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204
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(NOVEMBER, 1920
7, 1, 12: Yam ašvi' nityam úpa ya'ti yajňám
prajá'vantam svapatyam kahayan nah !
svájanmand foshasd udrydhanam This verse is obscure ; I understand it as a continuation of the preceding verso, 'May we not sit down in the empty dwelling of men; may we not sit round thee without son, without offspring ; (may we sit) in houses full of children, O thou that makest houses to prosper 'and translate : " (May we sit down in) our dear dwelling with good offspring, with children, which is prospering with issue born of us, which is the seat of sacrifices, and to which (Agni), who has horses, goes." I follow Sayaņa in taking yajram as an adjective of kshayam and neaning yajidéraya. There seems to be no doubt that yajña is an adjective here of kshaya, and that being so, it can be best interpreted here as yajñaśraya or yajaniya. The words yajita and kshara occur together again in 1, 132, 3, which, too, is obscure. As regards abvi, Oldenberg's observations (RV. Noten, II, p. 4) that it refers to a human and not to a god do not seem to me to be convincing; and I still think that it refers to a god, to wit, Agni. Compare 5, 6, 1 (explained below) which describes Agni as 'the home to which the swift horses go,' that is, as the treasure-house of horses ; compare also 5, 6, 2. 8,31,5: ya' dámpatí súmanasd sunutí d' ca dha'vatah
devdso nityayasira || "The husband and wife, O gods, who thinking alike, press and wash (Soma and mix) with pleasing admixture." The admixture referred to is that of milk, sour milk (dadhi) or barley; compare 9, 101, 8: sám u priya' anüshata gd' vo middya ghy'shvayah where the admixture of inilk, gavah, receives the epithet priya. 4. 4, 7: 88d agne astu subhágah suda' nur
yás två nityena havíshd yá ukthaih piprishati svá a'yushi duroné
vísvéd asmai audina sd sad ishtih li "May he, O Agni, be fortunate and rich who wishes to sacrifice to thee with pleasing oblations and hymns in his house through his life. Let all (days) be fortunate days for him-such is the prayer." The meaning of sudd'nu is not clear: Oldenberg translates it (SBE., 46, p. 331) as 'blessed with good rain', Grassmann (Translation) as' reich an Gut' and Geldner (Glossar) agreich beschenkt.' There is no doubt that the two last-mentioned meanings express very nearly what the poet must have had in his mind; and I have therefore, in default of a more accurate knowlodge of the meaning of the word, here rendered it as 'rich.' With regard to nityena havisha, compare priyam havih in 10, 86, 12-13, priyatamnın havih in 9, 34, 5, and jushtam havih in 3, 59, 5. 1, 66, 5: durókasocih krátur ná nítyo
jayeva yondv áram visvasmai || “(Agni), of unaccustomed brilliance, dear like the ideal, like a wife in the house. ready for everything." 8, 76, 6: tásmai núnám abhidyave vácá' virüpa nityaya |
vy'shne codasva sushtulim || "Send forth now, O Virûpa, a well-made (bymn of) praise with thy dear pleasing voice towards the strong (Agni), the heavenly (?)." Regarding nityd vdk here, compare mandrd vdk in 8, 100, 11. 9, 12, 7: nityastotro vánaspátir dhind'm antah sabardúghah
hinvdnó md'nusha yugd' II “ (Soma), the lord of the forest, fond of praises, who milks nectar amidst the praise-hymns and stimulates the generations of men." As mentioned above, to nityastotro vanaspatih bere corresponds priyastotro vanaspatih in 1, 91, 6,
