ápragâh santu atrínah.

May the ogres be without offspring!

ix. 86, 48. gahí vísvân rakshásah indo (íti) atrínah. Kill, O Soma, all the tusky Rakshas. Cf. ix. 104, 6; 105, 6.

vi. 51, 14. gahí ní atrínam paním.

Kill, O Soma, the tusky Pani.

i. 94, 9. vadhaíh duh-sámsân ápa duh-dhyãh gahi

dûré vâ yé ánti vâ ké kit atrínah.

Strike with thy blows, O Agni, the evil-spoken, evilminded (spirits), the ogres, those who are far or who are

near.

See also i. 36, 14; 20; vi. 16, 28; vii. 104, 1; 5; viii. 12, 1; 19, 15; x. 36, 4; 118, 1.

MANDALA I, SUKTA 87.

ASHTAKA I, ADHYAYA 6, VARGA 13.

1. Prá-tvakshasah prá-tavasah vi-rapsínah ánânatâh ávithurâh rigîshínah, gúshta-tamâsah nrí-tamâsah añgí-bhih ví ânagre ké kit usrah-iva stríbhih.

2. Upa-hvaréshu yát ákidhvam yayím váyah-iva marutah kéna kit patha, skótanti kósâh úpa vah rátheshu a ghritám ukshata mádhu-varnam árkate.

3. Prá eshâm ágmeshu vithura-iva regate bhumih yẩmeshu yát ha yuñgáte subhé, té krîláyah dhúnayah bhragat-rishtayah svayám mahi-tvám panayanta dhutayah.

4. Sáh hí sva-srít príshat-asvah yúvâ ganáh ayẩ îsânáh távishîbhih ẩ-vritah, ási satyáh rinayavâ ánedyah asyah dhiyáh pra-avita átha vríshâ ganáh.

5. Pitúh pratnásya gánmanâ vadâmasi sómasya gihva prá gigâti kákshasâ, yát îm índram sámi rikvânah asata ất ít nấmâni yagñíyâni dadhire.

6. Sriyáse kám bhânú-bhih sám mimikshire té rasmí-bhih té ríkva-bhih su-khâdáyah, té vấsîmantah ishmínah ábhîravah vidré priyásya marutasya dhẩmnah.

HYMN TO THE MARUTS (THE STORM-GODS).

1. The active, the strong, the singers, the never flinching, the immovable, the wild, the most beloved and most manly, they have shown themselves with their glittering ornaments, a few only,' like the heavens with the stars.

2. When you see your way through the clefts, you are like birds, O Maruts, on whatever road it be.1 The clouds drop (rain) on your chariots everywhere; pour out the honey-like fat (the rain) for him who praises you.

2

3. At their ravings the earth shakes, as if broken,1 when on the (heavenly) paths they harness (their deer) for victory. They the sportive, the roaring, with bright spears, the shakers (of the clouds) have themselves praised their greatness.

1

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4. That youthful company (of the Maruts), with their spotted horses, moves by itself; hence it exercises lordship, and is invested with powers. Thou art true, thou searchest out sin, thou art without blemish. Therefore thou, the strong host, thou wilt cherish this prayer.

5. We speak after the kind of our old father, our tongue goes forth at the sight of the Soma: when the shouting Maruts had joined Indra in the work,2 then only they received sacrificial honours;—

6. For their glory1 these well-equipped Maruts obtained splendours, they obtained rays, and men to praise them; nay, these well-armed, nimble, and fearless beings found the beloved home of the Maruts.3

COMMENTARY.

This hymn is ascribed to Gotama. The metre is Gagatî throughout.

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 dyấvah; 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 divyah-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 1. 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 yama. Thus: viii. 7, 2. yát-yamam subhrâh ákidhvam. When you, bright Maruts, have seen your way. See also viii. 7, 4. yát yẩmam yẩnti vâyú-bhih.

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 1. 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