59 He sits, the measurer, in the midst of heaven, filling the two world-halves and air's mid-region. He looks upon the rich far-spreading pastures between the eastern and the western limit. 60 Steer, Sea, Red Bird with strong wings, he hath entered the dwelling-place of the Primeval Father. A gay-hued Stone set in the midst of heaven, he hath gone forth and guards the air's two limits. 61 All sacred songs have glorified Indra expansive as the sea, The best of warriors borne ou cars, the Lord, the Very Lord of strength. 62 May God-invoking sacrifice bring the Gods hitherward to us. May bless-invoking sacrifice bring the Gods hitherward to us. May Agui, God, make offering and hither bring the Gods to us. 63 May the abundant growth of wealth with elevation lift me up, And with his subjugating power may Indra keep my foemen down. 64 Upraising and depression and devotion may the Gods increase. May Indra, too, and Agui drive my foes away to every side. 65 Go ye by Agui to the sky bearing the Ukhya in your hands. Reaching the heights of sky and heaven stay intermingled with the Gods. 66 Agni, go forward to the eastern region, well-skilled, be here the fire in front of Agni. Illuming all the quarters, shine with splendour: supply with food our quadrupeds and bipeds. 59 He sets up a stone of various bright colours, representing the Sun, and recites the text from R. V. X. 139. 2. The measurer: reaching both ends of the firmament. The original text has 'man-viewing.' Pustures: there is no substantive in the text. Siyapa supplies quarters of space' Mahidhara altars'; Prof. Ludwig 'ladles'; Prof. Grassmann pastures.' 'He scans the all-reaching, the butter-reaching,' meaning the offering-ladies and the offering-grounds: Eggeling. 6 60 Taken from R. V. V. 47. 3. Steer: mighty. Sea: as the attracter and receptacle of waters. Primval Father: Dyaus or Heaven. 61 They all go to the altar, with the text (repeated from XII. 56) taken from R. V. I. 11. 1. 63 May... lift: so Mahidhara. 'Hath upheaved': Eggeling. 64 Upraising: of us. Depression: of our foes. Devotion: expressed in sacrifice. 65 They mount the altar. Ukhya: the fire contained in the pan. 67 From earth to air's mid-region have I mounted, and from mid-air ascended up to heaven. From the high pitch of heaven's cope I came into the world of light. 68 Mounting the sky they look not round: they rise to heaven through both the worlds- Sages who span the sacrifice that pours its stream on every side. 69 Foremost of those who seek the Gods come forward, thou who art eye of Gods and men, O Agui. Accordaut with the Bhrigus, fain to worship, to heaven in safety go the Sacrificers. 70 Night and Dawn, different in hue, accordant, etc., as in XII. 2. 71 0 Agui, thousand-eyed and hundred-headed, thy breaths are hundred, thy through-breaths a thousand. Thou art the Lord of thousandfold possessions. To thee, 72 Thou art the Bird of goodly wing: be seated on the ridge of earth. Fill air's mid-region with thy glow, supporting with thy light the sky, confirm the quarters with thy sheen. 73 Receiving offerings, fair of aspect, eastward be duly seated in thy place. O Agui. In this the more exalted habitation be seated All Gods and the Sacrificer. 74 That wondrous all-mankind-embracing favour of Savitar, choice-worthy, I solicit, Even his which Kanva wont to milk, the mighty, the teeming 67 The Sacrificer speaks, reciting three verses from A. V. IV. 14. 3-5. Air's mid-regiver: the firmament. Heaven: above the sky. Heaven's cope: a still higher region. World of light: the abode of the Sun, the empyrean. See M. Müller, Vedic Hymns, Part I. p. 9; and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 358. 68 Look not round: do not regard their sons, cattle, etc. 69 Bhrigus: see I. 18; III, 15. 70 He offers an oblation of milk drawn from a black cow with a white calf (representing Night and the Sun), with the text taken, with variations, from R. V. 1. 