7. Prá skambhá-deshnah anavabhrá-râdhasah alatrinasah vidátheshu sú-stutâh, árkanti arkám madirásya pîtáye vidúh vîrásya prathamẩni paúmsyâ.

8. Satabhugi-bhih tám abhí-hruteh aghất pûhbhíh rakshata marutah yám avata, gánam yám ugrâh tavasah vi-rapsinah pâthána sámsât tánayasya pushtishu.

9. Vísvâni bhadra marutah rátheshu vah mithasprídhyâ-iva tavishẩni ấ-hitâ, ámseshu a vah prápatheshu khâdayah ákshah vah kakra samáyâ ví vavrite.

10. Bhûrîni bhadra náryeshu bâhúshu vákshah-su rukmah rabhasasah añgáyah, ámseshu étâh pavíshu kshurah ádhi váyah ná pakshẩn ví ánu sriyah dhire.

11. Mahantah mahna vi-bhvah ví-bhûtayah dûre-drísah yé divyah-iva strí-bhih, mandrah sugihvẩh sváritârah âsá-bhih sám-mislâh índre marútah pari-stúbhah.

12. Tát vah su-gâtâh marutah mahi-tvanám dîrghám vah dâtrám áditeh-iva vratám, índrah kand tyagasân ví hrunâti tát gánhya yásmai su

kríte árádhvam.

13. Tát vah gâmi-tvám marutah páre yugé purú yát sámsam amritâsah avata, aya dhiyẩ

7. The Maruts whose gifts are firm, whose bounties are never ceasing, who do not revile,' and who are highly praised at the sacrifices, they sing forth their song for to drink the sweet juice: they know the first manly deeds of the hero (Indra).

8. The man whom you guarded, O Maruts, shield him with hundred fold strongholds from injury' and mischief, the man whom you, O fearful, powerful singers, protect from reproach in the prosperity of his children.

9. On your chariots, O Maruts, there are all good things, strong weapons1 are piled up clashing against each other. When you are on your journeys, you carry the rings on your shoulders, and your axle turns the two wheels at once."

2

10. In your manly arms there are many good things, on your chests golden chains,' flaring' ornaments, on your shoulders speckled deer-skins,3 on your fellies sharp edges; as birds spread their wings, you spread out your splendour behind you.

11. They, mighty by might, all pervading, powerful,' visible from afar like the heavens with the stars, sweet-toned, soft-tongued singers with their mouths, the Maruts, united with Indra, shout all around.

12. This is your greatness,' O well-born Maruts!— your bounty extends as far as the sway of Aditi. Not even Indra in his scorn 5 6 can injure that bounty, on whatever man you have bestowed it for his good deeds.

13. This is your kinship (with us), O Maruts, that you, immortals, in former years have often regarded

mánave srushtím vya sâkám nárah damsánaih a kikitrire.

14. Yéna dírghám marutah susávâma yushmakena párînasâ turâsah, a yát tatanan vrigáne gánâsah ebhíh yagñébhih tát abhí íshtim asyâm.

15. Esháh vah stómah marutah iyám gîh mândâryásya mânyásya kâróh, a ishấ yâsîshta tanvẽ vayẩm vidyama ishám vrigánam gîrá-dânum.

COMMENTARY.

This hymn is ascribed to Agastya, the reputed son of Mitrâvarunau, and brother of Vasishtha. The metre in verses 1-13 is Gagatî, in 14, 15 Trish/ubh.

Verse 1, note 1. Rabhasá, an adjective of rábhas, and this again from the root rabh, to rush upon a thing, â-rabh, to begin a thing. From this root rabh we have the Latin robur, in the general sense of strength, while in rabies the original meaning of impetuous motion has been more clearly preserved. In the Vedic Sanskrit, derivatives from the root rabh convey the meaning both of quickness and of strength. Quickness in ancient language frequently implies strength, and strength implies quickness, as we see, for instance, from the German snël, which, from meaning originally strong, comes to mean in modern German quick, and quick only. Thus we read :

i. 145, 3. sísuh ã adatta sám rábhah.

