Volume 6 : English translation of Rig Veda Samhita, Mandala I, Suktas 20 - 32 (with commentaries) by T. V. Kapali Sastry
Volume 6 : English translation of Rig Veda Bhashya - commentaries on Rig Veda Samhita, Mandala I, Suktas 20 - 32 by T. V. Kapali Sastry
The seventh Hymn of 22 Riks in the sixth Section, beginning with ā va, is of Shunasshepa, in gāyatri metre. The eleventh Rik asmākam, etc., is in pādanicrt gāyatri; the sixteenth, śasvat indra is in triştup; the first sixteen are to Indra, the next three for Ashvins, the rest of the three for Deity Ushas.
This is the first Rik.
O Gods! vah you, or belonging to your, interchange of number; indram vājayantaḥ to Indra, desiring wealth, seeking opulence, we; indubhiḥ with Soma juices; ā since sprinkle, soak, satisfy (interchange of number); of what kind; satakratum of many deeds; again of what kind; mamhistham manifold (mahi growth; the suffix iştha in Veda on the word mamhitr); illustration; krivim yathā, krivi is well; as in the world they fill a well with water brought through a big channel, so filling Indra with Soma-juices, we become plentiful; potential sense ‘may be become’ is appropriate.
Tr. Seeking abundance, we fill in, like a well, with Soma-juices your Indra of hundred deeds, manifold.
This is the second Rik.
yaḥ which Indra; sucinām pure Soma-juices; śatam vā hundred in the sense of many; samāśiram Soma-juices with a proper mixing material named āśira; sahasram vā or exceedingly much; edu having come indeed; nimnam na like waters to a lowly place; riyate attains effortlessly (that Indra-this is the proper connection with the previous Rik).
The mystic sense of Soma-juices with curd and cereal has been spoken of before; Indra, capable of taking even limitless Soma, comes effortlessly like waters to a low place. This is the sense.
riñ to flow; root belonging to div class. In all mantras when used, the sense of effortless gait to be taken; so does Sayana hold; the root is not merely in the sense of attaining.
Tr. Who, like waters to a low spot, comes effortlessly to hundred Soma-juices purified, or thousand, well-mixed.
This is the third Rik.
yat the hundred purified Soma-juices or thousand mixed juices, spoken of earlier; śușmine for the strong, Indra; madāya for the rapture; sam gets collected; enā hi by the plénitude of those very Soma-juices; asya of this Indra; udare in the belly; vyacaḥ extension vyac to pervade, (noun form); dadhe is held; illustration thereto; samudro na like the sea; just as the sea is a mass of water, extended in water, becomes the holder of waters without limit, so is Indra’s belly for the Soma-juices.
This coheres with the meaning of the first and second Riks; it says that the belly of Indra is a huge receptacle of Soma; ‘which belly drinks superbly the Soma, like the sea it swells’—in this Rik also similar sense is to be noted.
Tr. Which gets collected for the rapture of the strong Indra and which itself extends in his belly and is held, like the sea.
This is the fourth Rik.
ayam u and this Soma that is being offered by us; te to thee, for thee; and which Soma sam atasi thou attainest well and constantly; illustration thereto; kapota iva like the pigeon (a particular kind of bird); garbhadhim going to the pregnant she- pigeon, thou goest to the Soma; tat cit for that reason also; naḥ our; vacaḥ speech, hymn; ohase attainest, hearest with delight.
The root uhir in the sense of inflicting has also the sense of getting and begging.
garbhadhiḥ : in her foetus is borne.
Desiring Soma, Indra partakes again and again like the pigeon which visits his mate but on returning becomes again avid of enjoyment; in this illustration of the pigeon there is a special feature to be noted. Though animals as a rule do not mate with pregnant ones, still the pigeon growing day by day, desires even the pregnant mate for enjoyment. That is why Hari says : ‘The pigeon eats only a particle of hard stone; but day after day he becomes passionate, what is the cause, speak.’ There is another old verse : ‘With throat choked with warbling sound and with eyes rolling, the pigeon returns and desiring enjoyment kisses his beloved.’ By stating that Indra’s desire for Soma is of that kind, Indra’s special attachment to the person engaged in the secret sacrifice of Soma, to whom Indra is the Lord, is patent.