96. 5. 71 Thousand-eyed: his eyes are the chips of gold; see XVII. 11. Hundredheaded identified with the hundred-headed Rudra. See Satapatha-Brahшara, IX. 1. 1. 6. : 72 He lays down the fire and recites two formulas addressed to Agni. 73 Thy place: the fire-altar. More exulted habitation: beaven. 74 He puts on the fire three pieces of fuel, of Șami, Vaikaǹkata, and Udumbara wood respectively, with a formula for each. Kanya: a famous Vedic Rishi. 75 May we adore thee in thy loftiest birth place, Agni with praise-songs in thy lower station. The place whence those hast issued forth I worship. In thee, well kindled, have they paid oblations 76 Shine thou before us, Agni, well enkindled, with flame, most youthful God, that never fadeth. Unceasing unto thee come sacred viands. 77 Agni, this day with lauds, etc., as in XV. 44. 78 I dedicate the thought with mind and butter so that the Gods may come who love oblation, strengthing Law, To Visvakarman, Lord of all the earth, I offer up day after day the inviolable sacrifice. 79 Seven fuel logs hast thou, seven tongues, O Agni, seven Rishis hast thou, seven belovèd mansions. Seven-priests in sevenfold manner pay thee worship. Fill full-All-hail to thee !-seven wombs with butter. 80 Purely-Bright, Wonderfully-Bright, Really-Bright, All-Lumiuous, Bright, Law's-Protector, Safe-from-Ill; 81 Such, Other-Looking, Equal, Similar, Measured, Commensurate, Jointly-Bearing-up. 82 Right, Real, Firm, Strong-to-Support, Bearer, Disposer, Manager. 83 Winner-of-Right, Winner-of-Truth, Host-Conquering, Lordof-Goodly-Host, Whose-Friends-are- Near-at-Hand, Whose-Banded-Enemiesare-Far-Away: 75 The formula is taken from R. V. II 9. 3. Loftiest birthplace: heaven, the birthplace of Agui as the Sun. Lower station: the firmament, where he is produced as lightning. The place whence thou hast issued: the firealtar. 76 Taken from R. V. VII. 1. 3. 77 He offers with the sruva or dipping spoon. The formula is taken from R. V. IV. 10. 1. 78 He offers again to Visvakarman, the Omnific Agni. I dedicate: or, offer up. The thought: of the priests and the sacrificer. The metre is Atijagati, four divisions of thirteen syllables each. 79 He offers a full oblation with the sruk or offering-spoon. Fuel logs: said to be the vital breathings. Seven tongues: called Kali Karâlî, etc. Ṛishis: Marichi and the rest. See XVII. 26. Mansions: Gayatri and other sac. red metres, or the Âhavaniya, Gârhapatya and other fire-hearths. Sevenfold fashion with the Agnishṭoma (Praise of Agni) and other services. Wombs: layers of the altar. : 80 After offering the Vaiṣvânara rice-cake to Agni the God of All Men, he offers seven rice cakes to the Maruts (consisting of three or nine troops of seven each) with a formula at each offering containing names or titles of these deities. 84 To day in this our sacrifice be present, Such, Looking-Thus, Same, Similar-in-Appearance, Measured, Commensurate, Joint-Bearers, Maruts! 85 Self-Powerful, Voracious-One, Kin-to-the-Sun, The Householder, Play-Lover, Mighty, Conqueror. Fierce, Terrible, The Resonant, The Roaring, Victorious, 86 The Maruts, clans divine, became the followers of Indra; as Welcome this fountain redolent of sweetness. O Courser, 88 Oil hath been mixed: oil is his habitation. In oil he rests: oil is his proper province. Come as thy wont is. O thou Steer, rejoice thee. Bear off the oblation duly cousecrated. 89 Forth from the ocean sprang the wave of sweetness: together with the stalk it turned to Amrit, That which is holy oil's mysterious title: but the Gods' tongue is truly Amrit's centre. 90 Let us Declare aloud the name of Ghrita, and at this sacrifice held it up with homage. So let the Brahman hear the praise we utter. four-horned Buffalo emitted. This hath the 86 This is muttered by the Adhvaryu at the end of the offerings to the Maruts. 