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COMMENTARY.

This hymn is ascribed to Gotama. throughout.

The metre is Gagatî

Verse 1, note 1. Ké kit refers to the Maruts, who are represented as gradually rising or just showing themselves, as yet only few in number, like the first stars in the sky. Ké kit, some, is opposed to sarve, all. The same expression occurs again, v. 52, 12, where the Maruts are compared to a few thieves. B. and R. translate usrah iva strí-bhih by 'like cows marked with stars on their foreheads.' Such cows no doubt exist, but they can hardly be said to become visible by these frontal stars, as the Maruts by their ornaments. We must take usrah here in the same sense as dyavah; ii. 34, 2, it is said that the Maruts were perceived dyavah ná strí-bhih, like the heavens with the stars.

i. 166, 11. dûre-drísah yé divyấh-iva strí-bhih.

Who are visible far away, like the heavens (or heavenly beings) by the stars.

And the same is said of Agni, ii. 2, 5. dyaúh ná strí-bhih kitayat ródasî (íti) ánu. Stríbhih occurs i. 68, 5; iv. 7, 3; vi. 49, 3; 12. It always means stars, and the meaning of rays (strahl) rests, as yet, on etymological authority only. The evening sky would, no doubt, be more appropriate than usrah, which applies chiefly to the dawn. But in the Indian mind, the two dawns, i. e. the dawn and the gloaming, are so closely united and identified, that their names, too, are frequently interchangeable.

Verse 2, note. I translate yayí not by a goer, a traveller, i. e. the cloud, (this is the explanation proposed by Sâyana, and adopted by Professor Benfey,) but by path. Etymologically yayí may mean either. But in parallel passages yayí is clearly replaced by yấma. Thus :

viii. 7, 2. yát—yẩmam subhrâh ákidhvam. When you, bright Maruts, have seen your way. See also viii. 7, 4. yát yamam yanti vâyú-bhìh.

When they (the Maruts) go on their path with the winds.

viii. 7, 14. ádhi-iva yát girînẩm yẩmam subhrâh ákidhvam. When you, bright Maruts, had seen your way, as it were, along the mountains.

The same phrase occurs, even without yẩma or yayí, in v. 55, 7. ná párvatâh ná nadyah varanta vah yátra akidhvam marutah gákkhata ít u tát.

Not mountains, not rivers, keep you back; where you have seen (your way), there you go.

Though yayí does not occur frequently in the Rig-veda, the meaning of path seems throughout more applicable than that of traveller.

v. 87, 5. tvesháh yayíh.

Your path, O Maruts, is brilliant.

v. 73, 7. ugráh vâm kakuháh yayíh.

Fearful is your pass on high.

i. 51, 11. ugráh yayím níh apáh srótasâ asrigat.

The fearful Indra sent the waters forth on their way streaming.

x. 92, 5. prá—yayínâ yanti síndhavah.

The waters go forth on their path.

Verse 3, note 1. Cf. i. 37, 8, page 51.

There is no

authority for Sâyana's explanation of vithura-iva, the earth. trembles like a widow. Vithura occurs several times in the Rig-veda, but never in the sense of widow. Thus :

i. 168, 6. yát kyaváyatha vithura-iva sám-hitam.

When you, Maruts, shake what is compact, like brittle things.

i. 186, 2; vi. 25, 3; 46, 6; viii. 96, 2; x. 77, 4 (vithuryáti). The Maruts themselves are called ávithura in verse I. As to ágma and yama, see i. 37, 8, page 62.

Verse 3, note 2. Súbh is one of those words to which it is very difficult always to assign a definite special meaning. Being derived from súbh, to shine, the commentator has no difficulty in explaining it by splendour, beauty; sometimes by water. But although súbh means originally splendour, and is used in that sense in many passages, yet there are others where so vague a meaning seems very inappropriate. In our verse Sâyana proposes two trans

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lations, either, 'When the Maruts harness the clouds,' or, When the Maruts harness their chariots, for the bright rain-water.' Now the idea that the Maruts harness their chariots in order to make the clouds yield their rain, can hardly be expressed by the simple word subhé, i. e. for brightness' sake. As the Maruts are frequently praised for their glittering ornaments, their splendour might be intended in this passage as it certainly is in others. Thus :

i. 85, 3. yát subháyante angí-bhih tanushu subhrah dadhire virúkmatah.

When the Maruts adorn themselves with glittering ornaments, the brilliant ones put bright weapons on their bodies.

vii. 56, 6. subhấ sóbhishthâh, sriyẩ sám-mislâh, ógah-bhih ugrah.

The most brilliant by their brilliancy, united with splendour, terrible by strength.

In i. 64, 4, I have translated vákshah-su rukmẩn ádhi yetire subhé by 'they fix gold (chains) on their chests for beauty.' And the same meaning is applicable to i. 117, 5, subhé rukmám ná darsatám ní-khâtam, and other passages: iv. 51, 6; vi. 63, 6.

