Verse 12, note 3. Saskata, which I have here translated literally by to cling, is often used in the sense of following or revering (colere):

ii. 1, 13. tvẩm râti-sakah adhvaréshu saskire.

The gods who are fond of offerings cling to thee, follow thee, at the sacrifices.

The Soma libation is said to reach the god:

ii. 22, 1. sáh enam saskat deváh devám. The gods too are said to cling to their worshippers, i. e. to love and protect them: iii. 16, 2; vii. 18, 25. The horses are said to follow their drivers: vi. 36, 3; vii. 90, 3, &c. It is used very much like the Greek σπάζω.

Verse 12, note 4. Ragastűh may mean rousing the dust of the earth, a very appropriate epithet of the Maruts. Sâyana explains it thus, and most translators have adopted his explanation. But as the epithets here are not simply descriptive, but laudatory, it seems preferable, in this place, to retain the usual meaning of rágas, sky. When Soma is called ragastűh, ix. 108, 7, Sâyana too explains it by tegasâm prerakam, and ix. 48, 4, by udakasya prerakam.

Verse 12, note 5. Rigîshín, derived from rigîsha. Rigîsha is what remains of the Soma-plant after it has once been squeezed, and what is used again for the third libation. Now as the Maruts are invoked at the third libation, they were called rigîshín, as drinking at their later libation the juice made of the rigîsha. This, at least, is the opinion of the Indian commentators. But it is much more likely that the Maruts were invoked at the third libation, because originally they had been called rigîshín by the Vedic poets, this rigîshín being derived from rigîsha, and rigîsha from rig, to strive, to yearn, like purîsha from prî, manîshâ from man; (see Unâdi-sûtras, p. 273.) This rig is the same root which we have in opéyew, to reach, opy, emotion, and opya, furious transports of worshippers. Thus the Maruts from being called rigîshín, impetuous, came to be taken for drinkers of rigîsha, the fermenting and overflowing Soma, and were assigned accordingly to the third libation at sacrifices. Rigîshín, as an epithet, is not confined to the Maruts; it

is given to Indra, with whom it could not have had a purely ceremonial meaning (viii. 76, 5).

Verse 13, note. Âpríkkhya, literally to be asked for, to be inquired for, to be greeted and honoured. A word of an apparently modern character, but occurring again in the Rig-veda as applied to a prince, and to the vessel containing the Soma.

Verse 13, note 2. Púshyati might be joined with krátu and taken in a transitive sense, he increases his strength. But púshyati is also used as an intransitive, and means he prospers:

i. 83, 3. ásam-yatah vraté te ksheti púshyati.

Without let he dwells in thy service and prospers.
Roth reads asamyattah, against the authority of the MSS.

Verse 14, note. The difficulty of this verse arises from the uncertainty whether the epithets dhanas prítam, ukthyẩm, and visvákarshanim belong to súshma, strength, or to toká, kith and kin. Roth and Benfey connect them with toká. Now dhanasprit is applicable to toká, yet it never occurs joined with toká again, while it is used with súshma, vi. 19, 8. Ukthya, literally to be praised with hymns, is not used again as an epithet of toká, though it is quite appropriate to any gift of the gods. Lastly, visvákarshani is never applied to toká, while it is an epithet used, if not exactly of the strength, súshma, given by the gods, yet of the fame given by them:

x. 93, 10. dhâtam vîréshu visvá-karshani srávah.

Give to these men world-wide glory. Cf. iii. 2, 15.

The next difficulty is the exact meaning of visvá-karshani, and such cognate words as visvá-krishti, visvá-manusha. The only intelligible meaning I can suggest for these words is, known to all men; originally, belonging to, reaching to all men; as we say, world-wide or European fame, meaning by it fame extending over the whole of Europe, or over the whole world. If Indra, Agni, and the Maruts are called by these names, they mean, as far as I can judge, known, worshipped by all men. Benfey translates allverständig.

Verse 15, note 1. Riti, the first element of riti-sáham, never occurs by itself in the Rig-veda. It comes from the root ar, to hurt, which was mentioned before (p. 54) in connection with ár-van, hurting, árus, wound, and ári, enemy. Sám-riti occurs i. 32, 6. Riti therefore means hurting, and riti-sáh means one who can stand an attack. In our passage rayím vîrá-vantam riti-sáham means really wealth consisting in men who are able to withstand all onslaughts. The word is used in a similar sense, vi. 14, 4:

agníh apsấm riti-sáham virám dadati sát-patim, yásya trásanti sávasah sam-kákshi sátravah bhiyẩ.

