________________
R. D. Hegde
same time, a sharp contrast may be noticed despite plenty of similarities between the hymns on Ratri and the hymn on the Earth. In his song on the Earth, Athaivan speaks eloquently about his memoirs associated with Bhumi and strengthens with his eloquence the ground of his pleas to mother earth Atharvan has with him a history of brave deeds of his ancestors, but here in the Ratri hymns, Gopatha reveals no such clue of brave deeds of his forefathers and quite embarrassingly, he confesses his cowardice. The expressions of Gopatha ate in appealing words and rich in the variety of contents. He unfolds Rati's attributes one after one and admires her choice of names. Thus, the hymn on Ratri stands out as an expression of confession and introspection.
38