But in our verse and others which we shall examine, beauty and brilliancy would be very weak renderings for subhé. 'When they harnessed their chariots or their deer for the sake of beauty,' means nothing, or, at least, very little. I take, therefore, subhé in this and similar phrases in the sense of triumph or glory or victory. 'When they harness their chariots for to conquer,' implies brilliancy, glory, victory, but it conveys at the same time a tangible meaning. Let us now see whether the same meaning is appropriate in other passages:

i. 23, 11. gáyatâm-iva tanyatúh marútâm eti dhrishnu-yẩ yát súbham yâthána narah.

The thundering voice of the Maruts comes fiercely, like that of conquerors, when you go to conquer, O men!

Sâyana: 'When you go to the brilliant place of sacrifice.' Wilson: 'When you accept the auspicious (offering).' Benfey Wenn ihr euren Schmuck nehmt.'

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v. 57, 2. yâthana súbham, you go to conquer. Cf. v. 55, 1. Sâyana: For the sake of water, or, in a chariot.'

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v. 52, 8. sárdhah marutam út samsa nárah prá syandrah yugata tmánâ.

utá sma té subhé

Praise the host of the Maruts, and they, the men, the quickly moving, will harness by themselves (the chariots) for conquest.

Sâyana: For the sake of water.' Cf. x. 105, 3.

V.

57, 3. subhé yát ugrâh príshatîh áyugdhvam. When you have harnessed the deer for conquest. Sâyana: For the sake of water.'

v. 63, 5. rátham yungate marútah subhé su-khám sûrah ná-gó-ishtishu.

The Maruts harness the chariot meet for conquest, like a hero in battles.

Sâyana: For the sake of water.'

i. 88, 2. subhé kám yânti—ásvaih.

The Maruts go on their horses towards conquest.
Sâyana: 'In order to brighten the worshipper, or,

the sake of water.'

for

i. 119, 3. sám yát mitháh paspridhânẩsah ágmata subhé makhah ámitâh gâyávah ráne.

When striving with each other they came together, for the sake of glory, the brisk (Maruts), immeasurable (in strength), panting for victory in the fight.

Sâyana: For the sake of brilliant wealth.'

vii. 82, 5. marút-bhih ugráh súbham anyáh îyate. The other, the fearful (Indra), goes with the Maruts to glory. Sâyana: He takes brilliant decoration.'

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iii. 26, 4. subhé-príshatîh ayukshata.

They had harnessed the deer for victory.

Sâyana: 'They had harnessed in the water the deer together (with the fires).'

i. 167, 6. asthâpayanta yuvatím yúvânah subhé nímislâm.

The Maruts, the youths, placed the maid (lightning on their chariot), their companion for victory, (subhé nímislâm).

Sâyana: For the sake of water, or, on the brilliant chariot.' Cf. i. 127, 6; 165, I.

vi. 62, 4. súbham príksham ísham urgam váhantâ. The Asvins bringing glory, wealth, drink, and food.

viii. 26, 13. subhé kakrâte, you bring him to glory. Subham-yavan is an epithet of the Maruts, i. 89, 7; v. 61, 13. Cf. subhra-yâvânâ, viii. 26, 19 (Asvinau). Subham-ya, of the wind, iv. 3, 6.

Subham-yú, of the rays of the dawn, x. 78, 7.

Verse 4, note1. Sâyana:

horses.' See i. 37,

With spotted deer for their

2, note 1, page 59.

Verse 4, note 2. Aya is a word of very rare occurrence in the Rig-veda. It is the instrum. sing. of the feminine pronominal base â or î, and as a pronoun followed by a noun it is frequently to be met with; v. 45, 11. aya dhiya, &c. But in our verse it is irregular in form as not entering into Sandhi with îsânáh. This irregularity, however, which might have led us to suppose an original ayah, indefatigable, corresponding with the following ási, is vouched for by the Pada text, in such matters a better authority than the Sanhitâ text, and certainly in this case fully borne out by the Prâtisâkhya, i. 163, 10. We must therefore take aya as an adverb, in the sense of thus or hence. In some passages where aya seems thus to be used as an adverb, it would be better to supply a noun from the preceding verse. Thus in ii. 6, 2, aya refers to samídham in ii. 6, 1. In vi. 17, 15, a similar noun, samídhâ or gira, should be supplied. But there are other passages where, unless we suppose that the verse was meant to illustrate a ceremonial act, such as the placing of a samídh, and that aya pointed to it, we must take it as a simple adverb, like the Greek Tộ: Rv. iii. 12, 2; ix. 53, 2; 106, 14. In x. 116, 9, the Pada reads áyâh-iva, not áyâ, as given by Roth; in vi. 66, 4, áyâ nú, the accent is likewise on the first.

Verse 4, note 3. Rina-yavan is well explained by B. and R. as going after debt, searching out sin. Sâyana, though he explains rina-yavan by removing sin, derives it nevertheless correctly from rina and yâ, and not from yu. The same formation is found in subham-yấvan, &c.; and as there is rina-ya besides rina-yavan, so we find subham-ya besides subham-yẩvan.

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