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11. Radiant with benevolent light, rising to-day, and mounting into the highest heaven, do thou, O Sun, remove the sickness of my heart, and the yellowness (of my body)."

12. Let us transfer the yellowness (of my body) to the parrots, to the starlings, or to the Haritála (tree).

13. This ÁDITYA has risen, with all (his) might,

b

jyotir uttamam, we go to the best light; that is, we become identified with spiritual light,—sáyujyam gachchhámah; and, again, he (the worshipper) becomes identical with that which he worships,tam yatha yathopásate tad eva bhavati.

a

Hridroga may also mean heart-burn or indigestion; harimáñam, greenness or yellowness, is external change of the colour of the skin, in jaundice or bilious affections. This verse and the two following constitute a tricha or triplet, the repetition of which, with due formalities, is considered to be curative of disease. Súrya, thus hymned by Praskańwa, cured him, it is said, of a cutaneous malady, or leprosy, under which he was labouring. Accordingly, Saunaka terms the couplets a mantra, dedicated to the sun, removing sin, healing disease, an antidote to poison, and the means of obtaining present happiness and final liberation. The especial worship of the sun, in India, at the time of the first incursions of the Mahommedans, attributed to that luminary's having cured Sámba, the son of Krishna, of leprosy, is fully related by M. Reinaud, in his interesting Mémoire sur l'Inde, and was then, no doubt, of ancient date, originating with the primitive notions of the attributes of Surya, here adverted to. The hymn is, throughout, of an archaic character.

b So the Scholiast interprets the háridrava of the text, haritaladruma; but there is no tree so called. Haritála most usually means yellow orpiment; háridrava, a yellow vegetable powder.

destroying my adversary; for I am unable to resist

my enemy."

ANUVÁKA X.

SÚKTA I. (LI).

The Rishi is SAVYA," the son of ANGIRAS: the Hymn is addressed

to INDRA: the two last verses are in the Trishtubh metre; the rest, in the Jagati.

c

1. Animate, with praises, that ram, (INDRA), who Varga IX. is adored by many, who is gratified by hymns, and is an ocean of wealth; whose good deeds spread abroad, for the benefit of mankind, like the rays of light. Worship the powerful and wise INDRA, for the enjoyment of prosperity.

2. The protecting and fostering ṚIBHUS hastened to the presence of INDRA, of graceful motion, and irradiating the firmament, imbued with vigour,

a The enemy here intended is sickness or disease.

b Angiras, it is said, having performed worship, to obtain a son who should resemble Indra, the deity became his son, under the name of Savya.

c

Tyam mesham; referring to a legend in which it is narrated, that Indra came, in the form of a ram, to a sacrifice solemnized by Medhátithi, and drank the Soma juice. Or mesha may be rendered "victor over foes."

a The Ribhus are said, here, to mean the Maruts, by whom Indra was aided and encouraged, when all the gods had deserted him; as in the texts, "All the gods who were thy friends have fled: may there be friendship between the Maruts and thee;" and, again, "The Maruts did not abandon him.”

e

Indra, as Sakra, is one of the twelve Adityas, or suns.

the humiliator of his enemies, the performer of a hundred pious acts; and by them encouraging words were uttered.a

3. Thou hast opened the cloud" for the ANGIRASAS; thou hast shown the way to ATRI, who vexes his adversaries by a hundred doors; thou hast granted wealth, with food, to VIMADA: thou art wielding thy thunderbolt in defence of a worshipper engaged in battle.

4. Thou hast opened the. receptacle of the waters; thou hast detained, in the mountain, the treasure of the malignant; when thou hadst slain VRITRA, the destroyer,' thou madest the sun visible in the sky.

a They exclaimed, "Strike; Bhagavan, be valiant,"-Prahara, Bhagavo viryaswa.