Tr. This is Thine. Thou attainest continuously like the pigeon his pregnant mate; for the same, thou comest to our laud.
This is the fifth Rik.
rādhānām of treasures divine of various kinds; pate lord; girvāhaḥ borne by words of praise capable of manifesting thee (noun form of vah); vīra hero; te thine (genetive in the sense of accusative); stotram praise pertaining to thee; yasya by whom it is made sūnṛtā happy, true speech; vibhūtiḥ glory; astu may be.
If happy and true speech becomes great glory, it is because of one whose speech is self-fulfilling, prayer becomes meaningful. In the world, the word sūnţta is famous as the true and the pleasing word but in the Veda it means what we have said.
Tr. Lord of treasures, borne by words of prayer, hero, glory be the auspicious and true speech of the one whose is thy praise. Thus ends the twenty-eighth Group in the second Chapter of the first Eighth.
This is the sixth Rik.
śatakrato O doer of hundred deeds; asmin in this commencing; vāje for the prosperity to be attained; naḥ our; ūtaye for increase; ürdhvaḥ tiștha stand aloft, by that will be effectuated our going upwards, our high state; after that anyeșu in things to be pondered over; sam coming together; bravāvahai we, thou and I shall converse.
It shows how such relation of inner interchange between the Gods and the Rishis is common.
Tr. Doer of hundred deeds, stand aloft for our increase in this prosperity; in others too let us together converse.
This is the seventh Rik.
yoge yoge in every case of fulfillment of desire; vājevāje and in every case of prosperity when occasioned; sakhāyaḥ friends that we are; indram God Indra; ūtaye for our increase; havāmahe we call; what kind of Indra, tavastaram exceedingly strong. The possessive suffix vin on the word tavas; elision is Vedic.
Tr. In every fulfillment, in every prosperity, we as friends call for our increase Indra the most mighty.
This is the eighth Rik.
gha to complete the metre, it is elongated in the Samhita text; he, Indra yadi śravat if he would hear; what? nah havam our invocation, call; upa ā gamat will surely come near us, (śravat, gamat both Vedic Present in the sense of the conditional tense); how will he come? sahasrinibhiḥ ūtibhiḥ with many increases, with things that bring them; so also vājebhiḥ with prosperities, he will come with them.
Instrumental to denote the manner of coming.
Tr. If he hears our call, he will come to us with thousandfold increase and prosperities.
pratnasya ancient; okasaḥ from home; tuvipratim he who comes towards the many who are engaged in the inner sacrifice i.e. coming to favour them; naram the Person, mighty Indra; anu huve I call in order; yam te whom thee (interchange of case); pitā our father; pūrvam huve had called; father denotes the ancestral Rishis.
huve : the root is hven. The absence of dual number Vedic.
tuvipratim-pratiḥ like in pratinidhi representative pratidāna return gift; used as abstract noun; just as bhimasena is shortened to bhima.
te : by change of case, it means thee. Indra; this has been explained; it coheres with the address to Indra further on. Or the Rishi addresses himself, saying ’whom thy father called’.
Tr. I call in order the hero who from the ancient comes fronting the many, Thee whom the father called before.
This is the tenth Rik.
Viśvavāra all-cherished; puruhūta called by many; sakhe of equal communication, our comrade; vaso wealth; tam one with aforesaid qualities; tvām thee Indra ; vayam we thy friends; jaritṛbhyaḥ for those that praise, for honouring them; āśāsmahe we beseach.
Tr. Cherished by all, invoked by many, O comrade, treasure, to thee we pray for the singers of thy praise. Thus ends the twenty-ninth Group in the second Chapter of the first Eighth.
This is the eleventh Rik.
somapāḥ O drinker of Soma; asmākam genetive in the sense of relation, of those who are connected with us; siprinīnām of the lovely jawed-denotes face- this is the show his handsome look in the act of drinking; in ‘by the jaws of the jawed-ones’ (10.101.5) the word siprin is used in the sense of well- formed jaw; somapāvnām of the drinkers of Soma; sakhinām of gods who are dear as friends; sakhe beloved; vajrin with thunderbolt, we resort to thee, praise, pray for thy grace—so runs the rest of the sentence.
