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NOTES. I, 167, 7.
277
yavyå. It means the youthful maid, and corresponds to yuvati in verse 6. Yavyâ would be the exact form which Curtius (Grundzüge, p. 589) postulated as the Sanskrit prototype of Hebe. Now, if the Maruts correspond to Mars in Latin, and to Ares in Greek, the fact that in the Iliad Hebe bathes and clothes Ares, may be of some significance. Sâdharani is used in the sense of uxor communis, and would show a familiarity with the idea of polyandry recognised in the epic poetry of the Mahabharata.
But although the Maruts cling to this maid (the Vâk, or thunder), they do not cast off Rodasî, their lawful wife, the lightning, but wish her to grow for their friendship, i. e. as their friend.
Ayasal yavya must be scanned
---.
In VI, 66, 5, ayasah mahna must be scanned as U-~-- (mahimnâ ?).
Note 2. Vridham, as the accent shows, is here an infinitive governed by gushanta.
Verse 5.
See von Bradke, Dyaus Asura, p. 76.
Verse 6.
I translate arká by poet. The construction would become too cumbersome if we translated, 'as soon as the hymn with the libations was there for you, as soon as the sacrificer sang his song.'
Verse 7.
The meaning of the second line is obscure, unless we adopt Ludwig's ingenious view that Rodasi is here conceived as Eileithyia, the goddess who helps mothers in childbirth. I confess that it is a bold conjecture, and there is nothing in Vedic literature to support it. All I can say is that Eileithyia is in Greek, like Hebe (Yavyâ) and Ares (Marut), a child of Hera, and that lightning as well as dawn might become a symbol of birth. The etymology and the
a Wir müssen ein vorgriechisches yâvâ oder möglicherweise yâvya annehmen.
b II. V, 905.
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| SR No. | 007685 |
| Book Title | Grihya Sutras |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Hermann Oldenberg |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1886 |
| Total Pages | 2642 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 49 MB |