Upabrmhana and Rgveda Interpretation

Author(s): T G Manikar
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 58

The Hymn of Agastya and Lopāmudra (1. 179)
connects 'saśramāna' fem. sing. as going with 'aham' in the sense of Lopāmudrā; but I take it as a transferred epithet going with doşa', hence the translation, "toiling nights' indicating the hard life of Agastya spent in ascetic pursuits. In this sense it would be a plural and would have a "visarga' but that has disappeared in view of the soft element in doşa' tbat has followed. The only difficulty against this proposed way of taking it is that the Pada patha does not show the 'visarga' as it does in tha case of dosa. Further, an argument in favour of this way of taking the construction is that it balances the construction in "uşasah jarayantih' or also in 'pūrvih šaradah'. The transferred epithet construction is not a feat beyond the capacity of the Vedic language. That it is Agastya who began this conversation is indicated by the Brhaddevatā 'lopāmudrām paśasvinīm upajal. pitum ürebhe rahaḥsamyogakāmyaya' (IV. 57) and the Mahabhārata 'sa prito maithunayız ajuhāva tõm' (III. 97.14). 'tanūnam' is ‘angānām' as is explained by Sayana and just as it refers to the sage himself, it also refers to the person addressed, Lopāmudrā. The argument is made to secure her consent. The construction «patnih vrşanah jagamyuh' is also reflected in patnih vrşabhih jagamyuk' in the next verse (2). I render these words as 'let wives approach the husbands'. It is Agastya who is persuading Lopamudrā to approach him. “Api nu' reflect an earnest request, as if saying 'will not even now wives approach their husbands.' The Mahābhārata informs us how Lopamudrā had not allowed Agastya to approach her. The three significant words of the hymn, 'shivering winters, toiling nights and days and age-inducing dawns' and the long period indicated by them is summarised in the Mahābhārata in a single phrase "tato bahutithe kāle'. This is the dharma' or 'ta pas' aspect of Agastya's life, 'kāma' being the next to be considered (4)
ye ciddhi pūrva siasa pa asan tsakam devebhiravadannţtāni / te cidavāsurnahyantamāpuḥ samā nu patnīr vrşabhirjagamyuḥ 11 2
Those who were indeed the former obtainers of truth, bad spoken truth with the gods. They are separated but have not reached the end. Let even now wives be united with the husbands.
('rtasāpaḥ' is explained by Sāyaṇa as 'satyasya a payitāraḥ vyāpnuvānā maharşayah' and is rendered by Griffith as 'Jaw-fulfillers.' These 'ytasāpaḥ' are
pūrve' earlier ones, antecedent in time, and had not only obtained truth for themselves but had conversed with the gods about it, 'devebhiḥ sākam rtani avadan'. Who are these ? According to Sāyaṇa, these are the ancient sages who led a holy life of celibacy, 'brahmacarya' and also 'shed their semen' both by themselves and in union with a woman but in spite of this 'sin', a moral lapse, they did rend' their holy life, this act did mean violating the life of purity and chastity. Thus 'ava asuh' is taken to mean the shedding