१६१

सर्वाष् टीकाः ...{Loading}...
सायण-भाष्यम्

‘ किमु श्रेष्ठः’ इति चतुर्दशर्चं पञ्चमं सूक्तं दैर्घतमसमार्भवम् । अन्त्या त्रिष्टुप् शिष्टास्त्रिष्टुबन्तपरिभाषया जगत्यः । अनुक्रान्तं च - किमु श्रेष्ठः षळूनार्भवं त्रिष्टुबन्तम्’ इति । व्यूळ्हे दशरात्रे षष्ठेऽहनि वैश्वदेवशस्त्रे आर्भवं निविद्धानं द्वि प्रतीकम् । तत्र ‘किमु श्रेष्ठः’ इत्येतदन्त्यवर्जं प्रतीकम् । ‘ व्यूळ्हश्चेत्’ इति खण्डे सूत्रितं - किमु श्रेष्ठ उप नो वाजा इति त्रयोदशार्भवं चतस्रश्च’ (आश्व. श्रौ. ८. ८) इति ॥

Jamison Brereton

161
R̥bhus
Dīrghatamas Aucathya
14 verses: jagatī 1–13, triṣṭubh 14
This is a difficult hymn, but one essential for understanding the R̥bhus and their relation to the Third Pressing. Its narrative tells how the R̥bhus attained immortal ity and entered among the gods—or seems to. This theme is stated in verse 2 and elaborated in verses 11–14. The R̥bhus were priests who attained status as gods by their sacrificial performance. As gods they are worshiped in the Third Pressing, and therefore it is not surprising that the ritual acts by which they became gods are those