The term is gotra, explained either a cloud, or a herd of cattle. Gotrabhid, as a name of Indra, implies, in ordinary langauge, mountain-breaker,-that is, with the thunderbolt: as applied to cattle, it alludes, it is said, to the recovery of the cows stolen by Pani. In either case, the act was performed in consequence of the prayers, or for the benefit, of the descendants of Angiras. By a number of means or contrivances,―yantras.

c

a Vimada is called, in the commentary, a Maharshi.

• Parvate dánumad vasu. "In the mountain" implies the dwelling of Indra. Dánumat is variously explained, as one doing an injury, hostile or malignant, an enemy; or, one descended from Danu, a Dánava, an Asura: or it may be an epithet of vasu, wealth, "fit for liberality;" from dánu, giving.

Vritra, who is Ahi; explained, hantri, the slayer. From a text cited from the Yajur-Veda, Ahi appears to be the personification of all the benefits derivable from sacrifice, knowledge,

5. Thou, INDRA, by thy devices, hast humbled the deceivers who presented oblations to their own mouths: propitious to men, thou hast destroyed the cities of PIPRU, and hast well defended ṚIJIśWAN, in robber-destroying (contests)."

6. Thou hast defended KUTSA, in fatal fights with Varga X. S'USHÑA; thou hast destroyed S'AMBARA, in defence of ATITHIGWA; thou hast trodden, with thy foot, upon the great ARBUDA: from remote times wast thou born, for the destruction of oppressors.

c

7. In thee, INDRA, is all vigour fully concentrated; thy will delights to drink the Soma juice: it is known, by us, that the thunderbolt is deposited in thy hands. Cut off all prowess from the foe.

8. Discriminate between the Aryas and those

fame, food, and prosperity; Sa yat sarvam etat samabhavat tasmád Ahih,-Inasmuch as he was the same as all that, therefore he was called Ahi.

a According to the Kaushitakis, the Asuras, contemning Agni, offered oblations to themselves; and the Vájasaneyis relate, that, when there was a rivalry between the gods and Asuras, the latter arrogantly said, "Let us not offer sacrifice to any one," and, thereupon, made the oblations to their own mouths.

b Pipru is called an Asura; Ṛijiśwan, a worshipper whom they oppressed; dasyuhatyeshu, in battles killing the Dasyus,-robbers or barbarians.

c

Sushña, Sambara, and Arbuda are designated as Asuras. Kutsa we have had before, as the name of a Rishi. Atithigwa is said to mean the hospitable, and to be also termed Divodása; but it does not appear whether he is the same as the Divodása of the Puráñas. [See Vol. II., p. 34, note b.]

who are Dasyusa restraining those who perform no religious rites, compel them to submit to the performer of sacrifices: be thou, who art powerful, the encourager of the sacrificer. I am I am desirous of celebrating all thy deeds, in ceremonies that give thee satisfaction.

9. INDRA abides, humbling the neglecters of holy acts, in favour of those who observe them, and punishing those who turn away from his worship, in favour of those who are present (with their praise). VAMRA, while praising him, whether old or adolescent, and spreading through heaven, carried off the accumulated (materials of the sacrifice)."

10. If USANAS should sharpen thy vigour by his own, then would thy might terrify, by its intensity, both heaven and earth. Friend of man, let the will-harnessed steeds, with the velocity of the wind, convey thee, replete (with vigour), to (partake of the sacrificial) food.

a The Aryas, as appears from this and the next verse, and as stated by the Scholiast, are those who practise religious rites; while the Dasyus are those who do not observe religious ceremonies, and are inimical to those who do; being, probably, the uncivilized tribes of India, yet unsubdued by the followers of the Vedas, the Aryas, the respectable or civilized race.

b The text is, here, obscure,- Vamro vi jaghána sandihah; Vamra destroyed the collections. The Scholiast says, that a Ṛishi named Vamra took advantage of Indra's absence from a sacrifice, to carry away the accumulated heap of offerings, the marrow or essence of the earth; Yad valmikavapásambháro bhavati úrjam eva prithivyáh.

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