Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 140

The Abode of Mitra
113
have continued then, on the basis of the context where it appears, we can think that it ran as dpo aghnyd osadhayo aghnydh* "Waters (are) inviolable, the plants (are) inviolable")
(4) In view of the fact that in the opening of the Mantra the oath-taker is warned not to injure (hims) the waters and the plants, aghnyd in the second section of the Mantra means 'invioable, not to be transgressed'. It is neither a name of the waters," nor does it mean 'erlesene Kuhe' as a poetic expression for waters.)
(5) There are difficulties about the accent of the word aghnyd. These difficulties have been referred to and discussed by H.P. Schmidt and J. Narten. In some versions, e.g. in the AV 7. 83.2 the text reads ydd dpo dghnya iti várunéti. But in others, c.g. in the TS 1. 3. 11. I, we read yád ápo ághniya vdrunéli. Since vdruna is voc. and dpaḥ can be voc., Whitney changed the accent of aghnyaḥ in the AV. to aghnyah (as in TS) and treated it as a vocative. H. P. Schinidt agrees with this emendation. But this cmendation is also not necessary. The text as it is can very well be understood as the beginning of a Mantra recited at the time of taking an oath with waters (or with plants) and be a solemn declaration to the effect that (these) waters are inviolable"(and (these) plants are inviolable"). With this declaration he vows not to violate the oath or the contract. As regards the text in the TS where dghniyah is clearly a vocative, we have to agree with J. Narten who looks upon the form of the Mantra in the TS as secondary." Or we may suggest that in this formula the Black YV tradition has the word dghniya with the initial událta (as, e.g in RV 8. 75. 8, also TS 2.0. 11. 2; MS 1. 11. 6). In that case the words apo ághniyah in the formula need not be treated as vocatives. They can both be nom. .., exactly as dpo azhnydḥ in the parallel passages, and can be similarly rendered as "the waters (are) inviolable."
It may be argued that dghnya with the initial udätta is a peculiarity of the Rgveda. It occurs in the Sarhitås of the Black YV only in so far as the Mantra in question is a repetition from the Rgveda. In that case we may say that the Mantra apo aghnyaḥ etc.
1. Because in the opening of the Mantra both waters and plants are alluded to. 2. H. P. Schmidt, Op.cit p. 10. 3. J Narten, Op. cit p 134. 4. Op. cit. p. 131. She suggests the possibility of magische Gleichsetzung"
of aghnydh with dịadhayah (p. 132).
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