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NOVEMBER, 1926 ]
VEDIO STUDIES
205
5, 6, 1: agnim tám manye yó vásur ástam yam yanti dhenavah
ástam árvanta dsávostam nityaso vajina isham stoty' bhya a' bhara || "I praise that Agni who is a Vasu, to whom the milch-cows go home, the swift horses go home, the dear patrone go home; bring food (nourishment) to thy praisers." The word djinah in the fourth pada which I have translated as 'patrons' denotes the rich men who institute sacrifices, the yajamánáh as Sayana has correctly explained and not priests (Grassmann, Translation) or race-horses as Ludwig and Oldenberg (SBE., 46, p. 379) think. This is shown clearly by the following verse, só agnir yó vásur grné sám yam dyanti dhenárah | sám árvanto raghudrúvaḥ sám sujata' saḥ sûráya isham stotr' bhya a' bhara which is parallel to the preceding one and where the fourth pada mentions explicitly the sujátásah súrayah. 1, 71, 1: úpa prá jinvann usati'r usantam
pátim na' nityam janayah aánilah svá sdrah byd'vim árushim ajushrañ
citrám ucchándim ushásam ná gd'vah !! The loving (women) have stimulated (to activity) their lover as wives in the same bed (literally, in the same nest) stimulate (to amorous activitý) their dear husband. The sisters have cherished the Dark and the Bright as the cows have cherished the brightly dawning Dawu." The 'loving women,' usatth, denote in all probability, the prayers that are addressed to Agni-who is referred to here by the word usantam-and that are supposed to arouse him to activity, so that Agni will bring the gods to the sacrifice, carry offerings to them, etc.; see Bergaigne II, p. 88. The import of the second half-verse is obscure ; see however Oldenberg, SBE., 46. p. 76 f. and RV. Noten I, p. 73. With regard to nityam patim compare jushtam patim in 9, 97, 22: a'd im dyan váram a' udvaśana' júshtam pátim kaláse gå' va indum where I believe, differing from Grassmann (g.v. vds), that the word vdva sandh should be derived from the root vas (to wish, to desire; vaša kántau) and be interpreted in the same sense as ulatih in this passage and in 1, 62, 11. Compare also 1, 62, 11 and the verse that follows here, 1, 140, 7 1, 140, 7: sá samstëro vishirah sám grbhayati
janánn evá janati'r nitya d' saye púnar vardhante api yanti devyàm
anyád várpah pitróh krnvate sáca ! "He (sc. Agni) clasps (the plants, etc.) that have been laid together and have been laid out. Being intimate with them that are intimate with him, and being their dear (lover), he lies with them. They grow up again and attain to godhead ; they together give another form to their parents (that is, to Heaven and Earth)." 1, 141, 2: pkahó vápuh pitumd'n nitya d' saye
dvitt' yain d' saptádivdou máty'shu trtf'yam asya urahabhásya doháse
dába pramatim janayanta yóshanah | "The beloved (Agni), strong, rich in food, rests in the brilliant (pun); secondly, in the seven auspicious mothers; thirdly the ten women (that is, the 'ten fingers) have engendered him who looks after (us), in order to milk this bull." I have followed here the suggestion of Grassmann and PW. about reading saptá fivd'su and dáta prámatim in the text though the text as it stands--daptášivdou (neven-fold auspicious) and dásapramatim (having ten to care for him ; cared for by ten)-is not unintelligible. The words dvitiyam and trtiyam seem to indi. cate that the first pdda refers to the first birth of Agni as the sun that shines in the sky. It is therefore possible to understand vapuh, brilliant, as referring to the bright sky (dyoh) and to translate "The beloved Agni, strong, rich in food, entered in the brilliant sky." With reference to the sun being rich in food compare Chan. Up. 3, 1, 1 : asau ud adityo devamadhu
