Reviews Of Different Books

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230 REVIEWS peaceful existence. Cf. IV.33.10 (to the Rbhus) te rayas posam dravinany asme dhatta rbhavah ksemayanto na mitram "Give ye us, O Rbhus, increase of wealth, riches, and establish mitram like people longing for peace", II.4.3 agnim devaso manusisu viksu priyam dhuh ksesyanto na mitram "The gods have installed Agni (as a friend among the clans of men, just as those who wish to live in peace (establish) a mitra". In the latter passage a person may be meant (see below for the first verse of this hymn). Geldner translates "Mittler". It may, indeed, be surmised that the constantly recurring phrase mitran na (mitro na, mitra iva) "like a mitram/Mitra" is due to Agni's function as an intermediary between god and men (see also Gonda, p. 48). In this connection the expression jane mitro na (see, e.g., Geldner ad II.6.7, X.68.7) might deserve a closer examination in the light of jana "foreign people" (Caland, translation of PB. XVI.6.8, K. Hoffmann, MSS. XI, p. 89 n. 13, Renou, Etudes sur le vocabulaire, p. 34, Minoru Hara, Pratidanam, p. 256ff.). Be that as it may the formal parallelism between agnim dha "to install the fire" and mitram dha may have been the direct cause for the introduction of the simile mitras na in those passages where agnim dha was used. In these passages, to which the following observations will be limited, the god Agni gave the abstract noun mitram, too, a personal character. The fact should be stressed, however, also in view of Thieme's valuable remarks in Der Fremdling im Rgveda, p. 141, that this shift, from the abstract relation that was established to the person (mitrah) with whom it was established, is an exclusive peculiarity of the Vedic poetic language. Only within the circles of these poets mitram has been re-interpreted as the accusative of a masculine noun mitrah (cf. vstram > Vrtrah). As for the meaning, here the same dilemma recurs that was noted above: was the mitrah a "friend" (thus Geldner) or rather an "ally" (thus, e.g., Oldenberg, SBE, 46, pp. 202, 209, Renou)? The association of mitram with peace (see above) and the fact that in classical Sanskrit this word is the technical term for a king's ally (e.g., Hillebrandt, Altindische Politik, p. 145f.) are in favour of the second alternative. So is also the expression mitram dha which shows that a formal act was needed to establish this relation, whereas for sakhyam "friendship" no corresponding term occurs (otherwise Gonda, p. 112). The shift referred to above is clear in II.4.1 huve ... agnim..., mitra iva yo didhisayyo bhud deva adeve jane jatavedah "I call on Agni ..., who desires to be installed just as an ally (desires an alliance to be concluded with him), the god among godly people, the wise one". With this verse cf. stanza 3 quoted above and, e.g., VIII.23.7a-8d agnis vah purvyar huve ... mitrar na jane sudhitam stavani "I first call on your Agni ... who is well-installed among people living in accordance with the Universal Order, like an ally (with whom an alliance has been well-concluded)". In the latter verse the interpretations vacillate between the abstract and concrete meaning of mitra/ Mitra (e.g., Renou, EVP, XIII, pp. 68, 151). In several other passages the agni sudhita "bien place", "bien mis en place" (Renou) is likened to a mitra conceived as a person, the tertium comparationis being sudhita "well-installed"/"well-concluded". Cf. IV.6.7cd adha mitro na sudhitah pavako 'gnir didaya manusisu viksu "The pure Agni is now burning among the clans of men, wellinstalled like an ally (with whom an alliance has been firmly concluded)". Geldner's translation "wohl aufgenommen wie ein Freund" disregards the technical meanings both of agnis dha and of mitram dha (cf. Renou, EVP, XIII, pp. 11, 98). Similarly V.3.2cd anjanti mitram sudhitam na gobhir yad dampati samanasa krnosi "They anoint thee, who art well-installed like an ally (with whom an alliance has been firmly concluded), with milk as thou makest husband and wife unanimous" (otherwise Thieme, Der Fremdling, p. 139, Mitra and Aryaman, p. 85, Renou, EVP, XIII, pp. 20, 106, Gonda, p. 48), VI.15.2ab mitram na yar sudhitam bhrgavo dadhur "Whom the Bhtgus have well installed (sudhitam dadhur) like an ally (firmly connected by an alliance)", VIII.23.8bc (yam krpa sudayanta it), mitrar na jane sudhitam stavani (see above). Only . Fremdling, p. 139 Milanest husband and wife undance has been firmly co