87 Verses 87-99 in praise of Agni are muttered by the Sacrificer at the dictation of the Adhvaryu, or by the Adhvaryu himself. Flood: said to mean the world. Breast the ladle. Water: flowing butter. 88 Taken from R. V. II. 3. 11. 89-99 Taken from R. V. IV. 58. a hymn in praise of Ghrita or Clarified Butter. It would be fruitless, as Prof. Ludwig remarks, to repeat all the various explanations which Sayana gives of the first line of this stanza: they only show the utter uncertainty of tradition in reference to the passage. For instance, samudra, ocean, is said to mean sacrificial fire; or celestial fire; or the firmament or the udder of the Cow; and armi, wave, may accordingly mean reward; or rain; or butter. Prof. Ludwig thinks that the sense of the stanza may be the life-giving essence which develops itself out of the world-ocean turns into Soma in the Moon; but it is neither of these two, but the tongue of the Gods (Agni?) from which the Amrit proceeds and to which it returns. But see A. Hillebrandt, Vedische Mythologic, 1. 321, 322. 90 The Brahman: according to Mahidhara, the ritvij or priest. Probably Agni is meant. The last half-line of the stanza is translated, after Sâyana, 91 Four are his horns, three are the feet that bear him: his heads are two, his hands are seven in number. Bound with a triple bond the Bull roars loudly: the mighty 92 That oil in triple shape the Gods discovered laid down within the Cow, concealed by Panis. Indra produced one shape, Sûrya another: by their own power they formed the third from Vena. 93 From inmost reservoir in countless channels flow down these rivers which the foe beholds not. I look upon the streams of oil descending, and lo! the 94 Like rivers our libations flow together, cleansing themselves in inmost heart and spirit. The streams of holy oil pour swiftly downward like the wild beasts that fly before the bowman. 95 As rushing down the rapids of a river, flow swifter than the wind the vigorous currents, The streams of oil in swelling fluctuation like a red courser bursting through the fences. by Professor Wilson: the fair-complexioned deity perfects this rite,' the epithet four-horned' being transferred to 'Brahman.' The Ged may be called a buffalo (gaura) Bos Gaurus, as a type of extraordinary strength. Mahidhara explains gaura by yajña, sacrifice, having four horns, that is, four officiating priests. 91 Four are his horns: the four horns of Agni as identified with sacrifice are said by Sayana to be the four Vedas, and, if identified with Âditya, the four cardinal points. The three feet are, in the former case, the three daily sacrifices, in the latter, morning, noon, and evening. The two heads are, in the former case, the Brahmaudana and the Pravargya ceremonies, in the latter, day and night. Similarly, the seven hands are explained, alternatively, as the seven metres of the Veda or the seven rays of the Sun; and the triple bond as the Mantra, Kalpa, and Brahmana, prayer, ceremonial, and rationale of the Veda, or the three regions, heaven, firmament, and earth. The Steer is, either as sacrifice or Aditya, the pourer down of rewards, and the loud roaring is the sound of the repetition of the texts of the Veda. Mahidhara's explanation differs from that of Sâyana. The four horns are priests; or nouns, verbs, prepositions, and particles; the three feet are the Vedas, or the first, secoud, and third persons, or the past, present, and future tenses; the two heads are two sacrifices, or the agent and object; the seven hands are the metres or the cases of the noun; and the three bonds are the three daily sacrifices, or the singular, dual, and plural numbers. 92 In triple shape: as milk, curds, and butter, according to Sâyaṇa. The meaning seems to be that Indra. Surya, and Vena (who is probably Agni), restored the power of the elements of sacrifice respectively in heaven, the firmament, and the earth, after they had been rendered ineffectual for a time by the malignant Panis. 93 The Golden Reed: Celestial Agui. |