According to Sayana : may the host of cows of our friends thrive by thy grace.
Tr. O Soma-drinker, beloved of our handsome- faced Soma-drinkers seeking friendship, thunder-armed.
This is the twelfth Rik.
somapāḥ O drinker of Soma; sakhe dear as friend; vajrin thunder-armed; yathā by which way; te thy; işğaye for sacrifice (noun-form y yaj); uśmasi we desire—vas to attract; masi on the termination it; tathā in that way; tat astu may that sacrifice be; tathā kļņu make it thatwise.
Tr. Drinker of Soma, friend, thunder-armed, let the sacrifice for thee be as we desire, do thou so.
This is the thirteenth Rik.
tuvivājāḥ full of many strengths; revatiḥ wealthy (rayi is divine riches-Possessive after vowel change in the word rayi; second case in the sense of the first); santu may they be; who are these wealthy ones? The noun that is qualified is not mentioned in the Rik. Praises, says Skandasvamin; cows says Sayana; may be cows, but they are not animals; they can only be divine powers or riches, creators of the wealthy of rays of consciousness, endowed with plenty of varied strength; such riches sadhamāde joying with us; indre in Indra; nah may be ours—this is the connection; (sadhamādaḥ together enjoys, 10th conjugation; in the Veda sadha is used for saha together); When Lord Indra rejoices with us, let our wealth be divine powers or cows of the said kind; yābhiḥ with which (spoken of before) we; kşumantaḥ with provisions plentiful; madema we shall rejoice; the word kşu generally means food in Sayana’s commentary, at times praise, fame; in one place he comments ‘kṣumati in the wealthy’; thus the meaning of heap or store or treasure generally coheres everywhere.
Tr. May they, wealthy and of varied strengths, be ours when Indra joys with us, by which provisioned we may rejoice.
This is the fourteenth Rik.
dhṛṣņo O daring one, hero with strength; thou tvāvān art like thyself (termination Vedic); tmanā thou by thyself (elision of ă in Veda); āptaḥ to be trusted; being so, iyānaḥ besought; stotſbhyaḥ for favouring those that pray, desired strength; ā ļņoḥ having brought thou scatterest; illustration thereto : cakryoḥ of the wheels of the car; akşam na like the axle. Just as the ’carriage becomes firm-knit for movement by the casting of the axle, thou that art trustworthy becomest like thyself and favourest the singers with strength. Without that superhuman strength, the chanters cannot move on their own. Of that kind of strength, compared to the casting of the axle, laid in the singers, thou alone, thy like alone; is the master. Elsewhere is a mantra that says : He whom thou favourest, thou makest like thyself. That is to be noted. “O Indra, what shining power, with what thought-force dost thou make men like thyself.’ (10.29.4) Hence the chanter fashioned like Indra, becomes strong by Indra alone, not by his own effort. This substance of the Rik agrees with the subsequent Rik. Deliberation on the meaning of the two Riks is not given in the older commentaries; if done, the sense appears dry and pathetic : ‘tvāvān, another special deity’‘rņoḥ interchange of person’this older explanation is not accepted by us.
iyānaḥ : the form is of imahe meaning to beseach; perfect participle of i to go.
ṛņoḥ : the root of the tana class; absence of a in aorist. Or perhaps imperfect in the sense of present.
cakryoh : the word cakra terminating in a here in the Veda ends in i.
Tr. Bold one, thou like thyself, trusted, besought, bringest and givest to the chanters; like the axle of the wheels of the car.
This is the fifteenth Rik.