Agni gives a strong son who is able to withstand all onslaughts, from fear of whose strength the enemies tremble when they see him.

In other passages riti-sáh is applied to Indra:

viii. 45, 35. bibháya hí tvấ-vatah ugrất abhi-prabhangínah dasmất ahám riti-sáhah.

For I stand in fear of a powerful man like thee, of one who crushes his enemies, who is strong and withstands all onslaughts.

viii. 68, 1.

sát-pate.

tuvi-kûrmím riti-sáham índra sávishtha

Thee, O most powerful Indra, of mighty strength, able to withstand all onslaughts.

viii. 88, 1. tám vah dasmám riti-sáham―índram gîh-bhíh navâmahe.

We call Indra the strong, the resisting, with our songs.

Verse 15, note 2. The last sentence finishes six of the hymns ascribed to Nodhas. It is more appropriate in a hymn addressed to single deities, such as Agni or Indra, than in a hymn to the Maruts. We must supply sardha, in order to get a collective word in the masculine singular. Nú, as usual, should be scanned nu.

Verse 15, note 3. Dhiya-vasu, as an epithet of the gods, means rich in prayers, i. e. invoked by many worshippers. It does not occur frequently. Besides the hymns of Nodhas, it only occurs independently in i. 3, 10 (Sarasvatî), iii. 3, 2, iii. 28, 1 (Agni), these hymns being all ascribed to the

family of Visvamitra. In the last verse, which forms the burden of the hymns of Nodhas, it may have been intended to mean, he who is rich through the hymn just recited, he who rejoices in the hymn, the god to whom it is addressed.

Nodhas, the poet, belongs, according to the Anukramanî, to the family of Gotama, and in the hymns which are ascribed to him, i. 58-64, the Gotamas are mentioned several times:

i. 60, 5. tám tvâ vayám pátim agne rayînẩm prá samsâmah matí-bhih gótamâsah.

We, the Gotamas, praise thee with hymns, Agni, the lord of treasures.

i. 61, 16. evá te hari-yogana su-vriktí índra bráhmâni gótamâsah akran.

Truly the Gotamas made holy prayers for thee, O Indra with brilliant horses! See also i. 63, 9.

In one passage Nodhas himself is called Gotama : i. 62, 13. sanâ-yaté gótamah indra návyam

átakshat bráhma hari-yóganâya,

su-nîthấya nah savasâna nodhẩh

prâtáh makshú dhiya-vasuh gagamyât.

Gotama made a new song for the old (god) with brilliant horses, O Indra! May Nodhas be a good leader to us, O powerful Indra! May he who is rich in prayers (Indra) come early and soon!

I feel justified therefore in following the Anukramanî and taking Nodhas as a proper name. It occurs so again in i. 61, 14. sadyáh bhuvat vîryãya nodhẩh.

May Nodhas quickly attain to power!

In i. 124, 4, nodhẩh-iva may mean like Nodhas, but more likely it may have the more general meaning of poet.

MANDALA I, SUKTA 85.

ASHTAKA I, Adhyâya 6, Varga 9–10.

1. Prá yé súmbhante gánayah ná sáptayah yaman rudrásya sûnávah su-dámsasah, ródasî (íti) hí marútah kakriré vridhé mádanti vîrah vidátheshu ghríshvayah.

2. Té ukshitasah mahimẩnam âsata diví rudrasah ádhi kakrire sádah, árkantah arkám ganayantah indriyám ádhi sríyah dadhire prísni-mâtarah.

3. Gó-mâtarah yát subháyante añgí-bhih tanűshu subhrah dadhire virúkmatah, vadhante vísvam abhimâtínam ápa vártmâni eshâm ánu rîyate ghritám.

4. Ví yé bhragante sú-makhâsah rishtí-bhih prakyaváyantah ákyutâ kit ógasâ, manah-gúvah yát marutah rátheshu a vrísha-vrâtâsah príshatîh áyugdhvam.

5. Prá yát rátheshu príshatîh áyugdhvam väge ádrim marutah ramháyantah utá arushásya ví syanti dharâh kárma-iva udá-bhih ví undanti bhuma.

6. Ấ vah vahantu sáptayah raghu-syadah raghupátvânah prá gigâta bâhú-bhih, sidata a barhíh urú vah sádah kritám mâdáyadhvam marutah mádhvah ándhasah.

7. Té avardhanta svá-tavasah mahi-tvanấ ấ nấkam