Indian Antiquary Vol 57

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

Page 165

August, 1928)
VEDIC STUDIES
143
protection to thy praiser". We have to understand the word yaksha here in the third pada as the object of the verb bhujema. The meaning is, 'may we not suffer from thy might, that is, feel the weight of thy displeasuro, on account of the sins that we have committed. The two ideas of eno bhujema (punishment for sins committed ; compare 6, 51, 7; 7, 52, 2) and yakshan bhujema (see 5, 70, 4 above) are combined here in this one pada.
As I have already observed (see p. 228 in vol. LV ante), the relative clause ya âpir nityaḥ ... vdm againsi kernavat qualifies vryam (understood) that is the subject of bhujema in the third pada; as the plural vayam is only the pluralis majestaticus, the use of the singular number in yah, etc., in the first two padas and in stuvate (fourth páda) is not improper. RV. 7, 61, 5: ámúrd visvá vrshandv ima' vam
ná ya'sú citrám dádrée ná yaksham | drúhaḥ sacante ánrta jananam
ná vam ninyd'ny acite abhuvan || "O ye wise and strong (sc. Mitra and Varuņa), for you (are) all these (praises) in which is seen neither ornament (brilliance) nor substance. The Druhs follow the iniquities of men ; secrete did not remain unknown to you.” The meaning of this verse is obscure. The author of the Padapatha reads the words amúrd and visvd as duals and apparently construes them with the dual urshanau referring to Mitra and Varuna, a view that is accepted by Geldner, but from which M. Boyer dissents. I believe that the Padapatha is right in reading amůrd (and referring it to Mitra and Varuna); at the same time, however, I believe that it is preferable to read vitvah instead of visva (dual) and construe it with imah, after which, I follow Sayana in supplying the word stutayah (gira)). The sense therefore of the first half-verse is, "These praises that we offer to you, O Mitra and Varuna are not polished and brilliant (do not contain alankáras); nor is there substance in them, that is, there is no artha-gambhirya or bhavagambhfrya in them; wo pray that you will nevertheless take them to your heart and like them."
Citra here does not signify décarya as Sâyana and, following him, Geldner, think, but rather 'ornament', alankára ; it has here the same sense as it has in books on rhetoric (kdvyd. lankara-sastra) and moans artha-citra (arthalankára) and sabdacitra (sabdalankara). It is an often-expressed sentiment of later books that a kávya, stuti or other composition in words should, in order to be acceptable, contain alankaras and yield a good meaning: compare, for instance, Subhâshitaratnabhåņdâgåra, 5th edition, Kavyapraáamsd, verses 17 and 21, in praise of alankara and vv. 22, 24 in praise of artha, and the expression bhavalankaranocitagamavati in v. 44; compare also v. 51 in ibid., p. 35: arthan kecid updsate korpanavat kecit tva. lankurvate vesyavat khali dhatuvádina ivodbadhnanti kecid rasdn | arthalaikyti sadrasa-dravamucán vácám prasastisprédm kartáraḥ kavayo bhavanti katicit punyair aganyair iha. The first two pidas of the above mantra too, give expression, as I think, to an idea in the same sphere; in them the poet confesses that his stutis cannot be said to be good, that they contain neither alankara nor artha. Contrast in this respect Kumarasambhava, 2, 3: atha sarvasya dhataram te sarve sarvatomukham vàgisam vágbhir arthydbhih pranipatyopatasthire; Raghuvam. ģa, 4, 6: stutyam stutibhir arthyabhir upatasthe Sarasvati ; Nilakantha vijayacampa, 4, 16 : iti stutibhir arthyabhir dhyâyato niấcalam Sivam | aspandeshu asya gátreshu paspande dakshino bhuja). Arthya vák means, as Mallinátha explains, arthayukta vdk, speech or praise in which there is artha or bhava or richness of content.
Compare further the opinion, cited and refuted by Visvanatha in his Sahityadarpana (p. 14; NirnayasAgara ed. 1902): sala, kdrau SabdArthau kdvyam. Hence the authors of the Ramayana and Kadambari have said of these works that they have been constructed of
brilliant words and thoughts, see Ram., 1, 2, 42: uddra-urttartha-padair manoramais tadasya Rdmasya caklina kirtiman . . . . yasaskaram kdvyam uddradhër munih; and Kadambarl, v. 9 of introduction : haranti kam nojjvala-dipakopamair navaih padárthair upapdditah kathah.