śatakrato Indra of hundred deeds; jaritļņām of the singers; yat duvaḥ the effort and labour; that ā of them; kāmam desire; ā rņoủ thou thyself castest; as the upasarga ā is repeated it has to be connected twice with the verb rņoḥ, the usage twice is to denote respect; the labour of those who chant the praises and their desire for the object to be attained—both of these become the means for the fulfilment. That too is bestowed on the singers by Indra himself. The aspiration which is the means for the objective of attaining the divinity and the effort equal to it come by the grace of Indra alone-he being the lord and the effector; illustration thereto; sacībhiḥ with the strengths effecting it; akşam na just as the axle is cast between the wheels of car; here too the purpose of the illustration, as in the former one, is to be noted. Just as movement of the car-wheels is not possible without the axle, similarly the course of the chanter is not possible without effort and aspiration. Here the seer addresses Indra himself ārņoḥ; not any other deity like Indra, as Sayana comments in the earlier Rik. The relation between these Riks is to be noted.
Tr. One of hundred activities, thou dost bestow on thy praisers, the effort and the aspiration, just as they cast the axle with strengths.
Thus ends the thirtieth Group in the second Chapter of the first Eighth.
This is the sixteenth Rik.
śaśvat always; indraḥ king of the gods; dhanāni the divine riches of light, joy and the like to be attained by us; jigāya won (for us); by what means? by means of the powers of enjoyment and action, horses indicating the life-force sustaining the world; though the horse is not mentioned by the word, still it is denoted by three adjectives; they are : popruthadbhiḥ becoming capable again and again (prothſ to be adequate; adequacy again is the sense of capability, present participle of reduplicated stem); nānadadbhiḥ uttering again the sound expressing satisfaction, neighing (nad is the root, like before on the reduplicated stem); śāśvasadbhiḥ breathing again and again, panting after the toil of achievement; saḥ thus conquering with the horses, Indra; damsanāvān active (damsaḥ work, damsaḥ is again damsanā); sanitā donor; naḥ to us; sanaye for benefit; hiraṇyaratham the car golden, luminous; adāt gave. Indeed the Rishis aspiring for God reach the divine home by means of the luminous vehicle given by God.
Tr. With self renewing, neighing, panting horses, Indra always won riches. Dynamic, donor, he hath given us the golden car for our benefit.
Now there are three Riks to the Ashvins; of them the first, seventeenth in the hymn, is this.
dasrāu O achievers (already explained); aśvinau Ashvins; aśvāvatyā with horses—that horse is a symbol of life-force is to be kept in mind (lengthening is Vedic); savirayā with sparkling strength; işā with rapid impulsion; āyātam come; gomat rich with the rays of knowledge; hiraṇyavat full of lustre—be your coming.
Tr. Come, O Ashvins, achievers, with impulsion full in steed and strength; rayful and golden be it. Second in the three, eighteenth in the hymn is this Rik.
dasrau O achievers; asvinau Ashvins; vām your; samānayojanaḥ of like harnessing of horse; rathaḥ chariot; as both of you ascend the same chariot, it is yoked for both at once; amartyaḥ indestructible, becomes immortal by nature; hi because it is thus without destruction; samudre in the partless vast sky seen in the mid-region; iyate goes.
Tr. O Ashvins, achievers, your chariot, yoked alike for you both, immortal, moves in the vast.
Third in the three, nineteenth in the hymn is this Rik.
O Ashvins, aghnyasya of the hill; mūrdhani on the summit; rathasya of the chariot; cakram one wheel; niyemathuḥ you placed firm; anyat the other wheel; dyām the heaven; pari around; īyate goes.
aghnyaḥ : cow, say some; Prajapati Aditya, says Skandasvamin; not to be stuck, hill, because of firmness, says Sayana. Here it should be taken as hill, because so it coheres in purport. One wheel of the chariot of the Ashvins is in a high place on earth, the other in heavens. The Chariot itself, it is to be noted, is a symbolic word denoting special, regulated movement. Of this one wheel is kept on the summit of the hill, the other goes round the heavens or towards the heavens. (pari denotes action, should be taken as prati ’towards’ says Skandasvamin.)
