radiance, she shines the parent of sounds,' the leader of days.

3. The auspicious USHAS, bearing the eye of the gods (the light), leading her white and beautiful courser (the sun),* is beheld, manifested by her rays, distributress of wonderful wealth, mighty over all.†

4. Dawn, USHAS, who art the bearer to us of desirable (wealth), and keepest our adversary from us:‡ render the wide earth free from peril: drive away those who hate us: bring to us treasures: bestow, opulent goddess, wealth upon him who praises thee.

5. Divine USHAS, illume us with thy brightest rays, prolonging our existence, bestowing upon us food, (and granting us), thou who art adored by all, affluence, comprising cattle, horses, and chariots.

6. Well-manifested USHAS, daughter of heaven, do thou, whom the VASISHTHAS magnify with praises, bestow upon us brilliant and infinite wealth; and do you, (gods), ever cherish us with blessings.

1 Gavám mátá: go may here mean speech or articulate sound, which at dawn is uttered by men and birds; or, in its usual sense of " cow," it may refer to the going forth at dawn of cattle to pasture. [Sáyana adds that gavám mátá may also mean "the productress of sunbeams:" rasminán nirmátrí. Compare the note at the end of this volume to p. 160, v. 6.]

* That is, "making the sun manifest."

+"Mighty over all," or, perhaps, "risen on account of the whole (world; viz., for the good of the transactions of the world);❞ Sáyaṇa: viṣwam anu, sarvam jagad anulakshya, prabhútá, pravṛiddhá; sarvajagadvyavaháráyety arthaḥ.

So as to keep our adversary from us; Sáyana: yathámitro dúre bhavati tatha vyuchchhety arthaḥ.

Varga XXV.

SÚKTA VIII. (LXXVIII.)

Deity, Rishi, and metre as before.

1. The first signs of the Dawn are visible, her rays are spreading on high: thou bringest us, USHAS, desirable (riches) in thy vast, descending and resplendent chariot.

2. The kindled fire increases everywhere, (and) the priests, glorifying (the dawn) with hymns: the divine USHAS comes, driving away all the evil glooms by her lustre.

3. These luminous (beams of the) dawn are beheld in the east diffusing light: (the dawn) engendering the sun, sacrifice, fire; the odious glooms, descending, disappear.

4. The affluent daughter of heaven is perceived: all creatures behold the luminous dawn: she ascends her chariot laden with sustenance, which her easilyyoked horses draw.

5. Affluent (in sacrificial offerings), actuated by one mind,* we and ours awaken thee, (USHAS), today luminous dawns, soften (the earth) with unctuous (dews):1 and do you, (gods), ever cherish us with blessings.

The text has only tilviláyadhvam, a nominal verb from a compound substantive, tilu, from tila sesamum, or its oil, and ilá, earth:-anoint or make the world possessed of bland or unctuous soil, jagat snigdhabhúmikam kuruta.

*"Actuated by one mind." The text has sumanasaḥ, i. e. according to Sáyaṇa, sobhanastutikáḥ, “having (i. e. offering,) excellent praises (or hymns)."

SUKTA IX. (LXXIX.)

Deity, Rishi, and metre as before.

1. USHAS has dawned upon the paths of men,

*

awaking the five classes of human beings: she has Varga XXVI. shed light with her lustrous oxen: the sun makes heaven and earth manifest with radiance.

2. The dawns send their rays to the ends of the sky: they advance like people arrayed (in martial order): thy rays, USHAS, annihilate the darkness; they diffuse light as SAVITRI (spreads out) his arms.

3. The supreme sovereign, the opulent USHAS, has risen she has engendered food for our welfare: the divine daughter of heaven, most prompt in movement,1 bestows treasures upon the pious worshipper.

1

Angirastamá is explained, gantritamá, most going, as in Súkta lxxv. verse 1; or, according to the scholiast, it may refer to the Angirasas, of whose race the Bharadwajas, a branch, are said to be cognate with the night, angirogotrair bháradwajaih saha rátrerutpattih, hence night is elsewhere termed Bháraduájí, rátrir vá bháradwájí, Mandala x. 127. The epithet angirastamá, most angiras, is said to be applicable to the dawn, because it is the same thing as the end of the night, rátryavasánasyoshárúpatwát: here, however, as well as in the

*"Upon the paths of men." The translation has rendered pathyá janánám, as if the first word represented an acc. pl., probably on account of the apparently similar expression in verse 1 of hymn lxxv. (p. 157); but Sáyana, following the Pada text, takes here pathyá for a nom. sing., agreeing with Usháḥ; viz., janánám sarvapráninám pathyá pathi hitá, usháḥ, or janánám hitaya, i. e. "Ushas has dawned, beneficial on the path of men, or for the welfare of men."

+ Bhánum aṣret: she has resorted to the sun.

Varga XXVII

4. Grant to us, USHAS, as much wealth as thou hast bestowed upon thine adorers when (formerly) praised by them: thou whom (thy worshippers) welcomed with clamour, (loud as the bellowing) of a bull, when thou hadst set open the doors of the mountains (where the stolen cattle were confined).

5. Inspiring every individual devout (worshipper) with a desire for wealth, addressing to us the words of truth,* diffusing the light of morning, bestow upon us understandings (fit) for the acquirement of riches: and do you, (gods), ever cherish us with blessings.

SUKTA X. (LXXX.)

Deity, Rishi, and metre as before.

1. The pious VASISHTHAS, first (of all worshippers), awaken with prayers and praises (each succeeding) dawn, spreading over the like-bounded earth and heaven, making all the regions manifest.

2. Bestowing new existence, dispersing the thick

former instance, it is probable that the dawn is said to be preeminently belonging to, or possessed of, angiras, because it is the especial season of fire-worship, of which the Angirasas were the institutors.

* Asmadryak súnṛitá írayanti, which words Sáyana explains, asmadryak, asmadabhimukham, súnṛitá vachámsi, írayanti prerayanti, i. e., "urging speech, (i. e., praises) towards us," i. e. awakening our praises. In other passages súnṛitá is explained by the scholiast, priyasatyavák, or priyasatyátmiká vák, kind and truthful speech; and súnṛitávat, one who holds kind and truthful speech, or stutivat, or stotri, one who hymns the gods. Compare p. 166, note *.

darkness by her radiance, the Dawn is awakened, and, like an immodest damsel, comes before (the sun), and makes manifest SÚRYA, sacrifice, and AGNI.

3. May the auspicious dawns ever break upon us redolent of horses, of cattle, of male posterity, shedding moisture, yielding everywhere abundance: and do you, (gods), ever cherish us with blessings.

ADHYAYA VI.

MANDALA VII. CONTINUED.

ANUVÁKA V. CONTINUED.

SÚKTA XI. (LXXXI.)

The deity is the DAWN; the Rishi is Vasishtha; the metre of the odd verses is Brihati, of the even verses, Sato-brihati.

1. The daughter of heaven is everywhere beheld Varga I. advancing and shedding light: she drives away the deep darkness that objects may meet the eye: the kind guide of man, she diffuses light.

2. At the same time the sun sends forth his rays, and, rising, renders the planets luminous: so, USHÁS, upon thy manifestation, and that of SÚRYA, may we become possessed of sustenance.

3. May we, prompt adorers, awaken thee, USHAS, daughter of heaven, bountiful divinity, who bringest

1 For, it is said, the moon and planets shine at night with light derived from the solar ray, saureņa tejasá hi naktam chandraprabhṛitíni nakshatráni bhásante.