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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at jhttp : //books . qooqle . com/ ^iJa^, l^v«ta. £*((+** l&f? THE HYMNS OP THE RIGVEDA TRANSLATED WITH A POPULAR COMMENTARY BY RALPH T. H. GRIFFITH, FORMERLY PRINCIP^JL C(F BEWARES COLLEGE. VOL. II. BENARES: E. J. LAZARUS AND 00. 1890. 30/4 my AWOKER-HAfiWRD THEOtOGIGU UHMi HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL TABLE OF CONTENTS. VOLUME II. Pages. Book III. -Hymns VIL— LXII. 1-88 Book IV. 89—184 Book V. 185—306 Book VI. 307—431 Index of Hymns. I. — X Index of Names, Etc. XL— XIX. THE HYMNS OF THE EIGVEDA. BOOK THE THIRD (continued). HYMN VII. Agni. The seven tones risen from the white-backed viand have made their way between the pair of mothers. Both circumjacent parents come together : to yield us length of days they hasten forward. 2 The Male who dwells in heaven hath mares and milch- kine: he came to goddesses who bring sweet treasure. To thee safe resting in the seat of Order the Cow alone upon her way proceedeth. This hymn and the five following are ascribed to the Bishi VisvaV mitra. The metre is Trishtup, consisting of four Padas of eleven syllables each. 1 The seven tones, are the hymns sung in seven tones, or metres. The white-bached viand, is the Soma mingled with milk, and the pair of mothers are heaven and earth whose intermediate space the hymns have reached. The circumjacent parents, are Heaven and Earth. The construction in the first half of the stauza is difficult, the masculine form ye being apparently used for the feminine. Sayana inserts ras- may ah, rays, which he makes the subject of the first sentence, and explains dhdsi, viand, by * the all-sustaining Agni,' and sapta vdnth, seven voices or tones, by ' the flowing rivers.' The hymn is full of difficulties, " an intentionally obscure hymn," says Professor Grass- mann, "whose partially corrupt text cannot, on account of this obscurity, be satisfactorily re-established." 2 The Male who dwells in heaven : celestial Agni. The mares and milch-kine are the goddesses of the waters of the air. To thee : to Agni. The Cow : Vak, the goddess of Speech, i. e. speech itself. 2 THE RYMXS OF [BOOK III. 3 Wise master, wealthy finder-out of riches, he mount- ed those who may with ease be guided. He, dark-backed, manifold with varied aspect, hath made them burst forth from their food the brush- wood. 4 Strength-giving streams bear hither him eternal, fain to support the mighty work of Twashtar. He, flashing in his home with all his members, hath entered both the worlds as they were single, 5 They know the red bull's blessing, and are joyful under the flaming-coloured lord's dominion : They who give shine from heaven with fair effulgence, whose lofty song like 114 must be honoured. 6 Yea, by tradition from the ancient sages they brought great strength from the two mighty parents. To where the singer's bull, the night's dispeller, after his proper law hath waxen stronger, 7 Seven holy singers guard with five Adhvaryus the Bird's beloved firmly-settled station. The willing bulls, untouched by eld, rejoice them ; as gods themselves the ways of gods they follow. 3 Wise master: Agni. Those; his mares, the rapidly advancing flames that bear him onward. Dark-bodied: with smoke. 4 Strength-giving streams: the waters of the air which bring down the embryo Agni in rain. The mighty work of Twashtar: the whole creation, or, as there is no substantive expressed, the son of Twash- tar, the San, may be intended. As they were single : hath pervaded and illumined heaven and earth simultaneously, as though they were one world. 5 The red bull; Agni. They: perhaps the gods. Ild: Prayer or Praise. 6 They : the men who first honoured Agni who is called the singer 1 * bull, the strong god who protects his worshipper. 7 Adhvaryus: assistant ministering priests. The Bird, is the rapidly -flying Agni. The willing bulls: the sealous priests, who m this stanza are boldly called gods* &YMN 8.] TBS RIG VEDA. 3 8 I crave the grace of heaven's two chief invokers : the sever* swift steeds joy in their wonted manner. These speak of truth, praising the truth eternal, thinking on Order as the guards of Order. , 9 The many seek the great steed as a stallion : the reins obey the lord of varied colour. O heavenly priest, most pleasant, full of wisdom, bring the great gods to us, and Earth and Heaven. 10 Rich lord, the Mornings have gleamed forth in splen- dour, fair-rayed, fair-speaking, worshipped with all viands, Yea, with the glory of the earth, Agni. Forgive us, for our weal, e'en sin committed. *~ 11 As holy food, Agni, to thine invoker, give wealth in cattle, lasting, rich in marvels. To us be born a son, and spreading offspring. Agni, be this thy gracious will to us-ward. HYMN VIIL Sacrificial Poet God-8RRVino men, O sovran of the forest, with hea- venly meath at sacrifice anoint thee. Grant wealth to us when thou art standing upright as when reposing on this mother's bosom. 