sages
built as ’twere a seat.