Zend Avesta Part 03

SR No.: 007673
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: L H Mills
Publisher: Oxford
Publication Year: 1887
Total Pages: 2618
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 49 MB

Page 649

NOTES.
I, 19, 3.
55
and who know how to cause the descent) of great waters: come, Agni, with the Maruts.
BENFEY: Die guten Götter, welche all bestehen in dem weiten Raum-Mit diesen Marut's, Agnil komm!
LUDWIG: Die wissen um den grossen raum, alle götter truges bar, mit den Marut, Agni, kom.
Note 1. The sky or welkin (rágas) is the proper abode of the Maruts, and they who know of' means simply they who dwell' in the great sky. The Vedic poets distinguish commonly between the three worlds, the earth, prithivi, f., or părthiva, n.; the sky, rágas; and the heaven, dyú: see I, 6, 9, note 1. The phrase mahah ragasah occurs I, 6, 10; 168, 6, &c. Sayana takes rágas for water or rain : see on this my article in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, vol. xii, p. 28. In some passages rágas means' darkness,' and might be identified with the Greek 'Epeßos; Ath. Veda VIII, 2, 1. påráyami två rágasa út två mrityór apîparam, 'I bring thee out of darkness, out of death I brought thee.' The identification of rágas with &peßos (Leo Meyer, in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, vol. vi, p. 19) must however remain doubtful, until stronger evidence has been brought forward in support of a Greek B representing a Sanskrit g, even in the middle of a word. See my article in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, vol. xv, p. 215; Curtius, Grundzüge (fifth edition), p. 480.
Note 2. The appellation Visve devăh, all gods together, or, more properly, host-gods, is often applied to the Maruts; cf. I, 23, 8; 10. Benfey connects this line with the preceding verse, considering Visve devåh, it seems, inappropriate as an epithet of the Maruts.
Note 3. On adrúh, without guile or deceit, without hatred, see Kuhn's excellent article, Zeitschrift für die Vergleichende Sprachforschung, vol. I, pp. 179, 193. Adrúh is applied to the Maruts again in VIII, 46, 4, though in connection with other gods. It is applied to the Visve Devas, RV. I, 3, 9; IX, 102, 5: the Adityas, RV. VIII, 19, 34 ; 67, 13: the Rudras, RV. IX, 73, 7: to Heaven and Earth, RV. II, 41, 21; III, 56, 1; IV, 56, 2; VII, 66, 18: to Mitra and Varuna, RV. V, 68, 4: to Agni, RV. VI, 15, 7; VIII, 44, 10. The form adhrúk occurs in the sixth Mandala only.
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