The child (Agni) acquired vigour.

Indra is called rabhah-dâh, giver of strength; and rabhasá, vigorous, is applied not only to the Maruts, who

our call. Having through this prayer granted a hearing to man, these heroes become well known by their valiant deeds.

14. That we may long flourish, O Maruts, with your wealth, O ye racers, that our men may spread in the camp, therefore let me achieve the rite with these offerings.

15. May this praise, O Maruts, may this song of Mândârya, the son of Mâna, the poet, approach you (asking) for offspring to our body together with food! May we find food, and a camp with running water!

in v. 58, 5, are called rábhishthâh, the most vigorous, but also to Agni, ii. 10, 4, and to Indra, iii. 31, 12.

In the sense of rabid, furious, it occurs in

x. 95, 14. ádha enam vríkâh rabhasasah adyúh. May rabid wolves eat him!

In the next verse rabhasá, the epithet of the wolves, is replaced by ásiva, which means unlucky, uncanny.

In our hymn rabhasá occurs once more, and is applied there, in verse 10, to the angí or glittering ornaments of the Maruts. Here Sâyana translates it by lovely, and it was most likely intended to convey the idea of lively or brilliant splendour. See also ix. 96, 1.

Verse 1, note 2. Ketú, derived from an old root ki, in Sanskrit ki, to perceive, means originally that by which a thing is perceived or known, whether a sign, or a flag, or a herald. It then takes the more general sense of light and splendour. In our passage, herald seems to me the most appropriate rendering, though B. and R. prefer the sense of banner. The Maruts come before Indra, they announce the arrival of Indra, they are the first of his army.

Verse 1, note 3. The real difficulty of our verse lies in the two comparisons aidha-iva and yudha-iva. Neither of them occurs again in the Rig-veda. B. and R. explain aidha as an instrumental of aídh, flaming, or flame, and derive it from the root idh, to kindle, with the preposition â. Professor Bollensen in his excellent article Zur Herstellung des Veda (Orient und Occident, vol. iii. p. 473) says: 'The analysis of the text given in the Pada, viz. aidhẩiva and yudha-iva, is contrary to all sense. The common predicate is tavishani kartana, exercise your power, you roarers, i. e. blow as if you meant to kindle the fire on the altar, show your power as if you went to battle. We ought therefore to read aidhé va and yudhé | va. infinitives, aidh is nothing but the root idh + â, to kindle, to light.' Now this is certainly a very ingenious explanation, but it rests on a supposition which I cannot consider as proved, viz. that in the Veda, as in Pali, the comparative particle iva may be abbreviated to va. It must be admitted, I believe, that the two short syllables of iva are occasionally counted in the Veda as one, but yudhé-iva, though it might become yudhá iva, would never in the Veda become yudhéva.

Both are

As yudha occurs frequently in the Veda, we may begin by admitting that the parallel form aidha must be explained in analogy to yudha. Now yúdh is a verbal noun and means fighting. We have the accusative yúdham, i. 53, 7; the genitive yudháh, viii. 27, 17; the dative yudhé, i. 61, 13; the locative yudhí, i. 8, 3; the instrumental yudhấ, i. 53, 7, &c.; loc. plur. yut-sú, i. 91, 21. As long as yúdh retains the general predicative meaning of fighting, some of these cases may be called infinitives. But yúdh soon assumes not only the meaning of battle, battle-ground, but also of instrument of fighting, weapon. In another passage, x. 103, 2, yúdhah may be taken as a vocative plural, meaning fighters. Passages in which yúdh means clearly weapon, are, for instance,

v. 52, 6. a rukmaíh a yudha nárah rishvah rishtih asrikshata.

With your gold chains, with your weapon, you have stretched forth the uplifted spears.