Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 42
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
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FEBRUARY, 1913.]
THE ADITYAS
देवीः पर्जन्बसूवरीः पुषवस्वाय मे सुत ॥ 3 भपाइन्युब्णिमपा रक्षाभपाइन्युणिमपा रघम् । भपाघ्रामप चावति भपदेवीरितो हित॥4 वनं देवीरजीतांश्च भुवनं देवसूवरीः। भादित्यानमितिं देवीं योनिनोर्ध्वमुखीपत | 5 शिवा मइशंतमा भवंतु दिम्बा आप भीषधयः ।
सुमृडीका सरस्वति मा तेम्बोम संबधि॥ 6 "I have obtained and obtained all waters from this and that side ; may Agni, the sun, and the wind make the waters prosperous. 1
"O waters, whose steeds are the (seven) winds, whose lords are the rays of the sun, whose body is formed of shining rays, who are not malicious to anyone, and who are the mothers of all beings, allow me to have sons. 2
"O Waters, who are of pleasing names, who are worthy of worship, who are of shining form, who are productive of food, and who are the mothers of the raining clouds, allow me to have sons. 3
"O Waters, take away the excessive beat and fever, take away the demon, take away the bad smell, and take away our poverty. 4
"o Waters, hold up the thunderbolt, hold up like and all beings%3 o mothers of gods, hold up the Adityas as well as the goddess Aditi together with her womb (bringing forth the Adityas or intercalary months). 5
“May the hea renly waters and herbs be auspicious to us, and may they bring happiness to us; O water, thou art the bestower of comforts; I have not seen thy abode in the sky." 6 In the next passages the poet proceeds to define time and its characteristics :
स्मृतिः प्रत्यक्षमैतिहामनुमानश्चमुष्टयम् । एतेराविल्यमंडलं सर्वेरेव विधास्यते ॥ 7 सयों मरीचिमादत्ते सवेस्माबुवनाधि। तस्थाः पाकविशेषेण स्मृतं कालविशेषणम् ।। 8 नदीव प्रभावास्काचिदक्षय्यास्वंदते यथा। सां नयोऽभिसमायांति सोरुस्सती न निवर्तते ।। एवं नानासमुत्थानाः कालास्संवत्सरं श्रिताः।। अणुवाश्च महशश्च सर्वे समवयांत सम् ।। 10 स तेस्सर्वस्समाविष्टः उरुस्सन निवर्तते । अधिसंवत्सरं विद्यात् तदेवलक्षणे॥ 11 अणुनिइच महविश्च समारूढः प्रवृश्यते ।
संवत्सरः प्रत्यक्षेण नाधिसत्वः प्रवृश्यते ।। 12 "Remembrance of past experience, seeing with the eyes, tales heard from others, and inference as the fourth, with all these (four kinds of evidence), the circle of the (seven or eight) Adityas is laid up. 7
“The Sun takes up the water from the whole world; by means of the peculiar and ripe form of the waters [i. e., raining clouds) the characteristics of the times are remembered.
“Just as a river flows from an imperishable source, and just as other streamlets join her, and just as she, growing in volume, never returns, so the moments of various birth are merged in the year, by small bits and big periods; they all form the year; the year being formed of them grows in length and never returns.
"One should understand this as ayear with intercalation (Adhinashvateara), and that by means of the characteristics (to be spoken of); formed of small and big bits of time, the ordinary year is visible to the eye; but not so the swollen thing [i. 6., the year in which intercalation is to be made]." 12
The poet has defined the year as being formed of a member of small and big moments; and has pointed out the difficulty of seeing the intercalated year. Now he is going to describe' those characteristics by which its arrival can be inferred :
पटो विविधःपिंगः एतरुण लक्षणम् । यत्रैतदुपदृश्यते सहसं तब नीयत ॥ 13
