with sound understanding, conferring happiness, and sustaining (us) through life.

10. GOTAMA, desirous of wealth, offers, to the sharp-flaming AGNI, pure prayers and praises.

11. May he, AGNI, who annoys us, whether nigh or afar, perish; and do thou be, to us, (propitious) for our advancement.

12. The thousand-eyed, all-beholding AGNI drives away the Rakshasas; and, (praised, by us,) with holy hymns, he (the invoker of the gods,) celebrates their praise.

Varga XXIX.

SÚKTA VII. (LXXX.)

The Rishi is GOTAMA, as before; but the deity is INDRA: the metre is Pankti.

1. Mighty wielder of the thunderbolt, when the priest had thus exalted thee (by praise), and the exhilarating Soma juice (had been drunk), thou didst expel, by thy vigour, Ан from the earth, manifesting thine own sovereignty.o

2. That exceedingly exhilarating Soma juice,

a The literal rendering of the epithet of the text, Sahasráksha, which identifies Agni with Indra; but Sáyaña interprets it, having countless flames,—asankhyátajwála.

b The Brahma, which the Scholiast interprets Bráhmaña.

• The burden of this and of all the other stanzas of this hymn is archann anu swarajyam. The first term usually implies worshipping, honouring; but the Commentator gives, as its equivalent, prakatayan: swasya swámitwam prakatayan,—making manifest his own mastership or supremacy.

a

which was brought by the hawk, (from heaven), when poured forth, has exhilarated thee, so that, in thy vigour, thunderer, thou hast struck VRITRA from the sky, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

3. Hasten, assail, subdue. Thy thunderbolt cannot fail thy vigour, INDRA, destroys men. Slay VRITRA, win the waters, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

4. Thou hast struck VRITRA from off the earth, and from heaven. (Now) let loose the wind-bound, life-sustaining rain, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

5. Indignant INDRA, encountering him, has struck, with his bolt, the jaw of the trembling VRITRA, setting the waters free to flow, and manifesting his own sovereignty.

6. INDRA has struck him, on the temple, with his Varga XXX. hundred-edged thunderbolt, and, exulting, wishes

to provide means of sustenance for his friends, manifesting his own sovereignty.

7. Cloud-borne INDRA, wielder of the thunderbolt, verily, thy prowess is undisputed; since thou, with (superior) craft, hast slain that deceptive deer," manifesting thine own sovereignty.

8. Thy thunderbolts were scattered widely over

Syenábhrita, as Rosen translates it, accipitre delatus. The Scholiast says, it was brought from heaven by the Gayatri, having the wings of a hawk.

The commentary says Vritra had assumed the form of a deer; but nothing further relating to this incident occurs.

Varga XXXI.

ninety and nine rivers: great is thy prowess. Strength is deposited in thy arms, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

b

9. A thousand mortals worshipped him, together; twenty have hymned (his praise); a hundred (sages) repeatedly glorify him. So, INDRA, is the oblation lifted up, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

10. INDRA Overcame, by his strength, the strength of VRITRA: great is his manhood, wherewith, having slain VṚITRA, he let loose the waters, manifesting his own sovereignty.

11. This heaven and earth trembled, thunderer, at thy wrath, when, attended by the MARUTS, thou slewest VRITRA by thy prowess, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

12. VṚITRA deterred not INDRA by his trembling, or his clamour: the many-edged iron thunderbolt fell upon him, (INDRA) manifesting his own sovereignty.

13. When thou (INDRA,) didst encounter, with thy bolt, VRITRA and the thunderbolt (which he hurled), then, INDRA, the strength of thee, determined to slay AнI, was displayed in the heavens, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

14. At thy shout, wielder of the thunderbolt, all

a Put for any indefinite number.

b The sixteen priests employed at a sacrifice, the Yajamána and his wife, and two functionaries entitled the Sadasya and Samitri, directors, probably, of the ceremonies of the assembly, not of the worship.

things, moveable or immoveable, trembled: even TWASHTRI Shook with fear, INDRA, at thy wrath, manifesting thine own sovereignty.

a

15. We know not, of a certainty, the all-pervading INDRA. Who (does know him, abiding) afar off, in his strength? For in him have the gods concentrated riches, and worship, and power, manifesting his own sovereignty.

16. In like manner as of old, so, in whatever act of worship ATHARVAN, or father MANUS, or DADHYACH engaged, their oblations and their hymns were, all, congregated in that INDRA, manifesting his own sovereignty.

SIXTH ADHYAYA.

ANUVÁKA XIII. (continued).

SÚKTA VIII. (LXXXI.)

The Rishi, deity, and metre, as before.

1. INDRA, the slayer of VRITRA, has been aug- Varga I. mented, in strength and satisfaction, by (the adora

a The expression is very elliptical, ko viryá parah; being, literally, who-with vigour-afar. The Scholiast completes the sentence as in the text.

b Manushpitá; Manus being the progenitor of all mankind. Dadhyach, or Dadhichi, is a well-known Rishi, the son of Atharvan, of whom mention, subsequently, more than once, recurs.

tion of) men.a

well as in little.

We invoke him in great conflicts, as

May he defend us in battles. 2. For thou, hero, INDRA, art a host: thou art the giver of much booty: thou art the exalter of the humble thou bestowest (riches) on the worshipper who offers thee oblations; for abundant is thy wealth.

3. When battles arise, wealth devolves on the victor. Yoke thy horses, humblers of the pride (of the foe), that thou mayest destroy one, and enrich another. Place us, INDRA, in affluence.

4. Mighty through sacrifice, formidable (to foes), partaking of the sacrificial food, INDRA has augmented his strength. Pleasing in appearance, having a handsome chin, and possessing (bright) coursers, he grasps the iron thunderbolt in his contiguous hands, for (our) prosperity.

5. He has filled the space of earth and the fir

a The Scholiast explains this," a deity, acquiring vigour by praise, increases;" that is, becomes more powerful and mighty. The notion is clear enough; but, although 'increases' is the literal rendering of pravardhate, it expresses its purport but incompletely.

b We have a legend, in illustration of this passage: Gotama, the son of Rahúgaña, was the purohita of the Kuru and Srinjaya princes, and, in an engagement with other kings, propitiated Indra by this hymn, who, in consequence, gave the victory to the former. Rosen puts the phrase interrogatively: Quemnam occisurus es? quemnam opulentiæ dabis? But the Scholiast explains kam, whom, by kanchit, any one, some one: that is, Indra gives the victory to whomsoever he is pleased with.