Indian Antiquary Vol 56

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

Page 80

64
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(APRIL, 1927
10, 102, 8: sunám ashtrávy acarat kapardi
varatra'yam dd'rvá náhyamanah nrmnd'ni kornván baháve jándya
ga'k paspašdnás távishír adhatta | "Being goaded, he (i.e., the bull), who was wearing cowries and who was hitched in the strap (i.e., harness) with the wood, moved pleasingly (i.e., well). Performing valiant deeds before many people, he put on mettle when he saw the bulls."
The hymn to which this verse belongs has been much discussed by the exegetists and been interpreted in many ways; for literature connected with it, see Oldenberg, RV. Nolen II, p. 318 and also my article on Indrasena in vol. XLVII, ante, pp. 280 ff. I agree with Oldenberg (1.c.) that the hymn neither concerns a 'drame qui se joue au ciel et sur terre durant l'orage' (Bergaigne) nor reveals the methode de la devinette primitive' (Henry), but that (as believed by Geldner, Ved. Studien 2), it deals with the story of a Brâhmana couple and a chariot-race.
The subject of acarat in pada a above is the bull, vyshabha, that is mentioned in the previous verse as running-áramhata pádyabhiḥ kakud mán. And hence I interpret kapardi as
wearing cowries' instead of as 'wearing a braid, zottig' (Roth, Geldner, Oldenberg, etc.) as this latter epithet is unintelligible to me in connection with & bull. The custom, on the other hand, of ornamenting bulls and oxen with strings of cowries fastened round the neck is fairly wide-spread in India, and I concieve that this must have been the case with Mudgala's bull also. Diru in the second para refers, of course, to the drughana or block of wood mentioned in the next verse.
It bas been suggested by Oldenberg (1.c.), perhaps with a view to get over the difficulty caused by the word kapardi (which he interprets as 'wearing a braid, zottig'), that the subject of acarat is not the bull but Mudgala. This does not seem to be correct; for I believe with Geldner that Mudgala was too old to take part in a chariot-race and that the chariot was in fact ridden by Indrasena with Kesinî as charioteer (see my article in vol. XLVII, ante, referred to above). 4, 3, 11: rténú'drim vy asan bhvid intah
Rim angiraso navanta gibhih kunam nurah puri shadann nsha' sam
avih sudr abhavaj játé agnaú! “Properly did they burst open the rock, shattering it. The Angirases lowed with the cows. Pleasingly (i.c., with pleasing results; well) did the men worship the Dawn; the sun made himself manifest when Agni was born." The explanation of parishadan as 'umlagerten' by Roth, Grassmann and Geldner (RV. Übersetzung) seems to me to be hardly satisfactory; and I prefer to follow Bhatta-Bhaskara who has para phrased parishadyam in TB. 3, 1, 2,9 as parita upásyam (cf. also Mahidhara on V S. 5, 32) and regard parishadan here as equivalent to paryupásâmcakrire. Compare 7, 76, 6: práti två stómair ilate visishtha usharbúdhah subhage tushţuvá' nisah gúvám netri' vá'japatni na ucchEshah sujáte prathama' jarasva ; 7. 78, 2: práti shfon agnir jarate s imiddhah prúti vi praso matibhir grintah usha' yati jyclisha bi' dhamana visvá túmdensi duritá'pa devi'; 7, 80, 1: prúti stimebhit ush i sam vasishtha girbhir víprasah prathamd' abudhran. The expression the men worshipped the Dawn 'indicates that the Dawn showed herself at that time when Agni was born, that is, was kindled before daybreak. The kindling of Agni, the coming of the Dawn and the rising of the sun are referred to in other verses also of the RV, for instance, in 7, 72, 4: ví céd ucchinty a vind usha' sah prá vam brahmani kár úvo bharanle ardhvám bhánún savita' devú asred bh id agniyal samidha jarante; 7, 77, 1-3: úpo ruruce yuvalir ni yoshd viśvam jivim prasuvinti cura'yai lubhûd agnih samihe ma'nushanam ákar jyotir bri' dhamana timâmsi || visvam pratici' sapratha úd asthad rúsad vá' so bibhrati bukrám