CWTVKS Volume 6

HYMN 29

Beginning with yacciddhi satya sompā, is the sixth hymn of Shunasshepa, with seven Riks, in the sixth Section. The metre is pancti, diety, Indra.

This is the first Rik.

1. yacciddhi satya sompă anāśastā iva smasi, ā tū na indra samsaya goșvasveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvīmagha.
   yat cit hi satya soma’pāḥ anāśastāḥ’iva smasi ā tu naḥ indra samsaya goșu aśveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvi’magha.

somapāḥ O drinker of Soma; satya truth- formed; yacciddhi even though we; anāśastā iva like those not celebrated, not excellent; smasi are; still tuvimagha O much-treasured (by much is to be understood variety, the treasure is divine); indra Indra; thou goșu in the wealth caused in the form of rays of consciousness; asveșu among the life- energies endowed with the power of enjoyment and action; and also śubhrișu in the auspicious producing weal; sahasreșu of a thousand kind, caused in the well-being; naḥ us; āśamsaya make us celebrated, excellent.

anāśastāḥ : sams to praise, past participle termination.

smasi : mas ending in i.

tuh lengthened in the Rik.

Termination ri on the root śubh.

Tr. O drinker of Soma, Truth, even though we are as if common, opulent Indra, make us special among cow-rays, steed-forces, and thousandfold auspiciousness.

This is the second Rik.

2. siprinvājānām pate sacīvastava damsanā, ā tū na indra samsaya goșvasveșu śubhrişu sahasreșu tuvīmagha.
   siprin vājānām pate saci’vaḥ tava damsanā ā tu naḥ indra samsaya goșu aśveșu śubhrişu sahasreșu tuvi’magha.

śiprin O well-endowed with jaw—the word sipra denotes jaw; by sipra the face is indicated; sacivaḥ strong one, śacī force, name of the deed. In Veda vaḥ denotes possession : vājānām pate guardian of opulences; tava damsanā thy action or vision is all- capable; hence make us celebrated (in the next line); the rest is as before.

damsanā : damsi for both deed and vision. As it is indicated in feminine it is vāk, says Skandasvamin.

Tr. O auspicious-faced, strong one, lord of opulences, all-capable is thy action; opulent Indra, make us special among cow-rays, steed-forces, and thousand-fold auspiciousness.

This is the third Rik.

3. ni şvāpayā mithūdţśā sastāmabudhyamāne ā tū na indra samsaya goșvasveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvimagha.
   ni svāpaya mithū’dịśā sastām abudhyamāne iti ā tu naḥ indra samsaya goșu aśveşu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvi’magha.

Note the covert words used here : mithūdịśā, gardabham, kundrņācyā, vṛkadāśvam.

mithūdrśa standing as mutually, reciprocally dependent pair like day and night; darkness and light; nişvāpaya make well asleep; and they abudhyamāne without awakening; sastām may go to sleep; the rest as before.

mithūdţśā : mithu is the Vedic form of mithuna, couple. Dual of the noun form of dṛs.

sastām : sas to sleep, Imperative Vedic root.

In the verse, ‘Those goddesses of auspicious enjoyment, seem mutually dependent, dawn and night’ (2.31.5), the mantra clearly says day and night regarding each other by turns. In this Rik, the seer prays that all dualities may become inactive, with the intention that he may not become subject to the dualities of day and night, sleep and waking, etc.

Tr. Make them asleep, the dualities, let them sleep without waking; opulent Indra, make us special among cow-rays, steed-forces, and thousandfold auspiciousness.

This is the fourth Rik.

4. sasantu tyā arătayo bodhantu sūra rātayaḥ, ā tū na indra samsaya goșvasveșu śubhrişu sahasreșu tuvīmagha.
   sasantu tyāḥ arātayaḥ bodhantu šūra rātayaḥ ā tu nah indra samsaya goșu aśveșu śubhrişu sahasreșu tuvi’magha.

tyāḥ those unseen, existing though not seen by us; arātayaḥ not giving, powers that do not sacrifice, those that are opposed to sacrifice—human or non- human—; sasantu may they become asleep, that is become inactive; śūra O Brave one; rātayaḥ those that give, the opposite ones, hence helpful; bodhantu may awake, let them be set in action for our benefit. Rest as before.

Tr. Brave one, may those non-givers be asleep; may those that give be awake; O opulent Indra, make us special among cow-rays, steed-forces, and thousandfold auspiciousness.

This is the fifth Rik.

5. samindra gardabham mịņa nuvantam pāpayāmuyā, ā tu na indra samsaya goșvasveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvīmagha.
   sam indra gardabham mịņa nuvantam pāpayā amuyā ā tu naḥ indra samsaya goșu aśveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvi’magha.

indra O Indra; amuyā with this heard; pāpayā shot with falsehood, without coherence within and without, hence harsh, discordant speech; nuvantam praising thee; gardabham dunce like an ass, bearing the burden of our words of praise, helplessly, inert in gait, useless or contrary or clumsy, with a mind and form too lowly common; sammộņa destroy thoroughly.

mṛņa in the sense of hurt 6th conjugation.

Tr. Destroy this ass, O Indra, who praises thee with this discordant speech; opulent Indra, make us special among cow-rays, steed-forces, and thousandfold auspiciousness.

This is the sixth Rik.

6. patati kundrnācyā dūram vato vanādadhi, ā tū na indra samsaya goșvasveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvīmagha.
   patati kundrņācyā dūram vātaḥ vanāt adhi ā tu nah indra samsaya goșu aśveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvi’magha.

vātaḥ wind unfavourable to us; kundrņācyä with poison-seed, it is a kind of wild reptile; vanāt adhi beyond the forest or above; dūram patati may it fall far; the rest as before.

kundrņācyā means with crooked gait, says Sayana. kud to burn, then noun form kundanam; the a of da becomes r in the Veda. It goes to kundrņam and so kundrņāci says Sayana.

This is the purport of the Rik. kundrņāci is a covert word, like gardabha in the previous Rik. This is a wild reptile of the lizard family. Her appearance in a home is an ill omen, it is said. This word kundrņāci indicates some special wicked force bringing evil. It means let all wind that is unfavourable to us go to its natural habitation, the forest, along with the forest creature kundrņāci.

Tr. May the wind with the wild reptile fall far on the forest; opulent Indra, make us special among cow-rays, steed-forces, and thousandfold auspiciousness.

This is the seventh Rik.

7. sarvam parikrosam jahi jambhayā krkadāsvam, ā tū na indra samsaya goșu aśveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvīmagha.
   sarvam pari’krosam jahi jambhaya kļkadāśvam ā tu nah indra samsaya goșu aśveșu śubhrișu sahasreșu tuvi’magha.

sarvam of all kinds; parikrośam who shouts everywhere, special hostile force (kruś to call, parikrosa noun form, calling all around) jahi destroy (Imperative to han; jahi is substituted); křkadāśvam kļka is harm, he does it in share to men, especially to those who sacrifice to the gods, such kind of being; jambhaya destroy; the rest as before.

krka : krn to harm; affix ka.

jambhaya : jambh to destroy, 10th conjugation.

Tr. Destroy every kind of pandemonium, slay him who does harm; opulent Indra, make us special among cow-rays, steed-forces, and thousandfold auspiciousness.

Thus ends the twenty-seventh Group in the second Chapter of the first Eighth.