of the Third Pressing. For a detailed discussion of these acts, see the discussion by Brereton (2012).
The hymn begins by reference to one of the great acts of the R̥bhus, their trans formation of a single soma cup into four soma cups. This act signifies their divin ization because the four cups represent four soma offerings to Indra and the three R̥bhus. A single cup would have restricted the soma offering only to Indra. The hymn opens with the R̥bhus’ address to Agni, who has been sent by the gods. This dialogue takes place in the middle of the action, for apparently Agni has pointed to the camasá, the ritual soma cup, and the R̥bhus are concerned that Agni thinks that they have insulted this soma cup in some way (vs. 1). But Agni reaffirms the command of the gods that the R̥bhus create four cups out of this one, and he offers to make them gods (vs. 2). However, the R̥bhus reply that they have much more to do as priests before they themselves become the objects of worship. First, they need to make a horse. Elsewhere they fashion the two horses of Indra, and it is to this act that verse 3 likely refers. The making of these horses points toward the Hāriyojanagraha, an offering to Indra as he harnesses his horses to leave the ritual ground at the end of the Third Pressing (see also I.61–63, 82). Second, they need to make a chariot, which can represent the hymn or the whole ritual. Third, they need to make a milk-cow, which represents the already-pressed soma stalks, which are made to yield additional soma in the Third Pressing. And finally they need to make young two who are old. The two might be the sacrificer and his wife or another pair. Once the R̥bhus have accomplished all their great sac
rificial deeds, then they will be worthy to follow Agni to heaven (vs. 3). Tvaṣṭar is introduced in verse 4 probably in connection with another rite in the Third Pressing in which the Wife of the Sacrificer receives indirect access to the soma. Verse 5 returns to the four cups and we now learn that Tvaṣṭar, who had origi
nally made the one cup, is angry that the R̥bhus are modifying his creation. The R̥bhus protect themselves by taking on “other names.” These “other names” may be their priestly offices, and by these names or priestly offices the “maiden” will rescue them. The hymn gives little clue to identity of the “maiden,” but she may be Sarasvatī (cf. VI.49.7) or even Speech (Vāc) herself. In either case, the words that the R̥bhus master or the knowledge that they possess somehow protects them from the anger of Tvaṣṭar. Vs. 6 affirms that the R̥bhus did succeed in becoming gods and divine recipients of soma.
In verse 7 the hymn returns to the sacrificial acts that made them immortal: the soma-pressing (see vs. 10), the rejuvenation of the aging pair, the creation of a horse, and the harnessing of the chariot that is the sacrifice or the hymn. Verse 8 marks a return to a dialogue, now between the R̥bhus and the gods. According to Sāyaṇa, the “water” and the “rinse-water of muñja-reeds” that the gods offer the R̥bhus are the soma of the first two pressings. This interpretation is contextually justifiable, but such a denigration of these first two pressings is unlikely. Oldenberg suggests that the gods first offer the R̥bhus two inferior drinks and only then and finally the soma. If we take this approach, the first offering would be water, and the second might be a kind of faux-soma. The word múñja approximates mū́javant, the mountain from which the real soma comes, and therefore the “rinse-water of muñja-reeds” may represent an inferior approximation of soma. It is only the third time and in the third soma-pressing that the gods offer the R̥bhus the real soma. Structurally verse 9 continues verse 8, since again three things are mentioned, of which the third is the best. However, it is difficult to say what the feminine noun described as vadharyántī “weapon-wielding” in pāda c might be, since the adjec
tive is otherwise unattested. According to Sāyaṇa, it is either the earth or a line of clouds and its weapon is lightning. Along similar lines, Geldner suggests that it is the rainy season and again that its weapon is lightning. Interpreting vadharyántī slightly differently, Witzel and Gotō understand it as the axe (svádhiti) “serving as a weapon.” We resolve the ellipsis by drawing its sense from the verb pra √brū
“proclaim” in pāda c and the reference to spoken truths in pāda d. The first two R̥bhus praise water and fire, which are essential to the sacrifice, but the third R̥bhu recognizes true speech as the most essential element.
Verse 10 returns once again to the great sacrificial deeds of the R̥bhus and this time especially to the soma that is prepared in the Third Pressing. In the Third Pressing soma stalks from the first two pressings are pressed again to yield addi tional soma. In verse 10 these stalks are the “lame cow”—lame because they have already been pressed—which are then soaked in water. The “carving” of the cow is the re-pressing of the stalks, and the dung is the now thoroughly mangled stems of the soma plant. The place of 10d is not clear. Whoever the “parents” may be, the “sons” are likely the R̥bhus or the priests that they represent.
The last sequence of verses, 11–14, probably describes the ascent of the R̥bhus to immortality, but even if this is correct, the details are obscure. At best we can point out a few possible identifications and a few possible interpretations. Agohya in verse 11 is probably the Sun as the “Unconcealable One,” although he might also be Savitar. In I.110.2–3 the R̥bhus’ attainment of immortality is connected with Agohya, and if Agohya is the Sun, then perhaps one stage in the R̥bhus’ ascent is to the sun. The Sun governs the year, and therefore the “grass on the heights” may rep
resent the summer pasturage, and “the waters in the valleys” the winter pasturage. In verse 13 the identification of the goat and the dog as the sun and moon is doubt ful. It assumes that the bastá “goat” is ajá ekapád, “the one-footed goat,” which elsewhere is the Sun. The identification of the moon as “the dog” follows Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa XI.1.5.1, in which the moon is called the heavenly dog. In the last verse, the gods move throughout the visible world seeking the R̥bhus, but perhaps they do not find them because they have gone from the visible world.

Geldner

Die Ribhu`s:

01 किमु श्रेष्टः - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

किमु॒ श्रेष्ठः॒ किं यवि॑ष्ठो न॒ आज॑ग॒न्किमी॑यते दू॒त्यं१॒॑ कद्यदू॑चि॒म ।
न नि॑न्दिम चम॒सं यो म॑हाकु॒लोऽग्ने॑ भ्रात॒र्द्रुण॒ इद्भू॒तिमू॑दिम ॥

02 एकं चमसम् - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

एकं॑ चम॒सं च॒तुरः॑ कृणोतन॒ तद्वो॑ दे॒वा अ॑ब्रुव॒न्तद्व॒ आग॑मम् ।
सौध॑न्वना॒ यद्ये॒वा क॑रि॒ष्यथ॑ सा॒कं दे॒वैर्य॒ज्ञिया॑सो भविष्यथ ॥

03 अग्निं दूतम् - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अ॒ग्निं दू॒तं प्रति॒ यदब्र॑वीत॒नाश्वः॒ कर्त्वो॒ रथ॑ उ॒तेह कर्त्वः॑ ।
धे॒नुः कर्त्वा॑ युव॒शा कर्त्वा॒ द्वा तानि॑ भ्रात॒रनु॑ वः कृ॒त्व्येम॑सि ॥

04 चकृवांस ऋभवस्तदपृच्छत - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

च॒कृ॒वांस॑ ऋभव॒स्तद॑पृच्छत॒ क्वेद॑भू॒द्यः स्य दू॒तो न॒ आज॑गन् ।
य॒दावाख्य॑च्चम॒साञ्च॒तुरः॑ कृ॒तानादित्त्वष्टा॒ ग्नास्व॒न्तर्न्या॑नजे ॥