8 Heaven* s two chief invokers : or high priests ; according to Sayana, the celestial and the terrestrial Agni. This stauza has already occur- red in a preceding hymn. See IV. 7. of this Book. 9 The many : the adjective is feminine and has no substantive ex- pressed. The Dawns may be intended, or perhaps libations. 11 This concluding stanza is the burden of several hymns of this Book, and there is considerable variation in Sayana's interpretation of it in the different places iu which it occurs. The metres of stanzas 3 and 7 is Anushtup, four Padas of eight syllables each, and Trishtup of the rest. 1 sovran of the forest : the tall tree (vanaspati) out of which is made the sacrificial post to which the victim is tied. The post when consecrated is a deified object and is regarded as a form of Agni. With heavenly meath : or balm ; sacred oil or clarified butter. * THE HYMNS OF [BOOK lit. 2 Set up to eastward of the fire enkindled, accepting prayer that wastes not, rich in heroes, Driving far from us poverty and famine, lift thyself up to bring us great good fortune. 3 Lord of the forest, raise thyself up on the* loftiest spot of earth. Give splendour, fixt and measured well, to him who brings the sacrifice. 4 Well-robed, enveloped, be is come, the youthful: springing to life his glory waxeth greater. Contemplative in mind and god-adoring, sages of high intelligence upraise him. 5 Sprung up he rises in the days' fair weather, increa- sing in the men-frequented synod. With song the wise and skilful consecrate him : his voice the god-adoring singer utters. 6 Ye whom religious men have firmly planted ; thou forest-sovran whom the axe hath fashioned, — Let those the stakes divine which here are standing be fain to grant us wealth with store of children. 7 O men who lift the ladles up, these hewn and plant- ed in the ground, Bringing a blessing to the field shall bear our precious gift to gods. 8 Adityas, Rudras, Vasus, careful leaders, Earth, Hea- ven, and Prithivl and air's mid-region, Accordant deities, shall bless our worship and make our sacrifice's ensign lofty. 3 The loftiest spot of earth : the altar. 4 Well-robed, enveloped : with a cord or garland. 5 In the days 9 fair weather : when the periodical Raius are over. 7 These hewn and planted ; apparently spliuters cut from the tree. 8 Prithivl : Earth regarded as single, and not as one of the con* stantly connected pair Heaven and Earth. HYMN d.] THE RIGVEDA. S 9 Like swans that flee in lengthened line, the pillars have come to us arrayed in brilliant colour. They, lifted up on high, by sages, eastward, go forth as gods to the gods' dwelling-places. 10 Those stakes upon the earth with rings that deck them seem to the eye like horns of horned creatures ; Or as upraised by priests in invocation, let them as- sist us in the rush to battle. 11 Lord of the wood, rise with a hundred branches: with thousand branches may we rise to greatness, Thou whom this hatchet, with an edge well whetted for great felicity hath brought before us. HYMN IX. AgDi. We as thy friends have chosen thee, mortals a god, to be our help, The waters' child, the blessed, the resplendent one, victorious and beyond compare. 2 Since thou delighting in the woods bast gone unto thy mother streams, Not to be scorned, Agni, is that return of thine when from afar thou now art here. 3 O'er pungent smoke hast thou prevailed, and thua art thou benevolent. Some go before, and others round about thee sit, they in whose friendship thou bast place. The metre is Brihatf, consisting of 8 + 8 + 12 + 12 syllables, except in stanza, 9, where it is Trishttip. 2 That return of thine : thy descent from the celestial waters in which thou art born as lightning. 3 Some: acoordiug to Sayana, the Adhvaryus; others r the Sama- priests who sit and recite the prayers aud hymus. 6 THE HYMNS OF [BOOK Ilh 4 Him who had passed beyond his foes, beyond con- tinual pursuits, Him the unerring ones, observant, found in floods, couched like a lion in his lair. . 5 Him wandering at his own free will, Agni here hidden from our view, Him M&tarisvan brought to us from far away pro* duced by friction, from the gods. 6 bearer of oblations thus mortals received thee from the gods, Whilst thou, the friend of man, guardest each sacrifice with thine own power, most youthful one. 7 Amid thy wonders this is good, yea, to the simple is it clear, When gathered round about thee, Agni, lie the herds where thou art kindled in the morn. 8 Offer to him who knows fair rites, who burns with purifying glow, Swift envoy, active, ancient, and adorable : serve ye the god attentively. 9 Three times a hundred gods and thrice a thousand, and three times ten and nine have worshipped Agni, For him spread sacred grass, with oil bedewed him, and stablished him as priest and sacrifioer. 4 The unerring one* : the gods, who followed aud foua