Indian Antiquary Vol 56

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 258

228
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ DECEMBER, 1927
bévd ivdsáva) '(the streams of Soma) drunk (by me) have roused me (as quickly) as swift horses (draw) a chariot' (cf. preceding verse, prá vd'ta iva dódhata ún ma pi ta' aya visata); 4, 1, 3: sá kche sá khayam abhy & vavrtsudsúm ná cakrám ráthyeva ránhyd carry the friend to us, O friend, with speed, as the two horses of a chariot roll the swift wheel '; 2, 4, 6: ud'r má patha' ráthyeva svånit (who, Agai,) rushed forth (as swiftly) as water on its path, as the two horses of a chariot'; (d)9, 69, 6 : sû'ryasyeva rasmiyo drivayitnávo matsara' sah prasúpah adkám frate the torpid (?), intoxicating (streams of Soma) move together, swift like the rays of the sun'; 9, 69, 7: sindhor iva pravané nimní atávo vy' shacyulå máddso gåtúm đếata
the streams of Soma, falling from (the hands of) the man proceed on their way, swift like the currents of a river down an incline '; 9, 86, 1: prá la aśávah pava mâna dhijávo máda arshanti raghuja' iva tmind 'thy swift, thought-inspiring, intoxicating streams, O Pavamana, rush forward of themselves like horses born of fleet (sires and dams)'; 1, 5, 7: d' två vibantu dsávah sómasa indra girvanah let the swift streams of Soma enter into you, O Indra fond of praise'; 9, 22, 1: elé 85 masa aśívo rátha iva prá vajinah | sárgáh ssshfa' aheshata' these swift streams of Soma have moved (as swiftly) as racing chariots, (as) horses unloosed '; (e) 1, 143, 5: ná yó várdya marútám iva svanáh séneva s7shta' divya'yáthdsanih 'that, like the rush of the Maruts, like a missile sent on its way, like the thunderbolt of heaven, can not be stopped'; 6, 6,5: ádha jihud pâpatiti prá vr'shno goshuyúdho ná' sanih srjánd' then speeds the flame of the bull (sc. Agni) like the missile hurled by the fighter for cows'; 1, 116, 1 : yd'v árbhagdya vimáddya jdyd' m sendjúvd nyúhátú ráthena' who (two) brought a wife to the young Vimada in a chariot that is as swift as a missile.'
Prihak therefore signifies in these verses' swiftly', 'rapidly', 'quickly,' 'impetuously, etc., & meaning which suits the context. It has this meaning in the following passages : 2, 17, 3: ádhakrnoh prathamám viryam mahad
yád asyd-gre bráhmand fúshmam airayah ratheshthéna háryašvena vícyutah
prá jíráyah sisrate sadhryak pr'thak ! “Then didst thou, (O Bịhaspati) perform (thy) first valiant deed when thou, before this (Indra), didst shatter the powerful (Vala) with thy spell. The swift (Waters) released by (Indra), who was in his chariot (and) who has tawny horses, rush forward together impetuously."
There are some difficulties in the first half of this verse. The release of the Waters mentioned in the second half-verse indicates that the valiant deed (mahad víryam) of the first half-verse refers to the overthrow of the demon that, had imprisoned them ; compare 2, 22, 1: sá em mamada míhi karma karlave mahd' m urúm sainam sascad devó devám satyám Indram satyá induh ; 2, 24, 14 : brahmanas páter abhavad yathdvasám satyo manyúr máhi karma karishyatáh where also the phrase mahi karma refers to such overthrow; cf. also 3, 33, 7: praod'cyam bafvadha' viryan tád indrasya karma yád áhim vivrécát ví vájrena parishado jagha. nd'yann d'poyanam iccháminah. I therefore take fushma as referring to the demon that imprisoned the Waters, and airayah in the sense of shattering, destroying a sense which the word has in the preceding verse but one, vidvd yid gotrd' sáhasd pársurid made ad masya drmhiid' ny airayat. The mention of brahman as the instrument used for shattering shows (comp. 2, 24, 3 úd ga' djad ábhinad brahmind valám) that the first half-verse is addressed to Bhaspati who is known as brahmanas pati or lord of spells.' It is indeed possible to interpret, as Oldenberg has in fact done (RV. Noten I, p. 201), the first half-verse also as being addressed to Indro. But this seems to me however to be a somewhat forced interpretation, and I prefer to regard this verse as belonging to the type of verses (cf. 1, 62, 4) whose two halves refer to Indra and Brhaspati respectively, and to interpret it as I have done above.
The word asya in the second pâda seems to refer to Indra and the words asya agre to be equivalent to asya pura). Brhaspati is, as we know from 2, 24, 9 and the Yajus texts (TS,