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Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE46), by Hermann Oldenberg [1897], at sacred-texts.com

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MANDALA I, HYMN 69.

ASHTAKA I, ADHYÂYA 5, VARGA 13.

1. Bright, flaming, like the lover of the Dawn 1, he has, like the light of the sky, filled the two (worlds of Heaven and Earth) which are turned towards each other.

2. As soon as thou wert born thou hast excelled by thy power of mind; being the son of the gods thou hast become their father.

3. (Agni is) a worshipper (of the gods), never foolish, (always) discriminating; (he is) like the udder of the cows; (he is) the sweetness of food 1—

4. Like a kind friend to men, not to be led astray 1, sitting in the midst, the lovely one, in the house;

5. Like a child when born, he is delightful in the house; like a race-horse which is well cared for 1, he has wandered across the clans 2.

6. When I call (to the sacrifice) the clans who dwell in the same nest with the heroes, may Agni then attain all divine powers 1.

7. When thou hast listened to these heroes, no one breaks those laws of thine.

8. That verily is thy wonderful deed that thou hast killed 1, with thy companions, (all foes), that, joined by the heroes, thou hast accomplished thy works 2.

9. Like the lover of the Dawn 1 resplendent and bright, of familiar form: may he (thus) pay attention to this (sacrificer).

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10. Carrying (him) they opened by themselves the doors (of heaven). They all shouted at the aspect of the sun 1.

NOTES.

The same Rishi and metre.

Verse 1.

Note 1. The lover of the Dawn is here the Sun. See Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 31.

Verse 3.

Note 1. Agni is the sweetness of food (comp. V, 7, 6. svâ´danam pitûnâ´m); it is not probable that svâ´dma and û´dhah should depend on vigânán, as Ludwig believes.

Verse 4.

Note 1. I adopt Boehtlingk-Roth's conjecture ahûryáh. Âhû´ryah would mean, 'he who is to be led astray.'

Verse 5.

Note 1. See above, 66, 4.

Note 2. 'He has overcome the (hostile) clans.' M. M.

Verse 6.

Note 1. Perhaps devatvâ´ is an instrumental, as Ludwig takes it. In this case we should have to translate: 'may Agni by his divine power attain everything.'—Prof. Max Müller translates this verse: 'When I with my men call the clans of the same nest (the gods), Agni will obtain all divine honours.'

Verse 8.

Note 1. The first hemistich of this verse has eleven syllables instead of ten and shows the regular Trishtubh type. The same irregularity occurs in 70, 4. 10. As I have shown in my Prolegomena, p. 97, this metrical irregularity does not necessitate corrections of the text,

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and the comparison of X, 147, 1 (see next note), where it is said áhan yát vritrám … vivéh apáh, seems even to confirm the traditional reading. It cannot he denied, however, that the double yát and the use of áhan without an object raises some suspicion. In I, 34, 3; 186, 4 we have samâné áhan. Possibly we may read, tát tú te dámsah áhan samâné, 'this wonderful deed of thine has been accomplished on one and the same day (with that mentioned in verse 7).' I am fully aware of the uncertainty of such guesses. The removal of yát has already been proposed by Bollensen (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morg. Gesellschaft, XXII, 592).

Note 2. Here we may correct the text with greater certainty than in the first hemistich, or to speak more accurately, we shall have to correct not the traditional text itself, but that ancient grammatical commentary on the text which has been preserved to us in the Padapâtha. The words vivérápâmsi of the Samhitâpâtha are written in the Padapâtha vivéh rápâmsi. Now we read IV, 19, 10. ápâmsi … náryâ áviveshîh, 'thou hast performed manly works.' In X, 147, 1 we have áhan yát vritrám náryam vivéh apáh: here the adjective nárya clearly shows that apáh is a blunder for ápah, and we must translate, 'when thou hast killed Vritra and performed thy manly work.' This passage shows that in X, 76, 3 also vivéh apáh should be corrected (v. ápah). Thus we have three passages in which áviveshîh or vivéh has the object ápah, ápâmsi, and we may infer with full certainty that in our passage vivérápâmsi does not correspond to a Padapâtha reading vivéh rápâmsi but vivéh ápâmsi. The same may be said with regard to VI, 31, 3 (mushâyáh kakrám áviveh rápâmsi; Samh. ávive rápâmsi).

Verse 9.

Note 1. Comp. above, verse 1.

Verse 10.

Note 1. Comp. above, 66, 10.