Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 58
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JUNE, 1929
It is possible to translate abhuam here as 'substance' or as 'evil being' also. In any case the sense of the passage remains the same as it is the darkness that is referred to by that word (see Bergaigne, op. cit.). Compare 7, 77, 1: álar jyotir bd'dhamana támamsi, "She (sc. Uşas) made light after dispelling darkness"; 7, 78, 2: d' ydli jyotipd ba' dhamand visud támamsi durita' pa devi', “The goddess Ugas goes, dispelling with her light all darkness and evil”; 7, 80, 2: gudhut" támo jyólipopd' abodhi, “She (sc. Usas) has awakened hiding the darkness with her light".
The sense of the third pada is not very clear. I follow Pischel (Ved. St., 2, 124) in taking añjan as standing for añjanti and translate it as above. The top of the sacrificial post that is touched and illuminated by the bright ray, citro bhanul, of the Dawn appears as if adorned with ornaments; and hence, Usas is said to adorn the post, as it were, with a jewel. Compare 1, 92, 1: etd' u tyd' upásah ketúm akrata pú'rve árdhe rájaso bha' num añjate; 7, 79,2 :vy ajate divó ánteşv aktd'n vibo ná yukta uşáso yatante; 7, 78, 1: práti ketávah prathamd' adrbrann úrdhvi' asud anjáyo ví frayante; 1, 113, 14: vy anjibhir diva d'ta su adyaut, where Ugas is said to 'adorn' with her rays or where her rays themselves are called ornaments, and also 3, 8, 9: bukerd vásdndh sváravo na d'guh, “The sacrificial posts bearing bright ornaments have come to ns ", where the ornaments of sacrificial posts are referred to. 4, 51, 9: tdl in n èvá samanal sámánir
ámítavarnd upásas caranti gü'hantir ábhuam ásitam rúladbhih
fukrd's tand' bhih túcayo rucánd'l 11 "They that are alike, the Dawng, whose brilliance is undimmed, now go alike on their way, covering the black being with their bright selves, they that are brilliant, pure and effulgent". 1, 140, 5: a'd asya të dhvasáyanto vp' therate
krenám ábhuam máhi várpa) kárikratah 1 yát sim mahf'm avánim pra'bhí mármolad
abhisvasán stanáyann éti na'nadat 1 "Then the (flames) of this (Agni) move swiftly forward destroying the black being, and putting on great splendour when he goes caressing the wide earth, panting, thundering, roar. ing". dhvasayantah in the first påda does not mean 'sparkling'as Oldenberg (SBE., 46, 141) understands,; nor is the expression kronam abhvam the object (Oldenberg, 1.c., Geldner, op. cit., p. 121) of karikrataḥ in addition to mahi varpaḥ. As the passage rátho ha vam bhe'ri várpaḥ karikrat (your chariot that has put on much splendour ') in 3, 58, 9 shows, varpah alone is the objeot of larikratah in the above verse, and not loronam abhuam also. This latter is the object of dhasayantah,'destroying, pulverising', which is derived from the root dhuas, dhvams, to destroy, to pulverise. AV. 4, 17,5 (=7, 23, 1): darúgvapnyang daúrjivityam rákpo abhvam ardyyah 1
durnd' mnih sárod durvd' cas d' asmán ndéaydmasi "Evil-dreaming, evil-living, demon, evil being, hags, all the ill-named, ill-voiced, these we make disappear from us."
AV. 13, 6, 4: sá evá mrtyúh sò 'mo'tam so 'bhràm sá rákşaḥ "He verily (is) death, he immortality, he the evil being, he the demon ". RY. I, 39, 8: yupmérito maruto mártyeşita
al yo no ábhva f'sate ! Vi tám yuyota sávaad vy ojasd vi yupmdkabhir alibhil |
