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36
Miss Yashodhara Wadhwani
one. Firstly because, it requires supplementation of the term satroh and secondly because this explanation involves a number-discrepancy with the plural used for the enemies repeatediy in this verse; the third reason for Its non-acceptability is the probability of a beter interpretation.
This probability compels us to review the other explanations availabie, Let us begin with PW's neuter meanings of agata : The first, Nichtkommen, is not very clear. What would be meant by saying that a bride be led to the path of non-coming (AV xiv, 2,74 ) ? The other meaning suggested, Nichtwiederkommen, requires us to assign the meaning of 'coming back to the root gam which normally means 'to go, to move, to reach' but if the ultimate sense intended by non-return' is death, then the same could still stand, with a slightly different explanation given by Monier Williams Dictionary: 'not yet frequented, the dominion of death'. The idea is that the world of death is sure to be visited by us some day, although we may not have done so already. This idea has even been clearly expressed with reference to the path of death, elsewhere in the AV itself :
máitám pánthām dou ga bhima eşá yéna púryam néyátha tam
bravimi / téma etát puruṣa má prá pattba bhayam parastād ábhayam to
arvāk //?
So, by accepting death' as the meaning of agata, we could explajn AV xl. 10.16 (last quarter) as saying: "May the moon connect with them (- the enemies - ) the path of death, i, e. may she lead them to destruction”. This meaning will also fit in AV xiy. 2.74 provided we agree with the Kausika Sutra (- the Grhya-Sutra for AV - ) as regards the situation of application of this Mantras, which has already been noted along with Whitney's interpretation, Accordingly, the Mantras would mean : "That one who has gone (by this same path) girdling herself - earlier (i, e, married earlier this very day), her may they lead along the path of death after having granted her progeny and wealth. This one, having good progeny hath conquered”.
A few doubts, however, crop up into our mind with above rendering of xlv, 2.74:
regard to the
(1) What are the grounds for holding that its first three quarters ( a - b
-C) refer to another bride and that other bride deserves to perish ? redan pūrvägan rasanayamuna could also mean: "This one who has come, wearing a girdle for the first time (on account of her marriage)" and the propos ya, asyai, tam and iyam in a-b-c-d respectively might have reference to one and the same single bride.