05 हनामैनाँ इति - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

हना॑मैनाँ॒ इति॒ त्वष्टा॒ यदब्र॑वीच्चम॒सं ये दे॑व॒पान॒मनि॑न्दिषुः ।
अ॒न्या नामा॑नि कृण्वते सु॒ते सचाँ॑ अ॒न्यैरे॑नान्क॒न्या॒३॒॑ नाम॑भिः स्परत् ॥

06 इन्द्रो हरी - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

इन्द्रो॒ हरी॑ युयु॒जे अ॒श्विना॒ रथं॒ बृह॒स्पति॑र्वि॒श्वरू॑पा॒मुपा॑जत ।
ऋ॒भुर्विभ्वा॒ वाजो॑ दे॒वाँ अ॑गच्छत॒ स्वप॑सो य॒ज्ञियं॑ भा॒गमै॑तन ॥

07 निश्चर्मणो गामरिणीत - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

निश्चर्म॑णो॒ गाम॑रिणीत धी॒तिभि॒र्या जर॑न्ता युव॒शा ताकृ॑णोतन ।
सौध॑न्वना॒ अश्वा॒दश्व॑मतक्षत यु॒क्त्वा रथ॒मुप॑ दे॒वाँ अ॑यातन ॥

08 इदमुदकं पिबतेत्यब्रवीतनेदम् - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

इ॒दमु॑द॒कं पि॑ब॒तेत्य॑ब्रवीतने॒दं वा॑ घा पिबता मुञ्ज॒नेज॑नम् ।
सौध॑न्वना॒ यदि॒ तन्नेव॒ हर्य॑थ तृ॒तीये॑ घा॒ सव॑ने मादयाध्वै ॥

09 आपो भूयिष्टा - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

आपो॒ भूयि॑ष्ठा॒ इत्येको॑ अब्रवीद॒ग्निर्भूयि॑ष्ठ॒ इत्य॒न्यो अ॑ब्रवीत् ।
व॒ध॒र्यन्तीं॑ ब॒हुभ्यः॒ प्रैको॑ अब्रवीदृ॒ता वद॑न्तश्चम॒साँ अ॑पिंशत ॥

10 श्रोणामेक उदकम् - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

श्रो॒णामेक॑ उद॒कं गामवा॑जति मां॒समेकः॑ पिंशति सू॒नयाभृ॑तम् ।
आ नि॒म्रुचः॒ शकृ॒देको॒ अपा॑भर॒त्किं स्वि॑त्पु॒त्रेभ्यः॑ पि॒तरा॒ उपा॑वतुः ॥

11 उद्वत्स्वस्मा अकृणोतना - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

उ॒द्वत्स्व॑स्मा अकृणोतना॒ तृणं॑ नि॒वत्स्व॒पः स्व॑प॒स्यया॑ नरः ।
अगो॑ह्यस्य॒ यदस॑स्तना गृ॒हे तद॒द्येदमृ॑भवो॒ नानु॑ गच्छथ ॥

12 सम्मील्य यद्भुवना - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

स॒म्मील्य॒ यद्भुव॑ना प॒र्यस॑र्पत॒ क्व॑ स्वित्ता॒त्या पि॒तरा॑ व आसतुः ।
अश॑पत॒ यः क॒रस्नं॑ व आद॒दे यः प्राब्र॑वी॒त्प्रो तस्मा॑ अब्रवीतन ॥

13 सुषुप्वांस ऋभवस्तदपृच्छतागोह्य - जगती

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

सु॒षु॒प्वांस॑ ऋभव॒स्तद॑पृच्छ॒तागो॑ह्य॒ क इ॒दं नो॑ अबूबुधत् ।
श्वानं॑ ब॒स्तो बो॑धयि॒तार॑मब्रवीत्संवत्स॒र इ॒दम॒द्या व्य॑ख्यत ॥

14 दिवा यान्ति - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

दि॒वा या॑न्ति म॒रुतो॒ भूम्या॒ग्निर॒यं वातो॑ अ॒न्तरि॑क्षेण याति ।
अ॒द्भिर्या॑ति॒ वरु॑णः समु॒द्रैर्यु॒ष्माँ इ॒च्छन्तः॑ शवसो नपातः ॥