This is the secret import to be noted. One wheel of the Ashvins is placed on the summit of the plane of physical consciousness, the peak of the ripened consciousness of man; on the peak of such a hill, verily, is first welcomed the ray of the dawn of knowledge. There does Goddess Usha, daughter of Heaven, bride of the honeyed Ashvins, ride the luminous chariot of the Ashvins and ascend the heaven, where the other wheel of the chariot goes to the divine station. What has been said elesewhere regarding the activity of the Ashvins must be kept in mind (1.3.3.) The movement of the Ashvins in the heaven and on earth, ‘on the summit of the hill’; this becomes clear in another Rik : ’which stations the Ashvins hold in the streams of heaven, in the herbs and in men; they rest on the summits of the hill’ (7.70.3). The chariot of the Ashvins is luminous, ‘come Ashvins in the car of the solar skin’ (8.8.2); ’gold-seated, gold-reined, touching the heaven’ (luminous cover) (8.5.28); note that gold, sun, light denote relation with the Truth. “Your chariot born of truth, urged from the hill (3.58.8) There is also mention in plural of Usha along with the Ashvins riding the chariot : ’Blessed those ancient Dawns, luminous with plenty, true born of truth (4.51.7.)
Tr. On the summit of the hill you placed firm the wheel of the chariot; the other wheel goes around the heaven.
Now three Riks to Usha. Of these this is the first, twentieth in the hymn.
kadhapriye O lover of praises (kath to arrange in sentences; dha for tha is Vedic, similarly the shortening of ā); uşaḥ called by the word Ushas; the daughter of Heaven, the divine radiance that graces before the rise of the Sun of the supreme light of Truth, heralding his advent, she is the Deity Usha; she is now addressed; amartye O deathless one- because hers is the eternal truth; kaḥ martaḥ which mortal; te bhuje for enjoyment of thee (bhuje, like formation in sampat, bhuk, for him) is capable; vibhāvari O, endowed with excellent light (the possessive sense of suffix vanip on bha with prefix vi; for na, ra is substituted); kam what kind of man; nakşase thou attainest (nakș to go at). He asks what kind of person becomes competent to receive the grace of Ushas of features described; by which question is suggested the prayer : “O Goddess, make me competent”. The ancient Rishis obtained the grace of the gods by hearty lauds. Here it is not the ordinary hour of dawn that is praised; thạt becomes patent to all living beings, every day. There no special capacity is called for in man, possession of eyesight is enough. If it be said that the commencement of daily activities of men at the time of dawn is only meant by enjoyment of Ushas, then the whole world of living beings unimpaired in body, limb and senses would be capable of enjoying Ushas (and indeed it does). None except the insane, no man right in his senses, would address the time of the dawn and ask, “O Goddess, O luminous one, who can enjoy thee?” The seer of the Mantra is not deluded, nor a common person.
Tr. Lover of praises, O Ushas, deathless one, which mortal is fit to enjoy thee; O luminous one, whom dost thou attain?
This is the second in the group of three, twenty- first in the hymn.
aruși shining one! citre of varied hue; aśve na standing like a horse (this simile is to denote enjoyment, speed etc.); O Dawn, vayam we singers of they praise, humans; te thee (interchange of case); ā parākāt from beyond, starting from afar; ā antāt till near or else far or near; amanmahi we meditate upon; even from far thou art in our thoughts, not while near only (man to know, 4th conjugation; vedic form); hi to make sure; na in the third foot has the sense of expressing a simile; in Sayana’s commentary, it is connected as “not thought of” in the first quarter; we are not able to know-in this negative sense is na explained; this kind of association is not proper.
Tr. Shining, variegated in hue, standing like a steed, O dawn, far or near, we meditate upon thee.
This is the third of the three, the twenty-second Rik in the hymn.
divah of the heaven, of the Father of all this, stationed above; duhitaḥ O daughter, O dawn; tyebhiḥ with these shining; vājebhiḥ plenties, with the divine opulences; tvam thou; ā gahi come; asme in us (e is substituted for the locative); rayim wealth, divine riches; ni dhāraya found well, establish.
Tr. Daughter of Heaven, come with those divine riches, found well in us the divine wealth.
Thus ends the thirty first group in the second Chapter of the first Eighth.
Thus ends the sixth Section in the first Circle.
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